I called our old favorite chocolate shop in New York today, to order chocolates for us and for ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
roadnotes. Mark Varsano, the chocolatier, started by taking my name and address, but it wasn't until I gave him Roadnotes's name that he recognized me. Probably some combination of there being more Vickis than Velmas, her distinctive looks, and maybe that she'd been shopping there longer.
It was interesting selecting chocolate over the phone, since I couldn't see what was in the display case today (the website gives some examples of what he carries, and then adds "and much more")—and I just remembered that I'd meant to ask for a cashew or pecan turtle. But once he had Roadnotes for context, along with my name, Mark said "you want orange peel and ginger, right?" and we went from there. Is that kind of memory normal for people who work in retail, or is Mark Varsano's unusually good?
On the other hand, Varsano's is the shop that made me think "I live in a small town, population eight million," because Mark didn't just remember that I prefer dark chocolate, he would ask after![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
baldanders's health. And today, along with whether I miss New York, he asked whether I had a job. That wasn't random; I'd mentioned being laid off, and job-hunting, to him back in 2012. However, rather than trusting his memory, Mark is going to look at his notes to put together a box for Roadnotes, since that's a better/more detailed description of what she's likely to want than I could come up with. (I talked to cattitude in the middle of writing this post, and he says those notes were pretty sparse last winter; I wonder if I will be getting a call back.)
We chose to be optimistic about the weather and the chocolate not melting in transit, rather than spending lots of money on FedEx overnight (Mark mentioned the FedEx pp, but in tones of "I wouldn't recommend this").
I got out the trash-picked bosu (balance device) this morning, and tried standing on it and exercising a little. It was too easy, especially given that it's been over a year since I used one; when I was putting the bosu away I saw that, having been stood upon, it was visibly deflated. So, not worth keeping, but I am thinking of buying one.
Also in the self-care/maintenance department, I stopped at the supermarket pharmacy a couple of hours ago for a flu shot. I had a few minutes' wait after I asked for the vaccine, read and filled out the form, and gave the clerk my insurance card. The injection itself went smoothly. Like last year, it's costing me nothing (the insurer is paying $30), and they gave me a coupon for a discount on groceries. [ETA, for reference: I was given Fluvirin. Trivalent, which this season is A/H3N2, A/H1N1, and B.]
roadnotes. Mark Varsano, the chocolatier, started by taking my name and address, but it wasn't until I gave him Roadnotes's name that he recognized me. Probably some combination of there being more Vickis than Velmas, her distinctive looks, and maybe that she'd been shopping there longer. It was interesting selecting chocolate over the phone, since I couldn't see what was in the display case today (the website gives some examples of what he carries, and then adds "and much more")—and I just remembered that I'd meant to ask for a cashew or pecan turtle. But once he had Roadnotes for context, along with my name, Mark said "you want orange peel and ginger, right?" and we went from there. Is that kind of memory normal for people who work in retail, or is Mark Varsano's unusually good?
On the other hand, Varsano's is the shop that made me think "I live in a small town, population eight million," because Mark didn't just remember that I prefer dark chocolate, he would ask after
baldanders's health. And today, along with whether I miss New York, he asked whether I had a job. That wasn't random; I'd mentioned being laid off, and job-hunting, to him back in 2012. However, rather than trusting his memory, Mark is going to look at his notes to put together a box for Roadnotes, since that's a better/more detailed description of what she's likely to want than I could come up with. (I talked to cattitude in the middle of writing this post, and he says those notes were pretty sparse last winter; I wonder if I will be getting a call back.)We chose to be optimistic about the weather and the chocolate not melting in transit, rather than spending lots of money on FedEx overnight (Mark mentioned the FedEx pp, but in tones of "I wouldn't recommend this").
I got out the trash-picked bosu (balance device) this morning, and tried standing on it and exercising a little. It was too easy, especially given that it's been over a year since I used one; when I was putting the bosu away I saw that, having been stood upon, it was visibly deflated. So, not worth keeping, but I am thinking of buying one.
Also in the self-care/maintenance department, I stopped at the supermarket pharmacy a couple of hours ago for a flu shot. I had a few minutes' wait after I asked for the vaccine, read and filled out the form, and gave the clerk my insurance card. The injection itself went smoothly. Like last year, it's costing me nothing (the insurer is paying $30), and they gave me a coupon for a discount on groceries. [ETA, for reference: I was given Fluvirin. Trivalent, which this season is A/H3N2, A/H1N1, and B.]