A few days back I hinted that there would be biggish news. Well, tonight I'm ready to let all of you hear it. I didn't want to say anything earlier in case I severely blew it and messed up. So...since that didn't happen, leaving me only feeling a bit old and inept, I guess I can tell.
While I still maintain my primary occupation as a piano technician and have a secondary occupation/avocation with the miniature oil paintings (that I hope will pay), I now have a third, albeit very part time, job. I'm working retail sales at Tuck's, here in Rockport. Just one or two days per week. Today was my first training day of four. I should call it re-training as I worked there nearly thirty years ago, even managing one of their stores. A lot has changed in thirty years! They even have electric cash registers now (yes, really and truly, we had the old-fashioned manual type when I was there years ago). Anyway, after six hours of training my brain is scrambled.
So why did this happen? The big R word that our government doesn't acknowledge. I believe the closest Bush has come is to say that our economy is in a slight temporary slowdown.
HAH.
If you are finding it hard to pay your mortgage, put food on the table and gas in your car, are you very worried about getting your piano tuned or fixed? I think not. Add to that MY soaring heating bills, gasoline expenses, and property taxes (and let's not forget the quarterly tax payments that Uncle Sam expects) and I was scraping the bottom of my bank account. What's a poor piano tech to do but look for a way to keep piano tech-ing while supplementing that income. I finally got up the nerve to venture back in to the retail world fueled by tourism. The owner of Tuck's called early last week to offer the job and schedule my first day.
Then (and I mean mere minutes afterwards) my phone started ringing. Five calls for tunings and service. One I had to turn down as I couldn't fit it in at the time the client needed it. That afternoon a tech came by to drop off a set of keys. Two more sets arrived the same day. One in the mail and another by FedEx.
I'm swamped. I'm working 14 hour days to keep up. Yes, I am trying to pace it by taking a tad of time off to eat. I picked Amanda up from work at 5 and we had dinner at Ellen's Harborside tonight (I was too tired to think of cooking). Tomorrow morning I'll get up extra early to finish some key work and then we go to Skip's for lunch. We had intended to go on Friday, but now I'm scheduled for Tuck's that day.
I hope this evens out a little! Off to bed.......................
6 comments:
What do Tuck's sell, Deb? Do you think that you may get back into retail and turn it into a full-time job? Or don't you want that?
One thing's for sure - you just have no more hours left in the day for anything else! You're gonna have to teach Mandy to cook and housekeep! Else you'll be dead beat.
Glad that Ellen's and Skip's are open again. Which reminds me, I promised to take B out for a meal sometime this year! Dang!
Tuck's sell (they make their own) candy. They also sell cards and gifts. This is just a 'need the money' job. I really don't like retail but in a tourist town it is a quick way to get a job. I keep telling myself that I can survive only a day or two a week of it!
I am frazzled. To Amanda's defense...she does cook! Just not for me. (of course I very rarely cook meals for her anymore). She usually works through mealtime so makes something for herself late.
God your working hard, aren't you???
Please look after yourself, don't make yourself ill.
Take care.
I've decided that the next month or so will be nuts. After that I hope things sort of settle in. Once I've got the routine (and a set schedule) at Tuck's, that should be easier (although not particularly enjoyable for me!). When doubting my decision, all I have to do is look at my bank statement. My truck will be paid off in a few months and that will ease the finances at the same time that piano business will hit the busy season and Tuck's won't be needing me.
My problem is that when I work on or at something I approach it with serious commitment. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not looking to do retail management. I'm just an employee, and a very part time one. It should be rather low stress and minimal responsibility.
Goodness Deb, it sounds like you've got a horrendous workload. I'll echo what Annette said, please do take look after yourself because juggling several jobs often sounds do-able in theory, but you can end up getting run down if you're not careful.
You're probably much more sensible than me, but I've juggled 2 jobs and part-time study for years before I recently realised I had reached my limits and was making myself ill.
Take care.
Hi Claire. Thanks.
I have moments that I feel that I just can't do the Tuck's job. But then I remind myself that it is not a permanent thing. There will be weeks when those couple days will be all the 'work' for the week. Just seems that a pile is happening all at once this month. Summer is the time to make extra money around here. Winter is absolutely dead. So while the tourists are in town I'm figuring I can put up with a hectic couple days each week. Come Oct. I'm hoping to drop to only one day (or none) at Tuck's. Next summer I may try a repeat.
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