Love possesses nothing nor would it ever be possessed...
Four weeks ago I left for Brisbane, nervously excited about the three weeks I'd spend away from home and the things I'd accomplish in that time. Never did I expect to have such a bittersweet homecoming. Or that setting up a store from scratch could be such a rollercoaster of emotion. Or that I would actually enjoy working 10-hour six-day weeks. Or that I could truly miss people I've only known for a few weeks. Or that I'd take so many friends and experiences from such a short frame of time.
But here I am, back in Sydney, feeling a little lost without the structure that Sort life brings. It's hard work, breaking down truckloads of pallets at 7 every morning, sorting books into sections, alpha-ing, shelving, etc. But the reward of walking into an empty store on your first day and walking out on your last with full shelves, displays, walls, tables, fully trained staff, etc. and knowing you're responsible is so overwhelming. Not to mention working side by side with people who quite literally become your family is such an incredible feeling.
Week 1
Although it wasn't a full week, I thought it was important to include as it was our introduction to everyone else and Brisbane city. I met Hanna (the only other Sydney trainer) at the airport and we clicked instantly. We're both into a bit of modern sci-fi and have quite similar music tastes. We split up when we got to Brissie airport as Kerri picked me up and she went to check in but we met up a few hours later at the Storybrdge Hotel (just over the road from the place we were staying in Kangaroo Point) with the other trainers. We weren't to know but it very quickly became our second home.
After re-uniting with the old-school Perth trainers (Amy, Erin and Rob) and bonding over a few drinks, we headed over to Erin's room for pizza with half of the Chermside trainers (the other Brisbane Sort that was finishing up as ours was starting up) and half of the Mt Gravatt trainers.
The following day we got to see the shell of the store we'd be working to complete. There was still a trench in the back inventory room, the shelves were bare and the tables were scattered. We received the office supplies and chairs, etc. as well as getting started on the very basic set-up of our sections which took half a day. Then it was off to help our commrades on the other side of the city in Chermside. We also gave them a hand on Saturday as there was nothing more we could do in Mt Gravatt without stock or our staff.
Sunday was fun day, so Suzie, Kel, Lisa, Amy, Hanna, Sam and I piled into the Tarago ('Gold Member') and headed for Sea World. Dolphin show, seal show, rollercoaster, lunch, ski show...we crammed as much into the day as we could and even "saw" U2 (or their entourage at least) leaving their hotel for soundcheck as we drove back to the hotel. Stopped off to see the sun set over the city before heading home for dinner.
Week 2
Our first day was intense. We got to meet all the managers and staff for the Mt Gravatt store and got right into business. As the first truckload of stock was mixed (usually the boxes are sorted by letters which determine which section of the store they belong to), we had to sort everything book by book. As annoying as it was, it was the epitomy of team work and was a really good building block.
From there, the store was split into groups to work in each section. As my section didn't have any stock as yet (music and DVDs don't usually arrive until later in the Sort), I floated between Suzie, Leesy and Hanna for the first few days. Each staff member was rotated through each section to give them a greater understanding but towards the end, staff members were mostly assigned to the section they'd be working in once the store was open.
My wallet was stolen on Thursday afternoon - I didn't even realise until I got home that night. When I rang the bank, they told me $800 had been run up on my card so I cancelled my keycard and credit card and tried to take comfort in the fact they hadn't cracked my savings account. I couldn't even report it to the police as my only form of ID while I was in Brisbane was in my stolen wallet. The crew were so good about it and went out of their way not to make me feel like a charity case but still covering things that they could get away with (split bills over lunch, dinner, groceries, etc.) then cracking jokes about my lack of value and identity.
Sunday was meant to be a day of chilling - brekkie at the Storybridge, a couple of hours at the closest beach then an afternoon of shopping in the city and a movie. There was brekkie...but our trek to the beach ended up taking almost an hour and a half and we ended up in Surfer's Paradise. So after lunch we did some shopping, beaching then went home to a barbecue.
Week 3
Our progress was enormous. There was talk of opening early because the kids were working so damn hard and the whole store was coming together so well and quickly. We spoke too soon. Mid-Monday morning and one of the painters was in a rush to dry some paint on the ceiling for a second coat. He waved his heat gun over it to speed up the process and set off the sprinkler - out sprouted fire retardant and water. We lost several sections and hundreds of shelved, alphaed books, not to mention the fact that because the water ran for more than twenty minutes, the store started flooding and there was a mad dash to get boxes and books off the floor and block the rest of the sections.
We were devastated - not just by the fact that books had been lost and we'd have to rebuild the sections but by the fact that our kids had slugged their guts out to get the store into this position. They'd earned the right to finish up early and every accolade that came with it then had it all lost by such stupidity. We spent the rest of that afternoon clearing out the damaged books and wiping down the shelves as the carpets were dried as much as they could be.
Friday night was a big night out as Dani T and Kylie arrived for their part of the sort so we went into the city for dinner. I had my first cocktail - a killer python - which was a steal at $6 and I gave Kel some hot tips on how to be black. Suz and I made the decision that he'd be our first contestant in 'Pimp My SRM'.
Saturday night started with the promise of a big night out - we had a barbie then moved the group up to Hanna's room once we were kicked out of the area. We passed the time with stories and drinking games and with Kel well on his way to being "black", all eyes were on me for validation when there was any remote ghetto lingo. One had us all in stitches for too long!
Kel, Sam, Leesy, Hanna, Suz and I were ready to kick on at the Storybridge hwne everyone else had called it a night at 1:30am but I was rejected because of my lack of ID, Sam had no shoes on and Leesy was ready for bed.
I didn't get to sleep until 4am and woke up at 11am with most of the day gone. I made the most of a quiet day at home by tidying, watching DVDs, washing then meeting up with the crew in the afternoon for drinks then dinner.
Week 4
I started freaking out in the knowledge that we had three days to complete music and DVDs. While almost everything had been alphaed, there was nothing on the shelves and I was seriously doubting whether we could fit range into the sections provided and fill the enourmous display walls with anything but more range as there wasn't enough bulk. We left on Tuesday night in a pretty good position but I could barely sleep with one day to finish it all.
Much love to my main crew of Deb, Matty and Laura who I doubt I could have pulled it off without. They were there when I needed them, asking what they could do, shelving their hearts out, alphaing, shuffling, merching, stickering...and by 7:30pm I was more than pleased to announce over the PA that music and DVDs were FINISHED - to an awesome applause from the rest of the store who were finishing their sections off.
Everyone in the store gathered twenty minutes later and the store was officially finished. There were a few speeches, some tears, chocolates from the staff to the trainers, photos and a lot of excitement surrounding the opening the following morning!
Aimz, Erin and I were on opening shift and I couldn't have been more happy with how well paced it was. While there was a lot of standing and waiting around, it eased the kids into store life - unlike Perth which was a madhouse from the word 'go'. Morning shift seemed to split before the real issues with computers and whatnot began which I was a little grateful for as it would have tinged the opening day high buzz we were on. We had a drink at the Storybridge before settling back into Amy's room with pizza and a DVD with Rob, Hanna and Leesy.
The trainers split on their last working day of the sort - half went to Mt Gravatt to help out, the other half went to Chermside to bail them out. Hanna, Suz, Sam, Erin, Aimz and I were in the latter group. We checked out that morning and met up with the others at our new motel late that afternoon. Dinner that night at the hotel restaurant, free day on the Saturday then our last dinner together at a nearby restaurant that night. Sunday, all the trainers had brekkie together before we made our way to the airport and said our goodbyes with huge hugs. Hanna and I sat together on the way back to Sydney and wound down for home life.
The main cast - the other trainers, with whom I'd spend at least 16 hours of everyday with and never got sick of any one of them.
Amy aka Aimz: Mother hen of the group and just an incredibly good leader, advice-giver and positive viber. This is our third sort together (we're counting Chermside) and I hope for so many more! Admittedley I was a little intimidated by her in PErth which is why I'm so glad we really got to click on this Sort.
Erin aka Ez: Despite being an American, Ez becomes more and more Australian with each trip down here - she gets the humour and completely embodies it. Even with two back to back sorts and the mini disasters, she had a smile on her dial and was still a cack to hang out with! I'm flying out to the States next year and I really hope I get to catch up with her in NYC.
Hanna aka Banana: The girl is just dope. She's a year older than me and asides from being brain smart (marine biology to be precise), the girl has life experience and has gotten to the stage where she's so confident in herself she doesn't care what others think. So damn admirable and the girl's got taste!
Kelvin aka JT: My "mini G" and Amy's little brother would crack me up endlessly. He's in awe of Justin Timberlake so was dubbed 'JT' and is no doubt the sole reason Sexy Back is the Mt Gravatt Sort theme. He's in training to be an SRM (Sort Regional Manager) and was called away to Dubai two days before the damn store opened. We were crushed.
Lisa aka Lis the Lush: Leesy Lushy as I dubbed her a few days into the Sort when we found her weakness was in wine - Moscato to be precise. The girl is crazy and I love her. There's not much more to say - she's just one of those people that goes there with you and doesn't back down - positivity!
Rob: Most famous for freaking the hell out of people. He got Leesy when she walked in on his phone conversation in a dark room, he stuck his head under the pool fence during one of our barbies and freaked me out, molested me back from under the DVD stand and tickeld my toes during a DVD night - the boy is a freak but he has this innocent charm which why I'm sure he and Erin are lov-ers
Sam: Despite being nextdoor neighbours in our first hotel for three weeks, Sam and I didn't start clicking until halfway through the Sort and, by the end, we were inseperable. Most evident at our second last group dinner when the two of us spent most of the meal laughing so hard that we couldn't tell the rest of the table what was so funny until it was too late to be remotely humourous. There was also kidney punching, pissing blood comments, Germans with bratwurst and potato comments which gave us great amusement.
Suz aka Boozy Suzi: At just 20 years old, I'm so in awe of her - she's the Inventory manager at Knox and has her head on so damn right. She's so intelligent but still has her hilarious immature moments and is so animated - she's a cack!
There was also Dani T and Kylie from Head Office (the former was in Perth and is one of the most gorgeous people you're ever likely to cross paths with) but as they were only there for a couple of nights, we didn't get much bonding time. And Scott the Scot (a Scotsman named Scott) - one of the tradesmen (also an ex-Perthie) - who came in during the second week and broke down our pallets for us (much love) then was my main man in the last week - epsecially when the DVD cabinets kept collapsing.
Sort quotes...
Kel: "I'll do anything for twenty bucks."
Erin: "I'll give you twenty dollars if you get out of the pool, walk over to the Storybridge, go to the bar and order a drink."
Kel: "No."
Erin: "I'll give you one American dollar..."
Hanna: "I'll do anything for fifty cents!" - from wearing her underwear on the outside to hopping the bars to sit in Santa's chair to slamming down a glass of straight vodlka
Suzie: "Turkish Delight just fell out of my box!"
Sam and Kel: (I'm bringin' sexy back) "YEARGH!"
Aimz: "It's not brain science!"
Sam: "The Roach Motel" - after covering Suzie's fort with cockies
Sam and I: (to the tune of Goldfinger) "Gold Member...doo-doo-dooo!"
Sam and I: "Potaters! Bratvurst! Brownies! Kidneys!"
Kel: "You got played at your own game, playa!" - huge knuckle slam from me for that one
Scrubber 1: "Ya can't park here...and I copped it!"
Scrubber 2: "They've got 'roo, they've got croc...where's my fucken salad?!"
Then there were the rotated ones:
"ZING!" followed by a high five whenever a clever pun or insult was given
"So's ya face"
"So's ya Mum"
"Tear"
"Maybe you put it in your ass"
"What goes on Sort stays on Sort"
Photos are on the way - care of Aimz who was the unofficial designated photographer.
I know the experience has changed me...though I hope it's not for the worst. I just came home questioning what I have to show for my life. I have a degree in journalism which I'm not doing anything with. I'm actually enjoying working at Borders. Granted, I'm just a glorified secretary but it has given me so many opportunities and I've met so many fantastic people. I know I have an amazing circle of friends who would do anything for me as I would for them, which I am so grateful for. I love my family with all my heart. I'm travelling - I've finally booked my overseas trip: Asia, Europe, UK, America...And this time next year, I'll have moved out of home. I don't know what I'm missing but there seems to be something.
Take it, John...
"...Something's missing
And I don't know how to fix it
Something's missing
And I don't know what it is
No I don't know what it is
Something's different
And I don't know what it is
No I don't know what it is
Friends - check
Money - check
Well-slept - check
Opposite sex - check..."
But here I am, back in Sydney, feeling a little lost without the structure that Sort life brings. It's hard work, breaking down truckloads of pallets at 7 every morning, sorting books into sections, alpha-ing, shelving, etc. But the reward of walking into an empty store on your first day and walking out on your last with full shelves, displays, walls, tables, fully trained staff, etc. and knowing you're responsible is so overwhelming. Not to mention working side by side with people who quite literally become your family is such an incredible feeling.
Week 1
Although it wasn't a full week, I thought it was important to include as it was our introduction to everyone else and Brisbane city. I met Hanna (the only other Sydney trainer) at the airport and we clicked instantly. We're both into a bit of modern sci-fi and have quite similar music tastes. We split up when we got to Brissie airport as Kerri picked me up and she went to check in but we met up a few hours later at the Storybrdge Hotel (just over the road from the place we were staying in Kangaroo Point) with the other trainers. We weren't to know but it very quickly became our second home.
After re-uniting with the old-school Perth trainers (Amy, Erin and Rob) and bonding over a few drinks, we headed over to Erin's room for pizza with half of the Chermside trainers (the other Brisbane Sort that was finishing up as ours was starting up) and half of the Mt Gravatt trainers.
The following day we got to see the shell of the store we'd be working to complete. There was still a trench in the back inventory room, the shelves were bare and the tables were scattered. We received the office supplies and chairs, etc. as well as getting started on the very basic set-up of our sections which took half a day. Then it was off to help our commrades on the other side of the city in Chermside. We also gave them a hand on Saturday as there was nothing more we could do in Mt Gravatt without stock or our staff.
Sunday was fun day, so Suzie, Kel, Lisa, Amy, Hanna, Sam and I piled into the Tarago ('Gold Member') and headed for Sea World. Dolphin show, seal show, rollercoaster, lunch, ski show...we crammed as much into the day as we could and even "saw" U2 (or their entourage at least) leaving their hotel for soundcheck as we drove back to the hotel. Stopped off to see the sun set over the city before heading home for dinner.
Week 2
Our first day was intense. We got to meet all the managers and staff for the Mt Gravatt store and got right into business. As the first truckload of stock was mixed (usually the boxes are sorted by letters which determine which section of the store they belong to), we had to sort everything book by book. As annoying as it was, it was the epitomy of team work and was a really good building block.
From there, the store was split into groups to work in each section. As my section didn't have any stock as yet (music and DVDs don't usually arrive until later in the Sort), I floated between Suzie, Leesy and Hanna for the first few days. Each staff member was rotated through each section to give them a greater understanding but towards the end, staff members were mostly assigned to the section they'd be working in once the store was open.
My wallet was stolen on Thursday afternoon - I didn't even realise until I got home that night. When I rang the bank, they told me $800 had been run up on my card so I cancelled my keycard and credit card and tried to take comfort in the fact they hadn't cracked my savings account. I couldn't even report it to the police as my only form of ID while I was in Brisbane was in my stolen wallet. The crew were so good about it and went out of their way not to make me feel like a charity case but still covering things that they could get away with (split bills over lunch, dinner, groceries, etc.) then cracking jokes about my lack of value and identity.
Sunday was meant to be a day of chilling - brekkie at the Storybridge, a couple of hours at the closest beach then an afternoon of shopping in the city and a movie. There was brekkie...but our trek to the beach ended up taking almost an hour and a half and we ended up in Surfer's Paradise. So after lunch we did some shopping, beaching then went home to a barbecue.
Week 3
Our progress was enormous. There was talk of opening early because the kids were working so damn hard and the whole store was coming together so well and quickly. We spoke too soon. Mid-Monday morning and one of the painters was in a rush to dry some paint on the ceiling for a second coat. He waved his heat gun over it to speed up the process and set off the sprinkler - out sprouted fire retardant and water. We lost several sections and hundreds of shelved, alphaed books, not to mention the fact that because the water ran for more than twenty minutes, the store started flooding and there was a mad dash to get boxes and books off the floor and block the rest of the sections.
We were devastated - not just by the fact that books had been lost and we'd have to rebuild the sections but by the fact that our kids had slugged their guts out to get the store into this position. They'd earned the right to finish up early and every accolade that came with it then had it all lost by such stupidity. We spent the rest of that afternoon clearing out the damaged books and wiping down the shelves as the carpets were dried as much as they could be.
Friday night was a big night out as Dani T and Kylie arrived for their part of the sort so we went into the city for dinner. I had my first cocktail - a killer python - which was a steal at $6 and I gave Kel some hot tips on how to be black. Suz and I made the decision that he'd be our first contestant in 'Pimp My SRM'.
Saturday night started with the promise of a big night out - we had a barbie then moved the group up to Hanna's room once we were kicked out of the area. We passed the time with stories and drinking games and with Kel well on his way to being "black", all eyes were on me for validation when there was any remote ghetto lingo. One had us all in stitches for too long!
Kel, Sam, Leesy, Hanna, Suz and I were ready to kick on at the Storybridge hwne everyone else had called it a night at 1:30am but I was rejected because of my lack of ID, Sam had no shoes on and Leesy was ready for bed.
I didn't get to sleep until 4am and woke up at 11am with most of the day gone. I made the most of a quiet day at home by tidying, watching DVDs, washing then meeting up with the crew in the afternoon for drinks then dinner.
Week 4
I started freaking out in the knowledge that we had three days to complete music and DVDs. While almost everything had been alphaed, there was nothing on the shelves and I was seriously doubting whether we could fit range into the sections provided and fill the enourmous display walls with anything but more range as there wasn't enough bulk. We left on Tuesday night in a pretty good position but I could barely sleep with one day to finish it all.
Much love to my main crew of Deb, Matty and Laura who I doubt I could have pulled it off without. They were there when I needed them, asking what they could do, shelving their hearts out, alphaing, shuffling, merching, stickering...and by 7:30pm I was more than pleased to announce over the PA that music and DVDs were FINISHED - to an awesome applause from the rest of the store who were finishing their sections off.
Everyone in the store gathered twenty minutes later and the store was officially finished. There were a few speeches, some tears, chocolates from the staff to the trainers, photos and a lot of excitement surrounding the opening the following morning!
Aimz, Erin and I were on opening shift and I couldn't have been more happy with how well paced it was. While there was a lot of standing and waiting around, it eased the kids into store life - unlike Perth which was a madhouse from the word 'go'. Morning shift seemed to split before the real issues with computers and whatnot began which I was a little grateful for as it would have tinged the opening day high buzz we were on. We had a drink at the Storybridge before settling back into Amy's room with pizza and a DVD with Rob, Hanna and Leesy.
The trainers split on their last working day of the sort - half went to Mt Gravatt to help out, the other half went to Chermside to bail them out. Hanna, Suz, Sam, Erin, Aimz and I were in the latter group. We checked out that morning and met up with the others at our new motel late that afternoon. Dinner that night at the hotel restaurant, free day on the Saturday then our last dinner together at a nearby restaurant that night. Sunday, all the trainers had brekkie together before we made our way to the airport and said our goodbyes with huge hugs. Hanna and I sat together on the way back to Sydney and wound down for home life.
The main cast - the other trainers, with whom I'd spend at least 16 hours of everyday with and never got sick of any one of them.
Amy aka Aimz: Mother hen of the group and just an incredibly good leader, advice-giver and positive viber. This is our third sort together (we're counting Chermside) and I hope for so many more! Admittedley I was a little intimidated by her in PErth which is why I'm so glad we really got to click on this Sort.
Erin aka Ez: Despite being an American, Ez becomes more and more Australian with each trip down here - she gets the humour and completely embodies it. Even with two back to back sorts and the mini disasters, she had a smile on her dial and was still a cack to hang out with! I'm flying out to the States next year and I really hope I get to catch up with her in NYC.
Hanna aka Banana: The girl is just dope. She's a year older than me and asides from being brain smart (marine biology to be precise), the girl has life experience and has gotten to the stage where she's so confident in herself she doesn't care what others think. So damn admirable and the girl's got taste!
Kelvin aka JT: My "mini G" and Amy's little brother would crack me up endlessly. He's in awe of Justin Timberlake so was dubbed 'JT' and is no doubt the sole reason Sexy Back is the Mt Gravatt Sort theme. He's in training to be an SRM (Sort Regional Manager) and was called away to Dubai two days before the damn store opened. We were crushed.
Lisa aka Lis the Lush: Leesy Lushy as I dubbed her a few days into the Sort when we found her weakness was in wine - Moscato to be precise. The girl is crazy and I love her. There's not much more to say - she's just one of those people that goes there with you and doesn't back down - positivity!
Rob: Most famous for freaking the hell out of people. He got Leesy when she walked in on his phone conversation in a dark room, he stuck his head under the pool fence during one of our barbies and freaked me out, molested me back from under the DVD stand and tickeld my toes during a DVD night - the boy is a freak but he has this innocent charm which why I'm sure he and Erin are lov-ers
Sam: Despite being nextdoor neighbours in our first hotel for three weeks, Sam and I didn't start clicking until halfway through the Sort and, by the end, we were inseperable. Most evident at our second last group dinner when the two of us spent most of the meal laughing so hard that we couldn't tell the rest of the table what was so funny until it was too late to be remotely humourous. There was also kidney punching, pissing blood comments, Germans with bratwurst and potato comments which gave us great amusement.
Suz aka Boozy Suzi: At just 20 years old, I'm so in awe of her - she's the Inventory manager at Knox and has her head on so damn right. She's so intelligent but still has her hilarious immature moments and is so animated - she's a cack!
There was also Dani T and Kylie from Head Office (the former was in Perth and is one of the most gorgeous people you're ever likely to cross paths with) but as they were only there for a couple of nights, we didn't get much bonding time. And Scott the Scot (a Scotsman named Scott) - one of the tradesmen (also an ex-Perthie) - who came in during the second week and broke down our pallets for us (much love) then was my main man in the last week - epsecially when the DVD cabinets kept collapsing.
Sort quotes...
Kel: "I'll do anything for twenty bucks."
Erin: "I'll give you twenty dollars if you get out of the pool, walk over to the Storybridge, go to the bar and order a drink."
Kel: "No."
Erin: "I'll give you one American dollar..."
Hanna: "I'll do anything for fifty cents!" - from wearing her underwear on the outside to hopping the bars to sit in Santa's chair to slamming down a glass of straight vodlka
Suzie: "Turkish Delight just fell out of my box!"
Sam and Kel: (I'm bringin' sexy back) "YEARGH!"
Aimz: "It's not brain science!"
Sam: "The Roach Motel" - after covering Suzie's fort with cockies
Sam and I: (to the tune of Goldfinger) "Gold Member...doo-doo-dooo!"
Sam and I: "Potaters! Bratvurst! Brownies! Kidneys!"
Kel: "You got played at your own game, playa!" - huge knuckle slam from me for that one
Scrubber 1: "Ya can't park here...and I copped it!"
Scrubber 2: "They've got 'roo, they've got croc...where's my fucken salad?!"
Then there were the rotated ones:
"ZING!" followed by a high five whenever a clever pun or insult was given
"So's ya face"
"So's ya Mum"
"Tear"
"Maybe you put it in your ass"
"What goes on Sort stays on Sort"
Photos are on the way - care of Aimz who was the unofficial designated photographer.
I know the experience has changed me...though I hope it's not for the worst. I just came home questioning what I have to show for my life. I have a degree in journalism which I'm not doing anything with. I'm actually enjoying working at Borders. Granted, I'm just a glorified secretary but it has given me so many opportunities and I've met so many fantastic people. I know I have an amazing circle of friends who would do anything for me as I would for them, which I am so grateful for. I love my family with all my heart. I'm travelling - I've finally booked my overseas trip: Asia, Europe, UK, America...And this time next year, I'll have moved out of home. I don't know what I'm missing but there seems to be something.
Take it, John...
"...Something's missing
And I don't know how to fix it
Something's missing
And I don't know what it is
No I don't know what it is
Something's different
And I don't know what it is
No I don't know what it is
Friends - check
Money - check
Well-slept - check
Opposite sex - check..."