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Tuesday, 07 July 2009

Working with the teeny boppers

Our newest recruit started today, at work. She is a worker from a local agency that places high school students in their first job. It's a good idea - a way for them to get a job, and a way for their hours to be regulated... but, in reality, it sometimes places some teeny boppers who aren't all that enthused about working at jobs. Our new girl is, perhaps, one of these.

She was being shown the ropes when I came back from my morning station. After she finished with them, I took her around, and showed her a few other things... later on, when we were back at our food-post, someone ordered something, and since I was closer to the food, I got it for them, while she rang them up. No biggie, right? I hope that guy didn't mind getting his change in pennies. (They don't teach the other coin denominations in school these days?!)

Later on, our boss told her that she might want to change into the work relegated t-shirt, since the soda fizzes out, and the slushies slop and squirt. She looked at me, in all seriousness, and said "you mean we get soda and slushies for people EVERY DAY?" Yikes... it's a concession stand! People order soda and slushies 98% more than any other item! Rather than saying this, I just told her that, yes, we do get them every day. She suggested that, perhaps, I would like to get the messy stuff, and she would just do the cash register. This after she was miffed by not getting to take a break after working for one hour. (Yikes, again.) It's going to be a loooong summer for her...

On a side note, she earns a point for asking what grade in high school I'm in - score! (Which made me feel much better, after someone saw me wearing a t-shirt from l'universite... and asked how long ago I'd graduated, insinuating that I look too old to still be an undergrad, haha.)

Saturday, 04 July 2009

Jobs: they all have their hazards

I was leaning back in the chair, legs stretched out in front of me, while tending the gate at work this morning, not really paying attention to everything else. Admittedly, I had stayed out late (11:30, gasp) last night, and was paying for it this morning when I rolled out of bed at 6:24, right on time. Thankfully, working the early morning shift isn't strenuous; I mostly sit and read.

This morning was no different. At my post, I was happily reading along (making great progress), when all of a sudden... a pile of bird [excrement] plopped right in front of my book, landing on my jacket's zipper. Eeeeew! Gross! You know it's gonna be a [crappy] day when you start it out by getting [pooped] on. Eh, at that point, things can only get better... but still, I hate birds!

Wednesday, 01 July 2009

It's Just Tampons, Sir

Today I went to the city hall; I needed to pick up a form for my job. (Which is insane; essentially, I get paid to sit and read! Hello, books, I've missed you!) Upon entering, I found a police officer, who was performing security checks. I'd forgotten about those. Oh well, I don't have anything out of the ordinary with me...

I didn't have anything in my pockets that needed to be emptied into a little box before going through the metal detector. I handed my purse over to the guard, and he started pawing through. Nothing too interesting, really... just a paperback book (First Wives Club, next on my reading list, I suppose), an umbrella, a small can of hairspray, a notebook, pens, my traveling Polly Pocket (she was still in there from my last trip. It's a sistafriend thing.), a smaller bag with a mirror and other small things... and another case with, uh, woman things.

Admittedly, it's rather awkward, standing there while some strange guy stumbles upon your tampon stash. But, as most girls would confirm, we just carry them, all the time. I always swore that I would be different, that I would never have them. Then I found that it's easier, always having them.

In any case, it was rather amusing, watching the cop poke through the bag, hesitantly unzipping the first bag-within-the-bag. I could see the relief in his face: phew! a mirror and gum! That bred the confidence to gingerly open bag #2... unzip, open, jerk it back closed and hand the purse over as soon as possible, search over. (Hahaha)

Ironically, I'm not sure which is the worse find: those, or the Polly Pocket. Needless to say, it has gotten quite a few funny looks and chuckles from security guards. A friend and I even got a smirk out of a serious airport security person... when we both whipped them out of our carry-on bags while in line to get through security. I'm still deciding on which was actually worse - either way, what a reaction, eh.

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Jumping the Gun

...it's liable to get'cha shot, but I do it anyway. I'm in my first class for grad school, and am already planning my entire course schedule. Not for the coming semester... but the entirety of my coursework. Unfortunately, my school (which has yet to be named) does not list when classes will be available, so it limits how much I can plan. This is probably a good thing.

I've decided that I want an internship with a huge company... halfway across the company. I'm trying to decide when it would work best - just assuming I would get said internship. (That's iffy; I would be very lucky to get such an offer.) Nevertheless, that's what inspired my obsessive perusal of courses and requirements. I made my first advising guide. Since I started college, I've been making lists of the required courses and electives, in order to map out my time efficiently. Yes, I know it's nerdy and OCD, but it makes me so happy. It's quite likely that I enjoy the whole planning of classes, and seeing my progress as much as I enjoy school... maybe even more.

Perhaps this indicates that I need a job with immediate results; instant gratification... and a lot of planning. Of course, I thought I had something that would work. I still think I would be good at it, and would enjoy it... but I'm realizing that I might've been right, way back when I was little. In the past few years, I've thought back to then, and realized that I was pretty cool at that age, and knew a lot more about life, love and happiness then than I do now. Of course I've been exposed to more, and thus know more now. But the quintessential ideas, thoughts, and values were there when I was a child. It sounds lame, but perhaps we should all embrace our childhood selves. (Unless we were those horrid little turds who masquerade as children, in which case we should think of the kid we most hated, and emulate them.)

That's what I want - to become the person I dreampt of, the one I knew I could become. And now, grad school's giving me that chance. (I hope.)

Sunday, 21 June 2009

Small Victories

"I've got my secret weapon today," I called to my mom from within the stock trailer. I whipped out my pink tube of Maybelline, trying not to smudge any of the mascara on my face. I had thrown palettes of eye shadow and blush in my hanging cosmetics case, along with a tube of pinkish lip gloss. Might as well go all out, eh?

Last month, at my last fun show, I had decided mascara would serve me well in the show-ring; maybe it's what was missing from my performance. Ma cheval and I generally go to fun shows, perform decently, and end up somewhat mediocre. Hence the mascara inspiration.

Well... today was another fun show. I'd done some slight makeover-esque changes on ma cheval, and for good measure, threw some mascara, blush, eye shadow and lip gloss on me. (When it's written out like that, it sounds like I was made-up like a hussy. Eeks. I promise, I wasn't!) Somehow, with our makeovers - or the difference of a judge's opinion, ma cheval and I did pretty well... we even pegged a blue in one of our classes! (And left the girl who usually wins in 6th place. Hehe)

Whether it was our mascara and mane, or the judge.. or the rain, something worked decently for us today. Whoohoo! (Now, only a few more things to work on before our next one!) It's not big, nor consequential, but it still made me giddy for a few minutes, and that's all that matters.