I’m hoping management at my professionally-run grocery store down the street has patience with the new, middle-aged cashier struggling to learn produce codes.

When I went in for a few things yesterday, the customer in front of me put tarragon, cilantro, yams, acorn squash, garlic and a couple onions on the conveyor in addition to the rest of her regular non-perishable groceries. The patron huffed impatiently as the clerk peered at a small notepad that contained guidance on the numerical assignments associated with the veggies in question.

I had been handled by the same clerk a week earlier. During that visit, the cashier used a different resource to assist her in correctly processing the sale of produce. It was a little book of flashcards with pictures of the vegetables. Most fruits carry a sticker with the code information, but veggies often lack a clean, dry surface to affix such info.

The reason I’m pulling so hard for this cashier is because the store has a lot of different produce items and it can’t be easy for the woman to remember so much information so quickly. Her progress from one week to the next was significant. She’s clearly exerting great effort based on the detailed notes in her notebook and by the high level of concentration exhibited when more than a simple item scan is called for.

-I’ll go ahead and blow the great surprise if you haven’t already heard Mitski Miyawaki’s new record “Bury Me at Makeout Creek.” The first track Texas Reznikoff starts off with Mitski singing beautifully and quietly about thoughts of escaping somewhere. Then she changes her mind. And then completely out of nowhere, the song’s bottom drops out sonically and you’re listening to one of the best songs of the year. Wow. The whole record is great but that sudden pit-of-the-stomach twist on the opening song guarantees the listener is on edge for the rest of the album. Mitski lives in Brooklyn and is yet another in a long line of recent rising musicians with connections to the SUNY-Purchase scene. I’m anxious to see her perform live.