Some of you may remember when I was unemployed last year. Well...I got hit again this year which led to me to picking up a bunch of part time jobs and working a lot more hours than I'd really like to and only one day off. This makes for a tired little camper. So tired in fact that I've hardly had energy for writing never mind blogging. And instead of reading something new from the library I got out my old tattered copies of The Hobbit and LOTR, which I've read about a zillion times. But. One one of my jobs is working at a pawn shop/antique store, which means I get to see a lot of old and interesting stuff. We have swords, duck decoys, art, china, and a whole room devoted to nautical items like portholes, propellers, ship wheels, and anchors. One of the things we got in recently was a gorgeous carpenters tool chest with thick brass corners and hinges in mint condition - seriously, it was a show piece - with slide out drawers and a compartment for saws. I should've taken a picture. But we had it less than 24 hours before someone bought it. Then there was this cool loon carving I told my son he had to see.
He bought it. Last weekend we had a yard sale, and my son came by and bought a few more things, like this bottle:
this lovely box of ornaments (I encouraged him to buy these; they were just so pretty!):
and this odd item:
We don't know what it is and neither did my boss. If you know, please speak up!
Anyway. As you can see, I kind of like my new job; it's fun
and interesting. And I can see why people get addicted to 'finding the next treasure.' I'll let you know if one comes in our door :)
Meanwhile, due to the fact that my work hours aren't likely to change any time soon, I may not be around as much as I'd like. I do, however, have a few fun things planned, like First Impressions starting tomorrow, a guest post from author Julie Musil on Saturday, an update on what I'm working on, and of course, the Cephalopod Coffeehouse at the end of the month. In other news,
West of Paradise currently has 43 reviews with an overall rating of
4.2 out of 5 stars!
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Congratulations on all of those reviews.
ReplyDeleteSorry you have to work so many hours. But I bet you do see some cool stuff. That's why I like watching Pawn Stars sometimes - you learn about history through some really odd items.
At least they're fun hours :)
DeleteMuch congrats on all the reviews, that's killer. Sorry about the only one day off and all the jobs. Very neat though on the finds.
ReplyDeleteYeah, he got some good stuff.
DeleteI knew you were working long hours. I didn't realize it was for multiple jobs. :( The pawn shop sounds like a really fun one, although the danger would be funneling one's salary right back into the shop by buying all the cool stuff! Congrats on your reviews! I have never gotten that many reviews so fast! (In fact, most of my books don't have that many reviews, period.)
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to buy, really hard, cuz there's some great stuff I'd love to have. So far I've been good and only bought stuff for my son's birthday.
DeleteThe good thing about working at a pawn shop is that (other than the strange stuff) you get strange people and that is excellent fodder for a writer!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, lots of great fodder, lol.
DeleteIt must be so cool working at a pawn/antique shop. So much potential for inspiration .
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your reviews! That's awesome!
It is definitely the coolest job I've ever had.
DeleteLooks like you've gotten caught up in the whirlwind of the treasure hunt :-)
ReplyDeleteI must admit it would be pretty exciting if something really amazing came in.
DeleteMary- so impressive you are still doing so well blogging. I am going to have to step it up because I am not near as busy as you are. Good luck in your career search.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI'm not sure what the dimensions of the mystery item are. Did it come with the material fastened securely around the top, but the material can be removed and put back on? If so, then I think it's a crock for storing butter.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
It does indeed have material fastened about the top and a stick sticking out in the middle. I think you may be right!
DeleteCongratulations on the reviews.
ReplyDeleteAnd, if you have to work all those hours, the pawn shop would be a place to get your imagination/awe/wonder buttons pushed.
I'll say one thing, I'm never bored; there's always something new to see and discover and learn about.
DeleteSorry you have to work so hard. I hope you find something that pays more for less hours soon! I just had to drop a client because I feel like I'm spinning my wheels--writing and writing but not making progress. I figured out it's some of the lower-paying clients that I don't have the courage to dismiss that are weighing me down.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have a higher paying job - but only if it's just as much fun. I think I'd rather work a little more and like what I'm doing. I think...
DeleteI love that loon! I have a primitive swan on the windowsill in our bedroom that I'm super partial to. I hope things slow down for you soon- I have to have two days off a week if I want to function properly and not go nuts!
ReplyDeleteI love the loon, too; he's beautiful.
DeleteYour pawn shop job sounds great! I would say you'll get a lot of inspiration for writing in there. Even if you don't have the time to actually write them. But you can make a note of them anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteIt IS great :)
Deletethose are interesting items. Its fun to find wierd stuff, and get paid to gawk at it :)
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely fun :)
DeleteI love browsing antique shops, not so much pawn shops. I look for ceramics, small furniture items and glassware (colored blue, red or green) I used to buy old cloisonné and cameos. I'd love browsing in an upper east coast store. Not so much time to do that anymore since hubs accident. Thanks for dropping by my blog!
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly the kind of stuff we have. In fact, we have an old cameo in our jewelry case right now .
Deletethat bird figurine is gorgeous
ReplyDelete