Have you seen these?
A Year in Books - 2009-12-27
Skip Tracer, Loan Detective - 2009-11-22
New Job - 2009-11-03
The coleslaw got served. - 2009-10-21
Probably a new job. But maybe not. - 2009-10-08

There's no place like Management
2001-10-03 2:23 p.m.

I remember a few years ago, I was talking with my dad about the whole waitress thing. I was saying how it was ok for now, but I knew I didn't want to do it forever.

He said, "Well, that's the great thing about having a college degree. It's not going to ever go away. Just remember: At any time, all you have to do is click your heels together three times and say "There's no place like Management! There's no place like Management!"

He may even have pantomimed it out for me. My dad cracks me up sometimes.

I may shortly find out if he was right.

Let me go back and give you some of the highlights of the last week.

***

Thursday, I finally worked up the nerve to tell Nick I wanted my hours cut back. I explained how I was spending my one day off each week getting caught up on housework and running errands and doing laundry and I'd really like a day to just chill once in a while.

The trouble is, I knew that business was just about to drop like a rock with winter coming, and I wasn't entirely sure if I could afford to live on merely 30 hours each week. So I asked for two days off every other week.

Friday morning, Sue was working. From what she told me, it was hell. Mary and Kathy were sniping at each other, Lusy was being dragon lady, and the customers were all insane. Patti, who runs the bookstore across the street from Kristina's, came in for lunch. Sue asked her jokingly if she was hiring. Patti said yes. Sue immediately went back to Lusy and gave one week's notice.

I was in kind of a low level funk all weekend long. I wished I'd known Patti was looking for someone but I definitely can't afford to work part time for minimum wage even if it is something I know I'd love and I really don't think I would have wanted to just stack the bookstore on top of my 40 plus hours a week at the restaurant but I've always wanted to work in a bookstore but it's too late now anyway.

Oh, and since Sue is leaving, I'll get even more hours now.

Sunday, Nick put up the schedule. I had one day off and two double shifts.

Monday, Sue said that from what Patti had told her, there might be enough part time hours for two people.

Ken came in, and told Sue that although she'd have more hours than she knew what to do with for a month or so, as soon as the play was finished, he was claiming all his hours back again. Then, he told me that Patti promised him that if he stays through next summer, she'll give him 9-5 Monday thru Friday, and everyone else will work around him.

So, yeah. I reasoned that if there are hours at Bookworld, there aren't very mnay of them.

Tuesday, I went in to talk to Patti anyway. I refused to accept that I could have been so close to getting my dream job and miss it entirely.

Patti was no longer hiring. But. But but BUT....she said that her boss, who runs the Paper Tiger in Zenith, is looking for a manager there. MANAGER! That wouldn't even be minimum wage! That would maybe have like benefits and stuff! I was in my car and on the road in five minutes. I stopped at the gas station on the way out of town to buy a hairbrush.

I got an application, filled it out, and took it back to Zenith today. The owner lady wasn't there. If I don't hear from her in a week, I'll call her.

***

I really really want this job. It would be regular hours, a regular paycheck, and more books than I could shake a stick at. It would be holidays off. It would be maybe a weekend off every now and then. It would be stacks upon stacks of shiny new books spanning as far as the eye can see in all directions. It would be using my degree. Did I mention all the books yet?

The trouble is, I really don't know if I have a chance at all. I have no management experience. Maria pointed out that I trained her and Lindsey, (And Becka. And Nancy. And Linda, kinda) and when Lusy's not around, I perform all the functions of a manager at Kristina's. I am a good employee, and she thinks I'd be a good manager.

That's all well and good, but on paper, all I've really got going for me is a college degree and a winning smile. Granted, it's an English degree. That's gotta count for something in a bookstore, but maybe a business degree would be even better. Or maybe someone with managerial experience.

But I really really want this. For the first time since I graduated, I can see a job that I want that actually justifies all these fucking student loan payments. I so want this job.

D. thinks I'm golden. He's probably delusional and in love with me or something, though. When we were in Milwaukee, I applied to be a mere cashier at a bookstore. I was turned down because I had no experience. I still don't know how to sell books. Now I think I can get a job telling other people how to do it?

D. says it's not like that. Part of the reason I didn't get a bookstore job in Milwaukee was that I had so little work experience in general. Now I've got that in bucketloads, and that's all those places really mean when they say they want experience.

Well, maybe. I hope so. I really really want this job. It's so built up in my mind now as My Perfect Job that I don't know what I'll do if I don't get it.



previous--next


ComicsCurmudgeon
DamnHellAssKings
EWAV
Francesco
Neil Gaiman
Indeterminacy
Ironic Sans
KnowledgeForThirst
tmwfa
Postsecret
PassiveAggressive
WaiterRant
Wil Wheaton

Barren
Kahlora
LiveJournal
MySpace
Thor
Twitter


Achewood
AlienLovesPredator
DinosaurComics
Hobotopia
HoustonChron
NeuroticallyYours
PerryBibleFellowship
Pibgorn
RedMeat
Sinfest
SluggyFreelance
SomethingPositive
xkcd


Alter Ego
Chat Noir
Chronotron
CrayonPhysics
FVBN
HHGTG
House of Bugs
La Pate a Son
Popcap
sirteT
3DPong


A&L Daily
Everything
Fark
The Onion
Red Dwarf
SomethingtoRead
Slate
Straight Dope
Taus
TV Tropes
Wikipedia
Wonkette


Cockeyed
Inventors
McSweeney's
MentalFloss


GRSites
MyImager
W3
Webmonkey