"A Problem Page For All!"

Aww, Zib pea, that was so nice to hear your encouragement and curiosity about my job! I started on May 27th, and I've been working 5 days a week just so they can get me "up and running". I'm exhausted, and sicker than heck of slathering mayonnaise on white bread for tourists! But it's an easy job, dispite working with Barbara, who's a whirlwind of energy, noise, and constant watching, and she intimidates me...I become rather introverted and shy on the job, actually! Plus, Linda, a woman I work with, told me that I always have to keep moving and never so much as lean on the counter when I'm watching her show me something new, because management often watches their employees from the windows of the office upstairs. She says that she sees Bev checking things out a lot. It's weird! I feel creeped out, but amused, too. Bev and Barb are so interesting...such trash-talking, hard working, laughing, tough women. Bev is like God, and Barb is like Jesus; you can reach Bev through Barb.

I could ramble for days about my interesting co workers, the B ladies, the food, the deli, the fryer, the meat slicer, etc, but I'll hold my tongue -- er, fingers!

Gualala is about 20 minutes south of Point Arena. It's much more, oh, suburban, I guess, than PA. Most of the residents live up on the ridge, with their nice redwood houses and air conditioning. And there are tourists crawling everywhere. I like the place, though. Oh, and I'm super excited because after I've worked at Surf for a month I get a free gym membership. I'm eager to do something new besides jogging and biking!

I work part time, believe it or not! Like I said, they're getting me started so I'm working more now than I usually will be. Usually I'll work two half days and two full days. Tomorrow I'm meeting with Bev and Barb (I should just call them B&B, but that sounds like the name of a type of beer or something!) to go over my schedule and what I want it to be, and also, what I'm picking up and what I'm not. I'm so not looking forward to that...I just always feel so incompetent on the job, like I'm always forgetting or ignoring something or just can't do anything right. My self esteem is pretty delicate in work related situations, and any constructive criticism is always destructive...so, yeah, ugh, I really don't want to know what I can do better! I'll just feel guilty and awful.

Starting pay at Surf is $7.50, which I'm really impressed with. Most places doll out the standard minimum wage of $6.50. I'm pretty psyched, but I feel spoiled, too...I don't like saying that I make more than minimum wage!

Here's the big news: by next spring I'll have earned about $7000, and with that money I plan on taking off into the world, probably to England and Holland, with Nathan. He's got to come with me -- I know he'd love Europe! And he has nothing better to do, and seemingly endless amounts of money saved up. I'm so, so, so, so flipping excited over this. I've ordered a bunch of England guide books and I've started studying Dutch again.

I can't say it will happen, but what could possibly stand in my way? I guess death, but I don't plan on letting that happen anytime soon.

I have to end this post because it's getting rather out of hand and jabbery. Thanks for listening!