Work

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Vice-President of This and That

There hasn’t been much going on other than work. So long as I’m only working part-time, that’s all that’s going to be going on. I keep on applying for other work and working contacts for contracts, but nothing has panned out so far. I’m okay with the situation thus far in that I had braced myself for little travel and renovation until the new year, but something’s gotta give! I do have a nice blog pay cheque coming in at the end of December and that will be used for an excursion. Not sure yet what I’ll do, but I have until January to figure it out.

Work has settled into a routine; it’s definitely much, much, much better than the first couple of days would have left me to believe. I’ve been able to talk to the manager about my concerns and they have all been resolved.

I work a few four-hour mid-day shifts and a few eight-hour evening shifts, respecting my desire to never start before 10. Most of my shifts are alone. The manager used to stay on site while I worked, but he no longer does that, only returning at closing to lock up. He says I will be getting a key to the store and an alarm code tomorrow. Combine that with the inside key and safe code I received earlier this week and I’m now at the same level as the other employees.

As for the title of this post, that’s my title at the store. I call the manager the ‘President of All That.’ 😀

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Bonuses

We rent/loan gold pans at Bonanza in Dawson and whenever I hand some out to customers I joke that I’d appreciate 10% of whatever they find. One day, a couple came in with a big grin holding a vial of water glittering with a pinch of gold dust. “That’s ten cents worth of gold!” they proudly exclaimed before dropping a penny on the counter with a big smirk.

Here at the gas station in Campbell River we sell lottery tickets. With some of the regulars I joke that they need to remember me should they win anything. Today, I was going about my business and opened a drawer to get the phone book. Inside, there was an envelope with my name written on it. Curious, I opened it up to find 10$ and a business card with “Good pick. I won $35. Here’s your $10” written on it!!! Needless to say, I emailed the guy to thank him for his completely unnecessary and much appreciated generosity.

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A Phenomenal Storm

It normally takes me 5 minutes to walk to work. This afternoon, it took me 10 minutes to get home. It is seriously stormy and windy out there. I walked right into the brunt of it and it was literally like forcing myself through a physical barricade of air and water. I was soaked to the bone, exhausted, and frozen solid when I got home.

The town of Courtenay, just 50km south of Campbell River, has declared a state of emergency because of severe flooding. One of my last customers of the day was a gal just a couple of years younger than me who was evacuated just in time to watch her trailer and all her worldly belongings float down a river, land on a bridge, and get demolished by the gale. She was in remarkably good spirits.

Last time I saw an ocean storm like this was on Gran Manan Island, in New Brunswick, during their unforgettable Labour Day storm of 1994 which just about wiped out the fishing industry. We had been scheduled to return to the mainland, but had to remain on the island because our tour bus could not be secured on the ferry. I remember standing on the pier watching our ferry nearly flounder in waves as high as it was. The passage over a few days later was incredibly rough and I was only one of a few who did not get seasick.

The road below the house is flooded in parts and I am glad to be sitting up high, but a little nervous that I don’t have an escape route for Miranda should water get all the way up here. I know the chances of that are incredibly remote, but like in Dawson this summer I am acutely aware that there is nowhere to go should the world go to hell.

Miranda is well buffered on all sides and is barely rocking. I am warm and cozy and have a fantastic view of the wipe caps rolling in. I’m going to sit here a while, snug as a bug, and enjoy one of the best views mother nature has to offer.

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A Long Short Day

My conundrum this morning was to wear a bandage over my wrist or not. I decided not because the cuts go most of the way around the wrist and would have required a full wrap, making me look as if I’d tried to kill myself over the weekend. Our uniform shirts have long sleeves, so I made a mental note to not push my sleeves up this week. Well, that plan failed. I just hate having long sleeves and before I knew it my sleeves were up and my wrist exposed. This prompted a hilarious quote from a customer and the reason for this paragraph. He said: “Next time, don’t struggle.” I asked him what he meant and he gave me this cheeky grin as he replied “I’ve gotten cuts like that from handcuffs.” So, great. Bare wrist and I look like I was in the slammer this weekend and wrapped wrist I look like I went to the shrink ward. Renos always come with a price! 😀

My 6AM to 10AM shift today flew by. One second it was 5:50 and I was pouring myself a first cup of coffee and the next my replacement had come in. This has thus far proven to be the busiest shift. It’s also my least favourite because I have a hard time being functional at that hour, no matter how much sleep I’ve had.

It was very weird to end my day at 10AM! I came home (with mustard and clam chowder!) and went to work on the *expletive deleted* wardrobe. The new counter and over fridge cabinet mean that I lost room for the baskets that held linens. I moved the baskets to the wardrobe, filling one with rolled up jeans and the other with rolled up sweaters (which worked out so brilliantly I think this is going to be a permanent solution!). I then needed to find room for the linens and got about halfway through that project. What a puzzle it is to get a home organized. At least, for the first time, I know what the final picture looks like (even if it’s a tad fuzzy) so now I only have to figure out what pieces I have, possibly in the wrong place, and what I need.

Last, but not least, this weekend’s wicked storm finally broke in the wee hours of the morning and I was able to watch a magnificent sunrise. A dark cloud rolled in shortly thereafter and we were back to rain, but, hey, five minutes of sunshine is more than I had some days last spring! 🙂