Monday, 14 July 2025

Slightly Incomplete Ranking of All My Part Time Jobs

Hii!
My friends always tell me that I´m probably the most over-part-timed-worked person they know. I didn´t really believe them, until I started writing all of this down and well, seems like I don´t have commitment issues only in relationships. 
I always yearned for financial security and independence on my parents, which is why I landed my first summer job right out of elementary school. I do think I could have done better choices, because I feel like I could have been more at peace if I didn´t go throught all of those toxic enviroments, stressfull tasks and demanding costumers. On the other hand, if I didn´t  have them, I would´t be able to afford my lifestyle. 
I´m ranking those from worst to best. I chose only jobs where I actually got paid and lasted more than a day. Also, a lot of those positions are from unnamed Western Theme Park. I hope you won´t consider it cheating - I did a lot of work there and I really want to talk about it more someday. That´s why I´m leaving out some of the other odd jobs out.


Kitchen Staff in a Pension
Through high school, I spent most of my time either commuting or in classroom, so the only part times I would get were seasonal during summer. This was my third one. Stationed in beautiful forest of Šumava, it had everything I needed - accomodation and few hundred kilometers of distance from my hometown. Someone once told me that person is never as dumb as at 17, and I was probably the dumbest 17 year old around because I didn´t really think enough to ask the working hours beforehand. It was at least 16 hours two days in row, then two days off. It doesn´t sound as brutal, but it was killing me. The job was very stressful, the pension was in a middle of nowhere and there was something deeply wrong with me already, because it didn´t take too long for me to start breaking down. Again.
It was supossed to last one month. That one month was July, which ended with big three days long festival where all of us had to work for about 20 hours a day. I knew that would probably kill me, so I faked death in my family and fucked off. I didn´t feel alright for the rest of the summer.
That was my last kitchen job and start of realisation that I might not be alright :D.


Bistro Staff  at WTP
I have been trying to outrun my hometown since I was about 5, but summer of the unnamed Western Theme Park (WTP) have been my first succesful attempt. It was me, 16 y.o., and this one friend I don´t talk to anymore against the whole world. I wish there was anything else, because this sucked so much. I was supossed to work at front desk, however they employed too much of us (3 students total), so I was placed at this bistro instead. And a slushie shop. And souvenirs. I did basically everything. I would love to say that I hated every second, because it was terrible and to this day a great topic of conversation, but somehow, I was having fun. Not at work - this bistro was the first time I had to take crying breaks. Not only because there was neverending line of tasks and customers, all of this in the most unhyginienic enviroment, but it was also very toxic place and the chef hated me.
My drinking started here I think. 



Pizzeria Staff
My first legal job! It was at this Czech pizza chain and the chef was my aunt, but that didn´t mean I was paid well. Or at least minimally. Even in 2025 their hourly wages are under Czech legal minimum, so you can imagine that it wasn´t much better in 2018/2019. I think I gout around 3.5 euro hourly?
At least I didn´t really have to do any of the cooking here - I washed the dishes. cut vegetables, marinated meat, but mainly worked with pizza dough. It was boring, but it lacked the stress of all of my other kitchen jobs. My sister and our best friend still work here, and they still hate is as much as when we were 15.


Slurpie & Pop Corn Seller at WTP
This was my second job at WTP. First day was interesting - I came there, chef showed me the bare minimum and half an hour later I was already teaching newcoming staff. I didn´t have to anything other than tap the slushies and serve pop corn, which wouldn´t be so bad if it wasn´t for the customers and lack of hygienne.
Did you know that pop corn in theme parks is usually never thrown out? Even when something gross, like a bee taking a dive, happens. I had to take out that bee, which wasn´t even dead yet, out with a box and then continue serving like it never happened. I couldn´t even change the stash.

As for the slush, suprising amount of people are going to argue about colours of their drink. And when I say argue, I mean yell at a 16 y.o. cashier until she shows them that really, raspberry flavour can be blue. 

Cheese Seller (both at Christmas markets and off-season at mall)
Selling cheese at Christmas markets is nothing like selling it in the mall. It´s stressful and hard at the markets because you´re going to freeze for 6 - 13 hours, all of this with neverending lines of costumers, but it´s also rather unsuprevised. If you fuck up, it´s between you and your god. Also, you won´t have to do anything illegal. 
I was selling cheese at the local Christmas markets for two years before I landed gig for the same company at nearby mall at the end of 2024. First of all, the manager of that one store was, and probably still is, trigger angry Trump loving homophobic bitch. Second of all, you wouldn´t believe how much time I had to spend washing the mold off our cheese. Yes, when our cheese got moldy, we had to scrub it off, and if it got really bad, it was treated with vinegar. That´s it. There was really no wasting.
I should have reported them, but then I wouldn´t see a penny and money was tight at the time. 
Also, I have never been treated worse by costumers. 

Shopping Assistant at H&M
Alrighty job. Terrible environment. I worked there right before college and I could already feel the toxicity from miles apart. The thing is, it wasn´t even issue of management, but of all the other part time workers. Also, it was at Ostrava and while I didn´t mind commuting for high scholl (at least I thought so, now I can´t magine waking up at 5:30 everyday ever again) I realized how much I didn´t want to spend summer between Ostrava and Karviná, so I left H&M and stayed at my other Ostrava job, at second hand warehouse.

Girl for Everything at this one specific Festival
I love festivals, and after all of the volunteering I did, I was more than happy to land a paying gig. I took a week off from my bartending job (it was the summer of 2024). That day, I left bar at 6 AM, crying and ready to die, luckily my hysterical sobbing woke up my roommates at the times and both of them were supportive enough to actually get me to the train to Ostrava. I was supposed to bartend at this event, however when I came I did everything but tend the bar. They sent me cleaning, to do debaras, made me do my best as hostess, sent me to wash the dishes, etc., and that was only my first day. This festival of everything visual, from books to fashion, lasted for five days. There was not a lot of haggling about shifts - they asked me what days I can come, I said all of them, but I didn´t really expect them to make me work through the whole thing. 
Well, they did expect me to come every morning for more than 12 hour shifts, with no food guaranteed and only 30 minutes of lunch break - or theoretical 30 minutes. As soon as some higher up saw me sitting without food, I go yelled at for fooling around. They continued to exploit me, and the rest of the staff. Some people actually walked out and I´m not suprised - one girl cried on my shoulder because she got her nails done and bought this really cute black dress, all for this job, and she got sent to kitchen. 
Marketing of this whole thing was really botched too, so there was probably more workers than guests.

Front Desk Assistant at WTP
I got to sit in a shadowy room, but people yelled at me a lot, usually for WTP´s return policies. I din´t hate this as much, partly because I knew that they would be able to beat me through the small window. I could choose the music that played there somethimes. 

Souvenir Staff at WTP
I had to stand for hours because sitting down would be "disrespectful". Other than that, it was just boring. No one yelled at me here.

Ghoul at Haunted Castle at WTP
This sound kinda cool but it was actually very boring. Owner of WTP got his hands on this old chateau and ran with it. It resulted in the lamest Haunted Castle ever. Everythng was super cheap and I was the only living part of exhibition - which meant that I got a cape, a mask, laid in a coffin and then jumped out on costumers. I didn´t get rest of the costume or anything, so if I left visitors to linger on me enough they usually noticed my bright pink sneakers. 
Also, when elevator didn´t work, I had to guide people down to the exit. Which meant that I scared them, left them to run for a few meters to the end of the room, where they realized that t he elevator is closed and then I took off my mask and explained our situation. It was exactly as awkward as it sounds. I (or we) got lost the first time I had to guide them out.

Air Brush Tattooist  at WTP
I don´t really mind children, really. I do mind their parents. If it wasn´t for them, both this and looking after trampolines would be alright. This way, there was alwa
ys someone needy, in a hurry and outright insulting to their offspring for their choice of tattoo. I was suprised by how gendered both colours and shapes can get. 
There was also surprising amount of drunk adults wanting sprakly butterflies. I love that for them. 

Edible Bugs Seller
During the Advent of 2023 I held three jobs - bartending, selling cheese and this. How did I manage this and school? I didn´t sleep. It got so bad once when I had 12 hours with cheese, another 12 at the bar and then this that I just laid down on the floor and slept. And this wasn´t some little shop, this was a stall in the middle of the mall. I risked getting fired or something, but I was really very tired. 
Other than that it was fun watching people tasting the bugs, mostly daring children and their horrified parents. We didn´t get a lot of costumers, which was fine with me. 

Warehouseman for a thrift store
Other than the fact I had to commute for more than 90 minutes, this was a fine job. I didn´t have to communicate with costumers, I could try on anything that catched my eye and the other workers were a lot of fun. Going through the donations could get a little gross, but that´s to be expected. 

Music Journalist
This would be way higher if I didn´t have to go to Brno or Prague for all the concerts. I really liked getting deeper into the music bussiness and having a chance to see a lot of interesting bands for free, on the other hand, it also got me into some dangerous situations. While I still struggle to feel in danger, I know that I shouldn´t spend so much time on train stations (and other standed places) alone at 3 AM or something is actually going to happen to me. Also, I stuggle with my writing style and deadlines a little too tight, which is why I´m taking a break right now. 

Archaeologist
How many jobs did I hold between 2023 and 2024? Well, this excavation was definitely one of them. I had a few shifts during summer. It was a lot of physical labour, but I liked the collective and it was always so exciting to actually find something. Human settlement in Olomouc is a very old one and it was fascinating to get into history of town that has been so welcoming to me. I´m coming back this summer - for 3 weeks of unpaid internship. I didn´t have much choice, it´s required by my school, but it´s probably going to be alright.

Bartender 
This is something I have very difficult relationship with. I struggle with moderation and mood swings, which can be a big problem when I have access to alcohol. It was not just about the access here - on the first day they told us that we will not handle this job sober. Six months later, I got into habit of drinking more or less daily and another colleague adviced me to get out as soon as possible, because no one managed to get out after one year here. 
I was in danger often, but there was also this sense that someone was always looking out for me. 
Also, I worked for a very popular student spot. I got to know a lot of my friends there. This resulted in some great stories. It also threw me as close to mental breakdown as I have ever been. I´m not sure if the waves of unrelenting anxiety I´m so prone of started here, but I definitely think I should have talked to someone about this. I still should, actually. 

Hotel Front Desk Clerk
I´m here right now. This is my third graveyard shift in a row, but I´m going to get a week off after this. Other than the fact that shifts are 12 hours long and that I sometimes get little sleepy, I love this job. I still get those waves of anxiety, but I´m managing throught them way better. Mainly because I feel like I´m doing pretty good job here. 


I´ve got a new phone. Again, it´s my third this year, but the first I actually had to pay for, so it´s not that bad? Hopefully? I have never been this bad with anything, I hope this one is gonna make it for next few years.
Olomouc looked rather pretty on my walk back home yesterday, so I made some photos. This phone finally has worthy camera.




Lately, I have been conspirating a lot about Oasis and My Chem. Not in a weird way, more in a desperade hope of European tour :D. The only concert I have planned right now are Offspring + Simple Plan in Prague and I´m sooo excited it´s not even possible. 
For some reason, concerts give me the worst FOMO. 

See you soon again!

Wednesday, 25 June 2025

So close... yet so far (crying about my dream dress)

 Hii!

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE Český Krumlov series by Innocent World? It feels like yearning for a place you remember fondly. And I really do remember Krumlov specifically with a great fondness, but I will not bore anyone with that one time I was forced to work 16 hours per schift in a restaurant at 17, with no way to run away. Or that one time a boat run me over. 
(I swear, I do have non-traumatic memories.)
Even besides that, it´s just georgeous and so specific. I don´t think there´s any dress that similar to this stylisation of print and mix of colours. 


It´s no suprise that many Czech lolitas yearn for this dress. And right now, it´s on Lace Market. For quite an affordable price of 90 Euros. And it´s it in Germany, which is just a few kilometers away. Why did no one buy it yet?
More specifically, me?



The cut and colourway of the piece in question are actually my favourites. The lila sky with empire cut make it so dreamy. Sadly, I don´t really have anything lila. Honestly, I don´t really feel comfortable in those colours. 
Alright then. I can coord it with white and reds, I can live with those. 
Well, how often would I actually wear this dress? Pastels make me look washed out, and I have this thing with dark clothing going on. I cannot stress enough how much I don´t like wearing light colours. (Well, it´s not like anyone is forcing me.)

Second of all, I love the cut. I really do. I actually have something similar - my Argyle Check OP by BtSSB. It´s a waistless sack, but luckily it has waist ties, which make it work rather well in my opinion. 
This dress isn´t very tit friendly. From what I heard (the seller is in our local Discord group and answered some questions), anything bigger that 90 cms is not going to fit into the boob area, therefore ending up in the waist. 
I hope I´m not the only one who finds this to sound rather pregnant. For past few (and next few too, probably) years, I have been balancing just around the 90 centimeters. I can take a risk and hope for the best, but I don´t really want to. I would just probably end up sad.
It would be terrible situation for the dress too - while any article of fashion can be art I do feel like clothing should be worn. It would be terrible to just keep it in my closet while slowly tranforming into Smeagul, unable to actually style in any interesting way. 

I´m little bit sad anyway, but at least I saved myself some money and did something more productive with them. I ordered the Bodyline Vampire OP that kept following me on Vinted.



It´s cute, the cut looks amazing and it´s perfectly withnin my comfort zone. I will probably continue to yearn for Český Krumlov OP (in Naruto chasing Sasuke kind of way, because it is going to be dramatic), but in the meanwhile, I will look like a gothic princess. 
And if that isn´t the point of living, then what is?

See you soon!
Bye!

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Ultimate Derek Zoolander Summer List

 Hello (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)
 
For past week, it finally felt like spring (unusually log one this time) was finally over and summer started. I don´t like summer that much as a season - it´s too hot, bugs and cyclists everywhere, but I love it as a vibe. Everything feels possible in summer. 
With all the stress of the school year, I really want to only one thing - to rest and be really, really, ridiculously good looking. To just hang out with my homies, drink orange mocha frappuccino, dance in the pouring benzin. 
Here are some things are hopefully going to happen this summer, because I´m set on being a lazy slob and being held publicly accountable is the only thing that can stop me. 




To Do
Start crocheting a tote bag
Get better at French 
✶ Learn at least one new time
✶ Engage with more French media
✶ Read Asterix without a dictionary
Star learning Japanese again
✶ Master hiragana 
✶ Star katakana
✶Get to A2
Go camping
Hike some archeological sites
Design my next tattoo
Get more work-appropriate clothing

Try
Calico hair
To find the best strawberry matcha latte in Olomouc
At least three new matcha latte flavours
Tiramisu anything from Starbucks
To be nicer to costumers
To finish that crochet vest
To finish any otome game that isn´t demo
To update this blog 
To get more into pixel art
To enjoy the mandatory unpaid 3 week archeological excavation ߹𖥦߹

Watch
More films by Satoshi Kon
At least 25 mandatory films for my finals
Freaks and Geeks
Akira again
My Own Private Idaho with my sister
I should get over my irrational avoidance of Akira Kurosawa´s films
Anything Wim Wenders

Listen 
Actually get into Paganini, he doesn´t deserve the shallowness I approach him with
Some new nu goth bands
Fresh pop-punk acts for 2025
Brit-pop outside of Oasis and Blur
Any v-kei band that started in 2020s
The entire Offspring and Simple Plan discography to get ready for their concert

Read
Next 200 chapters od Berserk
Neighbourhood Story
Tore Renberg´s books that aren´t The Man Who Loved Yngve
Naruto again, this time hopefully to the end
All the literary sources I listed for my bachelor thesis
All books about my 1930s Czechoslovak cinema I can find (still for my thesis)
Farewell My Concubine
Anything related to archeology, I really want to pass those exams too
More fanfics

There also some things I would like to avoid, but actually making good decisions wouldn´t be very Derek Zoolander of me. 



I think that those are quite achievable goals. Let´s hope for the best! 

I´m writing this from my work. I didn´t even know I had a shift today, until my boss messaged me what would I like for dinner (we get food from nearby restaurant). I had to double check our shifts and actually, yes, I had to get my ass from my family apartment to the Olomouc ( ._. )"". 
I´m really lucky he worked today, no one else would check me. I really need to be more carefull, I like this job and would hate to underperform/get fired.
Also, I finally know where I´m gonna dig this year! Because apparently all of as descent from millionaires, we have to do three weeks of unpaid labour at archeological site of our professor´s choice. I´m probably going to Valašské Meziříčí. There were not a lot of other choices, and this one was closest. because I will need to work throught this. Three weeks off work isn´t really possible for me, so I´m gonna be an archaeologist during the day and receptionist during the night. When am I gonna be a well rested person? 
Only time will show. I will possibly die, hehe.

So until next time! ( • ᴗ - ) ✧

Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Musical Spotlight; Fun While It Lasted; The ultimate break-up (and down) band

 Fun While It Lasted is pop-punk through and through. From their unmatched energy to whiny vocals, it would be hard not to get at least a little bit angsty.
They remind me of that one long summer between high school and college. I was young(er only by two years, but dear God, what a significant two years). Life was one big party (and night one big club), I was at the top of the world and desperatelly in love. Of course, I got my heart broken and I wish I discovered those guys back then - crying during Double Broken Heart would have been so cool, as I got my little black heart broken twice during that summer. By the same guy. 

(This way, I listened to My Chem for few weeks straight, which is still cool, but  I didn´t have to be such a stereotype.)

FWIL has a strong presence on social media and you should follow them before they become next Blink-182, which is a subtle foreshadowing. They succeed at the most Gen Z discipline - being relatable. I feel like most of us have friends just like them. From the environment they film at to their dynamics a demeanor, they feel real. Quite lived-in, so to say, which are words that can be used for apartments, skinwalkers trying to asimilate into human society and public personas. 
Here is probably kicking in my inner producer and capitalist, but I have troubles believing anything I see at social media. However, I enjoy the music, I enjoy the presentation and therefore I believe what I see. Even when I compare it to some Czech "pop-punk" projects (mostly just pop with tiny bit of angst and one guy witth guyliner) that try to look authentic FWIL manage to win. 
Why? They really look like they have a lot of fun together. 

Few weeks ago they released their biggest single yet - Tom Delonge. It was very well received, as you can see from all the positive comments. I will not spoil it for everyone, but the lyrics are super fun with all the nostalgic references and I really liked the cover art - it stays true to the DIY punk roots, as its made by band´s friends. 



My top track is definitely Double Broken Heart, as I alluded before. It has all my favourite aspects of pop-punk - I can relate to it, it´s a little bit off-standish and there´s this rawness that cannot be duplicated by anyone who is not on fully on it. 


I think it´s great that bands like this are still playing somewhere - it shows that the scene is not dead, and that if someone whines about lack of interesting music in 2025, they are just not looking for it. 
To sum it up, if you crave something authentic to kick you out of bed before lecture, or before 12 hours grave shift followed by exam from subject you barely even remember atending, this might be the band for you. 



Thursday, 5 June 2025

Dear God, EXAMS and sad films (╥_╥)

 Hiii! (ノ´ з `)ノ
College is a fun thing. I literally begged to get in, and now I beg to get out. I study the only thing I ever wanted (and one useless minor I have been regreting since day one) and that still isn´t enough. Well, it would be, but working while studying wasn´t the best decision. Nevermind. 

Just going throught it


I was in Paris for a student conference and man, do I feel like that would make a fun article :D. I represented my university as best as I could, which meant that my phone broke down on day 3 so I spent rest of the conference running around trying to fix that, and that I just did not attent day 4. And day 1 was only for council members so I did not represent that much. 
This was more about the journey that about the destination I think :D.

Ohh, and I finally got the Karma solid parfume from Lush. I could not stop thinking about it since London. Now that I have it, we are practically inseparable. My twin sister got one too, so we are finally matching in something. But maybe it´s too much, thanks to the rich, spicy scent the whole neighbourhood knows when we are both home.  

As for my social life, right now it´s either my work at the hotel or studying. And since I work nights, my days often look like this: sleep - study - nap - work - sleep.
How pathetic does this sound? ( ╥ω╥ )

On the flip side, I completed almost all of my courses - except for Czech Cinema 2, The Migration Period + Roman Empire and Philosophy. To be fair, I should have copleted Philosophy two days ago, but since the test was online and I did not attend any of the lectures during the semester, I did not realize that I will need a password. One that was written in the classroom where all of my classmates were. 
Next time, I will know better, but it still pisses me off. Firstly because I was so dumb, and secondly because this could have been my first semester without second tries.
Once again nevermind, I would probably have to repeat anyway, I spent way too much time learning for my other subjects. 

Also, my studying may not be the most effective one, as I watch movies as the background noise. I can just never make myself study otherwise :D. 
Usually I watch my old favourites, but sometimes new gems. So far, I have seen Brockeback Mountain (again. And as always, I was unconsolable afterwards), My Own Private Idaho, which is AMAZING, I can´t believe I saw it only now, What´s Eating Gilbert Grape (my summer ultimate) and few others because they were giving Americana. Right now I really don´t want to go the US, but I still like imagining myself on the road trip few decades ago. 
After my Americana kick, I went for French and Chinese cinema - I will forever love Farewell, My Concubine. It hurts in all the right places and it´s magnificent to look at. Next on my list is Happy Together, even though I do get the feeling that I will cry my eyes out. 
For the French part, it´s Belmondo time I guess. I always saw myself as Alain Delon or Jean Marais girlie, Belmondo was my pops old (and new, he still loves him) flame. I think that I´m aging, because I started to enjoy Belmondo and his movies way more than I thought. Of course, I grew with some of his flicks, but only now I´m starting to actually appreciate them. 
He is just very charismatic and so much fun. I even wanted him for my bachelor thesis, but sadly none of our teachers wanted to supervise it, so I will write about Adina Mandlová instead. It´s still gonna be fun, but come on, Jean-Paul Belmondo. 



Let´s not judge me based on my taste. Right now, I´m vibing with Pierrot le Fou, not only for it´s anarchistic approach to plot, but also because I´m visiting Côte d'Azur soon. 

As for music, it´s a lot of gulu gulu right now, after reign of Oasis, The Kinks and Cat Stevens. I really just need a vacation, I guess. 

Do you have any cool quizzes? I work 12 hours shifts and it´s starting to get really boring, so anything is appreciated :D.

Take the quiz at emocowboy.neocities.org

Slightly Incomplete Ranking of All My Part Time Jobs

Hii! My friends always tell me that I´m probably the most over-part-timed-worked person they know. I didn´t really believe them, until I sta...