While I'm Thinking About It

My Daily Grind is well and truly over

For those of you who don't know, after a couple of jobs where I was insulated from the general public by a layer or two of abstraction, I am back in the world of retail. And unlike Toys 'R' Us or Pilgrim Discount Book and Bible Supply, it is a more general-purpose sort of store, which means it's been deemed essential in this era of COVID-19.

Everything you've heard about the plight of the retail worker recently? It's absolutely true. Even on the slow days where Portlandians are treating our governor's stay-at-home order almost seriously, I'm coming home both physically and emotionally drained.

And on Friday, which was a really good day at work on multiple levels, I collapsed. Completely, and unapologetically. Therefore, no strip. If it seems like Monday's is kind of cliffhangery, that's the reason.

I'm going to try my best, but I can't promise five updates a week anymore, at least for the time being. The Midnight Rule is still in effect, though. It existed before the Grind started, and there's no reason not to keep it around.

As an aside, this current story is not the result of me deliberately avoiding COVID-19. I knew I was going to do this almost as soon as New Year's was over. The fact that it means I don't have to run strips that are the store's main entrance with a "Closed" sign on it is just a bonus.