Tinkerblue

Hopscotch at 5am

 

 

Carlea took this video of me back when we were counting transit.  That's her and her husband Andreas you can hear in the background. We were so cold, we were coming up with stupid things to keep us amused and warm between skytrains.

 

I Never Did Like 20 Questions.

As I move forward in the new version of my life I am constantly plagued by indecision.

When DQ left I started questioning everything that was the life I thought I knew. What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? What's wrong with me? So it goes on.

I may be shy but I'm usually a fairly confident person. However a byproduct of suddenly finding myself single is that my self confidence has been shattered.

That means I either can't make a decision or if I do actually make a decision I have no confidence in it. I question everything, a thousand times over. It is a good decision? Or is it just the easy way out? Is it the decision I want to make? Or is it the decision that I think others are expecting me to make? Is it a decision based on common sense? Or emotionally fraught? Is it based on opportunity and challenge? Or running away? Is it okay for right now, but the wrong one for 6 months from now?

All that to decide if I want an apple or a banana? No wonder I constantly feel exhausted.

Nah, I'm talking more life altering decisions. Do I want a job that I'll like or a job that pays well? Are money and benefits the deciding factor? Do I want full time work? Do I want seasonal work? Do I want a desk job? Or retail? Or back on a hotel front desk? What about a resort somewhere that offers staff accommodation? Then I don't need to find somewhere to live. Here? Australia? Somewhere else? Do I take a short term opportunity that pays little, would be fun, but could end in a month, might last 6 months?

I need a magic eight ball and two Tylenol.

So dinner. Meatballs? Chimichanga? Chicken and veggies? Chocolate? That's an easy choice.

30 Sleeps to Christmas

After a week of set up and training the Vancouver Christmas Market opened yesterday. I was counting passengers on the skytrain yesterday so today ward my first day with customers. The 10 hours flew by.

I'm working in the Kaethe Wohlfahrt store, selling all number of Christmas decorations. Certain friends of mine, Jo, would think their life was about to end if they had to spend 10 hours a day listening to Christmas Carols and selling Christmas ornaments. But I'm enjoying it.

During my break I took a quick wander around the other stalls. Lots of food and drink I want to consume - baked potatoes, baked apples, gingerbread, Glühwein, Schupfnudeln, and Feuerzangenbowle (google it). That'll have to wait until my day off.

I Can Sleep Anywhere

I've been working a lot of "peak hour" shifts while counting cars.

That means exactly what it says. We count during the peak hours. Which is 530am-900am, 1045am-100pm and 245pm-700pm. Yep that's 10 hours a day. With 2 breaks. And the day starts awful early. We have to be insure by 530am. So depending on the location I leave home between 400am and 430am. I thought the train was early!

I have become very adept at power napping in the car between sessions. For 45 mins I am out cold. Don't even try to wake me up. I like my sleep.

Interviews Are Not My Forte

Seriously, I have no idea how I am ever the successful applicant for a job.

I get really nervous before hand. Like sick to my stomach. I never really feel like I have done well in an interview.

This morning I had a 2 hour interview with World Vision. They are interviewing 24 people for 8 positions.

It'll could be up to a week before I hear anything back.

Crazy, Crazy Drivers

Standing on the side of the road counting traffic is not rocket science. But it can be pretty scary.  So far we have seen a lot of people talking on their mobile phones, or texting, putting on make up while driving with their knees, reading a magazine, speeding, driving along the centre lane - pick a lane dude!, kids in the front seat with no seatbelt, kids standing in the space between the two front seats....

I could totally see this actually happening:

 

 

 

Boob Warmers - the new fashion accessory

It's a little cold standing outside counting cars at 530am. Carlea and I have been very creative in ways to keep warms.

We have hand warmers in our gloves, in our pockets, in the waist band of our pants....

They also supplied us with toe warmers. However neither of us have cold toes. So Carlea came up with the brilliant of boob warmers. Yep, you read that right. Boob warmers. Stick the warmer in your bra and it keeps not only your boobs but your whole torso warm and cosy!

Counting Traffic in the Rain

Carlea and I thought yesterday was cold. We were wrapped up in blankets on the side of Nordel Way.

But today is even worse. I have on 5 layers! I am wearing a long sleeve thermal top, a long sleeve fleece sweater, a fleece vest, a soft shell jacket and my smurf jacket. On the bottom I'm wearing thermal long johns, jeans and snow pants.

And don't forget the ski socks, snow boots, scarf, toque and mittens. I feel and look like a roly poly toy.

Day 3 on Rocky Mountaineer

Tomorrow I head out on my next train shift. So I thought it was about time I finished telling you about my first trip.

Day 3 was Canmore back to Kamloops. The train left Calgary early with new guests onboard and picked us up in Canmore before heading to Banff for more guests to board.

Our team was feeling much more confident. Sure, we still have stuff to work out like timing but in general we have a much better understanding of our how trips will work.

After the guests had been served breakfast we (the 10 retail sales specialists) headed out into our coaches. We introduced the catalogue and our samples to the guests, processed the early sales and returned to our training coach for lunch.

After lunch it was back to our coaches to answer questions and process more sales. We finished early and had some time to enjoy the scenery and relax. On a normal trip this won't happen, so we had to take advantage of the down time.

We arrived into Kamloops in time for dinner, the evening show and bed.

Day 2 Aboard the Train

Day 2 was another early morning start. I set 4 alarms to make sure I woke up on time. I was paranoid about sleeping in an being left behind.

Onboard the train we ate breakfast, counted inventory, reviewed Day 1 and went over the game plan for Day 2. Basically guests place their order for gifts and mementos on Day 1, they are filled overnight and placed on their seats on the morning of Day 2. Our job is to ensure everyone is happy with their order and process any exchanges. We have a very small supply of inventory onboard for exchanges and for those guests who forgot to buy the day before.

We are also responsible for destination sales like the Jasper Tramway, a day trip to the Columbia Icefields, and the Hop On Hop On Trolley in Vancouver. I really enjoy talking to the guests and hearing their travel plans. This does slow me down some, so I need to watch that.

We're all getting a little more comfortable with our responsibilities, and we'll only get better with practice. Well one would hope so.

Today we headed into the Rocky Mountains and into Alberta, traveling through some spectacular scenery. We were lucky enough to see black bears, elk, and eagles.

We started the day in Kamloops with beautiful blue sky and ended in Canmore with snow.

The majority of guests disembark from the train in Banff, a few go onto Calgary. On this particular trip our training group stated the night in Canmore. We had a quick dinner and then I retired to my room. I had a spa tub in my room, which was great for soaking my weary and cold bones. Then I turned on the fireplace, cracked the curtains a little so I could watch the snow fall and drifted off to sleep.