We are Barack!

Yesterday at work one of my ASM's said we're like the Barack Obama team-coming in to fix the store where we're at. I lved the analogy! Cause I love Barack!

Chicago is at times overwhelming-same with my store. There's so much that making a choice becomes muddled and difficult. I just want to volunteer somewhere and I have no idea where to turn because there's soooo much. And it's not the most important decision of my life-but the fact that I have choices instead of there just being only one place to go, is different.

My roommate called me yesterday at work because she was locked out. And she sounded kind of panicked. And I thought-funny-she spent years in the middle east, most recently in Baghdad, been in bombings and shootings, but panics when she is locked out of the house.

WTF Chicago Tribune? This new guy that's running the show is nuts. Forget about the quality of the paper-we just need to fire people and make more ad space. I hate money!

Speaking of crazy! The man getting killed outside of the Olympics and this Russia/Georgia battle...What's going on in the world right now? I mean come on world! What is all of this violence solving? I don't gt it.

And so it's over

Well, my first two weeks at the Old Orchard store has been crazy! I can't even explain how different each day is...but I think I learned more in my first week than I have in the last 8 months just because I was faced with so many different situations before. And the customers! They actually listen to you here. And they want you to recommend stuff to them and they don't read Patterson! Well, I'm sure they do, but the ones that really want recommendations don't.

Also, 2 events. Charle Strouse!!!!! I met him, he sang and played, I ran sound for him! So i got to stand to the side of him basically the whole night and watch this man's hands move across the keyboard and hear his stories and memories of working in theatre and film and with the different people he's worked with. Lauren Becall, Dick Van Dyke, Sammy Davis Jr....the list goes on and on.

And then Stephanie Meyer!!! Which was fun and freaky with all the vampire faces and blood. But the sadness is that I am done with the book (tear). I will probably re-read because I read it so fast, but it's still sad that these characters will only continue in my own bland and unimaginative head. The writing is not great-it's true. And I think I noticed it a little more in the last book than the others, but I still enjoyed it. And I was right!!!! I had 3 possible scenarios that I was willing to live with, and oddly enough, the scenario that I thought the most ludicrous and improbable, was the one that happened! Crazy! But I won't elaborate on Breaking Dawn right now-it's only been out 3 days so I don't want to ruin it for anyone.

The big question in the air is will my roommate get layed off from the Trib and will she move? Which means am I moving or looking for a new roommate? I'm trying not to stress cause i moved from Ohio last time and found a place, and this time I'd be here-so theoretically it will be easier, but I hate moving. Oy!

Out of touch

Well, as if I didn't need another reminder of how out of touch I am with the people who mean the most to me. It's insane how much happens before our eyes. Just because there is a plan on my end. Or I'm checking facebook and myspace doesn't mean the people on the other side really feel you there.

After college I wasn't sure how to be friends with people whose lives seemed father beyond mine. Everyone was moving in different directions and I was unsure of my place in their lives. And so I became distant and focused on the ones geographically close, since that was easiest. Eventhough, at times, I felt like the people who I don't see everyday probably new me better than others. And now I'm in Chicago-and I'm even farther removed. It's no one's fault but my own. But it's a slippery slope on how to fix it. And now I have friends who have kids, spouses and divorces, and I'm not really sure when this all happened...I know I went to couple weddings, but it seems an almost habit to answer my email and find a new notice of a new baby. It's crazy. I prided myself on not taking things or people for granted. And I don't-In my head I'm grateful and aware, but in reality-I'm kind of an empty plate at the table. Hmph....

Where's the bathroom?

Oops I mean restroom-we don't say bathroom here. At certain stores this is the most commonly asked question. At Vernon Hills or Lincolnshire, I got asked that question more than anything else. At Old Orchard, not once. I didn't notice when I got asked it all the time, but I went a whole day without having to think about some stranger's bladder. It was kind of a nice change. Odd, I know, that this would even have a bearing on my day-but really it's insane how people can't read signs-or go before they leave home!

Old Orchard is quite a store. Looks all small and unassuming from the outside and then you walk in and realize that it's the size of a football field and then some. It's quite impressive though.

My last day at VH I got asked about what angels I knew of by a customer. At first i thought we were still talking about books, but he corrected me and wanted to know what angels I knew. It was the first time I was stumped. I later thought of funny answers like: "Los" , or Nicholas Cage, or any other famous person who or sports team who played an angel. And so finally I said-i don't know what angels really exist. And he seemed offended. HE was like-you've never heard of Gabriel or blah blah blah. And I said-well yeah-I was raised Catholic-but I don't know what ones are actually out there-I'm sure there are-but quite honestly, I don't think they're all have names I'm gonna know. He didn't really like that-and I'm sitting here thinkin-I just came to work today! Why do I always get the weird ones? He left in a bit of a huff-maybe because I wasn't salivating at the thought of angels-but I just wanted to help the person behind him so I could go to lunch-I mean geesh! And if that was one of God's messengers (which i'm sure he thinks he was) well sorry God-but you might want to pick someone a little more socially ept to deliver your word. I mean-if Jesus was Jesus he had to be able to rally a crowd and speak in a way that made them believe.

I'm off to finish my Stephanie Meyer book Eclipse-for the 2nd time. I have now read all three books in the Twilight series-and am obsessed. Read them so quickly that I am rereading them. And will now crawl under a rock until August 2nd, whn the fourth book comes out, and when i will, Stephanie Meyer willing, read that Edward makes Bella a vampire and they live happily ever after! Cause if they're not together forever they both better be dead!!! Those are the only 2 options I'm willing to consider-and quite frankly, the latter is only because I'd rather they both be dead than Bella with Jacob. Yes I'm obsessed, but this is how I pass the time and escape this sometimes too stressful world.

And so it begins...

I had this great idea when I moved to Chicago. I was going to keep a journal of my first year-all the mishaps, failures, successes, funny mistakes that first timers make, etc. I wanted to document my first year, truly on my own. In a few years I'd look back and realize what I had overcome and how I'd grown, blah blah blah, remember the first time I drove the wrong way down a one way street, etc. Well, that didn't quite happen. And I'm okay with that. And now that I have to have a google account to comment on Matt's blog, I thought, here is another chance to remind myself, and anyone else who comes across it, what's happened. Plus I work in retail-there are always annoying, funny, frustrating stories about employees and customers. Working in the retail world had reinforced Shakespeare's "All the world's a stage." He was right-it is. We're mearly players trying to get by and make someone smile while we do. And so it begins-my almost first year in Chicago. Girl from the suburbs meets big city and hopefully doesn't end up homeless.