I did something today that I'm really ont sure what the hell I was thinking.

I asked my boss at The Body Shop to see if there would be a possibility that I could transfer to the other company location in the city, at a rather large mall on the west end of the city.

I was there, thinking about the money I was earning. The discounts I get on the products that I use on a daily basis. What the hell would I really do with myself on an extra day on the weekend (ok, besides clean my place, and my place really does need it, I'll admit it)? And so I wrote her a note asking if she could see about the possibility.

I'm justifying it because I'd like to buy a car in the next couple of years. And the more money I have saved up for a deposit, the better. Hell, I could even buy a used car outright. And the commute to WEM is much less nasty than the commute to where I'm located right now (bus service runs AT LEAST every 30 mins, so I wouldn't have to leave my place 1.5 hours before I need to be there - I could get it down to 1 hour, max - most trips are only 35-45 mins).

And the ultimate irony? One of my friends just got a job at a third TBS location - the difference being that this third location (at a shopping mall on the east-ish end of town) is one of the franchises in town and the owner doesn't have to worry about the company's bottom line, so long as they're making a profit. Thank god. I asked my friend to ask if they needed someone on weekends (since really, that's all I can work).

I guess, really, I'm just afraid of change. And the extra money is nice. I've been whinging incessantly about the Body Shop and really was considering changing, but now that it's hit me that in a month and a half, I'll not have it any more... I'm ridiculously emotional and sad about it.

I'll give a real weekend a go this weekend (I have Friday, Sunday, Monday, and TUESDAY off from both places of work!) and see if I go nuts. If not, I might be prepping my resume to hand into the Franchise owner (she runs all the stores that are not my store and WEM in town... either way, it's about the same distance to get to any of those from my place... much more convenient than where I am now...)...

Maybe if I take the summer off and then go back?

Dammit, I'm so confused. I'm so used to being busy I don't know what to do with myself when I'm not! I wish that these options hadn't opened up for me to just slide into the same job in another location - no learning a new system, no learning new product, just changing location... I mean... I thought I WANTED this out of my life and now that it's potentially going to be gone, it's like I'm pulling out all the stops to keep what I can of it...

Someone just smack me upside the head.




I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: The Life of Saint Philip Neri (Antonio Gallonio)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...

So.

I got the news on Thursday that The Body Shop is restructing and that as of May 2, my position will no longer exist.

My manager had left me a voice mail message asking to call her back, and when I did she said that "I need to read you this script they've left me." So I listened as she read. She needs to cut hours IMMEDIATELY by about 50 hours per week. I have been laid off, along with one other girl (and another girl is conveniently moving to Ontario, so there's her taken care of!). They will be cutting pretty much everyone else's hours.

I'm not surprised, really. And I'm probably one of the first people who's ever been sort of happy to be laid off. I've not been enjoying The Body Shop lately - the Christmas rush is over, things are ridiculously slow. The company is going in directions I don't entirely agree with (they are REALLY pushing makeup sales these days... I always thought of TBS as a shop with values more like Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty... And they've come out with a line of "body focus" products that are a load of... well, I don't think we've sold a single piece since they came out with it... Cellulite serum? I mean, geesh, for a company that's big on "natural", too, I'm not impressed with all the ingredients in their stuff - it's better than a lot of companies, granted, but still... Ok, rant off... And yes, I will likely write a letter of resignation instead, for the day before my layoff, stating all of these concerns).

But the bottom line is that freedom is in sight. Freedom to have a 'real' weekend like most other people out there. Freedom to say "I sure can hang out tonight, I don't have to work tomorrow." Freedom to do my housework one day and still have a second day to lounge about.

The spending money was nice, but not entirely necessary. I can still get by financially. I think what this will do to my mental health will more than make up for the not-even-$300/month that I was making with TBS.

Thank-you, whatever powers that be are out there, that have saved me the need to upset my boss by my quitting. I was probably going to quit on or near May anyway.


I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: The Life of Saint Philip Neri (Antonio Gallonio)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...

If I have not yet harangued you to check out the works of Edward Monkton, DO IT NOW!!

EdwardMonkton.com

The man is a genius. That is all there is to it. His works grace greeting cards, key chains, and other trinkets of the tchotchke (sp?!) kind... but they are wonderful. They are insightful, even. One of my personal favourites (aside from The Penguin of Death, which graces my cell phone charm and cover and The Madness Hamsters which are just awesome) is "Where Are We Going".




It is kind of small, so in case you can't read it, it goes:
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know. I thought you knew."
"No, I don't know, Maybe he knows."
"No, He definitely doesn't know."
PAUSE
"Maybe no-one knows."
PAUSE
"Oh well. I hope it's nice when we get there."



And that about sums it up for me ladies and gentlemen.


I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: Why History? Ethics and Postmodernity (Keith Jenkins)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...

I would just like to say to God... (or the fates... or karma... or anyone or anything that might have a hand in it...) that I think way more of my dreams should involve Adam Baldwin:






and/or Zachary Levi

.

Ok, all drooling aside, let's face it. I don't remember my dreams often. When I do, it's usually crappy (as I recall, there was a post back in July of 06 detailing a nightmare I had, and that was the first dream I'd been able to remember in months). So thank you to whatever powers were out there that gave me a fun, ass-kicking, dream last night in which I got to be a spy along with these guys and Yvonne Strahovsky (from the TV series Chuck - yes, I've found that I really rather enjoy that show. Too bad the writer's strike has seriously messed with it... dammit).

That is all.


I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: Why History? Ethics and Postmodernity (Keith Jenkins)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...

So I've got a few job interviews/tests/etc. coming up. One's the afternoon of the 26th, one's pretty much most of the day on March 3, and then there's the trip to Ottawa in April.

I'm completely and utterly allowed to take time off work WITH PAY in order to attend job interviews for other branches of the federal government (God bless the union in that regard). Lord knows I don't want to spend the rest of my career in the office I'm in now (there's a stupid low glass ceiling in this particular branch).

But there's this weird part of me that feels slightly guilty for taking all the time off work. How is my current supervisor supposed to provide me with a reference or anything when it's been obvious from the beginning that I don't want to be in the office I'm in and that I'm only using my current position as a stepping stone? Should I be trying to develop good, deep relationships where I am now? But I want to get out as soon as I can. I'm even considering positions at the same salary level and classification, so long as they're out of my current department. Am I killing my career while I try to advance it? ARGH!!

I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: Why History? Ethics and Postmodernity (Keith Jenkins)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...

Talk about not giving a person much time. I got an email today that basically indicated that I had to have all sorts of information to the folks in Ottawa by Friday. And I'm going to be in Saskatoon for the next few days (I leave tomorrow night).

Thank God most of it was easy to come by with a phone call or two. And the rest is just a tweak of my CV, really. But HOLY CRAP did I freak out for a moment.

I was a bit up in the air as to whether I was taking my laptop with me to Saskatoon or not. Now I KNOW that I'm definitely taking it with me. There's internet access in our hotel rooms, and if I have to check my email every night while I'm there, so be it.

I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: Why History? Ethics and Postmodernity (Keith Jenkins)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...

I got some news this afternoon...

You have been successful at the structured interview and have been selected as the top ranking candidates to attend the job fair. Your results will be sent to you in the near future.

The next steps are the following:

Job Fair. You will soon receive an invitation to attend the job fair scheduled in the National Capital Region on April 7-8, 2008.

Woohoo! This pretty much makes up for only getting sent to Saskatoon. And if I can swing things all right, I might spend the rest of the week helping out my current department up in Fort McMurray (instead of flying back to Edmonton - fly there instead... We'll see).

Things are looking pretty up...


I Am Reading:
Quasi-Academically: Why History? Ethics and Postmodernity (Keith Jenkins)
For Fun: Le Morte d'Arthur (Malory)
Pile of unread books on my bookshelf: way too many...