Working Hard

I started a second part time job today! I'll be working on the floor at Target near our apartment. I'm looking forward to the 5 minute drive, rather than the hour it takes me to get to B&N.

I plan to work both jobs and I'm currently figuring out how to set up my schedule. For the next two weeks, I'll be working a lot as my schedules overlap. Some days are going to be 12+ hours of work (and the hour drive to and from B&N). I'm looking forward to making some money!

I may not post until I get a normal schedule going. I'll do my best but they'll most likely be quick ones like this, made from my phone. Even though it's grey and rainy here, fall is looking promising!

I Saw An Actor Today

While at work this afternoon, a gentleman came through my line who seemed very familiar. It took me a few seconds to put his face with a name. It was the actor who plays Monroe from Grimm.

Brandt and I watched the first few seasons but stopped because the plot moved too slowly (and each episode was almost exactly the same as the others but with a different "creature"). He plays a werewolf character on the show and is the main character's best friend. I didn't say anything other than the normal conversation during a transaction. I imagine actors get sick of people talking about their job and I've always told myself that if I met an actor I'd give him/her privacy and respect.

The reason for this post is more to talk about the show Grimm. It's filmed in Portland! I'd heard about this before we moved and I've seen a few things mentioning the show since we've been living here. Grimm debuted in 2011 and is still running, with this season premiering in October. The show is based in Portland and it also features locations all around town. I know that it's commonplace for a show to be set in a location but not actually film there. I loved that this show films in town. This website lists many of the locations featured in the show. I tried to do more research about their filming locations on a more reputable site but it's hard to locate anything related to that.

So far, I haven't seen any people that appear to secretly be animals. However, in the show, only certain people can see the creatures. Maybe I don't have that ability? Either way, it was fun to see someone famous. I never saw Bill Murray when I was in Manhattan, nor Harrison Ford when I lived in Wichita. Both have been spotted by people I know. However, If I saw one of the Game of Thrones actors, Ewan McGregor, or Edward Norton I wouldn't be able to contain myself! I'd probably scream like a little girl and run up to them gushing about how awesome they are.

Bridgeport Village

The Barnes and Noble I work at is only two years old and located at an outdoor mall. When I arrived for my interview, I was shocked when I saw the signs for valet parking. "This is a fancy place," I thought to myself as I happily parked my own car. I was correct in my assumption! The mall is laid out like a strip mall, with less parking but better designed for milling about. There is a movie theater on one side and many large and small shops. There is a Sacs Off 5th store, MAC cosmetics store, and many fancy clothing stores I've never seen before. There are a few fountains and the one below is my favorite.

My favorite fountain during the day.

The same fountain from the opposite side, in the evening.
From Bridgeport's Twitter feed.

I had to take a picture of the Apple store (not to be confused with the MAC store) since I'd never seen one. I'm not even sure if there is an Apple/Mac store anywhere in Kansas. Every time I've walked by it's been packed inside. When I'm at work, people often ask where the Apple store is, proving it's popularity as I've rarely been asked where other stores are.

And, of course, I took a picture of the Crocs store too. I had no idea there was enough of a demand for Crocs to warrant an entire store! I'm sure they make more than their trademark sandals but it still surprised me. I laugh to myself when I pass by and think of that fad. I hear they're comfy but I've never tried a pair.

Staff are required to park in the upper levels of the parking garage so I have a bit of a walk to work. It's not terrible and so far the weather has been great. I asked a few coworkers if getting from the garage to the store was a nightmare in the winter and they seemed a little confused by the question. They said it's cold but not bad. I constantly forget that it doesn't really snow here, which is a relief each time I remember! I was imagining donning my snow boots and trudging through 6 inches of snow to get to work this winter. I mentioned that, and one coworker laughed saying last year it snowed 3 inches and they were all told not to come to work. That made me laugh! These silly Oregonians really don't know what to do when the snow doesn't immediately melt.

They decorated the plaza for fall yesterday. There are pumpkins, other gourds, and hay all around the gazebo and the children's play area. These minion hay bales were too cute not to take pictures.

Wildfires

On my way to work this morning, I noticed the sun looked odd. There have been an abnormally large number of wildfires this year in Oregon and Washington; now there are a few close to Portland. The radio traffic reports have mentioned a closed highway to the south due to a human-started wildfire. The radio host this morning said it was most likely a cigarette thrown from car window. An article I read said it might have been caused by someone target shooting. It has been raging for several days and the smoke has finally made it to the Portland skyline. There were no visible clouds but the sun was so dim that could look directly at it without squinting. It was off-putting to see the sun fighting through an invisible cover of smoke. If I hadn't known better, it would have looked like the sun itself had grown dimmer, rather than being blocked by a haze from thousands of acres of burning forests.

The photo below is from the Statesman Journal, showing smoke from a fire that started Sunday near Grants Pass, which is to the south of us by several hours. The smoke isn't nearly this bad in Portland, but it is thick enough to make the sun look like a hazy harvest moon. 

"Plumes of smoke from a wild fire rise over a ridge at the Rogue
River-Siskiyou National Forest between Grants Pass and Cave
Junction in Oregon. (AP Photo/John Luerding)"

In Kansas, I'd heard of Smokey the Bear (and if you watch Conan or know the symbol's history, there technically isn't a "the" in his name, but that's how I learned it and therefore how I will refer to him). To me, it seemed obvious that you should put out your campfire completely and not throw cigarettes into the forest. I couldn't see why a mascot like him was necessary. Now that I'm older, I realize how careless some people are and at least Smokey teaches these "obvious" lessons to children and adults. 

Our first week in Portland, I saw a billboard with Smokey on it and thought it was cute. After living in an area with record breaking wildfires in the early season for fires, I realized how dangerous and devastating they are. Growing up in Kansas, I've driven past countless controlled burns in fields and marveled at the harvest moon every fall. I foolishly thought that forest fires could be combated the same way farmers controlled their burning fields and that it was just a larger effort. However, dense forests with towering trees make these fires nearly impossible to control. It breaks my heart to think of the natural beauty here being destroyed, whether it's by careless people or lightning. Fortunately, most of the fires I've heard about nearby haven't affected too many people's homes. I know it is dangerous work for the firefighters out there and I'm thankful for what they do. It's unfortunate that this is an issue (outside of  naturally occurring wildfires, which are unaviodable). Lives could be spared, property could be saved, and forests could flourish if people just took the extra second to think about their actions.

I'm Officially a Bookseller

On September 1st, I started a part-time job at Barnes & Noble. My official title is bookseller and I'm half way through two weeks of training. My customer service and register skills came back quickly and I'm feeling very comfortable in my new position. This week, I'll be learning a few more things including the Nook department. I am still looking for a job in marketing/writing/editing because that's where my strengths are. If this job doesn't turn into something full-time, I'll need a second job and it took me three months to find this one.

I haven't worked retail since my days at Wal-Mart in high school and some clothing stores in college. The last six years of office jobs left me unprepared for eight hours of standing! My legs and back have been sore but less so after each shift. I love seeing the rows of books and I can smell them when I walk in the building. It's wonderful to see people as in love with literature as I am! One of my favorite parts so far is seeing children that are ecstatic to take home books. I was like them as a kid, always looking for the next book to read and even sneaking a flashlight under my covers so I could read at night.

My goal is to work up to a full-time position and into a leadership role. All of the managers have worked for Barnes & Noble for 10 - 15 years, so I don't think I'll make it that far. I'm not sure if I want to stay there forever but the nerdy, story-loving side of me can't get enough. Even though money is tight right now, I splurged on the combined book of the Iliad and the Odyssey for less than $6! They were the stories that piqued my interest in mythology in high school and started me on the journey to an English degree. My dream job is editing, maybe at a publishing company. I figure it can't hurt to work at a bookstore and gain an understanding of the sales side of books.

A special note to my immediate family: I'm not teaching people to read but I'm glad to be contributing to literacy!