Wildfire Riders

Apologies for my absence of late. Most of you know I started a new job about two weeks ago (at Half Price Books, a used book store). Since I'm the stooge at the bottom of the totem pole (there's one person "newer" than me, but she's a transfer, and has almost 2 years of working for another store under her belt), I have no consistent schedule at all. I might be working 9-5 today, and 2:30-11pm tomorrow. My "weekends" are during the week, and sometimes not two days together, and I work closing or opening shifts on weekends for the forseeable future.

It's been hard for me to adjust - I'm kind of a "schedule" person - I like things to be predictable, and I really don't like change, and this is anything but predictable and a HUGE change. It's a good change - being unemployed for the last year was not exactly stellar - but it's still ... well, change. /grump

Add to that cooking, house stuff, my garden (which may or may not be much of a garden this fall, we'll see), and the fact that I have houseguests from Friday to Wednesday of next week (my best friend, her husband, and their 7 month old), I'm stretched really thin right now.

Hopefully things will settle down, and as I get some "tenure" at work I'm hoping I'll start to have at least a predictable schedule. (I become a "legit" employee after 8 weeks - basically they have an 8 week "trial" period after which they can decide if they like me or not, separate from the official reviews every 6 months) Once that happens, I'll probably be able to play again, because I'll know in advance what I need to do and when things will get done - for now I'm not sure if I'm doing laundry on Thursday or Monday, or when the lawn will get mowed, etc. Makes me cranky XD

I miss you all, and I miss playing and RP (and writing. I miss writing a lot. Also plotting with you guys about crazy upcoming things) - but even when I do have an hour or two to log in, I don't really seem to do much. I'm still here though, and still have my email and gtalk for those that have it (PM me if you don't).

<3
Anna

I've been there before with the crazy schedule and stuff, so I know how much "fun" it is. I'm also the same way as far as wanting things to be regular and predictable, so yea.../sympathy. Hopefully things settle down soon. We'll all still be here once they do.

(P.S. Shaurria will want to steal Aely sometime when there's less crazy. Feel free to poke me on gtalk anytime.)

For what it's worth, I love Half-Price Books. I've found more random awesomeness there than I can probably count, not the least of which have been a bunch of really obscure art books (notably, Parkinson and Frazetta collections) and nearly the entire lineup of products from the AD&D Planescape campaign setting.

They do sort of rip you off when you go to sell your own stuff, it's true, and their method of deciding what's "rare and obscure" is thoroughly bizarre (That absolutely awful strategy guide for Final Fantasy IX is considered a collector's item? Really?), but eh, I can forgive 'em. They've brought me too many wonderful toys. >_>

Heh - I'm pretty sure those things are determined by a variety of computer sources, and not as much by the Dude(ette) doing the buys. But then, I am not wise to the ways of buying used merchandise yet. So far, I shelve books, and price and shelve DVDs. Go me!

(I actually rather like what I'm doing, and I really like the people I work with. The hours are making me crazy right now, but the job itself is pretty awesome.)