Breaking Radio Silence
Today marks the beginning of our descent into the nightmare of Christmas Procrastination. Black Friday is usually the worst day for retail, but in the Crafting World the weeks leading up to Christmas and that of Holy Week are some of the most dire. You have women who ran out of a fabric we can no longer special order in time, women who realized the perfect gift two days before Christmas Eve and those who just didn't have forethought and are now taking that stress out on everyone around them.
As they demand you produce the color of yarn they need, magically from the ether of the stock room.
It is also the time of Coupon Commotion (no really, we actually call it that) where the customers fail to read when their coupons start or when they expire.
In spite of this I have only had one or two instances since starting my job in August where I have been frustrated to the point of anger. Even better, I was told today by the second in command at my store that once seasonal dies out I will be kept on permanently because and I quote "You are too fantastic to let go". They're even going to work with me on taking a leave of absence for my job in Maine.
I've had the opportunity to start up some connections with local theater costumers and I've begun to build a relationship with a local seamstress who specializes in made to order costumes. Which has been wonderful, having someone who sews for a living to learn from. I have a few commissions of my own lined up for the new year.
Most of that was put on hold two weeks ago when I dislocated my left thumb during Black Friday and then continued to work with it injured until my entire hand seized up in agony--repetitive stress injury! I also managed to trip down a ladder during black friday madness and bang the hell out of my knee. I am just now getting back to the point where I can jog on it. Carefully for short bursts of effort. In spite of that I have somehow lost another ten pounds--probably all the failing to eat.
Someday I will lose weight in a healthy manner. But today is not that day.
I am still struggling with who I want to be and what comes next. Will my work in Maine be enough to keep me connected to the theater world? Do I need to do more, can I do more? Do I even want to or should I focus more on the home and building my personal business? Should I be planning for graduate work....do I even /need/ graduate work? Will I ever be able to have another child? Do I want one (yes)?
Is it okay to feel this lost right now?
As they demand you produce the color of yarn they need, magically from the ether of the stock room.
It is also the time of Coupon Commotion (no really, we actually call it that) where the customers fail to read when their coupons start or when they expire.
In spite of this I have only had one or two instances since starting my job in August where I have been frustrated to the point of anger. Even better, I was told today by the second in command at my store that once seasonal dies out I will be kept on permanently because and I quote "You are too fantastic to let go". They're even going to work with me on taking a leave of absence for my job in Maine.
I've had the opportunity to start up some connections with local theater costumers and I've begun to build a relationship with a local seamstress who specializes in made to order costumes. Which has been wonderful, having someone who sews for a living to learn from. I have a few commissions of my own lined up for the new year.
Most of that was put on hold two weeks ago when I dislocated my left thumb during Black Friday and then continued to work with it injured until my entire hand seized up in agony--repetitive stress injury! I also managed to trip down a ladder during black friday madness and bang the hell out of my knee. I am just now getting back to the point where I can jog on it. Carefully for short bursts of effort. In spite of that I have somehow lost another ten pounds--probably all the failing to eat.
Someday I will lose weight in a healthy manner. But today is not that day.
I am still struggling with who I want to be and what comes next. Will my work in Maine be enough to keep me connected to the theater world? Do I need to do more, can I do more? Do I even want to or should I focus more on the home and building my personal business? Should I be planning for graduate work....do I even /need/ graduate work? Will I ever be able to have another child? Do I want one (yes)?
Is it okay to feel this lost right now?