Muddled. Just Muddled.

Very much did in the sense that I literally do not know where my job is at the moment. But, for the time being I haven't been let go because nobody else including the store owner knows where it is either.

So, I don't wanna risk doxxing myself by posting pictures but goddamn am I tempted because this is not a believable event. This is a cartoon problem. For looneytoons.

But yeah, so, I work(ed?) at a kiosk selling boba tea, right? Freestanding kiosk in the mall with full water and electrical hookups and multiple fridges and sinks and a mini kitchen and the works. Fully functional tea shop. Very important to note that it was there last night, The work chat was discussing another issue last night at closing time. I'll get back to this.

It's been showing signs of being on the way out with how business is being handled lately and I've been considering other options, which is probably why I'm not as torn up about this as I should be, but maybe it just hasn't set in yet, but that's not the point. The point is there's been a lot of shit breaking and not being replaced and nobody mentioning anything about it until I walk into work in the morning and have to figure out why shit like the fucking cash register isn't there today. So I'm kinda used to having to ask questions about big things that nobody bothered to update me on. I was out for two weeks recovering from a surgery, so I came to work this morning assuming there'd be some kind of bullshit, yeah?

So, the question I had to ask the chat this morning was:

Not a text I ever thought I'd have to send in sincerity, but there it is. Because what I found instead was a fenced off patch of discolored tiles and a few holes in the floor where my entire place of employment used to be.

And the answer? Nobody knows! It was there last night when the mall closed, and every single trace of the structure and all its contents including drink making supplies and our safe and cashbox was gone when it opened again. And when I say nobody knows, I mean everyone from last night's closers to the actual (former?) owner of the store jad no fucking clue about this until getting that text from me this morning. For once I am actually the first to know. 🎉.

So. I guess I didn't so much lose my job as had it stolen. Not by AI, but good old fashioned hands-on human beings picking it up and carrying it away somehow. All mall security would tell me was that they were instructed not to tell me anything and have us contact our management. Who also don't know anything. And later on I came across some construction workers around the gravesite of the kiosk discussing filling in the holes, asked them about it, and was told that they "weren't at liberty to say".

So, not only is my job gone in the most literal physical sense of the word, but it was taken in some kind of super secret kiosk extraction in the dead of night without any warning or witnesses and nobody is allowed to speak of it. The store owner said she was gonna figure it out 10 hours ago and still no word back.

My mother in law thinks the FBI took it.

Not any of the other stores around the state. Just the one little kiosk.

Why? Because she loves a conspiracy and is just a little bit extra.

Also because she was around for the massive crackdown on Yakuza-owned businesses in Waikiki (in her homestate) that did actually involve the FBI seizing stores (no confirmation of making kiosks cleanly disappear in the middle of the night though).

Still no word from my job on what's actually going on, but the most likely theory so far is that maybe the kiosk was on lease and got repossessed? The mystery continues

According to the owner, based on what she's been able to find out, the kiosk was not removed legally and they're starting a potentially long process of legal action. I hope she gets to sue the shit out of whoever did it but for now at least I know for sure I'm unemployed.

Really hoping for more details in terms of who/why/how, so I'll keep updating if I learn anything.

For now the summary is: An unnamed entity that is most likely mall management (on account of mall security cooperating with them) stole an entire kiosk and all the contents including money and machinery with barely a trace in the middle of the night grinch-style, with zero warning or explanation, and ensured the silence of both security and the construction crew, in an action that was definitely preplanned and illegal, and as far as I know nobody knows its whereabouts.

Enjoy the unintentionally funniest text I've ever sent in my life

Aaand a close-up:

HEY HI HELLO THIS ONE'S MY FAVORITE

Someone pointed out that article's from 2023, and that's my mistake! Here is one that describes better where we are today.

So.

Downloads are still available as of time of writing. If you have music you want to keep, maybe go download it.

If your favorites sell music directly, go buy it there.

Do NOT go yell at musicians for being on Bandcamp. Where, one day after this broke, do you expect them to go? Where else can we get DRM-free files?

If the new owners keep Bandcamp Friday and DRM-free downloads, I will keep buying music from them.

Think of it this way: who are we trying to help? Musicians, right?

It won't help musicians to boycott Bandcamp and I have not (as of this writing) seen a call for it that's actually from a musician.

It really won't help musicians to yell at them about being on Bandcamp.

Next Bandcamp Friday I'm going to go buy albums I'd miss if they disappeared.

You are not going to pass a skillcheck against a rip current once it has you.

Waves will not bow to your physical prowess no matter how impressive.

Shock does not care that you used to be on your school swim team.

If you hit your head, being good at swimming isn't going to turn you face-up while you're unconscious.

So apparently around 4+ years ago, Doodle had this lil doggo she would draw whenever she felt stressed. She even drew him in various situations and eventually made a turnaround of him.

Her friend Bree was working on 3-D modeling and asked if she could do one of the Dog. Doodle consented and even helped in the process, identifying where he should be thicker or rounder or whatever. Finally Bree had a successful model of the Dog, and since we were moving states soon, decided to 3-D print the Dog as a gift to Doodle.

She had recently acquired a 3-D printer, and used it to attempt to print it. But something went wrong and her printer broke. She wrote it off as a stability issue and took the problem to her 3-D modeling professor, a man with extensive industry experience. Since he also knew Doodle, he was on board to make this happen.

So he tries to print it there. First, a fly got into the machine and instead of creating a hideous dog/fly mutation, it blew off one of the legs. Then they tried again… ran out of filament. Tried a third time… and the printer broke.

At this point the teacher looked over the model, made sure it was tight, nothing to confuse the device or whatever. It all checked out. They got the printer repaired and made a few more tries, but something always went wrong. Ultimately, Bree called it a day. The Dog was cursed or something. Whatever the reason, it was time to lay this one aside. But at least it made a good story.

Eventually, Bree graduated… but before she did, she happened to tell the story to a classmate. The Dog, the Unconquerable Dog, the Cursed Dog What Could Not Be Printed. And homeboy said, “Bet you I can do it. Send me the files!” She clarified to make sure he really wanted this smoke, and sent him the files.

So apparently around 4+ years ago, Doodle had this lil doggo she would draw whenever she felt stressed. She even drew him in various situations and eventually made a turnaround of him.

Her friend Bree was working on 3-D modeling and asked if she could do one of the Dog. Doodle consented and even helped in the process, identifying where he should be thicker or rounder or whatever. Finally Bree had a successful model of the Dog, and since we were moving states soon, decided to 3-D print the Dog as a gift to Doodle.

She had recently acquired a 3-D printer, and used it to attempt to print it. But something went wrong and her printer broke. She wrote it off as a stability issue and took the problem to her 3-D modeling professor, a man with extensive industry experience. Since he also knew Doodle, he was on board to make this happen.

So he tries to print it there. First, a fly got into the machine and instead of creating a hideous dog/fly mutation, it blew off one of the legs. Then they tried again… ran out of filament. Tried a third time… and the printer broke.

At this point the teacher looked over the model, made sure it was tight, nothing to confuse the device or whatever. It all checked out. They got the printer repaired and made a few more tries, but something always went wrong. Ultimately, Bree called it a day. The Dog was cursed or something. Whatever the reason, it was time to lay this one aside. But at least it made a good story.

Eventually, Bree graduated… but before she did, she happened to tell the story to a classmate. The Dog, the Unconquerable Dog, the Cursed Dog What Could Not Be Printed. And homeboy said, “Bet you I can do it. Send me the files!” She clarified to make sure he really wanted this smoke, and sent him the files.