Temporary Part-Time Job OVER = +$$$

I woke up at 5am every morning so far this week for the temporary inventory job I found through Kijiji! While that time is pretty early for me, I'll admit I felt just fine after a coffee, so 5:30am actually was no different than 8:30am.

So cataloging department store inventory is a very redundant, dull job -- but those are actually some of the reasons I liked it. It's painfully easy, and I snuck my iPod in under my shirt so time goes by relatively quickly. Additionally, the repetitiveness actually appeals to my OCD nature. The same thing over and over and over again? Why not! At 7am I don't want to tackle anything to complicated anyway. I find my job in the lab is cerebral enough, so something mundane-to-the-point-of-effortlessness is certainly welcome.

The downside is no less than EIGHT members of my extended family ran into me at the store today. They're in town for my cousin's huge wedding this Saturday. I was very happy to see them, but not so happy to be caught in lululemon pants, unbrushed hair, and well, cataloging inventory. It's not that I'm necessarily ashamed of any honest work, or that my laboratory job is particularly glamorous in comparison (it's really not), it's just that being a card-carrying scientist generally incites more awe and praise than waving a scanner about. I felt I looked desperate in a burgundy uniform shirt and old Puma runners, and I found myself emphasizing that this was just a "supplement" to my other income and I am actually a successful, accomplished person outside of the setting I was just caught me in. Even as my defenses came spilling out of me I was already berating myself for caring at all. This is my family! They would love me even if I was janitor or unemployed or cataloging store inventorying full-time. Furthermore, why make excuses in the first place? There's no shame in doing menial tasks for a cash boost! But apparently in all my frugality (even my aggressive, arrogant, boasting frugality!), I still suffer from some image issues.

All that said, I was a competent enough tag-scanner to be considered for future jobs. I'm not sure how regular this income will be, or if my schedule will be this accommodating again, but it's nice to have another source of potential income if it works out. The best thing about money that I earn on top of my lab wage/stipend is that it's always extra, so I don't feel guilty going shopping with it -- and I really need a little bit of retail therapy pretty soon!