I got a job!!

Pending a successful drug test (took it this afternoon - should be okay on that one, I think) I start work at Wal-Mart, four nights a week in the food section, within the next ten days!

The interview was actually a little more stringent and in-depth than I had expected. It was nothing extreme - no flashlights in the face, no walking over hot coals - but quite long, and featuring many of those dreadful questions where you have to find an example of something you did in a previous job that matches their description (i.e. name one time you successfully organized a group to achieve the sucessful completion of a task before a deadline when you were in a hurry and provided good customer service and excelled yourself). You know, the ones where all you can think of to say is: "Well, once someone dropped a Snickers and I picked it up for them and they said 'Thanks, you totally nice guy!'" Actually, I did okay with the stories. Due to working for three years at a place whose clientele were at least 1/4 homeless drug users and fifteen year-old alcoholics, I had some pretty good 'customer service' stories to tell. The rest I just made up. (Joke.)

My job sounds like it'll mostly be what I was doing before - minus the drug addicts - which suits me down to the ground. I was a little cavalier on my application form and gallantly put down that I would consider any position, but I would WAAAY prefer to be stacking shelves and lifting boxes than sitting at the checkout singing made-up songs in my head along to the beeping of the barcode scanner, and stacking-stocking-lifting sounds like about the size of it. So, I'm pretty pleased in all. Shifts are 9pm-6am, or 10pm-7am - I think I'm going to go with the 10-7. From previous experience doing 10-6 shifts, I found the extra hour on the end was always easier to bear than at the start.

And the real up-side? I got called Australian by my interviewer! Does this mean that for the first time in my life I look sun-tanned, happy go lucky and even larrikin? I was tempted to claim it, but in the interests of honesty owned up to my Englishness, and she said of course, that she should have been able to tell by my pallor, melancholy and larrikinism-deficiency.

Wakawakawaka.

Hehe. Anyway...

Amy also began back at work yesterday and is doing so well. I am very, very proud of her indeed. The girls at TUMCCC have all welcomed her back, and she has had more than one "pleased to see you" hug from her kids. AND she waited for an hour while I had my interview. AAAAND waited at the doctors while I peed into a cup. You know why? 'Cause she's great.

WEATHER REPORT
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It's been HOT here. On Monday in Pekin it was 103 degrees! And on Monday in Peking they were all riding bicycles. I have no idea what I'm on about now.

Anyway, hope you're all well and taking good care.

Love,

Jim and Amy

P.S. We're very, very nearly done with Brian's website. We're really pleased with how it looks, and can't wait to share it with you all!