Hats Off, Seeds Out
Oct. 27th, 2024 07:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
taz_39Wednesday's hat:
Comfortable and fluffy. Just what I needed today.
Hat shop was normal. It was rather busy so we met our sales goal. I was annoyed because at the end of the night the keyholder was nitpicking how the hats looked on the shelves, so we didn't get out of there until nearly midnight (closed the store at 11pm.) But whatever, that's retail, and I have to accept that an employer who doesn't care how late I get home is just a part of life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, I got up an hour early so I could start reviewing my transcription project earlier. There was a LOT to do today plus a 7-hour hat shop shift.
Today's activities:
- Reviewed, edited, and submitted transcription project. It took two hours. Phew.
- Publix for pumpkins for carving tomorrow and cheap sushi for dinner
- Called my Aunt back (she'd called yesterday while I was at work) and caught up with her
- Impromptu final load of laundry so I could pack all of my clothes for tour
- Practiced and marked my book for Elf
- Measured ingredients for overnight crock pot oats and laid them out to assemble when I got home from work
- Chopped down dead banana trees
- Packed snacks and dinner for work
- More tour packing
My original firefly petunia, and cutting.
I think it may die before I leave :(
It got some kind of root rot or fungus, the cutting has it too, and nothing I do seems to help.
Oh well...it's been a fun and beautiful plant.
My large cutting, though, is currently doing very well though also suffering from being outside in temps above 85°F (29°C). I don't expect it to survive while I'm gone.So here it is while happy. I want to remember it like this.
A big swallowtail that was resting on my neighbor's banana.
Today's hat:
It was my last shift at the hat shop, and I couldn't decide which hat to wear.
I brought my own, a stegosaurus hat I'd gotten from Etsy one year. But was quickly told I wouldn't be allowed to wear it after too many guests asked where I'd gotten it.
This was probably the weirdest day I've ever had working retail.
First of all, our sales goal was $6,000, and we made $10,000!! On a random Thursday!
I sold SO MUCH STUFF. Two Panamas, two Kathy Jeannes, a bunch of fascinators, probably four of the red-jeweled novelty baseball caps. No idea why we were so popular today but there was a near-constant line at the registers :)
I came into work very stressed out because of some issues with my Elf music + feeling overwhelmed with my pre-tour To-Do List. It was great to sell so many hats, and most people were very pleasant, but I had a blazing stress headache, and then to be asked not to wear my own hat? I felt myself teetering on the edge of a pissy, negative mental state.
And then someone STOLE a Panama hat right under our noses.
I was checking out a guy who was buying FIVE flat caps(!), totaling $300.
"Good sale!" I thought to myself.
While checking him out, a woman in his group came up with a Panama hat and asked if she might be able to order it online. I said yes, and suggested she take a picture of the tag so she could easily reference it when ordering online. She nodded and walked away holding the hat, and I went back to the sale.
Please note that this was in the middle of a huge rush; we had a line, and there were only two of us on the sales floor as our third person was on a break. I was alone at the registers and my coworker was stuck in a mob of people at the opposite end of the store while this was happening.
A few minutes later my coworker finally broke through the crowd and got to the registers to help check people out.
He said, "Did you sell that woman the Panama?"
"No," I said, "She asked me about it, but didn't buy it."
His eyes got big. "I saw her walk out with it. I thought you checked her out."
My stomach sank. I quickly walked to the Panamas to look for it. It wasn't where it was supposed to be, so I scoured the store for it, checking every shelf and stack. It was gone.
I was already in a state of high anxiety from personal stress and the overstimulation at the store.
And this was the straw that pushed me over the edge.
I went around the store angrily slamming hats back onto the shelves, keeping my back to customers so I wouldn't have to interact. My coworker (who is also my supervisor) noticed and asked me to share what was up. So I went off. I said that I felt the stolen hat was my fault, but also that it had been so busy that I don't know how I could have kept an eye on someone I didn't know was a thief while dealing with the big queue in front of me. That I was frustrated and disappointed with myself for not realizing the man buying the flat caps, and the woman with him, were out to steal from us. And my anger and hurt that someone had been so nasty, so bold, as to steal a hat like that right in front of us. (Stealing is really, REALLY abhorrent to me.)
I was so frustrated--not just about this incident, but also about the stress of all the things going on in my personal life right now--that I started to tear up, and had to excuse myself to the back to take some deep breaths and wipe my stupid eyes.
Didn't expect to be crying on my last day!
When I came back out my coworker kindly asked if I was all right, then reassured me. He insisted that the stolen hat was not at all my fault, and that in his years of working at the hat shop this kind of thing has happened many times. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do; we were caught in the weeds, and someone took advantage of that opportunity to steal a high-value hat. He reminded me that everyone loves working with me, that I pull my weight and add value to the store, and that my boss is upset that I'm leaving. He pointed out that we were well above our sales goal not only for that night, but for every night I've worked this week, meaning everyone will be getting both the daily and weekly sales bonuses partly thanks to my work.
All of this DID make me calm down and feel better. But damn. What a way to end my two-month employment with Chapel Hats.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I barely slept because I was worried about the overnight oats. I had assembled them right when I got home at midnight, but something troubled me about them. And then in the middle of the night I realized what it was: last time I made them, I'd set an alarm for 4am and had started them THEN. In other words, by starting them at midnight, I'd overcooked them :(
The good news is that they were still perfectly edible and flavorful. The bad news is that the fruits were overcooked and essentially became applesauce with very soft oats on top. To try and counteract this I got up at 7am to cut up a fresh apple, toast some pecans, and run to a gas station for a Nature Valley bar to crumble up (those f*ckers are super crunchy haha)
Adding crunchy items did help. I had mine over Greek yogurt.
I wanted to go back to sleep, but there was too much to do.
After breakfast I got to work on the pumpkin and seeds. A messy business as usual, but those seeds are so worth it!
I carved the orange pumpkin, put a Skellington face on the white, and put them outside with the squash that Kate sent me last week.
My carving is a derpy li'l guy!
Cleaning up from that took a while, then washing our bedsheets, putting them on the bed, and folding Jameson's laundry as a small surprise for him while he worked (it's his least favorite chore.) I also packed to 98% completion, cleaned up the guest bedroom, and put the sheets on the guest bedroom bed. I'd meant to weed out front but felt too tired.
Was glad to splat in front of the TV for a bit with Jameson. I will miss him while I'm away :(
I'm doing all this "extra" Fall Stuff because it's our only chance to do it before I leave.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday. Cannot believe that there's only one day left before I'm supposed to fly off.
To be completely honest...I have never felt so negative about going on tour before.
Usually I look forward to the freedom...being in places I've never been before, discovering foodie finds, networking with other musicians, playing a fun new show. I think this time is different because it's only a short two months. It feels less like an adventure and more like sacrificing the holidays so that I can make up some of the money I lost over the summer. Maybe once we get started it'll feel better about it, but right now I'm just anxious.
After Jameson left for a massage, I
- Cleaned both bathrooms including bathtub and shower
- Vacuumed
- Watched part of my step-Grandpa's funeral online (grateful that they thought to stream it for those of us who couldn't be there in person)
- Wiped down the kitchen
- 90-minute drive to Whole Paycheck for wings because I want to make them for Jameson one last time
- Dusted
- Weighed luggage
- Wrote out contact info, important dates, and plant care info for Jameson. I do this every time I go away.
- Weeded out front
I'd intended to practice a bit today too but was not feeling up to it. Considering I'm about to be in rehearsals every day for a week, I think it'll be ok. Famous last words.
Dinner was a pizza, air fryer wings, and a glass of wine. I feel so stressed haha :/
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, Jameson slept in for as long as he could. Overnight Jollywood rehearsals begin for him this week, and that's gonna be really hard on him.
I was up at the usual time for breakfast, and also to review travel info for tomorrow and my contract for the tour. Briefly researched the hotel and found that they've got free breakfast, hooray hooray. Because I hustled yesterday and got pretty much all of the cleaning done, today all I had on the docket was
- Descale hot water kettle
- Brief practice session
- Overnight oats for tomorrow's breakfast
- Water plants a final time
- Pack anything remaining to pack
- Put away anything remaining to be stored
- Give homemade caramels to our neighbors
- Neighborhood walk with Jameson
All of these things got done, and we had Pub Subs for dinner. I am nervous and excited for tour to start, and Jameson is nervous and excited for Jollywood. We're a mess but a good mess haha.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: Travel to Richmond, KY
Tuesday: First day of tech rehearsals for Elf
Wednesday: Hopefully, a special surprise involving chestnuts + tech rehearsals
Thursday: I think we'll already be in Wandelprobe, jeez
Comfortable and fluffy. Just what I needed today.
Hat shop was normal. It was rather busy so we met our sales goal. I was annoyed because at the end of the night the keyholder was nitpicking how the hats looked on the shelves, so we didn't get out of there until nearly midnight (closed the store at 11pm.) But whatever, that's retail, and I have to accept that an employer who doesn't care how late I get home is just a part of life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, I got up an hour early so I could start reviewing my transcription project earlier. There was a LOT to do today plus a 7-hour hat shop shift.
Today's activities:
- Reviewed, edited, and submitted transcription project. It took two hours. Phew.
- Publix for pumpkins for carving tomorrow and cheap sushi for dinner
- Called my Aunt back (she'd called yesterday while I was at work) and caught up with her
- Impromptu final load of laundry so I could pack all of my clothes for tour
- Practiced and marked my book for Elf
- Measured ingredients for overnight crock pot oats and laid them out to assemble when I got home from work
- Chopped down dead banana trees
- Packed snacks and dinner for work
- More tour packing
My original firefly petunia, and cutting.
I think it may die before I leave :(
It got some kind of root rot or fungus, the cutting has it too, and nothing I do seems to help.
Oh well...it's been a fun and beautiful plant.
My large cutting, though, is currently doing very well though also suffering from being outside in temps above 85°F (29°C). I don't expect it to survive while I'm gone.So here it is while happy. I want to remember it like this.
A big swallowtail that was resting on my neighbor's banana.
Today's hat:
It was my last shift at the hat shop, and I couldn't decide which hat to wear.
I brought my own, a stegosaurus hat I'd gotten from Etsy one year. But was quickly told I wouldn't be allowed to wear it after too many guests asked where I'd gotten it.
This was probably the weirdest day I've ever had working retail.
First of all, our sales goal was $6,000, and we made $10,000!! On a random Thursday!
I sold SO MUCH STUFF. Two Panamas, two Kathy Jeannes, a bunch of fascinators, probably four of the red-jeweled novelty baseball caps. No idea why we were so popular today but there was a near-constant line at the registers :)
I came into work very stressed out because of some issues with my Elf music + feeling overwhelmed with my pre-tour To-Do List. It was great to sell so many hats, and most people were very pleasant, but I had a blazing stress headache, and then to be asked not to wear my own hat? I felt myself teetering on the edge of a pissy, negative mental state.
And then someone STOLE a Panama hat right under our noses.
I was checking out a guy who was buying FIVE flat caps(!), totaling $300.
"Good sale!" I thought to myself.
While checking him out, a woman in his group came up with a Panama hat and asked if she might be able to order it online. I said yes, and suggested she take a picture of the tag so she could easily reference it when ordering online. She nodded and walked away holding the hat, and I went back to the sale.
Please note that this was in the middle of a huge rush; we had a line, and there were only two of us on the sales floor as our third person was on a break. I was alone at the registers and my coworker was stuck in a mob of people at the opposite end of the store while this was happening.
A few minutes later my coworker finally broke through the crowd and got to the registers to help check people out.
He said, "Did you sell that woman the Panama?"
"No," I said, "She asked me about it, but didn't buy it."
His eyes got big. "I saw her walk out with it. I thought you checked her out."
My stomach sank. I quickly walked to the Panamas to look for it. It wasn't where it was supposed to be, so I scoured the store for it, checking every shelf and stack. It was gone.
I was already in a state of high anxiety from personal stress and the overstimulation at the store.
And this was the straw that pushed me over the edge.
I went around the store angrily slamming hats back onto the shelves, keeping my back to customers so I wouldn't have to interact. My coworker (who is also my supervisor) noticed and asked me to share what was up. So I went off. I said that I felt the stolen hat was my fault, but also that it had been so busy that I don't know how I could have kept an eye on someone I didn't know was a thief while dealing with the big queue in front of me. That I was frustrated and disappointed with myself for not realizing the man buying the flat caps, and the woman with him, were out to steal from us. And my anger and hurt that someone had been so nasty, so bold, as to steal a hat like that right in front of us. (Stealing is really, REALLY abhorrent to me.)
I was so frustrated--not just about this incident, but also about the stress of all the things going on in my personal life right now--that I started to tear up, and had to excuse myself to the back to take some deep breaths and wipe my stupid eyes.
Didn't expect to be crying on my last day!
When I came back out my coworker kindly asked if I was all right, then reassured me. He insisted that the stolen hat was not at all my fault, and that in his years of working at the hat shop this kind of thing has happened many times. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do; we were caught in the weeds, and someone took advantage of that opportunity to steal a high-value hat. He reminded me that everyone loves working with me, that I pull my weight and add value to the store, and that my boss is upset that I'm leaving. He pointed out that we were well above our sales goal not only for that night, but for every night I've worked this week, meaning everyone will be getting both the daily and weekly sales bonuses partly thanks to my work.
All of this DID make me calm down and feel better. But damn. What a way to end my two-month employment with Chapel Hats.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I barely slept because I was worried about the overnight oats. I had assembled them right when I got home at midnight, but something troubled me about them. And then in the middle of the night I realized what it was: last time I made them, I'd set an alarm for 4am and had started them THEN. In other words, by starting them at midnight, I'd overcooked them :(
The good news is that they were still perfectly edible and flavorful. The bad news is that the fruits were overcooked and essentially became applesauce with very soft oats on top. To try and counteract this I got up at 7am to cut up a fresh apple, toast some pecans, and run to a gas station for a Nature Valley bar to crumble up (those f*ckers are super crunchy haha)
Adding crunchy items did help. I had mine over Greek yogurt.
I wanted to go back to sleep, but there was too much to do.
After breakfast I got to work on the pumpkin and seeds. A messy business as usual, but those seeds are so worth it!
I carved the orange pumpkin, put a Skellington face on the white, and put them outside with the squash that Kate sent me last week.
My carving is a derpy li'l guy!
Cleaning up from that took a while, then washing our bedsheets, putting them on the bed, and folding Jameson's laundry as a small surprise for him while he worked (it's his least favorite chore.) I also packed to 98% completion, cleaned up the guest bedroom, and put the sheets on the guest bedroom bed. I'd meant to weed out front but felt too tired.
Was glad to splat in front of the TV for a bit with Jameson. I will miss him while I'm away :(
I'm doing all this "extra" Fall Stuff because it's our only chance to do it before I leave.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday. Cannot believe that there's only one day left before I'm supposed to fly off.
To be completely honest...I have never felt so negative about going on tour before.
Usually I look forward to the freedom...being in places I've never been before, discovering foodie finds, networking with other musicians, playing a fun new show. I think this time is different because it's only a short two months. It feels less like an adventure and more like sacrificing the holidays so that I can make up some of the money I lost over the summer. Maybe once we get started it'll feel better about it, but right now I'm just anxious.
After Jameson left for a massage, I
- Cleaned both bathrooms including bathtub and shower
- Vacuumed
- Watched part of my step-Grandpa's funeral online (grateful that they thought to stream it for those of us who couldn't be there in person)
- Wiped down the kitchen
- 90-minute drive to Whole Paycheck for wings because I want to make them for Jameson one last time
- Dusted
- Weighed luggage
- Wrote out contact info, important dates, and plant care info for Jameson. I do this every time I go away.
- Weeded out front
I'd intended to practice a bit today too but was not feeling up to it. Considering I'm about to be in rehearsals every day for a week, I think it'll be ok. Famous last words.
Dinner was a pizza, air fryer wings, and a glass of wine. I feel so stressed haha :/
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, Jameson slept in for as long as he could. Overnight Jollywood rehearsals begin for him this week, and that's gonna be really hard on him.
I was up at the usual time for breakfast, and also to review travel info for tomorrow and my contract for the tour. Briefly researched the hotel and found that they've got free breakfast, hooray hooray. Because I hustled yesterday and got pretty much all of the cleaning done, today all I had on the docket was
- Descale hot water kettle
- Brief practice session
- Overnight oats for tomorrow's breakfast
- Water plants a final time
- Pack anything remaining to pack
- Put away anything remaining to be stored
- Give homemade caramels to our neighbors
- Neighborhood walk with Jameson
All of these things got done, and we had Pub Subs for dinner. I am nervous and excited for tour to start, and Jameson is nervous and excited for Jollywood. We're a mess but a good mess haha.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Monday: Travel to Richmond, KY
Tuesday: First day of tech rehearsals for Elf
Wednesday: Hopefully, a special surprise involving chestnuts + tech rehearsals
Thursday: I think we'll already be in Wandelprobe, jeez
no subject
Date: 2024-10-28 01:59 am (UTC)Your pumpkin carving is so cute! I love it!
no subject
Date: 2024-10-29 07:58 pm (UTC)Also, if you have any tips/tricks for making good air fryer wings, I hope you'll share them.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-29 08:56 pm (UTC)Air fryer wings:
- Dry the wings with paper towels. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
- Preheat to 380°F
- Toss wings lightly in hot sauce, buffalo sauce, or dry rub of choice. IMPORTANT: if your seasoning has a significant amount of sugar in it, such as barbecue sauce or teriyaki, skip this step. The sugar will burn if you apply it now.
- When the air fryer is ready, place the wings inside in one layer. Not touching each other if possible. Cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, pause the air fryer. Remove the wings and put them in a bowl with your sauce or seasoning of choice. Toss the wings in the seasoning.
- Put the wings back in the air fryer for another five minutes. Remove and serve!
This is an especially good process if you are a person who likes crispy-skinned wings. All the fat is rendered out of the skin. You don’t need to use any oil at all with this method.
no subject
Date: 2024-10-31 11:40 pm (UTC)I haven't been drying the wings with a paper towel. I'll have to add that step in!