Una curiosa experiencia

I moved to Jackson without any job prospects whatsoever. When I got here I went and applied in person for a lot of jobs, I was ready to take any job that came up. I felt lucky when the local temp agency called me wanting me to work for a sheepskin and leather company near the town square. They were going to pay me $10/hour to process online orders and phone orders for a company selling items I would never want to own or wear myself. But that didn't matter, I had a job and I was happy! Things were coming together.

About a week before Christmas, I was offered a job in a spa in one of the hotels in the village (where the ski resort is). This job was way more my style than the sheepskin company. Plus, it was for a bigger, legitimate, well-established company that I could trust was going to pay me on time, who pays their taxes, etc.

By this time I was doing the payroll and bookkeeping for the leather company, and they had some pretty sketchy business practices that I did not feel very comfortable being a part of.

I took the spa job, I started on December 27. It was so busy, trying to learn the job with so many people coming and going, checking in, trying to pay for their massages. It was hard!

After a few weeks of trying to work for both the spa and the leather company, I was feeling pretty burnt out. It was then that things at the sheepskin store started to get really sketchy. The owner had no money to pay people back for returned items that were arriving in the mail each day. More and more angry people were calling, trying to get their money back. They would change the tags on the jackets to say the size was different than the actual size, then ship it to the customer anyway, even though they knew it wouldn't fit. They were cutting out the "Made in China" tags on their products and claiming everything was made in the U.S. All sorts of bad stuff. At that point I left. I couldn't associate with a company who practices business in that way.

For months I tried to retrieve my final paycheck but the owner wouldn't pay me. He said he didn't have the money. He blamed me for things I didn't do, threatened me and swore at me when I tried to ask him for my paycheck. I told him I would not tolerate that sort of treatment and that I would take the matter up elsewhere. My boss at the spa advised me to contact the Wyoming Department of Labor Services. I did this, thinking nothing would actually come of it. Weeks passed and I didn't hear from anyone, then one day a check showed up in the mail. Hah! I was shocked. I never thought I would get that money that I worked for.

The leather store is liquidating their assets and closing the store. A week or so ago, my coworker, Kathleen, showed me an article in the paper. Apparently my old boss at the leather store had died of a pulmonary embolism. He was not a nice person, and not an honest business owner in any way. But it is still kind of a sad end to the story, I guess.

Trabajo a trabajo

Turns out working two jobs takes up a lot of time. Especially when one of the jobs you can't do during the hours of 7AM to 5PM and the other job is usually from 12PM to 7PM or so. That makes days off especially important.

However, I'm now so used to being at work that on my days off I feel at a loss for something to do. Which usually ends up with me going to my baking job for a few hours at least.

My full time job is at the spa. I started back in December and I am still here. I like working here, it is a good job. I am pretty good at it now, too.

My other job is baking for a local cafe in town. It is called JH Organics. I go in to bake in the evenings. They are pretty flexible, they let me make whatever I think would be tasty. It is all gluten free and dairy free. Some items I make are vegan. It doesn't pay much but I enjoy it. Today they had someone request a special order of a dozen or something I made last week. That's pretty exciting!


The latest dish I made, that I am quite proud of, I call Marbled Rice Crispy Bars.

Más noticias

I suppose enough excitement has passed to deserve another post.

A few weeks back I interviewed for a job in a hotel in the village. The interview had gone great, I thought they would surely offer me the job. They said they'd call with offers on Monday, start training Wednesday, etc. Monday came and went, no call. No offer. I gave up hope after a few days and moved on. I was offered a temp job and took it, started the next day. I was thrilled to have work and also have something to do during the day.

Then yesterday I got a phone call from the women who had interviewed me. She said they had an opening at another hotel and wanted to see if I was still looking for work. I went after work that day and told the temp agency my last day at the temp job would be Friday. I am excited!

This weekend is Christmas and I will be spending it away from my family for the first time ever. Instead of being home in Everett, I will be heading to Alta, Utah to spend the weekend with my friend Sam and his family. I am looking forward to having time with a family, even though it's not my family. Alta is supposed to be nice, too. Sam wants me to learn to ski. We'll see about that. Hah.

Today is Katrina's birthday. She and I went out to dinner at a Thai restaurant in town. We always have the best time when we go out together. Guys dig us, apparently. Having it be her birthday doesn't hurt either.

Also, she got a new dog and now we have a dog in the apartment! She is cute. Kind of big, but cute and happy.

¿Qué talla es?

Big news: I got a temp job! It sounds like it will turn into a real, full time job. Not sure if it is seasonal or what, but they loved me today and I liked them. I work with a bunch of Spanish speakers. They were shocked that I speak Spanish, and I impressed the half Serbian girl with my knowledge of... "good morning" in Serbian. Hah!

Only one thing happened today that made me angry. I was talking to one latino guy and he was asking me in Spanish what size jacket I wear, and he spoke to me in "usted" (the formal you in Spanish). So the sentence could have been, "What size are you?" or, "What size is it?" And I automatically assumed he was talking about something else, why talk to me in the formal way? I don't know. In Spain no one uses "usted" so I was all thrown off. And looked at him like, "huh?" and felt like an asshole who doesn't actually speak Spanish very well at all. BUT I AM AMAZING AT SPANISH! It is one of the things that I am actually really, really, really good at.

Anyway, I am sure I'll have time to redeem myself and my Spanish skills.

The job is really easy, it is just processing online orders for this company that sells sheep skin and leather goods. It is not really my scene, but I like the people and I am not too terribly bored yet.

On an unrelated note, I hurt my knee last week. It seems okay, still really bruised and has a big bump on the side. The swelling has gone down mostly, but not completely. I did go snowboarding on it, and it feels mostly okay. I would go to the doctor and have it checked out, except I very much dislike going to the doctor.

Las agujetas

I am so sore. I feel like I got hit by a car.

I arrived Monday evening. Tuesday I saw the mountains, town and village. Wednesday, instead of trying to get a job, I went snowboarding. I suck at snowboarding.

Thursday I submitted resumes in person for a few job and even had an interview that lasted two hours. Today is Friday and so far I have sent three emails with cover letters and resumes. But I am so sore! I don't want to move. I am sure sleeping on the floor doesn't help the situation, but really: why are my shoulders and arms the most sore part from Wednesday's snowboarding adventure? Really? WHY???

Also, you may notice the blog name change. Dig it.

Llegamos ya

I'm finally in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I arrived last night around 7PM. The drive was long and beautiful. I felt anxious and excited.

Saying bye to my family and friends on Sunday morning was sad, like always. But once I left I began to feel enthusiastic about the upcoming adventure.

Sunday afternoon I got to Spokane and stayed with Julianne and Bjorn. They fed me and showed me around town. I even had a nice bed to sleep in that night.

Monday morning I got up, had a yummy breakfast prepared by Julianne and hit the road. It took about 10 hours to get to Jackson, but I saw beautiful scenery along the way and spirits were high.

Reaching my destination was exciting, as was seeing Katrina. We had a celebratory dinner of Thai food and local beers. The apartment is warm, but outside is cold.

Today I will set out and see the city, scope out possible job opportunities and see more outdoor beauty.

El siguente capricho

I got home from my bike trip four weeks ago. The end was a whirlwind of transportation, traveling miles and miles to get home. I thought being home would be wonderful and great, but it feels the same as before I left. I am realizing that no amount of self discovery can make me want to stay here.

Over my birthday my parents, sister, Leon and I flew to Puerto Vallarta for a nice beachy vacation under the sun. It was lovely and warm. Laying by a pool and reading all day was great. But one week is definitely enough.

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, and then I am leaving again. Destination: Jackson Hole, WY. Return date is undetermined. I hope it is a long, long time from now. Why am I going to Jackson? No reason not to!