Life is one constant fluctuation. Last Monday, I was nervous and worried about getting a summer job. I had called the Washington Conservation Corps only to discover that all the crews had been hired and had been working for the past two weeks, at least. My only hope along this avenue was a single opening with the Rainier crew. In my mind, this was my last possibility; my Student Conservation Association application had only been sent to Death Valley and while the prospect of learning about desert life is appealing, my heart really wasn't 't in that job. So I spent the morning trying to figure out how to get housing or work out a commute to Mount Rainier so I could be on a trail crew.

Things took a turn at the end of the day and I learned that my application had indeed been sent to two places in the Skykomish Ranger District. I breathed a bit easier that evening.

Unfortunately, work at the Mad Market got worse. I received an ultimatum from the Front End Coordinator. Since I began working there, my till has been over the 2.99 limit five times. According to Mondia, a Front End Manager, me, should be able to maintain an accurate till. She gave me seven days to prove that I could keep my till in line. I spent the entire day on pins and needles. A group of middle schoolers came through my line at lunch time and they all paid with moist, crinkly, folded bills. I about died. Do these kids want me to get demoted? I survived day one and two but on the third day, I ended up 20 dollars over. Now, I don't know if I will actually be demoted because there are many pressing items that demand Mondia's attention and the pay cut may not kick into effect until I actually quite at the Mad Market anyway, so I'm not too broken up. I guess as you read in my previous post, it's the principle of the thing and management informed me of my final three transgressions all at once so I didn't even realize I was off track.
But again, this even was tempered with the awesome interview I had at the REI job fair. I was even invited back for a second interview with the front end supervisor.
I received an email telling me that my acting class was canceled. Apparently, not enough people signed up for the class and it had to be canceled. Now I signed up for soccer, yoga and acting and finally dropped the yoga class because I thought two classes would suffice. I also had my choice of five or six acting classes. I guess I just chose to drop the wrong class and take the wrong acting class.

I was hired by the Skykomish Ranger District to work on their trail and wilderness patrol crew over the summer. I am really excited and I went to REI and bought a pair of boots which I shouldn't have and will now have to return.

I was able to register for another acting class on Wednesday nights, which theoretically, I already have off. I had to do some juggling for this Wednesday but the acting is back in business.

Sometimes I get frustrated with the flux of my life and long for the steady even routine of Missoula. But I am realizing more and more that I enjoy the downs. I just need to look at them as challenges, life experiences, that make my life richer and make the wonderful things that happen in my life all the more sweet. I would not be nearly as thankful for my Skykomish job if I hadn't been convinced that my only option was spending the entire summer indoors at Death Valley. I hope that I can continue to look at these disappointments as more of a learning opportunity because that is really, in essence, what they are. I am living life, and life's not easy.