you may recall from one of my earlier posts the ‘funk’ that i was going through, which i thankfully was able to escape a few weeks ago. it of course stemmed from several issues, one of which was the need for some sort of change to throw my life out of whack (i hate monotony in life). so to start with, before making any drastic moves, i decided to apply for a part-time job–just something to get me out and away from the apartment occasionally and more social interaction. i found out rei was hiring so went through the interview process back in early november, got the job and just finished the week-long training process this past sunday.
so far i’m really enjoying it. i got placed in customer service, which of course is going to be rather interesting this time of year around the holidays. i don’t mind it though as it has offered another creative outlet… coming up with the best solutions for a wide array of customer problems and situations. not too many situations i’ve been involved with have been the exact same. again, it prevents monotony and repetition from setting in! there are also a lot of perks with the job, not to mention the company and company values/ethics are totally in line with mine. employees are treated well. there are a lot of outdoor ‘toys’ to play with all over the store. and, i get to interact with co-workers and customers who have similar passions in regards to enjoying the outdoors which also helps considerably.
next week approaching christmas i am scheduled as if i were full-time, which is over my requested maximum number of hours a week (i still have my real job that takes precedent 
), but i will let it slide next week and the week after considering it’s the holiday season, i’m not traveling for the holidays and the extra cash will be beneficial (for when i decide to buy my own ‘toys’ from there). and i’m going to try to head out to san francisco in january sometime, so will need to earn some extra dinero for that as well.
now, just to survive the holidays in a retail environment…