OK this is a quick note for those who have noticed how badly I have neglected facebook lately. I feel so loved when people notice when I'm AWOL. Which is most of the time. Hehheh.
OK so new job: Nothing big, I'm a lifeguard at ND right now. I can be spotted at all 3 aquatics facilities: ROLFs, the Rock, and the beach. Yes, ND has a beach, remember? It also has lifeguards who love visitors.
As for the old job, I quit it a few weeks ago because it SUCKED. I didn't get paid nearly enough for what I did, and my working environment was physically nasty and morale had declined steadily since a few months ago when one of the managers got in a car accident and has been on leave since. I did quit on impulse, which is sort of bad since I did not give a 2 weeks notice, but they would have screwed me on my hours for those two weeks because I know that has happened to other people who have let management know that they are leaving.
To give you a general idea of just how bad morale was at that place, some stats: This year our turnover rate was something like 210%. Industry (retail) standard is about 100%. Last year, this particular store did 80%.
So, yeah.
I originally didn't plan on staying for very long, but I got a promotion, so I took it. But the unnamed large toy corporation which I worked for was not a place anyone in the right mind would want to stay for a long time, let alone build a career at. (I have no interest in building a career in retail, anyway. I hate selling things to people, particularly things they don't need.) The way in which they run their business makes NO sense whatsoever. Nothing they ever do makes any sense at all. And they never do any thing that makes sense. Like selling things that customers ask for, for example. Or purchasing equipment that works properly. Or fixing the plumbing in the ladies' bathroom so that it doesn't reek all day.
So anyway, I went back to ND mainly because I knew it is a wonderful place to work. When I had a full time gig there, I really didn't know how good I had it. Besides having the awesome benefits they offer, I also worked under two brilliant professors who also happened to be SUPER nice people, and always available (which I also didn't realize was a lucky/rare thing to have). I also had a great deal of autonomy, which is also a wonderful thing to have. I was also never lacking in something new to learn or do. It was good.
Anyway. The next month or so is gonna be SUPER exciting.
Right now I am packing to go visit my amazing best friend from high school in NYC, where she is an Upper-East Side freelance artist. Like, a REAL one. This weekend I am planning a glorious Sunday morning run in Central Park. I have driven by Central Park, but I have never been IN it. I'm scheduled for 7 miles this weekend (Chicago Marathon training) and Central Park is literally like two blocks from Laura's apartment.
Rain or shine, tornadoes, hurricanes, there will be gloriousness in Central Park. Oh yes. There will be gloriousness.
Next week, Laura and I and her fiancee are driving down to this beautiful resort in the middle of nowhere, PA where she is getting married to the love of her life. This is a person who, in so many ways, deserves every bit of happiness she is enjoying right now, and I'm SO LUCKY to be sharing it with her.
My other BFF, Hootie the Bean, is also someone who deserves, in oh-so-many-ways, the joy of becoming a mother any day, now. She and John the Burr are generous and open enough to let me doula for them if I am in town when it happens. And if I'm not, they have Shelley, who has such a big heart, I don't know how she does it. Bean and Burr are lucky to have her, and she and I are SUPER lucky to have them share this special little thing with us.
I mean really, if you were me, wouldn't you feel so full up your heart asplode?
You know what else makes me feel lucky? I totally found a $20 bill on the ground at the mall today. I mean, I saw it, and I thought, "my goodness, someone lost a $20 bill. That sucks, man!" And then I looked around me and thought, "Well, gosh. If I say, 'Hey, anyone lose twenty bucks?!' everyone in the room will say 'YES' and I'll have no way of knowing if any of them are telling the truth. Therefore, this $20 bill is now mine." And I was quite pleased with myself.
Today I also got a hott new haircut, a pedicure, some shoes and a clutch to match my bridesmaid's dress, some nail polish, and 14 gloriously delicious pretzel sticks.
Indeed, I was pleased with myself after accomplishing these things.
And you know what? I'm TOTALLY NOT DONE YET>>>>>#($*>SDLOLZ.
So yeah, if you don't know already, I have an aunt and uncle who, I'm not gonna lie, have more money than any one human being should be allowed to have, but whom are amongst the few people on the planet that I trust with such a large sum of money. They recently got a place in Orlando, where they spend their semi-retired winter months.
This past winter, we (the folks and I) visited them down there, and I discovered that Floridians do not pay State Income Tax. Which is currently the highest tax that I pay.
And I was like, ORLY?
So I started asking around at the theme parks we went to, asking people how much they made, how they liked their job, etc. (I wanted to ask Belle but my niece was hogging her.) And I got to Discovery Cove. You know, the place where you swim with the dolphins?
Dude. I smell Chinese food somewhere. I hate Chinese food. Hold on I need to find it and get rid of it brb.
K so at Discovery Cove I asked one of the guards, "Hey dude, what's your starting pay?" and he said "$9.50," and I was like, holy crap. Here it's $7 at the local country club and $8 at Notre Dame. I then asked, "Is it competitive?" and he basically looked at me like, "Are you crazy?"
I later learned that Orlando has a super low unemployment rate.
Now, ever since I came back from the south of France (remember how healthy/hot I was when I came back?), I've known I needed to move to a warmer, sunnier climate. But I never really considered Florida because a.) I don't know anyone there, and b.) It's full of old retired people.
But I was sorta like, hmmm.
THEN I got to talking to one of the dolphin trainers there. And so I was like, "So, uh, what kind of background do you guys have?" I was expecting, you know, Masters in Biology or something like that. At LEAST. It certainly has to be competitive, I said. His response was really interesting and surprising. He basically said that they seem to come from all sorts of backgrounds. He happened to have a background in science (and was working on his MBA), but many of the trainers aren't finished with school yet, as it tends to be a young person's job.
Hmmmm, thought, as he continued: There are about 180 trainers at that particular facility, and that their turnover was, he thought, pretty high. (I don't remember the exact number, but I figure it is at least partially the result of the youth variable.) Could I start out as a lifeguard then move up to trainer? I asked. "Sure," he replied. "That's what my wife did." And I was like whoa. Then he added, "But with your background in lifeguarding and volunteering at the zoo, you wouldn't be crazy to just go ahead and apply for trainer."
Yeah, I mean...Who wouldn't want to be at a party and have someone ask you, "So, what do you do?" and be all, "Yeah, I'm a DOLPHIN TRAINER!" That would be so sweet, seriously.
So. I looked into Anheuser-Busch, which owns Discovery Cove, Sea World, and this new water park called
Aquatica. I actually REALLY like the idea of working for this company. I mean, they are super, super cool to their employees. AND they are socially conscious. That's totally something I could get behind. Long term, even.
So I happen to be headed back there at the end of July. There haven't been any trainer openings, so I applied for a part time Lifeguard position at Aquatica. I don't even know if I can afford to take just a part time job right now but I at least want an interview. And so I applied, and I got called in today, for a swim test, which I'm going to do on the 28th (of July) at 7:30am. And let me tell you, I'm super excited! Even just about the swim test. I was told to bring a change of clothes because as soon as I pass, I'll likely be sent to HR for an interview.
Woot!
So. That's my life lately and in the forseeable future. In the meantime, I am enjoying the beautiful Notre Dame campus in the summer...
