Why, oh why, did I think volunteering at the craft center was a good idea?

I just got back from orientation, and I feel like I'm about to die and that my brain is now leaking out my ears.

You see, all I've ever seen the volunteers do there is process signups and ring up stuff bought and hand out tools. I was semi-freaked at having to know what every damn tool is in the tool room (there's a lot- about 7 or 8 different areas of craft, and even I am not knowledgeable in oh, 4 of those), but hey, I can have the student come back and show me what it is, right? That can't be too hard, right? Hell, I should have plenty of leisure time to like, gossip and craft during work if I want to!

Hah.

Oh no. There's MORE. MUCH MORE.

Apparently you also get to do cleanup of all the labs. The first thing the manager did was take us into the ceramics lab. I know nothing at all about ceramics, so the wads and wads of detail told to us about ceramics just whizzed over my head like Douglas Adams's deadlines. But apparently we get to do a lot of cleanup in there and stirring of chemicals or something and messing around with stuff for kilns and renting out wheels or SOMETHING, I don't even know, because it was too much. And THEN we went on to wood. And THEN we went on to photography. Now I used to do photography, so you'd think I'd be at least somewhat versed on the process. Or at least I know generally how chemicals work and can hopefully figure out how to pour stuff into trays when asked. But shit, having to set up the lab all by myself? Oy. Freaking, freaking. I cannot remember it all.

Then we did tool room training. On the stuff I had checked out from classes already? Fine. On the areas I haven't done, HUH?! Too. Much. I can't remember it all. I don't know how I'd ever. And they were doing some entirely new training and rearranging of all of the stuff to boot. No wonder they want you to take a lot of classes there so you know what the customers are talking about. And then there was the mess that was the items they have for sale. I kept giving wrong answers ("what KIND of mandrel?! there's how many kinds?!"). I got asked by a dude to find some wood items, and I looked at him like deer in headlights. I was trying not to have some kind of panic attack in public.

I don't think I will be able to work on anything else during that time either. Something about "just ask, we'll find you projects to do." This is uh, kinda disappointing if we're supposed to have the amount of dead time they claim we'll have most of the nights.

And finally, the straw that broke the already-stressed Jennifer's back was, you guessed it, potluck.

As far as I can tell from the chalkboard schedule, they have about six people on shift: one of the managers (looks like the one I have is a nice one, she was around that night) and five people. Three of us were new and there tonight for training. Some of the names (the Friday and Monday shifts) had food written next to them. Drink, appetizer, main, dessert, salad. I think the other girl on Wednesdays with me by the end (the other had to leave early) had saw that too, and she asked about it.

Now, you may recall that the first day, the manager said not to worry about bringing food the first week.

Well, nope. She seemed to change her mind on the spur of the moment and said she'd send out assignments in e-mail. If you don't get one, don't worry about it, but be sure to check your e-mail Tuesday morning!

Gee, nothing like a short lag time there! I'd already planned (tentatively?) to go grocery shopping with Heather on Tuesday night after she gets out of class and I finish having dinner with Denise, since she's out of her favorite staples of ice cream and pot stickers for potluck anyway Just In Case, but now I'll really have to make sure that we go. Either that or call Jess in a panic, since she said she'd help me out with cooking (if anyone's vegan/vegetarian, she'll know what to do).

Gaaaah. I left the building with my brain short-circuiting.

I really hope nobody has any interest in ceramics, wood, or photography on Wednesday nights.

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