Elusive Ink

Work has been insane the past few weeks, including working two 12 hour shifts (what an experience) because of volunteering to cross-train in the pharmacy. Surprisingly, the pharmacy is quite different from working the sales floor and was definitely a pleasant change. I thought for a while that I might want to transfer there permanently, but since have reconsidered. I think I'd get bored in the pharmacy after a while. As tiring as it is, I enjoy the interactive and crazed atmosphere of working the sales floor on weekends. (For the most part.) Although lately, we've had a lot of schedule conflicts, leaving me as the only Team Member in my department with any experience, and I've only worked there two months!!)

There's always something hilarious at work though. A few weeks ago I found a one-eyed Nemo (the little disney fish) pinata and took it up to Guest Service to be set aside as defective, two hours later I grab the cart of strays and there's the poor, slightly frightening large paper fish...to be returned to the shelf. I took it back to Guest Service and very emphatically told them that it would be traumatizing for ANY child to see that. :P That same day I was zoning (straightening shelves) in Domestics and pulled some irons to the front of the shelf, then I glanced down and realized, I was holding $600 worth of irons. The irons were $200 each...so, out of curiosity (and slight boredom...it was a slow day) I glanced over the specs of the iron, and honestly have still not found a difference between those irons, and the ones on clearance for $16.99. I despise ironing, and I'm sorry...if I'm going to spend $200 on an iron it had better sing, dance, and iron my clothes for me. Things like that just seem to me like a frivolous excuse to throw money away.

I'm becoming more and more frugal as I'm discovering how quickly money just...disappears. :P $5 for lunch here, $9 for a new binder, and suddenly your entire paycheck is gone and you're scrounging leftovers to take to work. I'm actually enjoying the learning process though - and definitely think it's been beneficial. The other day, upon booking some airline flights, it seemed that paypal had overcharged my account. (I use a paypal debit/credit card.) so I had to call and confirm with them, and southwest airlines, that my card would not be charged twice for tickets I hadn't even gotten ONE confirmation email about. I can attest first hand to the fact that sitting on hold for an hour is very. unpleasant. I was wandering around the house as I waited, and vented to my Mother a bit, who, to my amusement, snarkily responded: "Welcome to the world of high finance."

Wait...is snarkily a word? Sarcastically is. Sardonically is.

Well, now snarkily is. It's your word of the week. Congratulations.

To try and regain some sense of continuity to this incredibly spazzy post...I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately with life. Hey, it happens to the best of us! There are so many things that I want, need, and aspire to do, and everything seems urgent! With the looming intimidation of classes beginning–Already trying to get a head start, and finish up some courses that I've procrastinated on for far too long– the stress of knowing that I will need to take the SAT this year, fill out scholarship applications, college applications, and attempt to get my Driver's License, on top of learning to balance school, family, work, and random other things that inevidably crop up...I'm trying to keep my feet on the ground, and only look one day ahead at a time. This school year, while looking challenging, seems like a home stretch to me and seems to have given me a rewnewed excitement and motivation for wanting to take control and be more self-disciplined. I've recaptured that desire from last school year, and am hoping that I can pick up where I left off on the road to anti-procrastination. I learned a lot last school year, and look forward to applying that and continuing to build new and better methods of time management as the year progresses.

In addition to all of these responsibilities and goals, I've not lost my ambitious and project-oriented nature, and have several projects and trips in-planning-stages at the moment. The largest being the start of my career as a photographer, working with the small business administration, the trademark and patent office, and kinkos to try and get things started. I'm also very thankful to a friend of mine who's offered to program my website (Elusive Photography) using the mockups I've created. I'm excited about prospective clients, upcoming photoshoots, and building my portfolio...and definitely feel like, however slowly, I am making progress.

I'm also trying to get ahead in my studying over the next few weeks, because of my upcoming trip back to Arkansas. While it was originally intended to be a vacation, to chill by the pool, hang out with my Grandma, and do a heckuva lot of dancing...it's looking to be a very busy trip. (I mean that, of course, in the most positive way possible!) I'm doing some photoshoots for friends in AR, to be able to build my portfolio. I'm also visiting several people who I've not seen since I moved away from Arkansas almost a year and a half ago, and most importantly, am attending Bop on the Lake!!! BOTL is a swing dance convention held in Hot Springs, AR, people travel from all over the US to attend. I've wanted to go for the past couple of years, and finally have the opportunity. Three days of workshops, exhibitions, and DANCING! :D Yes, I'm very hyped.

I've been itching to really go on a trip though at some point soon. To go somewhere I've never been and experience something new. I'd like to go to NYC, but would also like to go out of the country at some point. South America, West Africa (Senegal...yes, I loved Mariama Bâ's So Long a Letter), Italy...somewhere exotic. I've been staring at this for the past couple of days and the more I see of it the more incredible it looks. I'm sure my Mother would roll her eyes, or say something like "that looks cool" if I were to bring it up as an actual possibility, but the more I read about it...the more I want to go. I did a report and a presentation last school year on maccu piccu, and "The Heights of Maccu Piccu" by Pablo Neruda (my favorite poet) and really became enraptured. A chance to actually go there, experience it...to see it. Sounds absolutely incredible. Plus, I've wanted to start being more physically active, and get into good shape...and knowing that I had an opportunity like this might be just the right motivation. It's really tempting, being me, to want to like, start planning how I could logistically try to make it happen. To start researching how to get a passport and start a fund. :P Especially since it's looking like scheduling conflicts between myself and the two girls I'd planned on going on the Cruise with next year is causing us to postpone it until winter break (right after Christmas.)

But yeah...lots of ideas, lots of goals...I've got a ton more to write about but I have to go eat dinner now. More first-job anecdotes, inspirations, and struggles to come...

-Lindsey