Paychecks and Bills

It's amazing how these things seem to go together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Cereal and milk. Naps and rainy days.

I received my first paycheck last Friday. Last Thursday I had my oil changed and my transmission fluid flushed and changed. While necessary maintenance, the oil and transmission fluid changes weren't exactly cheap. So it goes with car ownership.

The job is going well. It's nothing to difficult. I am having a blast getting to know one of my coworkers, Connie. We worked together closing this past Saturday, then went out with her roommate and had some fun away from the store! She's a total sweetie and I am so grateful that I am making new friends.

For the most part I have the job down. I am currently going through my CARE training (Christopher & Banks' selling policy) and have begun to create legacy documents of the things I am learning. I cannot believe that the opening and closing processes are not written down in the form of checklists. More than that, given all the paperwork looks the same, I cannot believe that the order of the paperwork piles is not listed anywhere. Stores like this must have a lot of turnover and I find it a bit ridiculous that the training of new employees is trusted to institutional memory. I have been taking notes throughout my training and have created some documents that will serve as reminders to me and training mechanisms for future employees. Of course, in my insane mind, creating lists and flowcharts is fun. I think it's that whole creative energy thing.

As of yesterday all Christopher and Banks and CJ Banks stores were to be decorated for the holidays. Connie and I did the decorating for our store on Saturday since my manager assigned the decorating to me and I didn't work Sunday or yesterday. It really wasn't difficult to decorate since corporate sent every store a 23-page decorating guide that explained what to put where and how to make it look (yes, the guide was illustrated). All of the decorations in the stores were sent from corporate so every store will look exactly the same. Head to your nearest C&B to see my work!

I am happy to be working and to feel as if I am being productive and doing something with my days, but I'm not really that pleased with my current circumstances. I had thought my discontent was due to the fact that I was not working, but now I have a job and the discontent is still there. I had some very specific ideas about where I would be personally and professionally at this stage in my life and my reality is nothing like my expectations. I do feel a bit happier and at peace since I started working, but I don't really feel that settled or like I am in the right place. I still have that holding-pattern feel rather than a grounded feel. I just wish I knew what I was waiting for.

The weather continues to be crazy. I'm going to be super sad if we don't have a white Christmas but I am starting to wonder if I am going to have to come to terms with a brown Christmas. I am a big fan of distinct seasons. Moreover, I think those seasons should happen at their proper times. Fall and winter aren't cooperating with my desires this year.

I have been horribly negligent of my 101 blog. I know I am long overdue of for updates and will make an effort to get to them soon. The lack of my own computer is definitely part of the reason I am not updating my blogs regularly but I am holding off on replacing my laptop until after the holiday season. I am not fully sure of what type of computer I want and I have noticed that most laptops have been marked up several hundred dollars since I looked at some options this past summer. Go capitalism!

That's about it. I really don't feel like I have much to report these days. I will, however, try to be a bit more consistent with updating my blogs, even if it is only to say there's nothing to say.

Love!

~g