Going to the Movies-Part Time

Abe and I have safely been in New Mexico for a month and a bit, with a little over five weeks left here.  I was anxious about how we would adapt to the New Mexico weather, landscape, and culture, but we've been doing just fine!  I even find myself enjoying nearly constant sunshine and interesting rock formations.  That being said, I am really grateful to have had thunderstorms almost every night for the past week.  Life is better when there's water.  Because then you can live.


Abe and I are also two weeks deep into working for Allen Theatres, the local movie theater business.  It just so happens that one of the owners/hiring manager is in our ward.  Who knew?  It's taken us so long to get jobs because I was following up on a potential job as a Hall Advisor at Brigham Young University, where we'll be this Fall.  It would be the perfect job for me and a natural transition from being an R.A. to an R.A.'s boss, even if it didn't come with a free apartment.  I got all the way to a second interview and was told to try again, which I'm doing.  I'm currently waiting to hear back about a second first interview.  Abe and I decided to cut our losses and follow up on applications sent in at the beginning of June and sent in more applications as soon as we found out that we weren't picking everything up and moving, again.  It was an easy experience getting the job at the movie theaters and so far we've enjoyed the work.  And even though we're only making minimum wage part time, we make up for it by picking up extra shifts from people out of town, so that, on any given day except Sunday, one of us is working.  
Here's what I've learned so far:
- Working Monday mornings at a movie theater is really slow going.
- ALWAYS pour Icees into the cup a little at a time and ALWAYS shake it down.  
- It's good to keep a rag or a paper towel next to your register.
- Never take someone else's register, because one of you just might be short at the end of the night.
- It's really easy to be polite and cheerful to a rude customer you know you'll probably never even recognize again.


In our other adventures, Abe and I are becoming bicyclists!  For the past four and a half weeks we have been cycling around the neighbourhood in the cool of the morning (or evening), which is no small feat, since everything is hilly around here.  It gets pretty steep sometimes and when I first started, I was sure that I wouldn't be able to continue.  But guess what!?  I've actually gotten better!  I'm still fairly breathless most of the time (let's blame the high altitude, something like 5,400 feet), but hills that I could only take in second gear I can now take in sixth or fifth.  It may not be a lot, but it's a huge accomplishment for a girl who hasn't ridden a bike for at least a decade and a geared bike never.  We especially like the mountain bike-type trails on the outskirts of the main town.  Things feel quite epic when you're guiding your bike over a boulder in your path.