You wanna get mad, bitch, I don't give a damn

Let's see if I can't do some crazy updating.

I've worked at Walmart now for something like two weeks. It's actually three, but that first week contained only my NHO, so I tend not to count it. In any case, I've now had two full weeks (5 days each) of actual, full shifts (10 - ~8-ish). I feel like I've started to grow accustomed to the job, the routine, and can really begin looking at it with confidence.

The basic job itself is incredibly simple - we take freight out from the back on pallets, break the pallets apart onto carts, take the carts down the shelves and put the product on the shelves, then make the shelves look pretty. It's just... they rarely give us enough people - 3 or 4 when we need 6 or 7. Whatever, I don't mind staying later to finish up the job - I'm scheduled for 40 hours, so anything afterwards is time and a half. We're not supposed to get overtime, and make every effort to cut hours later in the week if we go over earlier.

That doesn't happen on the grocery side.

See, when they originally called me, they didn't really say much, just "overnight stocker." I learned during my NHO that there's the 'grocery' side, and the G(eneral) M(erchandise) side, and that I was going to be GM. A week later, when I finally go to have my first shift, they put me on grocery. I don't really care, personally, except that Matt's trying to get me moved to electronics, which would be a slight pay raise and play to my strengths.

Anyway.

I definitely like doing this over fast food. There are a number of advantages to this job over my previous ones (while still allowing it to be a menial, entry-level job). First and foremost, I'm not dealing with food. Well, that's not *entirely* true - I am, but it's in boxes and jars, and I'm just putting it on shelves, not dealing with it directly. So I'm not around food, and I don't despise the thought of cooking when I get home. Good all around, there. Not only that, but instead of cooking food, I'm moving around (sometimes heavy) boxes around all day, which is also nice. I come home pretty tired physically, which is nice as well, in a weird sort of way. I was dead sore the first day, but I've started taking really long, hot showers after work, and stretching out in the shower, and I haven't been sore since. Oh! I also don't have to deal with customers. Well, I kind of do. Obviously, what we're doing is directly for the customers, and we have to take that into consideration. During the first two hours of our shift or so, there's usually a decent number of people still in the store, so we have to work around them. And I get the occasional question about where specific items are located. But that's nothing compared to the level of customer interaction I had to deal with at Sonic and (especially) Domino's. The schedule is really nice too - Domino's was evening to late night, this is night to morning. I usually end up sleeping from 11-ish to 6-ish (highly variant, though). Also, they stop playing those annoying commercials around midnight and don't resume until 6-ish, so I don't have to put up with them for the vast majority of my shift. They also play much more recent, much better music. Still very few songs I like, but still moving in the right direction. Of course, it sucks when they resume normal music/commercials near the end of the shift, when I'm tired, ready to go home, and having management start throwing all these extra things at me. Anyway.

They also have a demo of Guitar Hero set up on a really nice tv and 5.1 stereo system in front of the book/magazine area, and I get to play that my entire lunch hour (2-3 am); additionally, I usually hang around for half an hour or so after work to unwind and play some more.

Of course, there are some bad things about the job as well. First and foremost, my coworkers. I mean, Matt's there, which is really cool. Apparently, and I didn't know this until my second shift, but Sara works there as well. Sara is FUCKING AWESOME. Super cute, super fun to hang out with... only thing is that she's a lesbian.

I should really clarify that last statement. I certainly have no issues with anybody based solely on their sexuality. It just sucks meeting a super awesome girl and finding out you already have no chance with her, ever. Period. We're still good friends and all, and I certainly treasure our friendship.

Anyway.

Back to our current topic: Coworkers, as a bad part of working at Walmart; the good exceptions.

Mindy apparently still works there as well, but her shift is something like 2-10 or something weird like that, which means I never have to deal with her, ever. Almost ever. Tangent: I saw her baby. He takes after his father.

Moving on. Those are the good coworkers. I don't much care for the majority of the rest; they're not really my peers. Janelle argues this point, saying that they are, by virtue of being my coworkers, my peers. Perhaps. But not my intellectual, social, educational, etc., peers. I couldn't hold the types of conversations that I used to have with Mike or Ray, for example, with them. A few of them really get on my nerves, too. Of course, that's somewhat mitigated by the fact that I don't really have to deal with them constantly, as I'm stocking an aisle by myself or whatever. But looking at it, I doubt I'll ever meet someone like Lilie or Leslie working there. It's not that I'm necessarily looking, but it's something that's crossed my mind.

Anyhoo.

I guess it's an okay job, all told. There've been a lot of college kids doing their shopping while I'm there, including cute girls in their jammies, which is nice. Of course, I have to sit there and listen to them have a ten minute conversation in which they express their disbelief of the sheer number of pop-tart varieties available. Sure, there are a bunch, but come on! Move on. Move! Go!

Lemme see. Ooh, new baby report:

Kristina Galpin: Boy
Christina Zarate: Unknown
Montana (Jarrod's little sister): Six months pregnant

C'mon, there's more to do in this town.

Anyway.

So I'm looking at what options I have for living in May. I could always renew here with Ambra, but I don't know what she's doing, if that's even on the table, much less viable. Moving on. David seems happy living on his own, and Jarrod seems happy in his current situation, so those two are basically out. I don't really want to live on my own. First, it's more expensive, and second, while I don't like a lot of social interaction, I need SOMETHING. When I was stuck in the apartment for three days with no vehicle and David was gone, I went NUTS. There isn't really anyone at work I think I'd be able to stand living with. I've talked briefly with Mom, and she'd have no problems with me moving back into my room, but I don't really want to do that. I talked to Lilie, and she's somewhat amenable to the idea, though Rose counter-proposed all three of us getting a place together. That's an idea that bears at least some consideration.

Most of the cons involved are present whether I'm living with just Lilie or both of them, so I'll start with those. First, they are in Austin, and want to remain there. I'm in San Marcos, and have no immediate desire to leave. I just started a new job here, and while it's not a great job by any stretch of the imagination, leaving it in May would have me there for seven to eight months. I prefer to stay at jobs a little longer than that, but I suppose that listing "Moved to Austin" as my reason for leaving would alleviate that a little. But yeah, I'd have to look for a new job, though I supposed I could attempt to transfer Walmarts? I mean, commuting is definitely not an option, not with my current form of transportation. Second, and almost equal with the first, is that they're both heavy smokers. I, of course, loathe smoking with every fiber of my being. I can't stand the sight of it, the smell of it, the thought of it, and especially the trash it leaves behind. I don't mind doing a pretty good share of chores, but that's not something I ever want to have to deal with. When I mentioned that to Lilie, she said something like "Well, we can always go outside" and referenced that she never smokes while she's here. The latter is true, but I feel somewhat irrelevant; the first, well, it doesn't sound like a workable idea. I don't like being a burden on people, causing them to make drastic changes on account of me. That's not something I've talked to Rose about at all. The third major thing is their cats. I don't want to live with cats, especially not in an apartment. They smell. They poop. They leave hair and poop and stuff in places that aren't their litterbox. None of those are issues that I particularly want to deal with.

The funny thing is that even with those three issues, they're still my top choice right now, just by process of elimination.

I mean, there are a few other things that I might have to deal with, most notably the history Lilie and I share, but that's something I'm basically over. I mean, her dating other guys, bringing them home for the night, having sexy phone conversations with them - all things I'm confident I can deal with.

The best part, though, is that I'd rarely have to sleep alone.

Tila Tequila -- Fuck Ya Man