$78.50 of Gas

$8.50 bought me two Delissio pizzas. I just ate one of them, minus one slice. Damn you, slice, for being existant after I am already full. The gas is forthcoming.

$70 bought me gas from Chevron - eventually. I think I can count the number of times I've put gas into my own vehicle on one hand. I may have to borrow a finger from the other hand, but I'd doubt it. I'm 20 years old, as of yesterday, and I've hardly ever filled a gas tank. Well, what can I say. I don't like paying for stuff.

So today, after work, I decided I needed to fill up my gas tank. More accurately, the annoying light on my rusted dashboard suggsted such. Thus, a trip to the gas station was in order. It was 7:40, aproximately, on a Sunday next to the Costco parking lot. Costco closes at 5 on Sundays, so the parking lot was empty. Thus, the gas station was also empty. I decided I would use the "express" land so as to not hold anyone up. I still chuckle at my ironic actions. I stumble out of my vehicle and begin the deciphering process. This is what I was thinking.

Insert and remove card. Done deal. Processing. Alrighty then. Cute girl working inside there. Do I want to fill it up? Well, not really. That's too much. Do I want to put in a certain amount, well, yeah.. how much worth? $70 sounds about right. That's what I dropped in last time. That's one days work worth. Driving sucks. Which account is it again? Right. Chequing. PIN. Fun numbers. Ok. Now what. Right. Lift nozzle and lever. Got the nozzle. Oh, right, gotta open the gas tank. Curses. I hope the girl didn't see/hear me twist that damn cap the wrong way. Open. Insert nozzle. Press thingy. Wtf. It's not going. Instructions. Lift lever. The hell is the lever? Normally it's on the side next to the nozzle thingy... Nothing on that side. Or that side. This is embarassing. Good thing no one is here to see me. Except that girl working inside. She's talking on the phone.. good. Must be distracted. Now, instructions again. Lift nozzle and lever. Where's the lever? Do I have to push a button somewhere? That's not a button. Nor is that. I'm confused. Am I going to have to go inside and ask? Oh geez, she's looking at me. Talking on the phone. Is she talking ABOUT me on the phone? There. I sent here my confused look. She's making hand motions. She looks like she picked up a plate off a very low table. The hell does that mean? Alright, I just mimicked her motion with both my hands. That ought to send a "WTF" signal to her. What's she doing? Oh sweet, intercom! Oh, THATs the lever? Point and nod. Keep it smooth. I hope she's not talking to another cute girl. Oh well. Let's fill this beast up. I hate driving.

I did not, in the end, ask her for her phone number.

Although, upon further thought, I should have.

Life is Work

So, essentially, this is my life:

Work. When I'm not working, I think about work and how long until I'm back at work. Is that good? Sometimes. Not always. Yesterday I worked the door at Costco. If nothing else, it really showed me just how many people I know in Kelowna. I saw people from highschool, including a retired teacher, people from church, and people who I know I know but am not exactly sure how. I worked the door for 8 hours yesterday. The normal shift for the "in" door at Costco is two hours, distributed throughout the day in half hour segments. Otherwise it's just too mundane, boring, and generally terrible for the person working. Did I mention I worked it for 8 hours yesterday?

I got bored.

Today I didn't work the door. I found out I'm being trained as a casher on Monday. I start at 7 that day. I normally start between 11 and 3:30. 7 is early. I also picked up some hours on Saturday morning, also at 7. Apparently we're setting up for my birthday party. Yeah, Costco is having a party on my birthday. Thus, it's my birthday party. And I get paid to be there, setting up.

How awesome is that?

In other news, not much happening. I stay in the house a lot. Eat food. Like popcorn. I bought Guild Wars, so I've been spending some time leveling up my Mesmer/Elementalist. I think I may start a new character, try a different combonation until I find something that I like. Maybe a monk.

I go to watch Wrestling (WWE) with the boys on Monday night. It's not for the show, trust me. However, also on this Saturday "Smackdown" is coming to Kelowna. I was offered some tickets for $30. I'm terribly tempted. Perhaps I'll bring a sign that says "Make love not war", or "Hi Mom" or even "Subtle Innuendo Regarding Your Origins of Birth". So tempted.

I am not productive with my time. I work, and I wait for work to begin again.

I've been worse off.

COSTCO

So, yesterday I began to work for Costco Wholesale. It was a 6.5 hour day, for which I was paid, to "orient" myself with the business, policies, and workplace. It was pretty easy money, to say the least. The "shift" started at 1:00, on a glorious gloriously sunny afternoon. We all went downstairs in a hotel to a chilled conference room. I think we should've been taught on the beach. Anyways, the next 5 hours were watching crappy 90's videos featuring the president and vice president of Costco, either teaching a class about our Code of Ethics or recanting a fictional nightmare about how Costco should not be run. Neither of which seemed particular important to my specific job, but required nonetheless. The rest of the time we signed various things saying that we would not be an ass and they can send our money to the bank account here.

We got free sandwhiches. They were alright, I guess.

The last hour and a half was a tour of the warehouse. We were shown the lunchroom, how to punch in and out for our shift and lunch hour, the various parts of the warehouse (majors, centers, foods, endcaps, etc), the tills, and how to enter/exit the building when it's closed. Which I'll be doing tonight.

None of this taught me how to do my job, which is to put stuff in people's carts. Apparently, it's pretty basic and I'll just pick it up. Alrighty then.

So anyways, in the middle of our tour, Costco got busy so we got thrown onto some tills packing groceries. It was pretty sweet. I kinda suck at it. One of the other guys (who was wearing the same shirt as me.. weird) came over and helped me out when I was slow or whatever. When the cashier I was helping got switched off, the other cashier started doing my job, thinking I was just a customer helping out or something. Heh. Awkward. Oh well.

At least it helped me figure out how to do what I'm supposed to do.

Today I get an 8 hour shift doing that, all day, pretty much I guess. I don't really know. I don't have my card to punch in and out, I don't know where to go to get it, and I don't know where anything is in the store. So ok. This'll be interesting.

I want to do well, I'm just not sure I'll be able to, yet, given the lack of training. I guess I'll just figure it out.

Let's rock this roast.

I Have An Old, Odd Family

Seeing as it's my parent's 25th Wedding Anniversary tomorrow, my extended family has come to town. Also, my immediate family has come to town. Whenever you put all of us in the same place at the same time, interesting things happen. I realized today that we're an old family. We do things that I wouldn't normally remember doing, simply because we're all old enough now. More mature. Classier. Also, we're weird.

Things my family actually does:

- Sits around the dinner table, eating an appetizer of aged cheeses, crackers, and wine.
- Discuss the merits of the latest redocation of our bathroom, including the many pitfalls of the toliet in comparison to the potential models retailed at various merchandisers.
- Compares ankles by lunging in the kitchen
- Go out to dinner at the classiest, hippest resturant in town, and complain constantly about the service, making sarcastic statements towards the ability of the waitresses
- Tells the waitress that they have very nice shoes
- Brainstorm ideas for a future vacation plan, probably Hawaii, discussing potential trip details such as flight plans, hotel expenses, tourist destinations, etc.
- Get slightly tipsy off 1/4 cup of wine
- Make amusing comments to the slave servants of the following companies: Wal-Mart, The Gap, and The Greenery

Things I wish my family did:

- Drank beer
- Killed zombies
- Fought crime in the names of truth, justice, and Jesus

Now In Color!

You should check me out.

This is what I wear to work everyday. Yeah, I have a work outfit. It's pretty smokin'. I've worn the same pair of years to work every single day. I've slowly amassed a fairly decent collection of filth upon their thigh region, resulting in a popular "anti-faded" effect. At least, I pretend it's popular.

And yes, I get to wear a radio all day long. It's awesome.

Things I have said into the radio:

"Roger that"

"Uh, that's a negative. I'm going to need backup on this one"

"Affirmative"

Most of those are variations on CounterStrike radio commands. Yeah, I'm a geek.

Things I wish I have said into the radio:

"Rrr.....oger that, Delta Five. ETA is aproximately twentythree seconds and counting, over"

"Man down! Man down!"

The sweet mic radio attachment thing is new. Before I just had the handheld transmitter. But now I plug the sweet dealie into my transmitter, and I throw the big sucker on the back of my belt. Then I just clip on and rock out. I feel like it's similar to achieving an "epic" item in WoW, except, more real.

I also got my sweet leatherman on my hip there. It comes in handy often. Sometimes I'm like, "sweet dude, I gots to cut stuff open.. Leatherman away!" (said, of course, in the voice of homestarrunner). I got it as a gift for my sixteenth birthday party from my Aunt and Uncle, who's house "The Left" stayed at during their most recent tour. That Aunt is out visiting my parents for their 25th Wedding Anniversary, and brought her friend, who's nephews I had class with at CBC. We all went out for dinner tonight, and I told them about the time I saw a zombie. Yes, I stood up and did the appropriate actions.

What else do I have on my sweet body...

My shoes are awesome, but they have holes in them. So on days like today, when it rains and pours and rains some more, I get wet feet. That makes me sad, but not all the time. Sometimes it results in me dancing about in the rain, putting away carts while the fleeing customers take snapshots, while I sing U2, loud and proud.

Some other times I use those shoes for dancing. For customers. I haven't gotten them to tip me though... not yet...

Anyways, that's what I wear to work. It's pretty nifty.