You Only Live Once, This Is How I'm Doing It!

Tag: furlough

Extended Furlough

Sorry that I’ve been completely neglecting this blog lately. I’m also sorry that the post I left at the top was so incredibly depressing. While my life is actually quite great right now I just don’t feel like I have much to say on this blog. It was supposed to be about my jet setting adventures around the world serving coke and meeting people. And while I have had many great adventures while grounded from work it’s not the same as working. So I lost steam here and planned to begin writing again when my recall date came in March.

Unfortunately I got news recently that instead of going back to work in a couple weeks I’ve been furloughed for another year.

A whole freaking extra year of being grounded. Sucks.

But it’s better than the alternative of losing my job completely along with my flight benefits and insurance. I still have those and I do have a recall date of March 2013.

All that to say I’m letting this blog go for awhile. I may still post from time to time and it’s definitely not dead for good. I will revive this blog when I officially go back to work, hopefully in no more than a year from now.

Don’t worry though, you can still find me around Twitter and I have another blog project in the works that I’m super excited about….

More on that very soon.

 

No time

It’s been so long since I truly didn’t have time for things. No time to read books I want to read. No time to catch up on my shows. No time to read and comment on all the blogs that I love.

No time.

Well, ok not no time. But I would have to give up other things. Like spending time with friends. Or sleeping.

Those are things that I’m not giving up.

So for all intents and purposes, I have no time.

It’s weird for me.

I can’t remember a time in my life when I had no time. In The Netherlands I had plenty of time for internet and books and shows. Obviously the kids kept me busy but I always had evenings free plus three days off a week. Then I had basically part time jobs until I got a job as a flight attendant.

As a flight attendant? It felt like I had nothing but spare time. I spent a ton of time “working” but let’s face it, even on the airplane I had time to sit and read a book or whatever.

Then there were layovers. Often on my layovers I went out and explored the town or hung out with coworkers. I wanted to soak in every second of that job. However, if you’re staying in an airport hotel with nothing around for the 8th time in 2 months…. you run out of things to do outside your hotel room so it leaves plenty of time for books and blogs.

Add into that having 11 guaranteed days off a month plus not flying every single day I was on call? Sometimes I felt like the laziest person alive. I wasn’t.

Until I got furloughed. Then I was definitely the laziest person alive. I would go days without ever seeing the outdoors. Pajamas were my uniform and I would find myself on Hulu watching absolute crap because I had no more blogs to read or shows to watch.

Really truly pathetic.

Now I have this job. And I. love. it. It keeps me on my toes and challenges me. There are always problems to solve and when I turn a near disaster into a success? Well, there’s nothing quite like the rush it gives me.

But, I’m left with a choice between reading a book that I really love (or at least I really love so far. I’ve barely begun it) or sleep? I’m probably going to choose sleep.

And when I say probably I mean pretty definitely.

I love sleep. We’ve established this.

What I’m trying to say is, I’m an awful blog friend lately. I barely even check Twitter anymore, much less post. I read as many blog posts as I can but I rarely comment. I hate that. I have things to say, really, I just am trying to squeeze as much into a short period of time as possible.

So I’m totally lame and have no time to do a lot of the things that I’ve loved and gotten used to over the past couple of years. I think it’s probably a good thing. I haven’t felt this fulfilled since I stopped flying. I certainly have never felt this productive, possibly ever.

I’m sure a balance will come soon. Already things run a million times smoother than they did before. Until then I’ll treasure ever second of sleep and down time I get.

Speaking of sleep, I have a nice warm bed and handsome husband calling my name right now.

The working diet

So, my clothes have been fitting way too snug for my liking lately. Possibly Definitely something to do with that year of unemployment. Being unemployed is actually really depressing. I felt useless and worthless way too often. Ironically it made me want to curl up and do less.

Finally starting work again has made me so much happier already. I got up this morning and actually had breakfast with Joel(!). I cannot even remember the last time we did that. I am one to sleep until past the last possible second. I then rush around like a crazy person in order to not be late. Most of the time I make it out the door in the nick of time. Sometimes I don’t. It makes mornings stressful and too often Joel and I end up snapping at each other.

This morning was different for no particular reason. In fact, I did not sleep well the night before. My mind wouldn’t stop racing and I ended up with probably 4 hours of sleep, at best. Normally that would have meant that I would have been next to impossible to get out of bed. For some reason, I was barely tired. In fact, Joel was being nice and was going to let me sleep a little longer but I woke up on my own and was up before he was out of the shower. Just weird.

Anyway, my energy carried through the whole day. Today was the day before the soft opening so the store was a crazy rush to get everything set up and stocked and ready for customers tomorrow. The amount that goes into opening a store is insane! Insane I say!

The first three hours I spent sorting and double checking labels and prices on wine. Dealing with wine? Not as relaxing as you might expect. In fact, I’d say it’s the exact opposite of relaxing. I have been known to have some really clumsy moments. Dropping an expensive bottle of wine (because you know the bottle I would drop would be an expensive one) is not the kind of first impression I want to make on all my new bosses.

The worst was when I had to move an entire cart full of bottles around the store. That cart was holding almost $1,700 worth of wine. You better believe I have never moved so slowly or carefully in my life. All the while with visions of hitting a bump and watching the whole cart shatter around me. Ugh, it still makes me tense just thinking about it.

Thankfully, my practice with walking around turbulent airplanes paid off and all the bottle remained intact. I also have a much better idea of our wine selection at the store (hint, it’s big and amazing*). Had I been doing the project in a tub of foam? I would have been having an absolute blast. Since the floors are concrete instead of foam I just had a cautiously enjoyable time.

After all the wine was put safely back on it’s shelves and I could breathe normally again we had some more barista training. Another rep from Intelligentsia came out, this time to show us how to use our actual equipment and how to make flavored drinks, teas and brewed coffee. You guys know what a Starbucks fanatic I’ve been right? I mean I loooove Starbucks. Yum. This coffee? Makes Starbucks taste like instant Folgers. Seriously, best. coffee. ever. And not just because I made it either.

After the training was more organizing, putting away, labeling etc etc. The next thing I knew I checked the time and it was 5:30pm. I got to the store at 11am! I literally hadn’t taken the time to pee yet! TMI? Sorry. But seriously. Thank goodness I ate breakfast.

I’d like to point out that I wasn’t forced to work nonstop like that with no breaks. I was just so busy I didn’t think about it. I also was having a good time. I know that sounds crazy and you may have to remind me of this in a few months when I just don’t want to get out of bed but for now, I’m having so much of a blast I forget to eat.

And that, my friends, is why this post is labeled the working diet. If I can keep being so busy that I don’t have time to get hungry I’ll be back in my skinny jeans in no time flat.

Of course, as soon as the store opens and I can buy all kinds of ridiculously high quality delicious food on my breaks, my plan may not seem so brilliant.

*thatswhatshesaid

Hearts of coffee

I love coffee. Like, a lot. I tend to have an addictive personality so to prevent brown teeth and headaches I limit my coffee to just special treats. Still, I do love coffee.

Several months ago I was offered a job as a barista at a little shop that was planning to open soon. Construction took longer than expected but I’m finally getting started. Yesterday and today I was privileged to have training at Intelligenstia roasting works in Chicago. We learned the art of making espresso. Yes, it’s an art.

We also were taught actual latte art.

Lovely isn’t it?

It is NOT as easy as it looks. At. All.

However, it is so much fun. I know so much about espresso now and the drinks that are made with them. Obviously there is much I don’t know. There is so much more science behind making coffee than you’d ever expect. Our trainer used all kinds of big words that I was only remotely familiar with. Since I’m a giant nerd though I found it fascinating. It helped that our trainer was one of the coolest people I’ve met in a long time. I want to be her. Just a little though.

We have orientation on Monday. The store is set to open mid-late August. I’m excited. But also nervous. Mostly excited though. I have a feeling that I’m really going to love this job.

I also have a feeling that avoiding coffee addiction? Won’t be possible for much longer.

I’m ok with that.

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