Locking Up

The tourist season ended today. It's a bittersweet day, because I won't see the majority of my co-workers for a few months, but I'll have plenty of time for myself over the cold months. I commiserated with one twenty-something co-worker who will go on hiatus until the spring... his other job ended a week ago, and he'll have to find seasonal work until both places open again next year. Luckily, there's seasonal work to be had with the upcoming holidays, but it's not the sort of satisfying work he's used to doing. Crazy how most of the 'fulfilling' jobs really aren't very remunerative, and by 'crazy' I mean tragic.

I half-joked with the ladies in the shop, who are mainly retired or have other gigs, telling them that we had an opening in my department... oddly enough, they didn't seem to be interested in a job that involved Scooby-Dooing around in the dark and cold. As they left, we exchanged six months worth of holiday well-wishes. In May, they'll come back like the swallows of San Juan Capistrano and, like the swallows, they will bring a bright, cheerful note to the place.

After everybody left, I locked up the gates to the parking lots for the last time this year. There's a glorious feeling knowing that I'll have the place to myself for months. On the weekends, I typically don't see another two-footed co-worker during the off-season. Our year-round crew typically works Monday to Friday, so on weekends it's just me and the Rodent Abatement Team, which is not a bad state of affairs at all.