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the organic grocery and market i work for has the largest selection of fresh fungi in edmonton. i've been gorging myself on the chanterelles.
i have become their star grocery clerk in the last 2 weeks. you see, alberta seems to have a terrible lack of workers. everyone can get a job, many unskilled and unambitious people end up with really high paying jobs out on the oil patch. this, according to what ryskie and megpye have observed has bred an irresponsible and slack workforce. no one feels lucky to have a job, and all the kids who are looking to get jobs know that if any employer asks them to do something they don't feel like doing, they can just quit and get a new job next door. i was quite leery of taking the job, since my new boss had sad a few disconcerting things in the interview. he made it abundantly clear that if they did hire me i would be expected to arrive on time for all my shifts. and if i needed time off, i would have to schedule it in advance. and i couldn't call in sick all of the time. and any days i didn't work i would not be payed for, except for certain statutory holidays, and certain legally explained sick leaves and holidays. i was slightly upset. these were all so obvious to me that they didn't warrant speaking about. it appeared that they held me in low regard and didn't trust me. megs said that it wasn't me they didn't trust, they couldn't trust anyone around here. the workforce just kinda sucked that bad. she'd had the same sort of experience coming from ontario. so i accepted the job, declined the offer i had at starbucks and got to work. it was eerie how much everyone appreciated me showing up for and doing my job. i received a bonus after my first week for my general excellence in awesomeness. not that i think i am not awesome, it's just that i feel like i am meeting the minimum job requirements, not exceeding everyone's expectations. i'm a grocery clerk. i merely make sure the store has stock to sell, that it's displayed nicely and that it is in good order. receive and sort boxes, make notes to order more or less, recommend what flours make the best gluten free crunchy granola hippie bread to the customers. it's not hard. but the staff is really nice, hilariously eccentric and weird, and i get between 20 and 25% off everything. i got sick this week. while i felt that i was sucking and unable to keep up with what i should be doing, everyone at work thinks i'm the cat's pyjamas. megs got sick too. we guzzled down the last three boxes of the hideous chinese herbal cold remedy i had. we wish we had more. it's great because it is clearly labelled "no poison" in english on the back, for all us westerners. it tastes horrific. really seriously very bad. hopefully i can find an herbalist in town who carries it. i seem to be getting sad, i think it is just homesickness of a sort. i no longer have any other home to be pining for, but i pine none the less. everyone i've met here seems to be married. <pout pout> i wish i was still married. i miss him </pout> sniffle.
but other than the (irrational, impossible) longing for my old life, this new life is treating me pretty well overall.
not to mention albertahusi meet!!
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