At Least I Don't Work at REI, Then I Really Wouldn't Have Any Money...

As I was driving home from work tonight listening to the radio I heard an ACE commercial about tomorrow's sale. It turned into a surreal moment as I realized not only did I know EXACTLY what they were talking about, I know more of the details. And those details have a direct impact on my life, unlike the voice-over guy to whom it was probably a vague sale that doesn't pertain to him. Unless he needs stuff from his local hardware store of course.

For my massive amounts of confused fanatical followers, welcome to the trenches of Nicole's life, they're easy to get lost in. Don't panic, you're in good company. I am not working at Hilmar Lumber aka ACE in Hilmar. In answer to your question, no this is not the job I was celebrating July 29, 2011. Unfortunately that company had to downsize. Thankfully I was able to find seasonal work (which is why I was able to visit KY) and when that was sputtering out, was offered a full time job at ACE. 10 cent miracle? I think so.

That was about 3-4 weeks ago and I have been learning about the wonderful world of retail since. The scary thing is when I was at Target recently I found myself envying them for being able to just scan things without worrying about what the skews are for things out in the yard or for various nuts, bolts, screws and nails.

And that brings us back to where I'm at today. A newly trained employee who can't remember the basics and now has sale details to master. On the other hand, I'm learning a lot about practical things like home repair and that's pretty sweet.

So despite my exasperation at the stretching that is my life, I'm actually happy to be working at Hilmar Lumber Ace, the helpful place.

The real challenge: not spend all my money on the fun toys. Working at a hardware store is like being a kid in the toy isle at Christmas five days a week!