What do I love about my Morning Job?

1. Lots of down time, where I can do devotions, or read, or pray if I haven't gotten around to it yet...horrible thought isn't it?

2. LOTS of chances to develope PATIENCE with demanding customers (actually, I don't like that part, but I know its good for me)

3. Great co-workers that I can throw sarcastic comments at..around..too. whatever!

I survived. Survived what did you ask? I survived the bloody day from Hades. And then yesterday I slept in far too late, went to Oxnard to pick up my sister's wedding veil and slip, then to buy her shoes for the blessed event. THEN we came home and I watched far too much TV without any sewing to justify the waste of time. I miss the days when I had no TV. I was so much more productive. It's far too easy when I get off work and am tired to just plunk down and watch TV. Although, I used to spend a lot of non-tv time playing around on the computer. Today I woke up late again (because I was up until 1 watching tv), but did get in both devotions and breakfast before work. I do feel good about that. Tonight I'm going to work on my quilt. I'm only about 10 hexagons away from being able to put the whole thing together. Then I'm going to put on the batting and the backing, baste them together, and put it away for a while until I have the time and space to hand quilt it. I think my priority for the next months is going to be between learning new repertoire for auditions, and making Drea's bridesmaid dresses. We'll see how that goes.

Oh yes, today is the day from Hades. Or, as the old song says that just popped into my head: This is the day (This is the day) That the Lord has made (that the Lord has made), I will rejoice (I will rejoice) and be glad in it (and be glad in it) THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE! I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT...This is the day (this is the day) That the LOOOOOOORRRD HAAAAAASS MAAAADE. Everyone sing along. Do the motions. Jump up and down.

I had 6 hours of sleep last night. Maybe. The cats were on a roll. I'm going to start throwing them to the raccoons. Chloe is good at night, unless she has a hairball attach. Then I have to throw her off the bed quickly. Cai is just demon possessed. Oh yes. He'll only cuddle with you when you need go go somewhere.

Oh my gosh it is sooo early. I got off work last night at 11, I work one job from 7-3, and the other from 5:30-10:30. Very tired. Tomorrow it's even worse. 7-10:30, 11-4:30, 5-10. Isn't that going to just be a blast and a half? Luckily several hours of my shift will entail overtime. It's not a lot, but every little bit helps. PS. If my dumb cat doesn't let me sleep tonight, heads are going to roll. He has a darn bell on his collar so I can find him in the dark, and he runs around the aparmtment all night jingling. I got mad this morning and tore his collar off...so he decided to play with a bag of chips and then stood on the fan meowing to get out. The cat will die if it doesn't muzzle it tonight. I'm going to get very little sleep this weekend. Let's hope the magic mountain trip pans out. I could use the break!

My devotional life has gone to Hades in a handbasket the last couple of days. For one thing, getting up earlier than my sister is difficult, and I hate doing devotions with her sitting there. It's like a privacy invasion. I try getting up early and sitting outside, but 1. It's fripping cold here in the mornings, and 2. Working double shifts I don't wake up early easily. I'm going to get back into the habit. If only the Nanny didn't come on at midnight. Rarrrgh.

I'm taking a break. Taking a break from what, you ask? I'm cleaning someone's house that isn't mine. No, not out of the goodness of my heart. I'm getting paid. It's my grandmother actually. She doesn't have a weekly cleaning lady anymore, so I'm having to suffice. Oh yes, I hear the chuckles in the background (Adrian I can hear you -- snicker softer). I CAN clean. I just don't do it often. Especially back in my lovely apartment which lived in a perpetual danger zone. Anyway. It will bring me several hundred dollars a month closer to paying off my student loans, so I can deal with a little drudgery.

My bloody phone bill came this month. I called them to lower my plan to less minutes now that I'm not using my Texas number as much. Well, they lowered my plan, but left all of my features. So, for my effort, my phone bill is a grand total of $13 less than my previous plan. So much for savings.

My sister and I made an impromptu trip to Santa Maria (Well, Lompoc first, then Santa Maria - we found out too late there isn't a hardware store in Lompoc). We picked up two pieces of planking, and then had Grandma drop by a whole stack of attachable crates. We made a sewing station for all of the bridesmaids dresses. I made a great little skirt to cover the crates, and covered the planks so the fabric doesn't catch on the particle board. And, for the miracle of the day, When I threaded my serger, it worked the first time. Normally one has to fight and coax a serger into working, and then baby it so it doesn't break.

So, I'm back to cleaning. All I have left is dusting and vacuuming. Then I'm going to go home and sew some more, since I'll have everything done that I needed to do today! Huzzah for a day off!

I'm here at work. I'm so excited. I have 20 and a half hours of work at Fess's this week -- before I've been getting 8. Next week I have 17. Then I have 20 some odd hours a week at the alisal. And I'm about to take on a third job. The faster I can pay off my student loans, the happier I'll be. Even if I have to nearly kill myself to do it. Who needs sleep anyway? My last paycheck didn't cover all of my bills. I had a lot of them this month. I'm not sure why. Oh that's right -- because my paycheck was almost $300 less than during the summer. Doesn't that suck???? Luckily I get paid again tomorrow for my second job. Enough money talk. It makes my skin itch.

LALALALALALLALALALALA

Brain fade. Can't think of a new topic. Oh yes..Catherine Marshall. Beyond Our Selves. I'm only two chapters into it, and its already right up there as one of the best books I've ever read. I'm reading about the simplicity of faith, and the necessity of exerting will over emotion. (In other words, just because we don't FEEL like God is with us at a particular moment, deciding to believe that he is because he promised he would be). Also, the most eye opening part was when she dispelled the common Christian myth that to be a Christian you either have to be born in the church, or have a dramatic road-to-damascas conversion experience. She said that sometimes its a simple as making a decision, asking, and then going on with life not feeling changed, but being changed none-the-less. I've been wondering for years if I could really be a Christian when I grew up in the church with typical "ask-Jesus-into-my-heart-once-a-year-at-summer-camp-just-in-case-I-didn't-do-it-right-the-last-time" conversion, and haven't had a tangible "God Experience" since my senior year in high school. Very comforting. (Of course, spending two years running away from a calling may have had SOMETHING to do with that). So, yes, everyone must read this book, or another by her. She's written something like 30...read her fiction also. Christy is a wonderful book filled with down to earth wisdom in a form that's easy to swallow.

My cats are driving me crazy. I've had to shut them in all day for the past couple, since my sister was stuck in LA and couldn't keep an eye on them while I was at work. (Must make sure Cai isn't getting hit by cars in the parking lot, and Chloe isn't eating everyone's food in addition to her own -- she's on a diet). So at night, they want to play. Chloe's pretty much content to curl up next to me while I'm sleeping and pur -- last night she did a stint on my pillow. So fat she takes up the whole darn thing. Cai however, was up, he was down, he was climbing curtains, chasing toys, climbing the bed to snuggle with Andrea, promptly thrown down because she doesn't like him playing with her toes while she's sleeping...I finally got fed up and tore his collar off so at least I couldn't hear his stupid bell (and don't tell me to take it off, because otherwise it's imposssible to find him in the dark).

In other news, I'm still working on my darn quilt. Oh yes. I'm seeing hexagons in my sleep. But I'm almost halfway to having the entire quilt top assembled (attaching the flowers together with rows of green). Once I'm done with that, I can fold it up and put it away for a while, until I have money enough to buy six yards of backing. One must prioritise when one is paying off loans. Yes. Aren't I good. It's been a whole week and I still know exactly how much money is in my accounts. HAHAHAHA. I'm feeling very proud of myself. Ok. I think I've given you guys plenty of nonsense for one day. I'll write back more next time I work...or next time I'm bored...whichever comes first.

Anybody who can help fix my webpage and make the numbers stop shrinking...PLEASE HELP!

Dang it -- the one role I NEVER NEVER Want to play. Insipid little whiny spoiled brat.

I'm Cosette!
Sweet and sheltered, but not just another pretty face, I've overcome some tough times, and have nowhere to go but up. Only the most hardened sociopaths -- and, well, fanatical Eppie/Marius 'shippers -- have anything bad to say about me. Which Les Miserables Character Are You?

I need a new journal. An actualy day to day journal. I've finished my last one, and have no money for a new one until payday. Isn't that exciting? I'm not spending money I don't have -- good for me! I also know exactly how much money is in my accounts. All of them. My credit card is payed off. All because of this fabulous book, which is over there in the "Books I'm reading" Section. I'll give the full title a little while later when I have the book in front of me

Oh it's sunday. I was good -- got up and went to church. I had planned to do a little shopping around on churches...I may still go visit other denominations, but I really do like the pastor here, even if there are a few things I don't really like...but some of those could be gotten over with the right attitude adjustment. Namely my bad one.

I scoured the church library today for Adventures in Oddyssey tapes. I'm getting tired of playing the same 12 episodes over and over in my car. So I have 36 new ones...well, not new exactly. I've heard them all before. But at least I haven't heard them in a while...

My cats aren't getting along at all. I don't know what exactly they're on these past few days. My only guess is that they got spoiled by having me home incapacitated all week, and now are going off the deep end since I'm moving around again. Chloe seems to need to go outside for no particular reason every night just before midnight. Cai wants out before the sun comes up. Choe makes a point of jumping onto Cai when she gets on the bed, then growls and bats him around for being in her way. Cai only wants to sleep in the middle of a card game. Chloe acts neglected, but then won't actually COME to you for attention. Cai nestles up for attention, but then runs when you actually try to pick him up. Strange cats.

So...I've settled into the work routine. Hard to believe this is going to be my life for a year. I would like very much to do something exciting after this -- travel, or SOMETHING. After Drea gets married I have no reason to stick around here...and oh yes, there's always grad school waiting. I forgot about that. More school...

I've paid off my credit card! I've been working on that all summer....or rather working FOR that all summer. Now, summer is over, and I've nothing to show for it --- except being finally debt free.....oh, wait -- student loans are going to kick in around my birthday. Happy birthday to me!

Oh my back feels sooooo much better. I'm in love with my chiropractor. I don't care if he's married and older than I am. Forget marrying for money, marry for a free back cracking. That's my new plan.

So Saturday at work, we had a huge function. Oh yes -- all the ritz and glamour, and hanger's on and lushes that you could want for a nights amusement. There was very expensive wine being poured -- the cheapest of which was $900 a bottle. The most expensive was $22,000. I got a glass of french dessert wine (we all got to taste the leftovers) at the grand total of $2,000/bottle. Anyway -- they brought on cocktail waitresses (presumably) to help pour all the expensive wine that the wait staff was uncomfortable pouring. Nope. Got there and the 'other' manager was in charge. "You. Help Abe. Pour the Dunn." That was all the instruction I got from her. No help there. I tried again later. She just looked at me like I was the dumbest thing that had ever crawled out from under a rock, then said that the WAITORS would handle the expensive wine so it didn't get mixed up. Needless to say, Tina and I were a little perterbed. Finally, late in the evening, when everything that coule possibly be considered "our job description" was being done by someone else, we begged for something to do. "You know what you could do if you REALLY wanted to help?.....Put knives on the cheese platters as they walk by." ? ? ? ? We were not pleased. So we went and ate dinner...she came tearing in to find out if we'd poured the second dessert wine....after spending the whole evening telling us not to touch the expensive stuff. I said, "Nope, the servers have it covered apparently." "Perfect", she said. Huh. I'm going to human resources today to discuss this turn of events. Don't you think I ought to?

Oh I love a neck brace. Stylish. White. Matches every possible wardrobe....blends in to an ensemble. Hides under a turtleneck -- assuming I own one, which I don't. Ah yes. The perfect conversation piece. Now available in multiple colors (listed in the catalogue). Oh yes...neck braces are wonderful!

Did I mention I threw my back out?

Well, I have screwed up my comments beyond reason...I have no clue how to fix them, and so I'll be working on that in between actual, you know, work at my other job. Yes.

So beyond that, life is pretty calm (and might I even go so far as to say boring) now that tourist season is over. Out at the Alisal we dropped from full occupancy to less than fifty people. It feels like sleepwalking around there. At my other job, I'm only getting about 8 hours a week for the time being. Just enough time to feel like I have to get up in the mornings, but not so many that I can get really confident about any of the extraneous miscellaneous weird things -- like a guest that wants to pay partially in cash and partially on a credit card. I've done it once, but that was two weeks ago, and I've only worked twice since then....

And speaking of new career: I trained last night to become a bartender. Or, at least that was the plan. Nobody ordered any drinks last night ... or at least none that I hadn't already made (rum and coke...ooooh...tough that one). So now I know how to break down the bar, and set up the bar, and clean the bar -- but if anyone actually orders a drink, I'm toast. But it was fun to get to stand around watching elimidate with the bartender. Oh yes, I forgot, I can make cappucinos. That's my other marketable skill! Except for foam. I suck at foam. I'm so bad Sergio is threatening to send me to Starbucks to learn. I got some good foam yesterday -- too late to put on an actual latte. Oh well.