I guess I'm part of the blue-collar world now, and I'm okay with that.  Some of the people I work with are genuinely nice, honest people.  Others are real shits.  Or, in their language, douches.  At any rate, we had a near-2-hour long cashier meeting last night to tell us a bunch of stuff and then the floor opened for some complaints/questions.  One lady talked the most, and it was the one who trained me.  I'm learning more and more what kind of person she is, and I don't like what kind of person she is.  She basically reminded all us other cashiers about some of the rules that we consistently break (some of which I find slightly inconsequential), and then she went on to say how much she LOVES the company and wants to stay there forever.  Gag.

So the basic things I've noticed is one major concept: the cliques from high school are still in effect.  There are the brown nosers, the cool kids, the rejects, and the floaters who fit in just about everywhere.  The brown-nosers are basically disliked by everyone.  The cool kids have their own clique but are not nice to anyone outside their clique.  The rejects are nice if you get to know them, but they are shunned by most of the others, and sometimes for good reason.  They might have some kind of offensive quirk or just be slightly annoying.  The floaters are just that.  Everyone likes them and they like everybody.

As for the bosses, they're just like the teachers and administration.  The hypocrisy, the condescension, the stupidity, the stuff they do that us peons don't understand... it all goes on.  It's really interesting.  Some of them are like the cool teachers who actually taught you stuff AND were approachable and genuine.  Others are the ones who are just there to do their job and nothing else.  Others play blatant favorites.  Etc. etc.  It's all there.

What I have learned: high school really does prepare you for life.

I'm thinking I'll expand on this and write it up as an interesting, more scholarly essay.  Perhaps?

Yesterday I accomplished a lot.  I had an interview for a job at a hardware store chain, turned in my application for work at a credit union, and applied to work at a company that sells people's stuff for them on eBay.  My resume looks fantastic, and I hope like crazy I get at least one of these jobs.  In a perfect world, I'd get offered all three.  My top choice would be the eBay store because it's full-time, looks easy, and has comfortable hours. (Plus it requires good writing and photography skills - two things that I REALLY like doing!)  Second choice would be the credit union because it, too is a full-time position.  Third choice would be the hardware store because the job starts out as a temporary part-time hire, but they tell me that if I am stellar at my job, they might be willing to keep me on once the busy yardwork season is over.  The hardware store also has a company-matched 401(k) program for which employees are eligible after 6 months of working there.  That would be a huge plus.  I'd assume a credit union would also, but I don't think the eBay store would, even though the job would be the most fun.

Joe and I are dog-sitting his parents' dog Clancy.  Clancy is a sweet dog who has developed a few bad habits from his relatively pampered lifestyle, and since he's a whopping 12 years old, it's hard to get him to change some of his routines.  Joe and I can't sleep if he joins us in bed -- he's just TOO big and too unaccommodating-- so we're trying to train him to sleep in a (very posh and luxurious) doggie-bed on the floor.  He is not taking kindly to it, but it's starting to work.  Tonight should be a little better.  He never whines; he grumbles.  As we would expect from a grumbly old man, I guess. :)

We also have big news on the horizon: a puppy!  Joe and I finally made a decision of what breed of dog to get: a Vizsla.  We then went to the nearest reputable breeder we could find (an hour and a half away) and put a deposit down on a puppy.  As of now, the puppies are growing in their mama's tummy, so we should have our very own baby dog in about 2 and a half months. (The mom is getting close to her due date.)  We got to meet some other vizsla puppies that were spoken for and the mother of our puppy and several adult vizslas, and we were pleased at how beautiful and kind-tempered they were.  We are so excited.  They're kind of a rare breed, so here's a picture from our breeder's website:


These are Vizsla puppies.  Here is what a Vizsla looks like as an adult:

(this image is from a Google search, not our breeder.)

I'm so excited!