Unimpressed with Winter Break

I’m currently working as a custodian for The Denver School of the Arts. I’ve been chronicling my experiences through social media and this blog post. I put a lot of my own complaints and frustrations down, primarily to accurately portray my true experiences. No filter. There are good days of course. One day, this could be sort of a memoir.

I refer to myself as The Teal Fairy because this is a character that I’ve created. I hope to one day write about The Teal Fairy going back to school to protect those that have the potential to grow and flourish. Schools need more fairies over firearms to ensure the safety of the youth. I also use The Teal Fairy persona as my way of expressing myself creatively outside of the written word.

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Day Five Hundred & Thirteen: 12/23/2024

It’s not gross work, but it’s work that I hate. That's working outside! We're having to rake up leaves this morning. Yes, I’m having to work early in the morning, started at 7am until 3:30pm. I’m not a fan! I was at least smart enough to go to bed super early last night. However, when those alarms went off I wasn’t ready. It was still so dark out when I went to work. I honestly don’t know if it’s better when we have students or when they are on holiday.

The only plus was that we didn’t have to get to work right away. I was able to sit and drink my coffee before we went to the elementary school to remove leaves from the ground. There are so many too! So many leaves that have to be piled up, scooped, and then dumped. These are the moments that I really wish I had magical powers. I would love to twitch my nose and make them all disappear. Unfortunately, I’m a mere mortal.

I also had a brush with danger while working outside. The elementary school is nestled right next to the major road, Monaco Pkwy. Accidents happen all of the time and today showed that there’s no exceptions. A small white Chevy Malibu cut off a medical waste truck right at the intersection and within seconds the truck swerved, lost control, jumped the curve, and slammed into a tree mere feet from us custodial staff. Luckily for us it was on the opposite side of the road, so we weren’t in serious danger. It wasn’t so lucky for the driver.

I couldn’t muster the courage to go across the street to check on the victim, I don’t have the nerves to deal with blood and disaster. So, I stood my ground and captured the evidence of the guilty party. Because while the horn was blasting from the wreckage the driver of the Malibu, stopped to allow for the passengers to get out and flee the scene. They eventually drove off, but after I had already captured the image of their car and license plate.

The road was blocked in mere minutes with cop cars, an ambulance, and two fire trucks. The driver of the truck was rescued and taken to the hospital. Us workers ended up being witnesses to the crash and provided statements for the police. It made the mundane eventful, and it distracted the work a bit.

I do hope that my involvement will lead to righting the wrong that was done by the Malibu driver. An innocent person was hurt and they didn’t or couldn’t stick around to make sure he was okay. While, other drivers stopped to see if they could help.

The incident also unlocked one of my very real fears. That’s being hit by a car while minding my own business while on the safety of a sidewalk. There really isn’t any way of staying safe when a car loses control and you’re in their path.

Day Five Hundred & Fourteen: 12/26/2024

It was a major struggle to come to work after having Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. I got to sleep in, pigged out on junk food, and existed without having to go to work. Except, my alarms buzzed and chimed me awake while it was still cold and dark outside. There was a sliver of ice over everything as I biked to work. Totally not in the mood.

At least something was different about today. I was given a choice! Instead of being required to go outside and work I was given a choice in the matter. I didn’t want to rake and scoop up leaves again today, and the moment that a different option was offered I jumped at the chance. I’ll spend the day cleaning walls and stairwells. Totally fine by me. At least I don’t have to brave the cold chill of the outdoors.

I even managed to get a picture today. I missed the opportunity on Monday and it felt a little incomplete. Even though my look is pretty much identical to what I did. There’s just no point in giving a full glamorous look if I’m doing very menial work when no one is around.

Day Five Hundred & Fifteen: 12/27/2024

Well, I wasn’t given a choice today. I have to help discard more leaves today. Damnit! At least we only had to do that task for a few hours. Over the last few days the amount of leaves left diminished and diminished until there were only a few piles left today. It did seem to go by so quickly since there were three of us scooping them up.

Day Five Hundred & Sixteen: 12/30/2024

I was on the clock for 35 minutes. I’m counting it because I got ready, made food, and biked to work on time. However, I was given the opportunity to leave. So I took it, using a little bit of sick time, but totally worth it!

Day Five Hundred & Seventeen: 1/2/2025

I chose sleep over doing makeup today. I couldn’t seem to rise myself, so I kept hitting the snooze button over and over again. Next thing I know, it’s fifteen past 6 a.m. and I only had thirty minutes to get myself ready. I should have gotten up much sooner. I barely scrambled to get my food ready, air up my bike tires, and take a quick rinse off. So, there was no time to do a face, I did manage to throw on some mascara, but I feel utterly naked. I’m so ready to get back to my normal schedule next week.

Day Five Hundred & Eighteen: 1/3/2025

Finally, the last day of winter break! I’m so over these early shifts and honestly I’m ready to get back into the swing of my usual duties. I’ve had some wonderful downtime, but I prefer the routine more than anything. Nothing wrong with the deep cleaning, but I feel like I’ve already done the same job twice over since we’ve had students out of the building. Mostly, I’m ready to get back to my usual hours. I’m also ready to get back to my usual appearance. I haven’t done a full face in weeks and I feel like there’s been something missing.

Also, lighting really makes a difference! I'm tired of looking at myself at 6:30am with bad lighting, especially when you compare the same look by a few hours difference with direct sunlight. Anyone that says lighting doesn't matter, is a liar and a cheat!