hello, my name is ma'am

Every time Cade would come up to Pennsylvania to visit my family he sir-ed and ma'am-ed my parents to death! My parents found it hilarious every time he called them by those titles and they acted jokingly pompous at being extended these 'regal' titles. Cade told me that it was considered a great disrespect down in the south if you didn't address everyone as sir or ma'am, and as a child you would be smacked if you didn't remember to do so. I'm not sure if it's just me, but up north I don't think anyone ever calls anyone by these titles unless they are at least 20 years your senior. I actually often got scolded by female customers at my work if I called them ma'am because they consider anyone that can go by that title to be "old".

Tuesday night was my first night at my new job, and the pharmacist (Tasha) and the two girls (Summer and Chanoa) I worked with were really nice! I was sooo shocked to see that their definition of busy was laughable compared to what I used to deal with in my old store. Unfortunately, however, the laws in Louisiana are so much stricter than Pennsylvania. In addition to being nationally certified as a pharmacy technician, you must also be state licensed. I need to apply for a license and I need to work for 600 hours under a pharmacist before I can so much as refill a prescription or count a single pill! So for now I am just a cashier, which really stinks because I used to do all the duties at my old store (I worked there for almost 2 years!) and now I'm like a peon :( I'm still going to be paid the same amount, so that is okay. I just wish I was more... useful?

Almost every customer I rung up called me ma'am and it was extremely strange to me. I'm 20 years old, I'm not a ma'am! Even women who were in their 60s were calling me ma'am. That would never happen back at home. I was practicing trying to call everyone ma'am and sir, but it felt so awkward to me. Not to mention the fact that every customer had some kind of crazy-hard-to-pronounce French last name. I did take French for 4 years in high school, but the 2 years and the addition of Spanish vocabulary have pretty much shoved all recollection of French out of my head. Redoirpoix... Voidrideux... Goudret... AAAAAAHHHH!!

Last night I attempted to make my first big-girl dinner since I've been here. I made chicken parmesan for Cade, and eggplant parmesan for me (Cade doesn't eat anything that rhymes with vegetable). It actually turned out really really delicious, if I do say so myself. I was really surprised because I usually can't cook to save my life! I always follow recipes to the 'T' and they always turn out horribly wrong. This time I didn't really follow a recipe, I just kind of winged it, and it came out alright! Yeah!! :)

Sorry for the boring post and the lack of pictures! I promise I will charge my camera and make a point to take pictures around here this week!

Oh, and I almost forgot... here is the little video tour of the apartment I made:

Tour of the Apartment from Emilie Briggs on Vimeo.

I'm not wearing any make-up and I sound really nasally... ugh. Just pretend it's better! ;)

My mom helped me get a new lil iPod since my old one got stolen.
And yes, I am listening to Michael Jackson. What of it?