Tuesday Night at Home and Employment

I just finished tying a tie for the first time and I will proclaim a roaring success.  I got it on my first try.  With a detailed, step-by-step guide.  Would've been hard to fail.  It's ready to go for tomorrow, though, and I've gained a pointless, if necessary, skill.

This act was necessitated by my return to the working world tomorrow.  I had a "training day" on Saturday but I don't really consider that working.  Tomorrow I get thrown to the wolves and have to start dealing with the public again.  I'm a little bit anxious since I haven't had a job in so long and I don't know what to expect at Macy's.  It's a retail sales job though which means the learning curve is extremely small and I should have a hang of it within a week.  First days at any job, class or position always give me some anxiety the day and night before.  Especially when I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to be doing.  Tomorrow it's something about selling trinkets.  It's some money in my pocket which I desperately need.

Tomorrow it's time to suit up.

 I spent a small portion of tonight browsing through Facebook and checking out people I knew in high school.  The one thing that I learned rather quickly was that the few people I actually stayed in touch with afterwords were the only few that were worth the time.  For the most part it's a regular assortment of success.  Some succeeded, some failed, some moved, some stayed.  That's just the way those sorts of things go I guess.  Didn't really get me nostalgic but it interested me.  Some were married, some weren't.  A lot of people seemed to be living the same life they were in high school.  It was a bit depressing in a way.  It was just a bunch of people getting an education in the same place at the same time to me.  When the reunion rolls around I certainly won't go.  None of these people, aside from the few I've remained friends with, would actually be anyone I'd want to see again.  Or have anything to talk about.  Their lives are no concern of mine since I'm not going to measure my success against theirs.  I'm going to measure my success against standards I set for myself. 

Moving on.

I've been writing!  Short story stuff but it's a big step forward.  I've been reading!  But I always read.

Our apartment is finally feeling cozy.  The television has about 10 more channels than before which isn't great but it's something.  The internet is fixed but I'm coping.  Our stuff is unpacked and in place and everything is in order, which has is actually very calming.  Without the chaos of boxes and clutter everywhere it is much easier to unwind and relax in what is really a basement.  Making the room comfortable is extremely valuable now that I'm working since I'll need some place to escape the inevitable drudgery that it will produce.  I better not get so down on this job before it has even begun.

Western Massachusetts is amazingly beautiful in Autumn, especially here in the Pioneer Valley.  There are mountains and hills in every direction that are covered in a fiery smattering of changing trees.  Incredible views are around every corner of so many roads with little to obstruct the line of sight.  These same roads are often canopied and lined with a carpet of fallen yellow leaves.  Streams here and there line the land with their shallow beds and leaf lined banks.  This place is brilliant in a way that Maine just was not.  There's something about Maine which limits the appeal during fall.  It wasn't as easy to find a spectacular view as it is out this way.  Perhaps I'm biased because I had been down on Maine for a long time but if any Bangor area Mainer came down here I think they'd agree.  Even more reasons to love this place.

I really want to start supplementing these posts with pictures.

That's all I have on my plate for today.  Just trying to get some of the discord in my brain out in writing.  Tomorrow it's back into the working world for a little while.  I'm still searching for a career or my way in life, but tomorrow I make money.  Oh yeah!