Two Weeks on the Job

t's been a while since I wrote now. I thought it was about time I update you on life in the village. The night after disco lessons, we had another session and I helped teach a bunch of the villagers (mostly high school age) the dances I'd learned the night before. The NEXT night, we did swing dance lessons and I learned the Charleston from my roommate and a few other new friends.
However, dance isn't the ONLY thing going on here at Holden! The bookstore has been very busy. I'm always surprised to see so much merchandise walking out the door. I've never thought of Holden as THE PLACE to buy all your year's greeting cards, fair trade Christmas ornaments and gifts for everyone back home, but I guess many people do. Often times, people will want really large orders of something we are low on stock in and we end up giving them the website or company name to get it themselves rather than have it transported from Seattle, boated up Lake Chelan, bussed up the mountain, put on a shelf, taken off the shelf, put back in a box, and sent back down the mountain/ across the lake and back to Seattle where the customer actually lives. I appreciate that the bookstore's philosophy puts the ecological nonsense of that above the desire for the small cut we get off the top. I had been a little concerned about working in the only "commercial" aspect of village life, but I have swiftly come to adore what I do because it's all about service and not about profit. There are certainly some "interesting" customers that come through. I could tell a lot of stories, but since myself and my fellow workers are planning to write a book "Tales from the Register", it really isn't necessary. I'll send you all a copy after the publication date. :)
We had to say goodbye unexpectedly to one of my co-workers, Mark, yesterday due to health concerns. That meant that my two days off (Mon, Tues) when I was planning to hike, turned into work days instead. It was a little disappointing, but really not a big deal. I'm really going to miss Mark, though, and I wish him well. He was a two-weeks-out retired pastor from nearby when I arrived in the village and he's been a wonderful person to talk to (like all of the retired... and non-retired... pastors I have in my life!).
I also moved into a new room. I am now living in the, somewhat hot, attic of Chalet 3 in the living room area. It's a really nice little apartment with its own bathroom, sink, and tub that I'll only have to share with one other person. This is compared to the 7-11 people I was sharing with before. Although, I'll have to post a picture, the tub might make you giggle. It was found up the mountain a little ways in Winston (I believe... the old village for miner's families) and carried back down to the village and up three flights of stairs to the attic. It's seen better days, but it doesn't leave the rust stains one would expect. The new apartment is a nice place to escape and read for a while and an equally nice place to invite a few friends over to watch a movie on my computer. My old friend Caleb is staying in the bedroom up there and he's on an "out" from the village for the next seven days, so it's entirely my own little haven. :)
Also, since I last wrote, I've been working on plans for a village-wide installation and performance art show. I'll be taking into account a lot of what I learned in my New Media arts class this last semester. The show will take place on the 14th and there are several people heading up the project (I really just made the poster, but I'll be performing in it). We're working on getting artists to join and gaining permission for each piece. When the show comes, people who are interested in observing the pieces will get a map of where each piece is with who is doing it and the title/concept. They will then have a couple of hours to view and possibly participate in pieces. When the show is over, we will take everything down and leave it like we were never there. How fun it will be!
Last, but not least, there is currently a prank war going on between the Mavericks (the guys who do all the important dirty work for the village) and the Waitri (the hospitality side of the food service). It started with a kidnapped pair of new boots with a ransom note detailing a request for a performance of "Afternoon Delight" to be performed (in drag) to the full dining hall at dinner time (5:30 to be precise). Now, I hear there's a "most wanted" list that will be pranked in the next few days. If anything else good comes up, I will try to keep you posted. You might want to say a prayer for those silly enough to get involved!
I'm not sure what else I need to update you on, but if I think of anything more, I'll be sure to post it. Check back in the next few days for pictures. I'll try to get those up sooner rather than later.
Love to you all!
Lauren