The worst is over.

The storm passed without much adieu in my house. We all slept in the basement. My Dad kicked me off the aerobed and onto the couch, were I passed an hour in extreme discomfort. I finally settled on the floor and woke up several times throughout the night in cold sweats. I will probably never do that again, even if there is a hurricane.

I woke up groggy this morning, but still mentally prepared for my first day of work. Despite the rain, I arrived in time, even after a pit stop for gas. I clocked in and as instructed, bagged groceries for most of the morning. I learned a lot today, such as: some people don't want you to bag their groceries, A LOT of people on the mainline buy baked goods, and damn, that shit is expensive. Ok, no, I did learn some serious things. Such as: Whole Foods is probably one of the friendliest places to work. Nearly every employee I saw today greeted me and made me feel welcome, except for, you know, the seven foot tall British dude. Though he did ask me for a price check.

Examples of friendliness: one guy from the specialty/grocery department took pity on me and brought me some new chocolate to sample. The girls who saw me walk into the men's bathroom didn't stare at me and laugh in my face, but rather, they laughed with me and said that it was an easy mistake. Breathe, Kaitlyn, at least no men were actually in the bathroom at that time. Another important lesson: carts are a serious issue. It is not cool for one section of carts to be overflowing while the other is essentially empty. And last, but probably the most important lesson: be mindful of your break, and be sure to fuel yourself properly.

I packed a very lame salad of semi-brown iceberg lettuce with green pepper and diced tomato. No dressing. No fork. No protein? Big problem. I ended up buying a Larabar and a coffee after throwing away the disaster that was my lunch. And even though I didn't feel hungry throughout the entire day, (mostly due to the stress of being in a new situation), by five o' clock, I could feel the weakness in my limbs, and the dull fog of my brain, which cannot and would not function at 100% on a Larabar and coffee alone. So I grabbed the Sunchips sitting in my locker and munched ravenously as I pushed more carts around.
The only truly negative thing about my first day was my shoes. The awful, awful shoes that I had to endure today were a size too small. They scraped my heels and gave my toes blisters. I took a bath in scalding hot water tonight just to relieve the ache.
Lessons for next time: ask for new shoes, bring a proper lunch and snacks, and DON'T GO IN THE MENS RESTROOM.

Since I didn't have time to take pictures today, I'll share with you some apple art that's been sitting alone on my desktop, waiting to be shared with the world:


Almond butter and apples. Heaven on Earth. Especially when enjoyed in the company of Bubbaloo, who I have to thank so much for being there, for being great, and for helping me unwind after a long first day of work. Even if that involved incessant chatter regarding all the coupons and discounts I used to save $$ on my groceries today. I love you, Bubski.