This week, the first I’ve ever worn suits on a consistent basis, was incredibly humid. And I say this as a Florida native, so I know what I’m talking about.
Right now, I am in training, so we’re hearing from a lot of
higher-up people for whom you have to look sharp, which mandates suits. I’m
trying to get used to them but boy, with the humidity, it’s just toasty.
Sitting in a seminar, I have several times realized suddenly that my neck is
sweating. I do not look forward at my first foray into dry cleaner bills, but that
is right around the corner. (Actually, it’s straight out the door, on the other
side of the tennis courts. This apartment complex has everything.)
But it seems the hot and humid weather might be done now. I
woke up this morning, the day of FSU’s first home game, and it’s suddenly fall.
The air is crisp and it’s wonderfully gorgeous.
That’s really great news and made a pleasant walk through my
area of Falls Church
down to Target early this afternoon, especially since I tried a new route and
got lost. I mean, I sort of knew the right direction, but I was wandering
through a nice little neighborhood and wasn’t really clear on which roads went
all the way through.
The news isn’t so good for my footwear, because I brought
exactly five pairs of shoes: three of dress shoes and two pairs of Chacos, one
of those flip flops.
Next week, my class group will get split and we will each
take have a “teamwork” day that requires close-toed shoes that are OK to get
messy, as in not dress shoes.
This is irritating, because it’s not like I do not own
tennis shoes; I just don’t have them with me. They are packed in my air
shipment, which could have arrived last week (thought they didn’t), could
arrive tomorrow and maybe arrive Sunday – but may not arrive until after my
six-week training session is over.
Therefore tomorrow I will have to go out and buy a new pair
of tennis shoes.
This brings up a kind of an us-vs.-them mentality as far as
what are considered “local hires” and the rest of us. These are people who live
with 50 miles of the Washington
Monument. Those of us who
are from farther away are given a housing/meals per diem, the local hires are
not. They get some kind of transportation allowance instead, but no cold, hard
cash. (For the record, I haven’t gotten the cash yet, but it will come in a
paycheck that will not arrive until 10/3 or 10/17).
The per diem is supposed to offset the fact that the
non-local hires (maybe there’s a technical term, but I don’t know it) do not
get to sleep in their own beds. It annoys the local hires, because they
sometimes have multiple-hour commutes to training.
However, my heart doesn’t exactly bleed for them, because as
a non-local hire, I have to shell out a lot of money for things that I already
own but do not have with me.
It’s getting to be a little ridiculous. I have an air
shipment on its way to me, and in addition to shoes it also has petty things
like salt and pepper. And while I understand salt and pepper are cheap, there’s
also a waste issue. What am I going to do with multiple salt and pepper
containers when I leave in six weeks? Do I pack it or just toss it?
I have things like laundry baskets, key chains, scissors,
pitchers, umbrellas, rain jackets and coats but they have not arrived yet. So
do I just replace them and add to the landfill problem in two months, or what?
Because, let’s get realistic, there’s not a big demand for used plastic ice
trays, something I could really, really use right now.
This morning, I needed an envelope. Not 500 or even 50 of
them, but just one. You can’t buy just one envelope, just like you can’t easily
find a small thing of laundry soap, dish soap, shampoo or anything else these
days. I have about a gallon of shampoo on its way up here, but it’s not here
yet, so I was forced to go out and buy yet another container.
It’s a first-world problem, for sure, but I just hate to
waste things so it really kills me to have to do this.
Beyond annoyance and landfill issues, it’s also a cost
thing. I just hate to shell out money for something I don’t really need, and
right now, since my first check won’t be until October, it’s still a little
dicey. I’ve already been to Target three times. It doesn’t matter that the
prices of the stuff I need aren’t really expensive (at least the way I shop),
but when you have to re-establish yourself with so many things, those little
numbers are going to add up.
No comments:
Post a Comment