In the grand scheme of things, my life is not complicated. Especially in the context of the Olympics. Finally, Cox Communications got their act together to deliver my evening fix of athletic amazingness. (NBC and some other local channels have been jammed up the past few days.) The way that I'm fighting with this TV is probably why I haven't had one for the last two years.
But sometimes I feel like I'm doing triple twisting triple back flips right alongside the women aerialists in Vancouver, foggy haze and all.
Luckily the freezing fog here cleared up before my first Town Series run today. And the foggy haze of tracking down my car's title is clearing. And my employment is pretty much fog-free after being trained for opening and closing procedures and receiving my first paycheck (cha-ching). Sanity has returned. At least I'm landing my twisting back flips for the time being.
In Town Series points are bad and consistency is good. Based on that I'm acing it like I'm acing my community college classes. Today I held it together on both runs, until the finish line where I crashed in front of ten observers. After losing a ski, I turned to my newest fans and said, "Ta-dah." I just wish it was captured on video. Unfortunately, the lady on the other course had an even better wipe-out. Impressive.
I skipped class today and went to the festive after party, hoping to come home and get some work done for my volunteer gig. Didn't have to claim the fifth, so I have no excuse. Ready, set, back flip!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wacky week
Olympic fever, working 11 hour days, two exams, and house guests, oh my!
Let me modify that, I fall into the house guest category myself, but I'm sharing the title with 6 other people right now. It's ok; I like to share.
Presidents' Day has really thrown me off. In order to have a scholarship application postmarked by February 15th, I needed to get it to the post office before 2:00 PM on February 13th. No Town Series race this week, but I've been getting lots of monitor time between this announcement of last week's results and a little plug in a TIME interview with Michael Pollan. Unfortunately, the bloggers of Sun Valley got it wrong since I wasn't there to share anything, but I hope the gal that stole my identity enjoyed the Jose Cuervo.
Oh and then it was also a week of Valentine's Day, the Sun Valley Nordic Fest, and the lunar new year. Celebrations!
Stir in a little bit of torture from exams and bookstore inventory (30,000 books!) and that sums up my week. My busy schedule has forced me to sacrifice precious Olympic-watching time and well-intended nonprofit volunteering. I keep thinking that I'll get into a groove, but I'm pretty groove-less for the time being. Two months after it was issued, I finally accomplished correcting my Idaho driver license so that it doesn't claim my name is "Kisten," but expiring plates and a missing title means that there are more DMV frustrations in my future.
With the inventory mostly complete at work (we finished with a bang at 10:30 PM on day 10: wine, beer, and delusional laughter), I'm looking forward to training in the cafe and taking on my barista duties. Trying not to take it as a bad sign that they haven't contacted me.
This just in: it's snowing. Hopefully we get some white fluffy stuff because it is looking really sad around here. To all the folks lucky enough to be in Vancouver, cowbell it up for me.
Let me modify that, I fall into the house guest category myself, but I'm sharing the title with 6 other people right now. It's ok; I like to share.
Presidents' Day has really thrown me off. In order to have a scholarship application postmarked by February 15th, I needed to get it to the post office before 2:00 PM on February 13th. No Town Series race this week, but I've been getting lots of monitor time between this announcement of last week's results and a little plug in a TIME interview with Michael Pollan. Unfortunately, the bloggers of Sun Valley got it wrong since I wasn't there to share anything, but I hope the gal that stole my identity enjoyed the Jose Cuervo.
Oh and then it was also a week of Valentine's Day, the Sun Valley Nordic Fest, and the lunar new year. Celebrations!
Stir in a little bit of torture from exams and bookstore inventory (30,000 books!) and that sums up my week. My busy schedule has forced me to sacrifice precious Olympic-watching time and well-intended nonprofit volunteering. I keep thinking that I'll get into a groove, but I'm pretty groove-less for the time being. Two months after it was issued, I finally accomplished correcting my Idaho driver license so that it doesn't claim my name is "Kisten," but expiring plates and a missing title means that there are more DMV frustrations in my future.
With the inventory mostly complete at work (we finished with a bang at 10:30 PM on day 10: wine, beer, and delusional laughter), I'm looking forward to training in the cafe and taking on my barista duties. Trying not to take it as a bad sign that they haven't contacted me.
This just in: it's snowing. Hopefully we get some white fluffy stuff because it is looking really sad around here. To all the folks lucky enough to be in Vancouver, cowbell it up for me.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Need for speed
Even though I'm living the laid-back life, I'm haunted by a need for speed.
Efficiency is my main goal in life: time, resources, money, etc. Finding a better way to do something or a more productive pattern always satisfies me. Roadtrips become a race against the clock; shopping only takes place on the sales racks; my lotion is not truly empty until I've cut the tube in half and used up every last bit.
My ski bum dance is founded on efficiency as well. Wednesday is my day on the mountain, which features a race for locals (definite need for speed here) followed by a quick celebratory cheers with teammates before I haul myself to bio class. And today I added in a stats exam before bio, just for fun.
At work we are scanning, uploading, stickering, stacking, sneezing (the dust bunny attacks are harsher than the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail), and repeating as fast as we can before another customer comes in to throw off our momentum. There are 30,000 (let that sink in for a moment) books in the store.
I rush through class assignments in hopes of connecting with friends online, fulfilling nonprofit free labor offers, or winning some scholarship money.
The need for speed continues post-San Francisco. And since I miss the announcement of the race results every week due to my bio class, I'm wondering how fast I was able to speed through today's course. (A stranger encouraged me to move up a place so that I would be the fifth woman across the line, entitling me to a fifth of tequila. She had received the "gift" the past two weeks.) Fast enough to lose a basket off my ski pole, but hopefully not fast enough for the infamous reward. Thursday's efficiency would definitely take a hit.
Efficiency is my main goal in life: time, resources, money, etc. Finding a better way to do something or a more productive pattern always satisfies me. Roadtrips become a race against the clock; shopping only takes place on the sales racks; my lotion is not truly empty until I've cut the tube in half and used up every last bit.
My ski bum dance is founded on efficiency as well. Wednesday is my day on the mountain, which features a race for locals (definite need for speed here) followed by a quick celebratory cheers with teammates before I haul myself to bio class. And today I added in a stats exam before bio, just for fun.
At work we are scanning, uploading, stickering, stacking, sneezing (the dust bunny attacks are harsher than the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail), and repeating as fast as we can before another customer comes in to throw off our momentum. There are 30,000 (let that sink in for a moment) books in the store.
I rush through class assignments in hopes of connecting with friends online, fulfilling nonprofit free labor offers, or winning some scholarship money.
The need for speed continues post-San Francisco. And since I miss the announcement of the race results every week due to my bio class, I'm wondering how fast I was able to speed through today's course. (A stranger encouraged me to move up a place so that I would be the fifth woman across the line, entitling me to a fifth of tequila. She had received the "gift" the past two weeks.) Fast enough to lose a basket off my ski pole, but hopefully not fast enough for the infamous reward. Thursday's efficiency would definitely take a hit.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
The End of Unemployment?
After being here only three weeks, I think I landed myself a job, ending my income hiatus.
I was applying to every posting in the local paper. Apparently, this is how small communities publicize their news. The days of Yelp and Craigslist are officially over, rest in peace bros. Anyway, I was resorting to newspaper delivery and cleaning service requests... and was becoming pretty discouraged since I wasn't getting many call backs. The few places where I'd been offered interviews were definitely looking for team members that could grow with the company, and I'm not sure how much growth I could offer them in seven months, but I sure tried to fake it.
The land line rings on Thursday at ten minutes to eight, in the morning! I'm snoozing away, and I assume that it's a solicitor at first. Heavy swallow, reach, and muster up the best "Good Morning" I can pull together. Surprise! It's the local cafe/bookstore, and they want me to come in for an interview. My first week in town I dropped of a magenta (printer was out of ink) resume with a post-it mentioning my experience in a cafe nine years ago but gave up when I hadn't heard from them. When can I come in to chat? Oh, any time before my 3:00 PM stats class. Much like sobering up when my friend of mine busted open his cranium at a frat party freshman year (no, I wasn't underage drinking, mom), I managed to instantly sound enthusiastic and awake, before hanging up the phone and falling back asleep.
Interview went well, as I intoxicated them with my charm and humor. The Minnesota connection is strong here in the valley, and a manager in the bookstore hails from the iron range. Best interview question I've ever received: "Now be honest, were you sleeping when I called?" Without missing a beat, I plead guilty, and he's impressed with my fraudulent abilities. Win.
Now the losses. For the benefit of both parties, they have a trial period with new employees. I'm not worried. My mad latte skills will come back quickly, no question. Over the weekend they're doing inventory, which will give me the opportunity to get to know the inedible goods. Sunday morning, they're well staffed, but Sunday 1 - 9 PM they could use my help. Ok, not interested enough in the Superbowl to pass up a paycheck since the Vikes threw away (literally) their ticket. And Monday? And Tuesday? Woah, this girl's got classes and skiing and a couple nonprofit commitments, too. But first impressions are everything, so I sign up. They emphasize that July is their busiest month (unexpected), forbidding any vacation. My favorite holiday kicks off that month and my uncle's wedding wraps it up... this job thing is starting to cramp my style. On one shoulder is a ski bum dancing and on the other is an apron-donned barista mopping (and moping).
Before vacating these premises in mid-August I have two other weddings, a Walla Walla wine reunion, a Montana meet-up, a New York absurdity, a Blue Devil Weekend, AND an Idaho camp out all in various stages of planning. My dreams of going to the Olympics already shattered (for the second time, the first was at the age of 16 when I realized that I couldn't even make the Junior Olympic alpine team), and my ability to host companions at Sage Haven becoming less attractive with shop hours 6 AM to 9 PM. I don't even ask what they pay. I don't even want to know.
Claiming the "Making Work Pay" deduction on my taxes today, the bitterness builds as I realize "Pay" is missing the lovely letter "L." It's so close, yet so far. Tomorrow marks my return to the working world. Perhaps I'll be able to log enough hours to get benefits so that I don't have to confront the slithering snake of an insurance company. Oops, I've fallen into the uninsured population. Hope I don't get hurt!
I was applying to every posting in the local paper. Apparently, this is how small communities publicize their news. The days of Yelp and Craigslist are officially over, rest in peace bros. Anyway, I was resorting to newspaper delivery and cleaning service requests... and was becoming pretty discouraged since I wasn't getting many call backs. The few places where I'd been offered interviews were definitely looking for team members that could grow with the company, and I'm not sure how much growth I could offer them in seven months, but I sure tried to fake it.
The land line rings on Thursday at ten minutes to eight, in the morning! I'm snoozing away, and I assume that it's a solicitor at first. Heavy swallow, reach, and muster up the best "Good Morning" I can pull together. Surprise! It's the local cafe/bookstore, and they want me to come in for an interview. My first week in town I dropped of a magenta (printer was out of ink) resume with a post-it mentioning my experience in a cafe nine years ago but gave up when I hadn't heard from them. When can I come in to chat? Oh, any time before my 3:00 PM stats class. Much like sobering up when my friend of mine busted open his cranium at a frat party freshman year (no, I wasn't underage drinking, mom), I managed to instantly sound enthusiastic and awake, before hanging up the phone and falling back asleep.
Interview went well, as I intoxicated them with my charm and humor. The Minnesota connection is strong here in the valley, and a manager in the bookstore hails from the iron range. Best interview question I've ever received: "Now be honest, were you sleeping when I called?" Without missing a beat, I plead guilty, and he's impressed with my fraudulent abilities. Win.
Now the losses. For the benefit of both parties, they have a trial period with new employees. I'm not worried. My mad latte skills will come back quickly, no question. Over the weekend they're doing inventory, which will give me the opportunity to get to know the inedible goods. Sunday morning, they're well staffed, but Sunday 1 - 9 PM they could use my help. Ok, not interested enough in the Superbowl to pass up a paycheck since the Vikes threw away (literally) their ticket. And Monday? And Tuesday? Woah, this girl's got classes and skiing and a couple nonprofit commitments, too. But first impressions are everything, so I sign up. They emphasize that July is their busiest month (unexpected), forbidding any vacation. My favorite holiday kicks off that month and my uncle's wedding wraps it up... this job thing is starting to cramp my style. On one shoulder is a ski bum dancing and on the other is an apron-donned barista mopping (and moping).
Before vacating these premises in mid-August I have two other weddings, a Walla Walla wine reunion, a Montana meet-up, a New York absurdity, a Blue Devil Weekend, AND an Idaho camp out all in various stages of planning. My dreams of going to the Olympics already shattered (for the second time, the first was at the age of 16 when I realized that I couldn't even make the Junior Olympic alpine team), and my ability to host companions at Sage Haven becoming less attractive with shop hours 6 AM to 9 PM. I don't even ask what they pay. I don't even want to know.
Claiming the "Making Work Pay" deduction on my taxes today, the bitterness builds as I realize "Pay" is missing the lovely letter "L." It's so close, yet so far. Tomorrow marks my return to the working world. Perhaps I'll be able to log enough hours to get benefits so that I don't have to confront the slithering snake of an insurance company. Oops, I've fallen into the uninsured population. Hope I don't get hurt!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Habitat Habits
Good or bad, we all have them: habits. Mine seem to come and go with my living environment. Here's a breakdown of my San Francisco vs. Sage Haven habits.
Everyone knows I have weird eating habits. Being a vegan (mostly) puts me lower on the food chain than normal people would voluntarily venture. I may be animal-friendly, but I'm definitely not figure-friendly in the way I eat. I'm a ravenous grazer. Boredom plus vicinity to food directly relates to diet disaster. Luckily I stayed pretty busy in San Francisco and never kept anything edible in my apartment (literally, there were practically cobwebs in my fridge). Instead I would make a dinner out of chips and salsa... or anything with condiments. The other thing about me is that I'm a clean plate club champion. Rarely too full to finish a meal, I pack it away like I'm storing up for the winter.
This bad habit has definitely mutated at Sage Haven. The first week I was here, I made vegetable stock and tomato sauce from scratch, cooking two 6 serving freezable meals (a polenta "pie" and cauliflower ditali) that I'm still getting through. Sounds like an improvement from Mission burritos and croissant cravings, right?
The other thing I hate is wasting food. Since I'm in a family condo, there are definitely a lot of items past expiration here. I suppose that it's good to have 3 jars of mint jelly, 3 jars of olives, and 4 half eaten containers of peanut butter in case I get stranded in an avalanche, but I'd prefer to work through these items one at a time. Living on a budget, I'm not going to let anything go to waste. Cream of wheat expiring in 2002? You make a delicious breakfast when I mix you with the aforementioned peanut butter, some syrup, and soy milk (the only thing on that list NOT expired). Creamed corn? You're falsely advertising dairy in your name, but you could be tasty if I mix in a little BBQ sauce and put you on a crispy taco shell that's from the same era, 5 years expired (kind of like chips and salsa, no?). I mean, non-perishable items like that don't really expire, right? I definitely learned my lesson with a good case of food poisoning. Diced tomatoes from 2002, I'm sorry, but I have to throw you away because I can't go through that again.
Eventually the eating habits will get better, I think.
I'll try to run through the other good and bad (the food thing was definitely the ugly) habits to give you an idea of my different life.
Running: I was in a great habit of hitting the pavement every week with my friend, Kelsey, in San Francisco. Snowy sidewalks (and a lack of them) seem to destroy this good habit, but I just tried it out today, and it was actually really great. My goal is to keep up the Monday Runday habit. This coincides with my great gym habit at my very expensive gym in San Francisco. Not planning to sign up quite yet, but the shoveling and skiing kind of help. Maybe I should get some aerobics DVDs. Leading to my next habit...
Technology: I lived like a cavewoman in San Francisco, the tech-iest city in the nation. No microwave, no dishwasher, no TV, no working computer, no internet, and a temperamental cell phone. Now I've got it all and more. Microwaving (new verb) throughout the day, a disgusting addiction to shows like "What Not To Wear" "Ice Road Truckers" and "The Jersey Shore," two pretty broken but workable computers, internet access 24/7, and even a landline. I'm not super happy about these new modern day resources, but I'll take 'em for the time being. I still prefer hand washing dishes to the energy-hogging machine. Oh, and the thermostat is nice... lovely greenhouse effect (it's 75 in here even though the 'stat is set to 65).
Driving: I had a great habit of not driving, ditching my car at work or on San Francisco streets. Now I have to drive everywhere, which I'm feeling really guilty about. Once the snow melts, I'll be able to get out on my bike, but the conditions right now are not conducive to my skinny tires. New goal is to figure out the free bus schedule. This will add time to quick errands, but it will combat my guilt.
Cleanliness: I've always been a dirty hippie at heart, and I think I might be getting dirtier. Who needs to shave her legs when she doesn't have to wear gym shorts or skirts to work? This saves time (and water) in the shower. The dryness here means that I can't wash my hair as much (static overload!), so I'm feeling pretty hygienically dirty. Bedroom clutter galore has translated nicely all the way from childhood, so that's not about to stop. I'm doing my best to keep my expansive living quarters clean, and I've started a fly collection... in my dust buster, boom! I'll make sure things are great in time for the Brent family visit in a couple weeks!
Sleep: Horrible, horrible sleep schedule in San Francisco. 5:30 AM wake up, sometimes after 1:00 AM bedtime. Bad bad bad! Now it's bad in a good way, making up some serious debt. No job and my earliest class at 3:00 PM; there is no reason to be awake before 8:00 AM. My new alarm clock is the sun. But I am missing my luxurious bed. Hope those folks from Craigslist are enjoying it. Enter back pain.
Money: Other than some necessary purchases (a ski pass, class tuition and supplies, and groceries), I've graduated from retail therapy. Night life and cafe visits (drinking expired tea at home instead of designer coffee) have disappeared, saving me tons of dough. And then there are the huge expenses of my commute to the peninsula and rent in San Francisco, it was just too much! So great to get through a day without spending any money. On that note, I have to fill up my car with gas and go to class.
Everyone knows I have weird eating habits. Being a vegan (mostly) puts me lower on the food chain than normal people would voluntarily venture. I may be animal-friendly, but I'm definitely not figure-friendly in the way I eat. I'm a ravenous grazer. Boredom plus vicinity to food directly relates to diet disaster. Luckily I stayed pretty busy in San Francisco and never kept anything edible in my apartment (literally, there were practically cobwebs in my fridge). Instead I would make a dinner out of chips and salsa... or anything with condiments. The other thing about me is that I'm a clean plate club champion. Rarely too full to finish a meal, I pack it away like I'm storing up for the winter.
This bad habit has definitely mutated at Sage Haven. The first week I was here, I made vegetable stock and tomato sauce from scratch, cooking two 6 serving freezable meals (a polenta "pie" and cauliflower ditali) that I'm still getting through. Sounds like an improvement from Mission burritos and croissant cravings, right?
The other thing I hate is wasting food. Since I'm in a family condo, there are definitely a lot of items past expiration here. I suppose that it's good to have 3 jars of mint jelly, 3 jars of olives, and 4 half eaten containers of peanut butter in case I get stranded in an avalanche, but I'd prefer to work through these items one at a time. Living on a budget, I'm not going to let anything go to waste. Cream of wheat expiring in 2002? You make a delicious breakfast when I mix you with the aforementioned peanut butter, some syrup, and soy milk (the only thing on that list NOT expired). Creamed corn? You're falsely advertising dairy in your name, but you could be tasty if I mix in a little BBQ sauce and put you on a crispy taco shell that's from the same era, 5 years expired (kind of like chips and salsa, no?). I mean, non-perishable items like that don't really expire, right? I definitely learned my lesson with a good case of food poisoning. Diced tomatoes from 2002, I'm sorry, but I have to throw you away because I can't go through that again.
Eventually the eating habits will get better, I think.
I'll try to run through the other good and bad (the food thing was definitely the ugly) habits to give you an idea of my different life.
Running: I was in a great habit of hitting the pavement every week with my friend, Kelsey, in San Francisco. Snowy sidewalks (and a lack of them) seem to destroy this good habit, but I just tried it out today, and it was actually really great. My goal is to keep up the Monday Runday habit. This coincides with my great gym habit at my very expensive gym in San Francisco. Not planning to sign up quite yet, but the shoveling and skiing kind of help. Maybe I should get some aerobics DVDs. Leading to my next habit...
Technology: I lived like a cavewoman in San Francisco, the tech-iest city in the nation. No microwave, no dishwasher, no TV, no working computer, no internet, and a temperamental cell phone. Now I've got it all and more. Microwaving (new verb) throughout the day, a disgusting addiction to shows like "What Not To Wear" "Ice Road Truckers" and "The Jersey Shore," two pretty broken but workable computers, internet access 24/7, and even a landline. I'm not super happy about these new modern day resources, but I'll take 'em for the time being. I still prefer hand washing dishes to the energy-hogging machine. Oh, and the thermostat is nice... lovely greenhouse effect (it's 75 in here even though the 'stat is set to 65).
Driving: I had a great habit of not driving, ditching my car at work or on San Francisco streets. Now I have to drive everywhere, which I'm feeling really guilty about. Once the snow melts, I'll be able to get out on my bike, but the conditions right now are not conducive to my skinny tires. New goal is to figure out the free bus schedule. This will add time to quick errands, but it will combat my guilt.
Cleanliness: I've always been a dirty hippie at heart, and I think I might be getting dirtier. Who needs to shave her legs when she doesn't have to wear gym shorts or skirts to work? This saves time (and water) in the shower. The dryness here means that I can't wash my hair as much (static overload!), so I'm feeling pretty hygienically dirty. Bedroom clutter galore has translated nicely all the way from childhood, so that's not about to stop. I'm doing my best to keep my expansive living quarters clean, and I've started a fly collection... in my dust buster, boom! I'll make sure things are great in time for the Brent family visit in a couple weeks!
Sleep: Horrible, horrible sleep schedule in San Francisco. 5:30 AM wake up, sometimes after 1:00 AM bedtime. Bad bad bad! Now it's bad in a good way, making up some serious debt. No job and my earliest class at 3:00 PM; there is no reason to be awake before 8:00 AM. My new alarm clock is the sun. But I am missing my luxurious bed. Hope those folks from Craigslist are enjoying it. Enter back pain.
Money: Other than some necessary purchases (a ski pass, class tuition and supplies, and groceries), I've graduated from retail therapy. Night life and cafe visits (drinking expired tea at home instead of designer coffee) have disappeared, saving me tons of dough. And then there are the huge expenses of my commute to the peninsula and rent in San Francisco, it was just too much! So great to get through a day without spending any money. On that note, I have to fill up my car with gas and go to class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
