A Sheltered Life Chapter Two

THE OBVIOUS

It doesn't take long to become a veteran of shelter life. I come from a large family so communal life is a snap for me. Or so I thought. The differences are (1) POLITICS and (2) DRAMA. Allow me to outline these two differences, from my own skewed view, for you.*

1. Politics
a. Admin. dictates certain steps that
must be completed in a timely manner.
b. You must adhere to the rules.**
c. All personnel from the main office to the
Med Clinic, and yes even the Sisters who
prepare your early morning meals a lunch
warn you to stay away from the "DRAMA".
d. Keep the residents in the dark about every-
thing; thus, no "DRAMA!!"
2. DRAMA (see 1.c.)
a. Admin.'s favoritism is a real bitch who
sits behind a glass window and neglects/
refuses to give You a break, all the while
stroking the little princess with the two inches
of makeup and fluttering eyelashes on and who is
better at appearing the victim than you are!!***
b. Always remember the squeeky wheel requires
more oil than the others AND is always the
first one to run and tell on you as soon as your
back is turned in order to deflect attention
from the rule breaking that she herself is
currently engaged in.
c. Never, ever trust anyone who starts a sentence
with "I love that girl, don't get me wrong but"
because the rest of the statement will not
end well!!****
d. When you can see a full stage production unfold
in your mind with multiple cast and crew inter-
acting in such a way that you feel the urge to
write down what's coming out of their mouths,
all the while laughing until tears spill down your
cheeks, then you have just entered the DRAMA
zone.
e. Take note of just how many times EMS and the
Fire Dept. make a visit to the facility. This helps
to separate the actual emergencies from the
attention seekers, whom you want to avoid like
plague if you catch my meaning.
f. Take pictures and voice recordings (just don't
get caught/see 10-28-11) whenever possible
because it's always beneficial to have some
sort of proof to protect yourself from gossip
and snitches, um'kay. Amen!!

*Ive had very little sleep since the day I arrived here which, upon reflection, parallels my life at home. One wonders if one would have been better off staying at home. At least there I could have watched the News.
**There are a large number of signs posted throughout the shelter to "HELP" you on this particular subject. From where I'm sitting either these people can't read, won't read, or just believe these "RULES" do not apply to them or their children.
***You know who they are because they'll be more than happy to tel you just how beautiful THEY are and just how hard it is for them to go outside the shelder without being chased by some man along the way, or even fighting off a Casanova at a job interview.
****"Let yee who is without sin cast the first stone", unless your shit don't stink or you're better at hiding your sins!!


As you've probably noticed, DRAMA takes up more of your time than POLITICS. That's because, in my opinion, DRAMA requires more work and energy.

I soak it up like a big brown sponge. I find it entertaining as hell and have stated, on several occasions, that I could sit in the back of the dining room with a huge bowl of popcorn, some junior mints or m&m's, and an endless supply of soda and watch it unfold like the soap opera that it is, truly I could. I even hear music in my head to accompany certain people and certain scenarios.

Then, on quiet nights, like tonight, I sit and set these novelas down on paper for my own amusement, in separate spiral notebooks, along with personal observations and random thoughts, lists of things to do and want to do's, paper clippings of interest etc., etc..

But here is where I leave off because I stink (P.S.) and I need some sleep.

P.S. I stink because I just got done cleaning the dining room and I was taught at a very early age that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. Unfortunately that means getting sweaty! :)