The Right or Wrong Thing to Do

I was called into work just as I had finished getting dressed this morning. They wanted me to work from 10:30 to 3:30. I shouldn't have done it, but I turned them down. First of all, it was almost quarter of 10 when they called me and I hadn't even had breakfast! Second, I'd promised my friend Erica I'd volunteer at the thrift shop today.

I feel really stupid about it. How could I have turned down money? I could have hurried. Erica later said I shouldn't have done it, either, even though she appreciated the help. I really felt bad. It was dumb and very immature. Jobs should come first.

After I arrived, I flattened boxes and polished a silver serving set. Erica gave me a jar of tarnish remover and asked me to work on a huge bowl, a larger serving tray, a two-tiered tray, and a gravy boat. Took me a little while and a lot of elbow grease, and they never did come out quite perfectly, but they were at least de-tarnished when I was through. The big serving tray in particular needed it. You'd never know the thing was silver before I rubbed at it. When it was done, the silver gleamed under the few remaining dark patches.

Erica asked me to buy lunch at WaWa. She originally mentioned pretzels, but WaWa's soft pretzels are terrible; I suggested sandwiches instead. I got a turkey and provolone and a bottle of water and she had a BLT and a WaWa Lemon Iced Tea. We chatted with customers as we ate. There were a few people this morning and early afternoon, but the store wasn't too busy.

It sure wasn't the weather keeping the customers away. It was hot, breezy, and mostly sunny, well into the 80s. I rode around a little after buying a pair of jean shorts and a pair of work pants. I stopped at the Collingswood Book Trader to see if they had something I was looking for (they didn't), then rode up to Newton River Park and into Oaklyn.

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing research and answering the pile of friend invites that had accumulated in my Facebook account...which I totally forgot I had.

I was looking up colleges that offer Library Science courses. There's two in this area, Rowan University and Drexel University, along with several others elsewhere in New Jersey, including Seton Hall and Montclair.

I really want to be a librarian, or at least to do something I love that will get me out of the Acme, but...this whole going back to college thing is scaring the living daylights out of me. How can I apply? Who will I ask for recommendations? I don't know anyone! I'll never pass the GRE. My math is terrible. I just barely made it out of 5 years of college. I'll never be able to afford it, especially uber-expensive Drexel. I got through college on grants and loans; never did anything special enough to warrant scholarships.

And my sister Rose is in Rutgers Law School and is going crazy. I have enough stress in my life without losing my mind over classes and grades, too.

On the other hand, I really do want to get out of the Acme and do something real with my life. Libraries are what I know. I know writing. I know reading. I know organizing. I may look into a track that incorporates children as well, Youth Services or School Media Specialist. I don't want to be a cashier for the rest of my life. I want to really have a life.