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Introductory Hats
Aug. 11th, 2024 11:05 pmDay three at the hat shop, and I have started noting hats with particular personality and giving them secret names.
Good morning, "Strawberry Creme."
And to you, "Live Laugh Love."
"The My Fair Lady."
"The Undertakers." These are interesting because they're sort of novelty hats, but are made of real leather and are quite expensive.
"The Nostalgic." I was surprised to turn this hat around and find a railroad spike accessory in the band. Which, of course, triggered memories of my life on the circus train; the sound of the iron wheels screeching on the tracks; the smell of coal tar on the rail ties; the rocking motion of the train as I'd fall asleep at night.
The cowboy hats and fedoras tend to trigger less-than-kind stereotypes in my mind, so for now they mostly remain anonymous.
Today I learned some new things about some of the hats. Different weaves of Panama hats and their breathability, and the history of flat caps. Most interested to learn that flat caps were once required by law in 1500s England, to be worn by any working class male over the age of six. Insane! I also got to rummage through the fascinators to help a bartender find one for an upcoming 20's night, that was fun (fun fact, our fascinators are all handmade by one woman in New Jersey.)
Otherwise nothing exciting happened, which is great.
On the way home I picked up sushi for Jameson and I.
This job makes me tired in a social battery kind of way. To be a good salesperson you have to be engaging, attentive, enthusiastic, maybe a little fun. I'm a hardcore introvert, so being "on" and interactive is very draining for me. But I am also an entertainer and a commercial musician. And that means that when there's money involved, I have the ability to flip my engagement switch "ON" and be an Entertainer personality for, say, the duration of a retail shift or a Disney performance. Which is why I was (surprisingly) a pretty decent retail manager for several years, and have been a successful musician and entertainer for theme parks, circuses, and cruise ships despite introversion. I think of it as a secondary skill, that happens to use more mana than my standard skills set. So I will only turn it on if expending that level of energy is beneficial in some way.
Or when I'm desperate and can't find work otherwise.
Today's hat. Notice how it matched my hoodie ties. Bling bling, bitches.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday was my late shift at the hat shop, which I was not looking forward to. I don't like working late, and was also warned that drunks like to come make trouble in the shop after the drone show (we are right next to Raglan Road.)
In my free time before work I trimmed the banana tree, changed our bedsheets, and made the firefly petunia comfortable under it's grow lights. It's getting larger and the temptation to take cuttings is strong; I might try one or two over the weekend.
It's been four days of no trombone practice, and I am worried about it. But I felt very tired and wanted to soak in some quiet, recharge my battery before the night shift. Jameson and I watched Olympic break dancing (impressive!) and ate lunch, then he had a work meeting so I quietly watched anime, made us some iced tea, and halfheartedly scanned Indeed for jobs until it was time for work.
It wasn't as bad as I expected; we had some people walk through with huge beers, and some people stumbling and with the glazed look of drank-too-much, but no one caused trouble. I couldn't believe how crowded it got as the evening went on; between 9pm-11pm it was almost non-stop, absolutely packed in that tiny shop. Whether people were buying hats or not I'm not sure because I never got near the registers, two of my coworkers stood stolidly behind them while the rest of us worked the sales floor. I made sure to carry one of the claw-grabby-thingees with me so people might feel less bad about asking for hats from the higher shelves (as an introvert I'd feel bad to ask someone, which is why I thought carrying the claw would make it easier to ask.)
I felt exhausted when the night was over, and grateful that Saturday will be a day off for me.
Today's hat.
Interestingly, I received compliments exclusively from MEN while wearing this one. With the white sun hat and the cloche last week, women came up to me and exclaimed, "That hat looks so good on you!" But while wearing this one, not a single woman said anything about it. This is intriguing! My theory is that because the other hats were more feminine, women could see THEMSELVES wearing them, and thus those hats looked more appealing to them. But this hat is more masculine, so perhaps it is perceived differently by men and women both. Or maybe it's just an odd coincidence. Someone should do a study!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I had incredible trouble sleeping, probably because I'd had coffee to get me through the night shift and it kept me up. I was up way too early, wolfed down breakfast because I was absolutely starving, then lots of errands because a day off is rarely a true day off, is it.
First the bagel place (chocolate chip, blueberry, and honey cinnamon cream cheese for Jameson; French toast, veggie, and egg for me) then to the grocery for things to make lunches next week (I'd wanted to make dinner tonight but will probably be too tired.) A load of laundry, fertilizing the bananas, ironing some clothes, and taking a surprise cutting from the firefly petunia because a piece of it broke of when I nearly dropped the plant this morning, whoops. Watching women's Olympic soccer with Jameson. Brazil vs the US! It was quite a good match :) Lunch, trombone practice, making those keto peanut butter yogurt pops that Jameson loves. And much needed rest. We had both hoped to do this-and-that today, but both felt tired.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I had work but not until evening.
Breakfast, Jameson went to the gym, I vacuumed, cooked ground turkey, ate lunch, then when Jameson got back my aunt called and we talked for over an hour. She's on a rough patch in her life, and has decided that the quote, "There's always another shoe," from the TV show The Bear sums up how things go for her most of the time. I get that.
I'd meant to practice but by the time we were finished my motivation was gone. Instead I watched some anime, watched Jameson game, and eventually left for the hat shop, eating dinner in the car along the way because there'd be no dinner break for me tonight. I only had a five hour shift, and there was a steady-yet-not-overwhelming stream of customers, so the time went quickly. Today was the first day that I felt comfortable selling hats. Perhaps I have enough information, now, to give good recommendations. I sold three hats today that I specifically helped people to choose, which felt rewarding :)
Oh, and tonight I found a possible Hat Just For Me!
I don't really "do" hats, but we get a 40% discount so it'd be a waste not to pick one up. And tonight I found a top contender, quite by accident. I'll do a little research on it and will share a picture of it in a later post. But it was exciting to find the hat, because it is not only unique but also has a nostalgia factor that I wasn't expecting.
Today's hat:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Let's see.
Monday: No work, I'm making potstickers and ramen crunch salad for dinner. Practice and exercise is the only plan.
Tuesday: hat shop.
Wednesday & Thursday: No work, so I'll cook one dinner and do errands and get some exercise. Maybe squeeze in a Papa Pal if there's one close by.
Friday: That hectic night shift again.
Saturday: Nothing scheduled but there's a shift available so I may pick it up, haven't decided yet.
Good morning, "Strawberry Creme."
And to you, "Live Laugh Love."
"The My Fair Lady."
"The Undertakers." These are interesting because they're sort of novelty hats, but are made of real leather and are quite expensive.
"The Nostalgic." I was surprised to turn this hat around and find a railroad spike accessory in the band. Which, of course, triggered memories of my life on the circus train; the sound of the iron wheels screeching on the tracks; the smell of coal tar on the rail ties; the rocking motion of the train as I'd fall asleep at night.
The cowboy hats and fedoras tend to trigger less-than-kind stereotypes in my mind, so for now they mostly remain anonymous.
Today I learned some new things about some of the hats. Different weaves of Panama hats and their breathability, and the history of flat caps. Most interested to learn that flat caps were once required by law in 1500s England, to be worn by any working class male over the age of six. Insane! I also got to rummage through the fascinators to help a bartender find one for an upcoming 20's night, that was fun (fun fact, our fascinators are all handmade by one woman in New Jersey.)
Otherwise nothing exciting happened, which is great.
On the way home I picked up sushi for Jameson and I.
This job makes me tired in a social battery kind of way. To be a good salesperson you have to be engaging, attentive, enthusiastic, maybe a little fun. I'm a hardcore introvert, so being "on" and interactive is very draining for me. But I am also an entertainer and a commercial musician. And that means that when there's money involved, I have the ability to flip my engagement switch "ON" and be an Entertainer personality for, say, the duration of a retail shift or a Disney performance. Which is why I was (surprisingly) a pretty decent retail manager for several years, and have been a successful musician and entertainer for theme parks, circuses, and cruise ships despite introversion. I think of it as a secondary skill, that happens to use more mana than my standard skills set. So I will only turn it on if expending that level of energy is beneficial in some way.
Or when I'm desperate and can't find work otherwise.
Today's hat. Notice how it matched my hoodie ties. Bling bling, bitches.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday was my late shift at the hat shop, which I was not looking forward to. I don't like working late, and was also warned that drunks like to come make trouble in the shop after the drone show (we are right next to Raglan Road.)
In my free time before work I trimmed the banana tree, changed our bedsheets, and made the firefly petunia comfortable under it's grow lights. It's getting larger and the temptation to take cuttings is strong; I might try one or two over the weekend.
It's been four days of no trombone practice, and I am worried about it. But I felt very tired and wanted to soak in some quiet, recharge my battery before the night shift. Jameson and I watched Olympic break dancing (impressive!) and ate lunch, then he had a work meeting so I quietly watched anime, made us some iced tea, and halfheartedly scanned Indeed for jobs until it was time for work.
It wasn't as bad as I expected; we had some people walk through with huge beers, and some people stumbling and with the glazed look of drank-too-much, but no one caused trouble. I couldn't believe how crowded it got as the evening went on; between 9pm-11pm it was almost non-stop, absolutely packed in that tiny shop. Whether people were buying hats or not I'm not sure because I never got near the registers, two of my coworkers stood stolidly behind them while the rest of us worked the sales floor. I made sure to carry one of the claw-grabby-thingees with me so people might feel less bad about asking for hats from the higher shelves (as an introvert I'd feel bad to ask someone, which is why I thought carrying the claw would make it easier to ask.)
I felt exhausted when the night was over, and grateful that Saturday will be a day off for me.
Today's hat.
Interestingly, I received compliments exclusively from MEN while wearing this one. With the white sun hat and the cloche last week, women came up to me and exclaimed, "That hat looks so good on you!" But while wearing this one, not a single woman said anything about it. This is intriguing! My theory is that because the other hats were more feminine, women could see THEMSELVES wearing them, and thus those hats looked more appealing to them. But this hat is more masculine, so perhaps it is perceived differently by men and women both. Or maybe it's just an odd coincidence. Someone should do a study!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I had incredible trouble sleeping, probably because I'd had coffee to get me through the night shift and it kept me up. I was up way too early, wolfed down breakfast because I was absolutely starving, then lots of errands because a day off is rarely a true day off, is it.
First the bagel place (chocolate chip, blueberry, and honey cinnamon cream cheese for Jameson; French toast, veggie, and egg for me) then to the grocery for things to make lunches next week (I'd wanted to make dinner tonight but will probably be too tired.) A load of laundry, fertilizing the bananas, ironing some clothes, and taking a surprise cutting from the firefly petunia because a piece of it broke of when I nearly dropped the plant this morning, whoops. Watching women's Olympic soccer with Jameson. Brazil vs the US! It was quite a good match :) Lunch, trombone practice, making those keto peanut butter yogurt pops that Jameson loves. And much needed rest. We had both hoped to do this-and-that today, but both felt tired.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday I had work but not until evening.
Breakfast, Jameson went to the gym, I vacuumed, cooked ground turkey, ate lunch, then when Jameson got back my aunt called and we talked for over an hour. She's on a rough patch in her life, and has decided that the quote, "There's always another shoe," from the TV show The Bear sums up how things go for her most of the time. I get that.
I'd meant to practice but by the time we were finished my motivation was gone. Instead I watched some anime, watched Jameson game, and eventually left for the hat shop, eating dinner in the car along the way because there'd be no dinner break for me tonight. I only had a five hour shift, and there was a steady-yet-not-overwhelming stream of customers, so the time went quickly. Today was the first day that I felt comfortable selling hats. Perhaps I have enough information, now, to give good recommendations. I sold three hats today that I specifically helped people to choose, which felt rewarding :)
Oh, and tonight I found a possible Hat Just For Me!
I don't really "do" hats, but we get a 40% discount so it'd be a waste not to pick one up. And tonight I found a top contender, quite by accident. I'll do a little research on it and will share a picture of it in a later post. But it was exciting to find the hat, because it is not only unique but also has a nostalgia factor that I wasn't expecting.
Today's hat:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Let's see.
Monday: No work, I'm making potstickers and ramen crunch salad for dinner. Practice and exercise is the only plan.
Tuesday: hat shop.
Wednesday & Thursday: No work, so I'll cook one dinner and do errands and get some exercise. Maybe squeeze in a Papa Pal if there's one close by.
Friday: That hectic night shift again.
Saturday: Nothing scheduled but there's a shift available so I may pick it up, haven't decided yet.
