Déjà vu?

I've been having so much fun this first week free from the store, meeting friends out and about.
I keep being surprised at how springy-sproingy I feel. Definitely my spirits were waaay more squashed at the store than I'd realized.
I think I'd gone into Survival Mode––like we do in hard circumstances when we don't feel feelings until we're free.

And to match my mood, we have bright sparkly snow! The first since an early snowfall in October, which soon melted. This has been the weirdest, warmest, driest winter ever.

Yesterday evening I met my new friend/former coworker, Abby, for beer and Brussels sprouts.
We talked a lot about my upcoming job. Though she has two MAs in education (one in Special Ed–Autism), she said success in the job mostly comes from classroom experience--and personality. She's said all along I'm a natural, and that's encouraging. I dare to hope she's right, and I'm genuinely excited to start.

Abby also gave me the happy news that BB has hired the young woman I'd suggested as my replacement for BOOK's, and she starts today! I'll call her Amina.
I'd told BB I could help train her. Afterwards I felt reluctant, not wanting to go back to that place. But, no worries:
he didn't even let me know he'd hired her.
(God, I'm so, so glad I don't have to work with him anymore.)

I'd showed Amina around a little, and I just texted her asking if she'd like me to email her a How To.
She replied yes, she'd like that, but she thinks she's got the gist of the place.
I love her confidence! She'll do fine.

In the morning, I'd met writer friend John at the café in the new-ish (2022) Four Seasons hotel downtown.
We both like sitting in the comfy chairs by the potted tree, which John took a photo of. I looked it up, and it's a preserved olive tree.

There's a restaurant in the hotel too--Mara. (Their menu--though the café is reasonably priced, I probably won't be bothering with the restaurant).

Curious what it looks like, I googled the restaurant as well:

* * * Does this ^ remind you of any place?

TO people of a certain age (mine). . .

It may remind you of . . .

Howard Johnson's!