I’m currently working as a custodian for The Denver School of the Arts. I’ve been chronicling my experiences through social media and this blog post. I put a lot of my own complaints and frustrations down, primarily to accurately portray my true experiences. No filter. There are good days of course. One day, this could be sort of a memoir.
I refer to myself as The Teal Fairy because this is a character that I’ve created. I hope to one day write about The Teal Fairy going back to school to protect those that have the potential to grow and flourish. Schools need more fairies over firearms to ensure the safety of the youth. I also use The Teal Fairy persona as my way of expressing myself creatively outside of the written word.
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
Day Four Hundred & Forty-four: 9/3/2024
Ugh! Yes, I’m totally aware that I have to deal with the trash and sometimes gross things, but I generally don’t have to deal with maggots. I was doing the trash today and I was dumping the outside trash and I was inches away from a slew of maggots squirming around the discarded substances. It was disgusting. It made me wonder if the trash was done on Friday. I was off and I’m a bit surprised that the trash was such sludge. Who knows? All I do know is that I’m glad nothing flicked back up to my face.
That would’ve been a horrible way to start my day. I try to keep my appearance as clean and pristine as I can so that my visage appears glamorous until I’m done with work. It matters so much for me to maintain the look throughout the day. I’m decked out from head to toe. The look matters.
In fact, I colored my work shoes to match the rest of my attire. I think they turned out as best as I could make them. I thought they would be less vibrant, but the color took to the material as if I was dip-dying them. Except, these were hand painted with diluted acrylic paint. I did this exact thing to my last pair of shoes. I think I might like them more if they fade a tad.
Day Four Hundred & Forty-five: 9/4/2024
What an ordeal I had getting to school. Rarely does it rain on my way into work. Generally, I get sprinkled on my way home. Which is what I prefer. I’d rather get wet on my way home. Before I left my apartment I noticed how gray it was outside. I should’ve checked the forecast and I would’ve seen that I was going to get rained on. Well, I was biking and before I was halfway there I had to stop under a tree and protect my hair.
I experimented with a different shape and I really like what I created. I didn’t want to see it get ruined because of a few raindrops. I carry a waterproof bag with me. Since I didn’t have anything else I placed the bag over my hair and tied it in the bag. It probably looked like some sort of helmet. Here comes The Teal Fairy. Get a gander if you will. I really wish I had captured a picture of my silliness.
The hair prevailed and I’ve managed to keep it intact throughout the day. It was a bit of a challenge because I got rained on while I was doing the trash at the beginning of my shift. Not to mention all the work that I do, bending down and standing back up, or the fact that I get sweaty when I’m performing certain tasks. I’m very ready to take all of the pins out. That’s for damn sure!
Four Hundred & Forty-six: 9/5/2024
I still haven’t processed this, but I might have been offended. It wasn’t an intentional offense. A new colleague mentioned that he was going to save me some slices of pizza tomorrow. Apparently, they are going to have a little pizza party. I thanked him and told him that I’ll always accept food. His response, “I can tell.” He realized what he had just said and followed up, “it’s definitely not a bad thing.” Should I feel slighted? I know I’ve put on weight and I haven’t been able to lose it. I’m plumpy, I see what I see. However, I don’t really like to acknowledge my size. I would say that’s the reason I’ve been taking more portrait style photos then full body ones.
It doesn’t help that I really do enjoy eating. I want to consume all that’s in front of me. Somedays I do. Somedays I just eat and eat until there’s nothing to eat again. It’s as if I’m not entirely sure I’ll be able to eat again in the following days.
Until I can figure out how to stay hungry and try to drop some weight, I’ll just be here and chubby. I suppose that’s a standard for a custodian. To be overweight? Not all are, but I remember growing up with custodians that were busting at their seams. I suppose I’m in the same boat now. That’s why I care so much about making my hair and face makeup as great as I possibly can make it.
Four Hundred & Forty-seven: 9/6/2024
Sometimes the look just doesn’t happen. Even when you spend so much time trying to get the perfect look. I knew better, the rollers that I have are super cheap. I’ve tried using them before and each time they haven’t worked. Except, I was determined that I could make something happen. I set my hair last night and I slept pretty well. However, the hair didn’t take to the rollers well. I brushed and brushed, added more hairspray, and brushed more. I thought it looked good for a moment.
Then, I’d move and the hair started to clump up again. The hair was supposed to be a vintage hairstyle, but it ended up looking like a mess. I tried to keep it down, but it just didn’t look good. So I had to wrap it up in a bun. So lame. I even did a simple makeup application because I thought it was going to be all about the hair. Oh well, I wonder if the student body judged me for not looking as glamorous as I prefer. Wonder if they notice me at all. I try to be an enigma, a figment of their imagination. Maybe I'm a figment of my own imagination.
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