Check It Out

Today was one of the most ironic days of the summer so far. I had spent most of the weekend wondering about my newspaper internship and questioning my motives for taking it. Mom and I went on one of our long walks, and much of the time I talked to her about my internship. By the time we had made our way around the lake and across to Fox Woods, I'd talked myself out of going into journalism. Mom suggested that we walk down to the mailbox and pick up the paper, since she'd forgotten to get it anyway. When we reached the mailbox and she pulled out the paper, I noticed that the feature news report was written by a girl named "Sarah." "Dang," I thought, "How many Sarahs are there in this world? And it's another intern, too." But then I did a double take and realized that it was MY article that was being featured in the paper. I was completely shocked. I still can't believe it. But it's true. You can check the website if you'd like. My article was a headliner. The story itself doesn't seem that important and is actually rather boring, but it is surprisingly pretty key to growth coming to the River Bend area (where I live). Here's the link if you'd like to look: http://www.thetelegraph.com/. The article is titled "RGBA Touts New Tool." Read it and be bored, unless you are from the area. Then you might get it.

When I'm not masquerading as a news reporter on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I'm working at a little grocery store about five minutes from my house. Park N Shop is one of those old-style grocery stores straight out of Updike's "A & P" but without the male checkers. I'm still sporting the red smock and the ugliest Dr. Scholl's on the planet. I'm still scanning old ladies' groceries and telling people to have a nice day. Even the customers remain unchanged after two years; only the workers are different.

I spend most of my four-to-eight-hour shift asking people if they would like paper or plastic, and whether or not their cards are credit or debit. The other part I spend listening to the latest Park N Shop gossip. Basically, my work is like a miniature version of public school. The checkers talk smack about each other behind each other's backs, while the baggers but in their own two cents about the issues. The managers even know about "who is dating who/who is sleeping with who/who got drunk last night." It's been rather entertaining for the last two summers. But, for some reason, I'm not enjoying it as much this year. I don't care if Kayla and Sara absolutely despise each other. I don't really care if the newest checker got super smashed this weekend and ended up with the deli guy. I feel like a fish out of water, watching all these 20-somethings fight for or against each other in the grocery checklanes. What is the purpose of it all, except to pass the minutes between breaks and shifts? Maybe as the summer lags and I run out of things to do, I'll find some benefit in hearing the girls complain about each other. You never know.