it's a beautiful day in the hood ... won't you be mine?

i have to admit, i was not looking forward to coming in today, knowing that i would be coming back to a toxic work environment and all. but this morning i woke up surprisingly chipper and while getting dressed i decided that if people are going to hate me for just being me, i should really try to be as ME as possible. so i decided that i need to invoke my inner punk rock librarian. so i put on my knee high Sock it To Me socks with the black and fuschia stripes (shown at left, although i am not actually wearing roller skates. but if you would like to picture me skating around the library putting away books, possibly while whistling to myself, that's perfectly acceptable). so i have the knee highs, my dark denim banana republic skirt (this is actually an illegal dress code item, but i feel that since it is dark denim and it was pricey, its ok) and i am wearing a fitted black 3/4 length tee and my tall black boots with the buckles on the side. and my piece de resistance: my beat-up black studded belt that i bought in london back in '99. it's a pretty hot outfit if i do say so myself.
then i got my tea from my favorite bodega run by the kurds, and i got into my car and set my ipod to random. now this is always a risk as there are some rather varied things on my ipod. often i get chapters of audiobooks in between songs. but still, i felt it was a random ipod day so i went with it. and let me tell you blog readers it was totally worth it. let me tell you the awesome random playlist that my ipod created:
1. we can work it out by the beatles
2. you don't own me covered by rasputina (great band with two chicks who rock out on cellos)
3. magic by olivia newton john
4. like a virgin by madonna (i tried to sing along to this and although it sounded awesome in my head i'm pretty sure my never ending larygitis was holding me back from greatness)
5. jane says by jane's addiction
6. vaccuum boots by brain jonestown massacre
and then when i rolled into the hood a stone roses song came on and i parked my car happily, knowing that i quite possibly had just listened to the greatest mix my ipod has ever made.
but wait! my morning gets better! better you say? how is that possible?
so i came into the break room to hang up my coat and there was my only friend sitting on the phone chatting with her mother. she talks on the phone alot but i love her so i don't care. anyway, she was wearing this leather vest that was quite stylish and becoming and i think it is very important to support others when they are taking a risk outside their fashion comfort zone. so i said, "friend, that is a great vest you are wearing."
then her face lit up and she said, "really you like it?"
now it is important to remember i am conversing with a woman in her fifties who is often talking about being blessed by god. "yeah," i tell her, "it's really cool."
"oh thanks you know its part of a set that my husband got me. you know its all leather and i wear it when i gets out the whip when we're alone together. you know." and then she started miming whipping her husband while laughing hysterically.
"friend," i said sincerely, "you have made my morning."
but wait! there's more!
then i was called away to a phone call from my manager saying that she will not be coming in because her car died.
yes! greatest morning ever! so now i am here in charge of the branch and everyone is in a happy mood even though there is no heat. we are in something called "cold time" where we make overtime for being freezing. 54 degrees and loving every minute of it.