I don't have a lot of exciting news this week. I am working on the 9 (of 15) section of the Curlicue Coverlet which means more yellow and more blue sections then last time I photographed it. I am working out on the treadmill at lunch on days that don't start with T and happy to report that at a 10% incline I can do an 18 min mile. My first goal will be to do a 15 minute mile with the next goal being 2 miles in 30 minutes.
I did see a middle age man steal a pack of cigarettes from the grocery store this week. The man had been completely rung up (including the cigarettes) and everything was bagged up (except the cigarettes which were on the little check writing counter) when a computer glitch knocked out all the checkout stations. The cashier and manager started un-bagging everything and scanning it all back into the checkout computer. I was two carts back. I saw his hand clench around the cigarettes. I saw the hand slide back just slightly and then just a little more. I was staring intently when another cashier invited me to check out in her lane. When I had checked out, I saw him tucking the cigarettes in one of his bags all the while talking to the manager. He walked out as I did and looked cool as a cucumber.
Why didn't I turn him in? Maybe because it is only a $4 item. Maybe because he was buying beer and dog food (wet and dry food, he loves his dog) so I pictured him, a bachelor, drinking at home alone with his dog and felt bad for him. Maybe I have seen Empire Records too many times. (Damn the man, save the Empire!) Mostly, I think I wanted to see whether he would get away with it or not. He did and I got a little secret excitement from it in a boring week.
