Day in the Life of a Lazy Millennial
Having been let go from nursing home data entry forever, I am now looking at the following opportunities:
- Diving into the gig economy: I am waitlisted with Instacart and Amazon Flex, and have set up a food delivery account with Uber Eats. I've also got Papa Pals fully set up. Papa Pals pays about $17/hour, which is $5 more than what I was making at data entry, so even if I can't hit 30 hours per week I should be able to break even with that. There are other work apps that I'm looking into, like Instawork.
- Getting a part-time job: The highest actual possibility here is the kennel on Disney property, which is a Disney affiliate and whom I've worked with before. Cons: it pays same-or-slightly-better than data entry for much harder work; it involves outdoor work in the heat, and getting dirty (slobber, dog poop & barf, etc); it may not be flexible enough to allow me to continue doing Main Street Philharmonic. Pros: the manager is likely to work with me at least a little on flexible scheduling; getting to interact with puppies is nice most of the time; it's on Disney property so if Main St. Phil does call and I AM allowed to leave, I could get there pretty quickly. I am hoping the upcoming interview will help me decide if this is the best option.
- Getting a full-time job: The most inflexible option and the one for which I don't have a realistic offer so far. I have a supposed application to be a library assistant (FT temp) that's a 40-minute drive away but pays $17/hour. Jameson's dad has also offered to have me work for ClassWallet, which he's apparently involved with in some way, but he'd have to clear it with his superiors and I don't think he'll be able to do that. Overall a full-time job is unlikely to let me scoot over to Disney when I need to.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Monday I woke up at the guilt-inducing, late late hour of 8am.
Breakfast and job applications, applied for two and bookmarked a few more for later.
Then a fight through theme park traffic on I-4 to get to Whole Paycheck for shrimp and other dinner ingredients, and my favorite meal supplements: Mezcla bars, Koia shakes, NuGo bars. You might be tisking my choice to shop at an expensive grocery store while out of work, but please remember that as a Millennial I will never have/haven't earned the express privilege of health care, so my "health care" is eating quality foods even if it costs more.
Back home, more job applications and lunch. I didn't feel like practicing so dusted the ceiling fan blades and the lights above the bathroom vanities, changed our bedsheets, cleaned the bathroom (since I'd gotten dust everywhere,) washed a load of towels, and applied for several more jobs that I'm sure will never call me for an interview.
Despite all of this griping, I have said over and over again that if getting to be a circus musician for five straight years means I have to scrub toilets for the rest of my days, I'll do it. I meant that and I stand by it.
Dinner was air fryer coconut shrimp with mango salsa, rice, and snap peas. It was good but the shrimp by itself was pretty bland, next time I want to add something to the breading (the flour dredge was seasoned but the panko was not.)
When we went to bed I had the idea to bring my little firefly petunia into the bedroom.
Although the flowers and buds have all died, the foliage is looking a lot better, and the plant glows so strongly that I can see it now even if the room is not completely dark. It was an amazing thing to see it softly glowing on the nightstand as I fell asleep.
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Today, July 23rd, is my and Jameson's 11th anniversary!
We aren't married, however if there were Common Law in Florida, we certainly would be.
(Yeah I know I've used this pic a zillion times already, we don't have a lot of recent pics of us together, ok)
It doesn't feel very special because we didn't make plans, it's just a random Tuesday. But it's kind of amazing to think of all we've been through together: the circus, a long distance relationship, relocating multiple times, the pandemic, several surgeries, touring, Florida-in-general, physical and mental struggles, good cooking, bad cooking. Politics. It's kind of wild. We have our struggles (dare I say we are in a fulfillment struggle right now, both of us!) but there's no one I'd rather face all of this nonsense with than Jameson.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Tuesday started with me getting up at 7:30 for no reason. Not like I have anything to do but apply for jobs.
Did that, had breakfast, got gas and got to my kennel interview. Ended up waiting for 10 minutes for a 5-minute interview with my former boss, who is suuuuuper busy. She essentially said, "Look, I know you can do the job, but I'm hiring for multiple locations now and it'll be a week or two before I get back to you." This is actually ideal for me so I said, cool, just let me know.
Then I had a random moment of inspiration, realizing that a new bagel place had just opened recently in Kissimmee and that they had multiple locations around Orlando. So I called, randomly got the manager of the Orlando location on the phone, and he asked if I could come in for an interview same day. They have a morning baking position open that would be from 4:30am-1pm or 5:30-2pm, something like that. This would allow me to get a 6-to-8-hour day most days, and if they're flexible I could get to Disney if they happened to call. It wasn't clear if that'll be doable or not, but anyway the hiring manager was nice and their bagel flavors are pretty cool (cacio e pepe, Old Bay, vanilla, and more!)
Obviously I bought bagels before leaving!
(Image from West Orange Times)
I got two vanilla sprinkle bagels, a cacio e pepe bagel (which the hiring manager gave me for free!) and some banana pudding cream cheese. If nothing comes of this, at least I got tasty treats :p
From there to Staples to pick up a laminated copy of my Papa Pals Terms, to protect myself from being taken advantage of. I also printed some resumes because I want to do a legwork run of Disney Springs and Old Town, this week or next.
Very clearly, as a lazy Millennial, I don't want to work at all.
ANYWAY back home I'd planned to practice but Jameson had a migraine so instead I broke down boxes for recycling, took out the trash, looked for more jobs, then was a lazy ass and watched a bit of anime. Did practice later, memorizing all of my Halloween tunes. We took it easy since Jameson still wasn't feeling well, I applied for more jobs. Made sure to bring my plant to the nightstand to be my nightlight again :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As if losing my job wasn't enough, last night right around midnight a fraudulent charge was made to my bank account. I called Fraud Protection right away and they said it was through an app partnered with PayPal called Xoom, which I've never heard of or used. And the charge was for $$$$, way more than I'd authorize right now. Weirdly this charge isn't showing up in PayPal itself, so I don't know what to make of that. But anyway I did all I could, and now have to wait for the charge to actually hit my bank, according to my bank. Which is torture but whatever, I can only react and hope to get my money back.
Breakfast, got dressed in slightly shabby clothes for my Papa Pal visit. Repotted the firefly petunia (because the internet said I should now that it's recovering) and checked on the banana (it's fine.)
The Papa Pal work was fine, it was another bathroom cleaning which is gross but what did we say about scrubbing toilets for life as backpay for five wonderful years as a circus musician???
(stock image)
So I scrubbed the toilet and the sinks, swept and mopped the floors, and even managed to vacuum the bedroom carpets for them before my time was over. It was only an hour's service today, and it was pretty far to drive; next time I must remember to book at least four hours' worth for this distance. But that's why I'm starting out slowly, to learn and get things right faster.
Back home I ate lunch and used my remaining energies to pack up my work-from-home setup.
It was this:
...and now it's this:
A nice empty space. The bed is still covered in trombones lol.
I felt low-energy after this, so mostly rested when I should have been doing something, anything.
(I did apply for more jobs after dinner.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: Walking around Disney Springs to apply for jobs in person. Practicing trombone, making dinner.
Friday: 11am-3pm job fair, I certainly won't stay for the whole thing. Packing for my last scheduled Disney day.
Saturday: Last scheduled Disney day. I was going to go to Miller's Ale House afterward and invite anyone from the band to come along, but as of now am not feeling it.
Sunday: Nothing. Probably just catching up on job applications and making dinner again.
Monday: Start getting familiar with Uber Eats + scheduling more Papa Pal visits for the week.
- Diving into the gig economy: I am waitlisted with Instacart and Amazon Flex, and have set up a food delivery account with Uber Eats. I've also got Papa Pals fully set up. Papa Pals pays about $17/hour, which is $5 more than what I was making at data entry, so even if I can't hit 30 hours per week I should be able to break even with that. There are other work apps that I'm looking into, like Instawork.
- Getting a part-time job: The highest actual possibility here is the kennel on Disney property, which is a Disney affiliate and whom I've worked with before. Cons: it pays same-or-slightly-better than data entry for much harder work; it involves outdoor work in the heat, and getting dirty (slobber, dog poop & barf, etc); it may not be flexible enough to allow me to continue doing Main Street Philharmonic. Pros: the manager is likely to work with me at least a little on flexible scheduling; getting to interact with puppies is nice most of the time; it's on Disney property so if Main St. Phil does call and I AM allowed to leave, I could get there pretty quickly. I am hoping the upcoming interview will help me decide if this is the best option.
- Getting a full-time job: The most inflexible option and the one for which I don't have a realistic offer so far. I have a supposed application to be a library assistant (FT temp) that's a 40-minute drive away but pays $17/hour. Jameson's dad has also offered to have me work for ClassWallet, which he's apparently involved with in some way, but he'd have to clear it with his superiors and I don't think he'll be able to do that. Overall a full-time job is unlikely to let me scoot over to Disney when I need to.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Monday I woke up at the guilt-inducing, late late hour of 8am.
Breakfast and job applications, applied for two and bookmarked a few more for later.
Then a fight through theme park traffic on I-4 to get to Whole Paycheck for shrimp and other dinner ingredients, and my favorite meal supplements: Mezcla bars, Koia shakes, NuGo bars. You might be tisking my choice to shop at an expensive grocery store while out of work, but please remember that as a Millennial I will never have/haven't earned the express privilege of health care, so my "health care" is eating quality foods even if it costs more.
Back home, more job applications and lunch. I didn't feel like practicing so dusted the ceiling fan blades and the lights above the bathroom vanities, changed our bedsheets, cleaned the bathroom (since I'd gotten dust everywhere,) washed a load of towels, and applied for several more jobs that I'm sure will never call me for an interview.
Despite all of this griping, I have said over and over again that if getting to be a circus musician for five straight years means I have to scrub toilets for the rest of my days, I'll do it. I meant that and I stand by it.
Dinner was air fryer coconut shrimp with mango salsa, rice, and snap peas. It was good but the shrimp by itself was pretty bland, next time I want to add something to the breading (the flour dredge was seasoned but the panko was not.)
When we went to bed I had the idea to bring my little firefly petunia into the bedroom.
Although the flowers and buds have all died, the foliage is looking a lot better, and the plant glows so strongly that I can see it now even if the room is not completely dark. It was an amazing thing to see it softly glowing on the nightstand as I fell asleep.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, July 23rd, is my and Jameson's 11th anniversary!
We aren't married, however if there were Common Law in Florida, we certainly would be.
(Yeah I know I've used this pic a zillion times already, we don't have a lot of recent pics of us together, ok)
It doesn't feel very special because we didn't make plans, it's just a random Tuesday. But it's kind of amazing to think of all we've been through together: the circus, a long distance relationship, relocating multiple times, the pandemic, several surgeries, touring, Florida-in-general, physical and mental struggles, good cooking, bad cooking. Politics. It's kind of wild. We have our struggles (dare I say we are in a fulfillment struggle right now, both of us!) but there's no one I'd rather face all of this nonsense with than Jameson.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Tuesday started with me getting up at 7:30 for no reason. Not like I have anything to do but apply for jobs.
Did that, had breakfast, got gas and got to my kennel interview. Ended up waiting for 10 minutes for a 5-minute interview with my former boss, who is suuuuuper busy. She essentially said, "Look, I know you can do the job, but I'm hiring for multiple locations now and it'll be a week or two before I get back to you." This is actually ideal for me so I said, cool, just let me know.
Then I had a random moment of inspiration, realizing that a new bagel place had just opened recently in Kissimmee and that they had multiple locations around Orlando. So I called, randomly got the manager of the Orlando location on the phone, and he asked if I could come in for an interview same day. They have a morning baking position open that would be from 4:30am-1pm or 5:30-2pm, something like that. This would allow me to get a 6-to-8-hour day most days, and if they're flexible I could get to Disney if they happened to call. It wasn't clear if that'll be doable or not, but anyway the hiring manager was nice and their bagel flavors are pretty cool (cacio e pepe, Old Bay, vanilla, and more!)
Obviously I bought bagels before leaving!
(Image from West Orange Times)
I got two vanilla sprinkle bagels, a cacio e pepe bagel (which the hiring manager gave me for free!) and some banana pudding cream cheese. If nothing comes of this, at least I got tasty treats :p
From there to Staples to pick up a laminated copy of my Papa Pals Terms, to protect myself from being taken advantage of. I also printed some resumes because I want to do a legwork run of Disney Springs and Old Town, this week or next.
Very clearly, as a lazy Millennial, I don't want to work at all.
ANYWAY back home I'd planned to practice but Jameson had a migraine so instead I broke down boxes for recycling, took out the trash, looked for more jobs, then was a lazy ass and watched a bit of anime. Did practice later, memorizing all of my Halloween tunes. We took it easy since Jameson still wasn't feeling well, I applied for more jobs. Made sure to bring my plant to the nightstand to be my nightlight again :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
As if losing my job wasn't enough, last night right around midnight a fraudulent charge was made to my bank account. I called Fraud Protection right away and they said it was through an app partnered with PayPal called Xoom, which I've never heard of or used. And the charge was for $$$$, way more than I'd authorize right now. Weirdly this charge isn't showing up in PayPal itself, so I don't know what to make of that. But anyway I did all I could, and now have to wait for the charge to actually hit my bank, according to my bank. Which is torture but whatever, I can only react and hope to get my money back.
Breakfast, got dressed in slightly shabby clothes for my Papa Pal visit. Repotted the firefly petunia (because the internet said I should now that it's recovering) and checked on the banana (it's fine.)
The Papa Pal work was fine, it was another bathroom cleaning which is gross but what did we say about scrubbing toilets for life as backpay for five wonderful years as a circus musician???
(stock image)
So I scrubbed the toilet and the sinks, swept and mopped the floors, and even managed to vacuum the bedroom carpets for them before my time was over. It was only an hour's service today, and it was pretty far to drive; next time I must remember to book at least four hours' worth for this distance. But that's why I'm starting out slowly, to learn and get things right faster.
Back home I ate lunch and used my remaining energies to pack up my work-from-home setup.
It was this:
...and now it's this:
A nice empty space. The bed is still covered in trombones lol.
I felt low-energy after this, so mostly rested when I should have been doing something, anything.
(I did apply for more jobs after dinner.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: Walking around Disney Springs to apply for jobs in person. Practicing trombone, making dinner.
Friday: 11am-3pm job fair, I certainly won't stay for the whole thing. Packing for my last scheduled Disney day.
Saturday: Last scheduled Disney day. I was going to go to Miller's Ale House afterward and invite anyone from the band to come along, but as of now am not feeling it.
Sunday: Nothing. Probably just catching up on job applications and making dinner again.
Monday: Start getting familiar with Uber Eats + scheduling more Papa Pal visits for the week.