Works for Me!

Welluh . . .

I didn't expect anyone would READ my blog. I sortof started it up because Rachel was writing on hers, and no one read it, and I thought, "Hey, score!!" So I thought I could write ANYTHING I WANTED, mwah hah haaaaaaaaa, but it sounds like I'm all whiny in that last blog. I could have been a lot whinier (I have whine talents that I try not to exercise too much), and I'm glad I wasn't. But I was still whiny. Many apologies!

Fact is, I had two interviews yesterday and they both went well. I interviewed first at the dry cleaning shop down about two blocks from my house. Great location. Full-time. Work that's not too difficult (by the way, the presses they use are NOT prissy little domestic irons -- they are some sort of INCREDIBLE!! The entire ironing BOARD is an iron, that opens and closes like a sandwich, and each has little gadgets you engage to vacuum, close, steam, open, blah blah blah . . . and you have to do it all in the right order. Pretty intense). Anyway, they paid pretty well, too. I spent an hour ironing polo shirts. Yes, polo shirts. I told the owner (the only man in the place) that I'd be leaving now, for I had an interview elsewhere. Then the guilt, "What do I do?" he asked me. Uh, well guess what: I've been applying other places, too. I'd be an idiot if I applied one place and sat around until I heard back from them . . . or not. (Some places don't call you to tell you that they chose someone else, guesswhat. But I'm not blogging about THEM.) I was sortof relieved to leave.

I arrived at Crumb Brothers shortly thereafter. The girl at the front desk greeted me. She had a pink hat on. I knew we could be friends or enemies, but definitely not acquaintances. However, I was escorted to the manager's office. We spoke briefly, and she told me what goes on around there. The bright rays of the afternoon sun flooded the entire facility in such a way as to say, "I love you!" Outside the office, about 4 guys and a girl shaped bread to be baked the next morning. Some of the bread loaves were wrapped in cloth, rather than sitting on an aluminum full-sheet pan over parchment. Every other bakery I've ever worked at used the pan and parchment, except the bakery at Angie's, who is too cheap to use parchment! The manager later explained to me that they use linen (say "linen" to me, and I sigh -- I LOVE linen!) because it has natural oil in it from the flax used to make it. I just about raised my hand with an "Ooh, ooh! I know! I know how they make it!" and described with full detail how reeds are collected and soaked and pounded and soaked and blah blah blah, linen comes out! But I didn't. I just glowed. Almost as bright as the sun coming through the huge windows, but not quite. I'm smaller than the windows. The manager (her name is Jan, and I think I'll call her that from now on) told me that she was sorry she couldn't offer me more money, but there were perks. For example, each employee gets to take home a loaf of bread every day! *sigh* AND, she told me that they don't use ANY commercial yeast in their breads; they make a starter a couple days before, so a loaf of bread will take two days to make. They only have ONE ingredient that's not from scratch, and that's an apricot glaze. That's the only thing they don't MAKE there. They also don't use hydrogenated fats; they only use olive oil and butter. That's why the breads taste so friggin' good!!! And they have a GREAT melt-in-your-mouth pleasurable feel to them. Gosh. I asked her how many people she was going to interview, and she said that she'd interviewed a couple of people, and that if I wanted the job, it's mine. Some sort of squeal of delight I'm sure was heard in some other realm, and I think my spirit jumped out of my body and did a "celebration dance," which the other spirits probably saw and either laughed hysterically or watched with horrific realization that I just don't dance very well. As I left the shop, the girl at the front (her name is Krista) brought me a loaf of ciabatta bread, and a lemon scone and a cinnamon puff. When I'd gone to pick up an application last week, I bought a lemon scone and a cinnamon puff to take with me!! And she REMEMBERED!! I know, that girl in the pink hat is AWESOME!!

I prayed about which job to take. It was hard. Only an idiot would choose the lower-paying, lower-hours, farther-away job (I ride a bike, not a car). But when I reflected on the feelings I had about each interview, the feeling of terror flowed through my sinews as I thought of working full-time at the hot, dark, crowded, dusty dry cleaners for eight hours every day with 5 gossipy women and one male owner. And I thought of working at the front desk for much less money, many fewer hours, 7 blocks away, where the angels were hanging out and singing happy songs, like Earth, Wind, & Fire songs that just make you feel all positive and cheery. I love Earth, Wind, & Fire.

I gave the guy at the cleaners a call and said I'd chosen the other job, and he said, "Okay, that works out just great, then." I thought, "Hm, I guess it's going to work out just fine, then. I don't want to be there, anyway." I called Jan at Crumb Brothers to tell her I'd decided to accept that job, and she said, "Oh, I'm so excited that you'll be working with us!! Can you start tomorrow at 10:00?"

We'll see how it turns out. I'll still be keeping my job at Angie's. She must be the "Dinna Sista." (Like, Crumb Brothers, Dinna Sista . . . Well, I just made it up. I think it's way creative and hilarious.)

Yay!