My Life v.5: Selling My Business, A New Job, The Party Place, A Nice Gift, and Gather

Last Tuesday I met my dear friend, Judy, downtown at the pizza place. She told me we would meet for 'tea' so I bought a So-Be Green Tea and ordered a mini cheese pizza. The purpose of our meeting was to negotiate a deal for sale of a business and website I started and maintained for six years: Happy Camp News. Judy is the only other avid news writer in town that I know of, so I'm grateful that she wants to buy my business. After all these years I'm ready for a change.

While we were at the pizza place, I suddenly decided to ask if they had a job there for me. I don't know what got into me as I wasn't planning to do this, but I've known for some time that I needed a part-time job even if it is at minimum wage. The two women there were hesitant at first, then a few moments later came out with an application. Two days later, I was hired.

I haven't worked at a food service job since I was in my early twenties. That was thirty years ago! I have to say, I'm having a lot of fun. They have me mainly on the cash register, taking orders there and by phone, and serving drinks. I made my first pizza – a mini-pizza for myself – and I almost burnt it. I hope that isn't a bad omen.

I've lived in this town for seven years and I never knew what a party place the pizza restaurant is on Friday and Saturday nights. I guess I stay home too much. There's a whole lot of beer guzzling going on there. It made me want to drink one – but I couldn't because I was working! And today there was a big birthday party for a young teenage girl. We kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the presents to be opened. We wanted to know what was in the huge cardboard box. I thought it was going to be a bike but it turned out to be a nice Ibanez guitar.

Yesterday when I got home my feet were in pain after working seven hours. Today I worked five hours and I think I'm getting used to standing up all day. And tomorrow I have the day off – thank goodness! I've worked three days and already need a break! I haven't worked outside my home for someone else in eighteen years. But I'm tired of small business ownership and excited about this opportunity to work in a restaurant.

And that's the exciting part of all this. Rather than being miserable because I've got another website to build or a newspaper to get out, I can have fun again interacting with people and doing something different. Of course my Gather participation lagged for the last couple of days, but I'm sure I'll adjust and get just as much writing done as before. Maybe more.