Today was among the most hectic ones of my life. It was my first day on the job as a bookseller at the Juvenile/Children's section of Barnes And Noble.
My GOD. It was/is so busy there that it is simply unbelievable. There is ALWAYS someone who needs assistance and always piles of scattered books to shelve.
One of the managers told me that this section was the most popular at our bookstore -- that was why they needed to hire someone who was a good worker/person to help run it smoothly and effectively. Wow.
Um. He also said that he couldn't believe I was 25. He thought I was still in school. I told him that I was married with a son already. He smiled and jokingly said that I was an "old fart." Hehe. And. He also thought I was so young and pretty. He said it in a strictly friendly way, so I was cool with it. He is nice. And I always don't mind an occassional bit of flattery.
I was really working like a maniac. Looking up books. Ordering books. Searching for books. Picking up books. Carrying books. Shelving books. Add to all of this a good measure of constant friendliness and just being pleasant to everyone (though this is my nature anyway).
I worked eight hours today which included a 45-minute break. Thank goodness that Sunday will be the only day I have to work 8 hours (I worked from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m.).
MY feet were KILLING me. They ACHED and still ache. I need to find a more comfortable pair of shoes. My hours on other days are usually from 8 p.m. until 12 midnight. Craziness.
I am just lucky Matt will always be able to give me a ride home from work (he said he would not want it any other way).
I'll be working around 25 hours a week, which is more than enough for me.
The job was so confusing and frustrating at first -- all these people came at me with titles/authors of books they needed and I was still SO unfamiliar with the setup of the large Juvie section.
BUT. Believe me. I learned FAST. I was whizzing through everything pretty soon. I was quite pleased since I felt I was kicking major ass during my very first day at work. I helped so many people and they were SO HAPPY and grateful. Add to that a HUGE feeling of productiveness and a bit of cash. Coolness.
My respect for booksellers and librarians have always existed, but now, it has skyrocketed. It really is a great deal of physical labor and it flexes the brain muscles.
Don't fret -- I probably will NOT write much about my job anymore from this point on. My first day just needed to be mentioned though.
When Matt and little David came to pick me up from work, I was SO excited to see them. My eyes jumped with happiness. I missed them. I love them.