Day Two Hundred & Thirteen: 8/14/2023
Well, I’m back! Though I’ve been working all this time, I took my reprieve from writing very seriously. I’ve been submitting my recent book, The Teal Fairy Fables, to literary agents. So far I don’t have a book deal, but I’m going to keep trying. I have a list of people that I’m submitting to. It’s my To Contact list.
Since the school has been out we, the custodial crew, has been working so very hard. It takes a lot of man/woman power to clean from ceiling to floor. Dusting and scrubbing everything insight. It has been so much work. We even had to work outside, doing landscaping. Which includes; mowing, weed trimming, weed pulling, and bush trimming. I despise when we have to work outside. I may not be pleased with my menial job, but at least I can say I’m not stuck outside fulltime. It sounds snobbish, but I’m an indoor worker. I’m not equipped to deal with the sun, dirt, and gas powered machines. I’m not a delicate flower, ready to be plucked, but I’m not a staunch individual willing to sweat myself to death outdoors. Thankfully, I only had to put in two weeks of working outside.
We are on our final stretch. The teachers have come back this week and I’m finally back to my normal schedule. I work 2pm-10:30pm and that’s my preference. I haven’t enjoyed giving up my mornings to this job. One, I’m not a morning person. Two, its my business on what I do before noon each day. Three, I didn’t sign up for this job to work in the morning. I could do far other things, that pay far better, but this was my choice when I decided to devote my waking hours to literature.
Speaking of that, I’m listening to audiobooks of fiction that won the Pulitzer Prize. This award dates back to 1918. Not every book was available through my Public Library app, Libby, but there still seventy books for me to get through this year.
Well, off to work I go!
Day Two Hundred & Fourteen: 8/15/2023
Wow! I’m just exhausted. I was tasked with a final project that is strenuous, physically. We’ve stripped and waxed the floors in the classrooms, hallways, corridors, and even the staircase landings. Well, the last step is to strip and re-wax all of the stairs. My other coworkers had already done two of the staircases, but I still needed to finish three…no four as they forgot one set. So, it's now my project.
At the end of tonight I’ve finished three and I have just one left tomorrow. This project is NOT fun! I’m grateful to be inside and I’m happy that I’m working my normal schedule, but this job sucks! There is no sugar coating the disdain for the project. It take a lot of manual labor and I was sweating through most of it. You have to stay bent over as you apply chemicals, scrub, and then remove the chemicals and lifted wax from each step. This must also be done without making a mess or missing chunks of wax from each stair. I’m looking forward to showering after the second day of stripping stairs. It sounds more titillating than it really is!
Day Two Hundred & Fifteen: 8/16/2023
The summer is coming to an end, and I’m so happy! Not necessarily to have the students back in the hallways. They make such messes! However, I’m glad that my summer duties have come to an end. We have to work so hard to beautify the space.
Today, I finished the final touches of the stairs. I had to strip the stairs and then my crew lead came in behind me to re-wax the steps. I’m quite grateful that I didn’t have to perform both actions. It was enough work to remove the top layer of wax and debris from each step.
I’m not sure what else we need to do other than make sure everything is clean. Because there are still so many moving parts there is constant cleaning up and ensuring everything will be ready for the embarkment of adolescents. We still have electrical and painting crews going in and out of the building. Using the toilets and constantly putting things in trash. I believe that it is important that we prepare the space for the upcoming academic year, but it requires so much work and we have been so utterly understaffed. I wonder how things would actually go if we didn’t have to rush so much of the work because of time. The students come back next week.
Day Two Hundred & Sixteen: 8/17/2023
School hasn't even started yet, but the special events have officially begun. Tonight was the first of many evening events that commence at the Denver School of the Arts. It was a potluck for the incoming sixth graders. There were over two hundred people and children commingling for some, the first time. It is a special time for those that haven’t entered these grounds before. I’m saying all this because I want to be generous with my feelings.
I’m really hoping that I can be positive through the beginning of this academic year. My boss and I were discussing all of the work that we performed during the summer. It’s strenuous labor to get the school as clean as we get it, and we even cut a few corners here and there. It's all for the sake of the students and all I ask is that they don’t make unnecessary messes.
We spend months deep cleaning the entire building, and I’m completely aware that we are necessary to maintain. However, when childish antics cause me anguish I gain resentment towards their lack of consideration. I’m not saying that’s what happened tonight.
Day Two Hundred & Seventeen: 8/18/2023
Summer season has officially ended! The kids are ready to come back to class, but am I ready for their messes? Haven’t decided yet. I did almost lose it when I turned the corner, ready to power wash the bathroom, when I saw and heard a horde of students in my hallway. There was no reason that they were even in the hallway.
You see, there was an assembly this evening for incoming theater majors. Yes, this school has majors and they apply their time towards their principal artistic medium. Well, the entire theater majors along with their parents were in attendance. Another large group in the house. Except, this group was supposed to only stay within the cafeteria commons and the theater. There was no need for them to be roaming around. AT ALL! I wouldn’t have been so annoyed, but we have worked so hard to get the space clean and all I wanted was for it to look its best on Monday. Though, only the sixth graders start on Monday. The rest of the school will start on Tuesday. I’m ready and not ready at the same time.
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