Update 2

I've been an employee at Safeway as a Night Stocker for a week and a half now.

This photo was taken after I got off work one day. (yes, the sun is coming out at 6:00 am)

I have to wear this uniform when I'm working.

I thought that working from 10 pm to 6 am would be hard, but its been pretty easy so far. My love for organization keeps me awake at work. We get one 15 minute break at 1:00 am and take a 30 minute "lunch break" at 3:30 am. My breaks are paid for, so I don't have to clock out. The schedule is kinda weird though. If it says I'm working Wednesday, that means I come in Tuesday night. So when a co-worker says "Are you working tonight?" they are taking into account that it becomes a new day at midnight. So that's been a little confusing. The biggest problem has been figuring out when to sleep. Do I sleep before or after work? When should I sleep on my days off? So far, the best solution is to sleep when I get home after work, and to go to sleep whenever I feel tired on my days off. But there are some days where I get home and I don't feel tired, so I stay up playing games and make as little noise as possible so as not to wake up Wesley. And then I find myself getting sleepy at random times. Overall, I've enjoyed my new job more than my previous one so far.

I've invited some people I know from Cost Savers to hang out with me sometime, but they haven't taken the opportunity to do so. I've started to talk to some of my online friends on the phone. They have flexible sleeping hours just as I do, and they really like to talk. We could be on the phone for hours talking about stuff we're just going to forget the next day. These people are of course women. I keep telling myself that I grew up with four sisters, so I'm just more comfortable having female friends, but because other people find it so odd, I question whether there are some hidden underlying reasons.

Sometimes I question whether what I do and say is really sincere. I thought that maybe I'm just a puppeteer perfecting my craft, learning to know which strings to pull. One of my online friends told me an odd phrase. "Some people are friends just because they like to stroke each other's egos." I feel like that's what I'm doing sometimes. I manipulate these girls into saying nice things about me so that I feel good about myself, and in turn, I compliment them back to keep the friendship strong and keep the compliments coming. So am I using them to make myself feel good? Or am I really the person I think I am and they say I am? I'm actually not too conflicted about this. I'm about 95% sure its really me. I just wonder sometimes. Am I saying things I really feel? Or am I just smart enough to figure out what reply will get the affect I want? My analytical brain is a gift and a curse I guess.

Anyway, other than that, things have been alright here. The weather isn't too bad, I have games to keep myself occupied, I hang out with Wesley, I walk to where ever I need to go, and I eat whatever I want. Still trying to figure out what to do with all of my money. My total income from Big Al's was about $3,200 dollars plus tips. I've only spent about half of all that money. The rest is tucked neatly away in a bank account. I've been thinking about when I'll be able to come visit everyone in Utah, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting any vacation time soon. I don't want to wait more than a year to see my family. :(

I think I've said enough for now. I'll end this blog with some more pictures.

Boats down at a dock near the powerhouse restaurant.

Some interesting trees I pass on the way to work.

One of the few days we've had clear skies.

The lake right next to us starting to unfreeze.

Completely unfrozen and calm now.

Quite possibly my new favorite burger: The Bruin Burger. Served during the Crab Festival, I'll have to wait until next year to have it again. Wesley describes it as "deep-fried goodness." Others share our opinion. They had to put up a sign saying "Limit 12 per person."