PENNIES!

When you work somewhere for a few years and you are there so often that you no longer experience any sort of mental stimulation during your 30+ hours per week (not like stocking fruit is a mental challenge) you go a little crazy. In my case, I have started my own charity to myself, funded by the pennies and dimes those sports camp kids leave on the floor.

I have acquired over $5 in the past two weeks. At the end of the night I go and sweep the dining area out and I've found a dollar's worth of assorted change.

So now instead of inventing useless newsletters to type or rewriting "The Quickie Guide to Produce" for the fifth time, I now employ the use of the broom to try and keep the store a little less disgusting and to engage myself in a hunt for negligible change. Double win.

This fund is going to be my "I CAN'T WAIT TO QUIT THE CREAMERY!!!!!" fund, which will not be spent until that glorious day when I clock out for the last time and hand over my managership to my successor.

Where did the Creamery hatred come from?

Maybe I'm still paranoid about getting stomach flu.

Maybe I'm just cranky. It's hard to work a lot of hours at a very small store. I like it much better during the school year...I will probably feel better once school starts.

I get six hours of sleep most nights of the week. When your next shift starts eight hours after your evening shift, you can't get a good night's sleep. Anyone who knows me well knows that I get uber cranky when I'm tired.

Cranky also means that I will probably make fun of you in my mind if you ask me a stupid question before 9am. "Are these day-old bananas?" Actually those were probably picked a month ago. "Do you sell apples?" Look slightly to your right. I forgot to tell you to open your eyes first.

Maybe I've just been at the Creamery too long. It will be 4 years by the time I leave. That is 18% of my life being a Creamery employee. I know, poor me.

I honestly think it's one of those blessings in disguise. Personally, I'm terrified of the "real world" after I'm done with school. What kind of job am I going to have, if any? Where am I going to be? Scary stuff. The Creamery is familiar and safe. Something I've relied on for years. Something has to happen to help me get out from that cozy blanket. I have to *want* to work somewhere else, and that will ultimately help me to find a job that I can enjoy and will allow me to use my brain. So I've concluded that my feelings toward the Creamery are going to be that push to help me get out into the real world; to seek out something that isn't a grocery store; something that isn't so "comfortable."

I'm sorry, Creamery. I really do love you. I just don't think it will work out in the long term, so I'm letting you know that we're breaking up in December.