28 August 2006
"But," she protests, "being a hypocrite would be easier!"
August 25th was my last day at work. It was mostly like any other day but with hugs. As I left the building for the last time in the next nine months, I felt like a monkey who, up until that point, had been swinging happily from vine to vine, but was now faced with the disturbing absence of a vine to grab hold of. Welcome to Limboville.
Last week was a big week -- I also got a job. I was debating between two stores:
1. Quiet jewelry store. I was forewarned that there isn't too much customer traffic and that it can get awfully lonely. The pro was that it seemed like a good "get your feet wet" job for someone who's been out of the retail biz for four years.
2. Funky clothing store/bead store. This place is a colourful madhouse full of people, loud music and chaos. This store combo is the exact opposite of what my life has been for the past four years and thus seems like the perfect job for the new me. The interview and job offer came about on the same day. Of course all this happened when I was under assault by the first (and most brutal) cold I've had in forever. Fortunately I was coherent enough to snap up the job offer.
Enter the doubts and fear.
My first shift is later this week so any doubts I have are just the products of my active imagination. I'm scared that I'll be a decade older than my colleagues and that I'm too old for retail. What if I have to work whenever Joe's at home and vice versa -- we live together but what if I don't see him for the next nine months?? I was rabidly second and third guessing my decision, wondering if 'safe' was the better course of action.
All these thoughts were swirling through my head when reality kicked in, taking the form of a wise little voice in my head. It asked me what advice I would give someone close to me in a similar situation. This wasn't difficult to answer, since three people (and a pup) that I love just made similar life-changing decisions.
"Give it some time", I suggested. "It might be tough at first but stick it out for at least a month. If you give it a fair shot and don't like it then leave. But if you never give it a chance, you'll always wonder".
Being a hypocrite would be easier and safer. But where's the challenge and where's the experience? This change didn't just happen to me, I made it happen every step of the way, starting when I talked to my boss last February.
My head is turned and my mind is made up. I'm gonna enjoy my stay in Limboville before I am reincarnated into a university student working in a (hopefully) fun store (which features a part-time fortune teller!).
***
Two thumbs up for "Little Miss Sunshine" Fun was had by all!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/
Last week was a big week -- I also got a job. I was debating between two stores:
1. Quiet jewelry store. I was forewarned that there isn't too much customer traffic and that it can get awfully lonely. The pro was that it seemed like a good "get your feet wet" job for someone who's been out of the retail biz for four years.
2. Funky clothing store/bead store. This place is a colourful madhouse full of people, loud music and chaos. This store combo is the exact opposite of what my life has been for the past four years and thus seems like the perfect job for the new me. The interview and job offer came about on the same day. Of course all this happened when I was under assault by the first (and most brutal) cold I've had in forever. Fortunately I was coherent enough to snap up the job offer.
Enter the doubts and fear.
My first shift is later this week so any doubts I have are just the products of my active imagination. I'm scared that I'll be a decade older than my colleagues and that I'm too old for retail. What if I have to work whenever Joe's at home and vice versa -- we live together but what if I don't see him for the next nine months?? I was rabidly second and third guessing my decision, wondering if 'safe' was the better course of action.
All these thoughts were swirling through my head when reality kicked in, taking the form of a wise little voice in my head. It asked me what advice I would give someone close to me in a similar situation. This wasn't difficult to answer, since three people (and a pup) that I love just made similar life-changing decisions.
"Give it some time", I suggested. "It might be tough at first but stick it out for at least a month. If you give it a fair shot and don't like it then leave. But if you never give it a chance, you'll always wonder".
Being a hypocrite would be easier and safer. But where's the challenge and where's the experience? This change didn't just happen to me, I made it happen every step of the way, starting when I talked to my boss last February.
My head is turned and my mind is made up. I'm gonna enjoy my stay in Limboville before I am reincarnated into a university student working in a (hopefully) fun store (which features a part-time fortune teller!).
***
Two thumbs up for "Little Miss Sunshine" Fun was had by all!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/
05 August 2006
Show and Tell 2
Here is a pillow that I made for Oma's housewarming. I started it on April 24 and finished it on July 31. The heart pattern comes from Stitch 'n Bitch, The Knitter's Handbook, pg 55, and made the rest up as I went along.
This is what the front and back look like:
Heart detail:
My next project is this pair of mittens from this book in these colours:
So far, so good!
This is what the front and back look like:
Heart detail:
My next project is this pair of mittens from this book in these colours:
So far, so good!
03 August 2006
Optimist, pessimist AND realist
My Time Management Challenge was devised during my two week vacation and so it was conceived in a totally relaxed state of mind.
Fortunately, I am a generally optimistic person (tho if you get me in a bad patch I will insist I am an utter pessimist) and so far, this time management experience has been mainly good.
The first thing I did was to take cleaning and the commute off the list. The former was a random add-on and the latter is a given, thus unnecessary.
I have managed to attend all classes and all work days despite temptations otherwise. It's difficult to justify a sick day when you work 3 days/week and school...well for once I want to be there so why miss it?
The school work started off un peu shaky but since my paper was due on Tuesday, I managed to keep up with all my readings and write the paper. Good work.
The seven hours/week of writing is what I need to work on. Reading The Greats of American Literature has ramped up my perfectionism and insecurity but realistically I know that the great authors put years of work into their novels and that I need to too. Y'know, if I'm going to be Great.
Time to break out the old manuscript.
***
Two Great Books:
1.
On Monday night, we were thrashed by this crazy thunderstorm that went on for hours. Buzzed from vanilla coke (coke + a shot a vanilla vodka), I couldn't sleep. I went to the living room and picked up "Hello, I'm Special (How Individuality became the new conformity)l" by Hal Niedzviecki. It's an interesting read, esp. the bits concerning how we feel we deserve our time in the spotlight. It made me question my goal to be a writer and I'm going to focus on writing because I enjoy it, rather than because writing as a means for achieving a sort of immortality (leaving something concrete behind). Kinda seems more fulfilling that way.
2.
In honor of my new budget, I hit the library yesterday in search of a Michael Collins novel (no dice) and came out with "A Long Way Down", by Nick Hornby. As I sat by the BBQ last night (too hot to cook indoors), I barely noticed the torrential downpour as I got sucked into the story of four people who meet accidentally at the top of a building on New Years Eve, each planning to commit suicide.
Fortunately, I am a generally optimistic person (tho if you get me in a bad patch I will insist I am an utter pessimist) and so far, this time management experience has been mainly good.
The first thing I did was to take cleaning and the commute off the list. The former was a random add-on and the latter is a given, thus unnecessary.
I have managed to attend all classes and all work days despite temptations otherwise. It's difficult to justify a sick day when you work 3 days/week and school...well for once I want to be there so why miss it?
The school work started off un peu shaky but since my paper was due on Tuesday, I managed to keep up with all my readings and write the paper. Good work.
The seven hours/week of writing is what I need to work on. Reading The Greats of American Literature has ramped up my perfectionism and insecurity but realistically I know that the great authors put years of work into their novels and that I need to too. Y'know, if I'm going to be Great.
Time to break out the old manuscript.
***
Two Great Books:
1.
On Monday night, we were thrashed by this crazy thunderstorm that went on for hours. Buzzed from vanilla coke (coke + a shot a vanilla vodka), I couldn't sleep. I went to the living room and picked up "Hello, I'm Special (How Individuality became the new conformity)l" by Hal Niedzviecki. It's an interesting read, esp. the bits concerning how we feel we deserve our time in the spotlight. It made me question my goal to be a writer and I'm going to focus on writing because I enjoy it, rather than because writing as a means for achieving a sort of immortality (leaving something concrete behind). Kinda seems more fulfilling that way.
2.
In honor of my new budget, I hit the library yesterday in search of a Michael Collins novel (no dice) and came out with "A Long Way Down", by Nick Hornby. As I sat by the BBQ last night (too hot to cook indoors), I barely noticed the torrential downpour as I got sucked into the story of four people who meet accidentally at the top of a building on New Years Eve, each planning to commit suicide.
