They threatened me with benefits.

My job at The Gym, as we'll call it (as opposed to my job at The Other Gym), has expanded greatly. I got on board as a fitness and yoga instructor -- actually, not even that. A fitness and yoga SUB until the expansion got done, when I was to get my own classes. I bullied my way into working with the kids program. Then I was subbing in the gallery (the BAR) and before long I had my own gallery shift. I started doing weight room orientations this week. Rumors started to fly that the owner wanted to get me on full time.

That chance came a few days ago.

The XRKade opened last week. For those who don't know, the XRKade is FANTASTIC. It's the first of its kind in Colorado, and one of the first 20 in the country. It's interactive video games: Playstation racing and snowboarding -- but you have to pedal the bike to make your car go faster, or shift your weight right and left on a board to make your snowboarding self navigate down the hills. There are also Dance Dance Revolution pads and other neat-o games designed to get kids and adults alike MOVING. I think it's brilliance, and the club members love it.

Well, the fitness director has been running it, but he has his hands full with so much stuff that the XRKade has not been living up to its potential, which is huge. They needed someone to be in charge of the XRKade programming.

And that someone is now me. XRKade Director. Folks, I'm the head of my own department. I have a staff. I could have opted for a salary instead of an hourly wage (but did not). And the biggie: I SET MY OWN SCHEDULE. Plus, I still get to teach yoga classes, which will be starting in another month or so.

There's much work to be done. It would have been one thing to be running it from the beginning, but player habits have already formed, a standard has already been set, so now I have to go about undoing all of that. But it should keep me busy for a while. Very exciting.

This looks to me suspiciously like normal life. I'm skeptical. But I did make it well-known that my demands include extended periods of unpaid leave.

The Highlights

Despite my come-and-go resistance to being here, there are a lot of good things happening.

1. Work. I love teaching at both gyms, and they so love me back at the one place that they work really hard to get me hours working with the kids, pouring beer (BEER! AT THE GYM!), and showing people around the weight room. I might even piece together a 40-hour work week.

2. Painting. There are some lovely little theatres here, and I'm volunteering at one right now. The guy I work with is super-talented, and he's got a couple of projects on the line that he has asked me to help him with. Yes, please.

3. Acting? What the hell. I found a guy who did new headshots for me for free, since he's building his portfolio. I've got an audition in Denver on the 26th. I love it because nothing's riding on it. No part? I'm no worse off than I am right now. Part? BONUS LAND!

4. Good people. They're all over the place, and I'm lucky enough to call some of them my almost-friends.

5. Hair. I had it dyed darker. Love it.