Babble for today

So the return to California went fine....a lot of damn driving! It's been a bit of a whirlwind since I returned - with the holidays and the further traveling and functions that that entailed....which means I am still dealing with the chaos of unpacking myself into a room that was already full of the stuff I had left behind =-(.

This was the first year since 2000 that we celebrated Christmas on the 25th, having had our fair share of holiday tragedies and emergencies. It's hard not to approach this time of year with a sense of dread when you have the track record we do. Yet, even with another tragedy suffered a few months back, we still went ahead and did things on the 25th, and it was fine. But still, the holidays will never be the same.

And now I'm back to wondering what will become of my life....if it will finally become more of what I want it to be, or if I'm supposed to just keep swimming blindly in the dark water.

But first, it will be New Year's - time to welcome 2006 and hope it's a better year. I'm having a teeny tiny little shindig - so that should be fun =-). My brother gave me some fireworks on the 25th - so that should make it even better =-)! I'm already thinking of resolutions I probably won't come close to keeping. If I don't write again before that point - Happy New Year's everyone =-)!!

Begin Countdown...

The countdown has commenced for my final days of my short-lived adventure in the Pacific Northwest...my departure is right around the corner. I've gotten in my last couple visits (besides a quick guest appearance my always MIA roommate and long time friend will make tomorrow....wait a minute, I had a roommate? Oh ya - I guess I did =-p). I'm even almost done packing.....which, for those who know me, is miraculous. Actually, typing this is just a ploy to procrastinate further as I don't really have much to say.

So another phase in the journey of me is nearly complete. And I find myself still wondering if my life will ever move beyond the ordinary. You know that song, it's by Switchfoot....and the chorus asks "Are you who you want to be?" I always answer in my head, "Not yet." But sometimes I think of the question as "Are you who you're supposed to be?" And my answer is, I hope not. Not yet anyways.

Viva Las Vegas!

I got back a little after midnight from my weekend in Vegas. Lots and lots of fun =-). And, as is appropriate for weekends in Vegas, some of what happened there has to stay there....hehe =-p. Well, I do suppose I have the pictures - hehehe. I was there for my dear friends wedding, and Friday night was the bachelorette party. YEEHAW!! Good & hilarious times were had by all =-). We had a wonderful tour of the Gardens and the Bachelorette had more fun then she can remember.

The wedding was Saturday and all went well as everyone said their "I Do's" just like they were supposed to =-). The guy who conducted the ceremony was a bit cheeseball, but oh well. We had an Elvis appear at our reception =-). He was too skinny for his costume though so his belt kept falling off =-p.

Saturday night turned into Sunday morning and we strolled back into our hotel around 6 a.m. There was one thing about this weekend that made me sad though. My last Vegas trip was 3 years ago, and there has been a major change since then. The major casinos no longer let you feed coins into the slots - you have to insert dollars, and when you win there's no joyful noise from the coins dropping into the slot tray, but just a printed piece of paper for you to take to the cashier =-(. I really liked feeding the coins....some of the magic is gone now =-(.

But my weekend is over and now I have yet another friend married and another great Vegas weekend under my belt =-).

Shortly after I strolled into work yesterday I was told by one of the managers that she had gotten two of the days I needed off covered, and that the other one had got one of the days covered that I asked for. However, that left my Saturday shift and she told me I had to get that one covered, and if I didn't and I didn't show....she let her sentence trail off, but the implication was that I would be written up.

So I worked my shift, and fortunately it was with the one manager that I am rather fond of (who is training at this location). He asked me if I could stay an hour later and I said yes, but only because I liked him. One of my favorite coworkers was there and I told her what I was thinking of doing and she encouraged me to do so. So after my shift was over around 10:30 p.m., I sat down with the manager (that I like) and told him that I had decided that the shift I just finished was my last and that I was quitting without notice. He was somewhat surprised, and I gave him some backstory about my reasons, telling him that I have a hard time working at a place where I don't respect any of the managers and he was the only one I respected (but he wasn't going to be there much longer). I also told him how my feedback with the main manager had been received with hostility and I just didn't feel that was very professional. Not to mention the implication that I would be written up if I didn't get the shift covered that I had asked for off well in advance.

He was awesome about it, and I don't think it was because he personally wanted me gone - hehe. He told me he completely understood and that he would never work in a place where he didn't feel comfortable. I told him that I had decided to quit with him instead of the main manager because I felt much more comfortable with him. I know if I had gone in today and quit with any of the other managers it would have been a much more hostile situation. So I went home last night after work and washed my uniforms and gathered up all of the materials I needed to turn in and brought them right back so I could turn them into that manager. I picked up my last batch of tips and he happily signed off on my makeshift contract saying that I had turned everything in. I have never ever quit a place without giving notice!!!! But I'm relieved not to have to worry about their crap anymore! The only thing I am dreading is picking up my last paycheck - that's going to likely be the first time I come face-to-face with any of the other managers and I'm sure they won't be happy to see me!