Colorado Springs

Well, it's been a few days out here, and we're making our adjustments.

I feel out of it. It may be the altitude, it may be the lack of money, or it may be that I miss you all so much... I'm not sure.

Sarah has been adjusting to it too. It's a really strange feeling to suddenly be "living" in a place you hardly know. I had this happen in college, but it was different. This is unique. There are moments when you can hardly believe that you're lucky enough to live in a place with (insert cool thing here)... and there are other moments when you are really disappointed.

I have begun working at the South Tejon & Colorado Springs Ave. store in downtown C.S. It is a VERY slow store. (About half the business of the Woodridge store I came from.) Particularly at night. I really like the environment, and I really like the downtown area. The store manager is a really cool woman named Michelle, and she has a real heart for people and coffee, so we get along very well. I've only clashed with one employee there, who has a very abrasive personality. She is looking for people to reject her, and does everything she can to push people away. It's really annoying because I have no intention of rejecting her, nor do I wish to, so her constant attempts to insult me or call attention to my "faults" are a bit taxing. Otherwise, the crew is a good one, and I have gotten a bit attached to the store already. In truth, I'd love to keep the store, and the manager, and trade all the baristas for my friends back in Woodridge starbucks. You guys would love it. There are NO assistant managers! How about that?

Oh, yesterday... something completely bizarre happened. These two girls came in while I was working register, and I overheard the one say something about working back in Chicago, so I asked her where she was from, and she said that she worked for a Starbucks back in Chicago, and that she was transferring to the store I'm at out here. I asked her whereabouts in Chicago, and she said "Oh, this store in a western suburb called 7 Bridges... it's in a town called Woodridge." I was like "I'm from Woodgrove Festival! We hate you guys!" So it turns out that this girl (Vanessa) and her friend are both transferring out, so I'll have a little bit of Woodridge out there with me.

Um... I'm trying to remember if I've forgotten anything.

Oh, I am planning on starting a little business on the side to help make ends meet. The purpose of it will be personalizing articles of clothing. I've been seeing alot of "personalized" designs on jeans and shoes at stores like Abercrombie and Fitch, and they are really charging an arm and a leg for these things. The problem is that if you do find a design that you like on the leg of a pair of jeans, the chances of that pair fitting you well is unlikely, and if you do find a pair that look good, and have a "personal" touch, you walk out and see three other girls with the same design on their pants. Not very personal at all. Many of these designs have a tattoo feel to them, and are designs that I could match in quality without breaking a sweat. So the idea occured to me, that I could make truly personal designs, even custom ones to include the girl's name or whatever, and put the design on a pair of jeans or whatever that she already loves. That way, the customer ends up with an affordable and truly original article of clothing. I am planning on beginning with jeans and jackets, expanding to shoes (like sketchers or Converse Chuck Taylors) and moving on from there. In theory, a girl with the money, could have her own logo of sorts, and have it placed on whatever clothing an accessories she wanted. I do see guys getting in on the jackets and shoes part of this, so I don't want to make it too girl-centric, but that is where I see my initial market being. I am planning on calling the line "Tricky". Like a tricked out car or something. This is more modification that manufacturing, therefore keeping the overhead incredibly low.

It's just an idea, but with the right response, it could really suppliment our income. It's difficult, if not impossible to get a second job while working starbucks, simply because of the randomness of my schedule.

Well, that's it for now. Gimmie feedback. Tell me it's a great idea, tell me it's awful... tell me to move back, tell me to stay...

I love you all.
Jim