Nope, not going anywhere in particular, unless you can say I'm literally falling into a pit of Holiday glitter, never to return. I am so frustrated with the holiday season, and I am sure you are all saying we are frustrated with your complaining so shut up already! Sorry, but it's my blog and I can cry if I want to.
Found out today that one of the assistants put in their 2 week notice. Yep, she's smart, leaving right before Thanksgiving. I've always dreamed of doing that, but never, ever pulled it off (yet, anyway). Know what that means????????? UGH, STRESSSSSSSSSSS worse than ever.
Nothing is finalized yet, but once again, my life will be turned upside down, along with every other employee. Yippee, I get to go back and do departments, but bet I don't lose my current job. Sure they are just gonna add it right on to the current list. I'm sure I'll never see any "retention bonus". That's another issue, because the company is now public, guess what is required for them to post for anyone with a search engine to see? That's right, the VP's "bonus" amount, which happened to fall after last year's restructure when people were being let go. On top of all of that, we know how many shares and dollar value each company "bigwig" was gifted. Some things are better not knowing. Do you think that made me happy? NOOOOO, wish my bonus was a 6 digit number, instead of the lousy 50 cent hourly wage increase some got (if they were lucky to get the top amount).
Signing off, pissed off...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Ted Nugent in South Dakota
Glad he stayed on the other side of the state. Click to find out what kind of trouble he got in, thanks to Badland Blue
http://badlandsblue.blogspot.com/2010/10/deer-poacher-ted-nugent-investigated-in.html
http://badlandsblue.blogspot.com/2010/10/deer-poacher-ted-nugent-investigated-in.html
Monday, October 25, 2010
Room---Again
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I follow the New Dork Book Review. There is a current review of "Room" and it is so much better than my review. I wish I could review books like this.
http://thenewdorkreviewofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/room-human-kind-cannot-bear-very-much.html
http://thenewdorkreviewofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/room-human-kind-cannot-bear-very-much.html
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Last Day
It is my final day of my final vacation of the year. I am lucky that after almost 20 years at the same workplace, I get 4 weeks of vacation a year. I try to take full weeks at a time, because they seem to help me get through the year. This last day is always the saddest for me, because it means I am soon entering the worst time of the year.
I get to look forward to the Holidays. I know many in my family love this time of year, and I did too, at some point in my life. Once you have worked retail, you will completely understand my feelings.
My entire year at work is spent with not enough time and too much to do, but at Christmas that increases many times over. Add in all of the other issues: crabby shoppers, increased phone calls, extra hours without overtime pay, needy employees, people calling in sick when they aren't sick, cold weather, electronics breaking down after being overworked, and I could keep going, but you didn't sign up to be bored with my grief.
I am pretty sure there is a secret pool the other associates conduct on when Kelly has her breakdown over the holidays. It can happen at any time for any reason, and I just don't have any control over it. It doesn't matter who is around when it happens, they get the wrath even if they don't deserve it. Usually the major one occurs only once between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can't help it, the pressure of everyone around you always needing something from you breaks me. I don't know what I can do to offset that problem. I know the best way is to remove myself from the need when I feel the pressure building, but unfortunately in my job I can't just leave for some quiet time when I want to. Can you imagine me yelling out to the 10 people in my line I have to go, they are out of luck, because I am ready to lose my cool? How would you feel if you were waiting in that line? I can bet that every person waiting would be thinking "how dare she, I NEED her to help me because I NEED to buy this." See, the need is always there.
I try to get it to go away when I'm at home, but there is only so much venting and talking I can do with anyone. For some reason, I just need to blow my top. Exercising will not help, my job is already physical enough. I am so physically exhausted that my sleep is focused on refreshing my body, not my mind. Alchohol is not the answer, then I lose control of my body but my mind continues to spin.
I do appreciate my family during this season. I know they understand and try to help. I know they agree that I need to find a new job, but in today's economy, that is not going to happen. All I can do is wait it out, get through next January, and then mentally forget the problems until the end of next October, when the cycle begins again.
If I forget to say it later "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!".
I get to look forward to the Holidays. I know many in my family love this time of year, and I did too, at some point in my life. Once you have worked retail, you will completely understand my feelings.
My entire year at work is spent with not enough time and too much to do, but at Christmas that increases many times over. Add in all of the other issues: crabby shoppers, increased phone calls, extra hours without overtime pay, needy employees, people calling in sick when they aren't sick, cold weather, electronics breaking down after being overworked, and I could keep going, but you didn't sign up to be bored with my grief.
I am pretty sure there is a secret pool the other associates conduct on when Kelly has her breakdown over the holidays. It can happen at any time for any reason, and I just don't have any control over it. It doesn't matter who is around when it happens, they get the wrath even if they don't deserve it. Usually the major one occurs only once between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can't help it, the pressure of everyone around you always needing something from you breaks me. I don't know what I can do to offset that problem. I know the best way is to remove myself from the need when I feel the pressure building, but unfortunately in my job I can't just leave for some quiet time when I want to. Can you imagine me yelling out to the 10 people in my line I have to go, they are out of luck, because I am ready to lose my cool? How would you feel if you were waiting in that line? I can bet that every person waiting would be thinking "how dare she, I NEED her to help me because I NEED to buy this." See, the need is always there.
I try to get it to go away when I'm at home, but there is only so much venting and talking I can do with anyone. For some reason, I just need to blow my top. Exercising will not help, my job is already physical enough. I am so physically exhausted that my sleep is focused on refreshing my body, not my mind. Alchohol is not the answer, then I lose control of my body but my mind continues to spin.
I do appreciate my family during this season. I know they understand and try to help. I know they agree that I need to find a new job, but in today's economy, that is not going to happen. All I can do is wait it out, get through next January, and then mentally forget the problems until the end of next October, when the cycle begins again.
If I forget to say it later "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!".
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Cap and Gown
Faith brought home her cap and gown order. Did you know that we have to BUY her cap and gown????? Is that not the most stupid thing you have ever heard of? Why doesn't the school simply set up a rental company to take care of that. Who, in there right mind, will want to keep their cap and gown. I just picture it as one more thing to store away.
You should see all of the stuff Jostens is trying to sell with the cap and gown. Of course, there is the standard "Senior 2011" sweatshirt, but don't forget the sweatpants, shorts, t-shirts, keyrings, bla, bla, bla... Yep, I will sure shell out 24.95 for some cheesy t-shirt, no problem on the 14.95 cheaply made keyring. Thanks, Jostens, for taking my money. After all, you have cornered the market. Is there any other company fighting for business to get you to lower your prices? It's like you know you are dealing with weepy 18 year old girls who are so emotional about leaving all of their buddies behind, and to show how much you care, we can purchase tacky stuff at unreasonable prices. (oh-don't forget the "souvenier" tassle so you don't have to ruin your actual tassle when you hang it on the rear view mirror of your car--which by the way I'm taking donations because Faith needs a car and I would like mine back please)
So begins the year of shelling out money. This order came right after the email from a parent sponsoring the Senior All-Nighter party. You remember, those parties at the school all night to keep the kids out of trouble at graduation time? Great idea, but I get to donate $100 the next parent/teacher conferences. THANK YOU Heather for saving us a ton of money on taking those Senior pictures. I know we just have to get them ordered, but after seeing the cost of announcements, I am so glad we are doing this party with Caleb and Faith together. The pictures will work out great to do our own announcements, and I have also seen some cute thank you postcards I thinking about for after.
Sigh, all of this on top of the stress of knowing my baby girl is getting older. Please forward any donations to my local bank. If you need the savings account info, you know how to email me. We would appreciate it if your donations would be in $20 increments.
You should see all of the stuff Jostens is trying to sell with the cap and gown. Of course, there is the standard "Senior 2011" sweatshirt, but don't forget the sweatpants, shorts, t-shirts, keyrings, bla, bla, bla... Yep, I will sure shell out 24.95 for some cheesy t-shirt, no problem on the 14.95 cheaply made keyring. Thanks, Jostens, for taking my money. After all, you have cornered the market. Is there any other company fighting for business to get you to lower your prices? It's like you know you are dealing with weepy 18 year old girls who are so emotional about leaving all of their buddies behind, and to show how much you care, we can purchase tacky stuff at unreasonable prices. (oh-don't forget the "souvenier" tassle so you don't have to ruin your actual tassle when you hang it on the rear view mirror of your car--which by the way I'm taking donations because Faith needs a car and I would like mine back please)
So begins the year of shelling out money. This order came right after the email from a parent sponsoring the Senior All-Nighter party. You remember, those parties at the school all night to keep the kids out of trouble at graduation time? Great idea, but I get to donate $100 the next parent/teacher conferences. THANK YOU Heather for saving us a ton of money on taking those Senior pictures. I know we just have to get them ordered, but after seeing the cost of announcements, I am so glad we are doing this party with Caleb and Faith together. The pictures will work out great to do our own announcements, and I have also seen some cute thank you postcards I thinking about for after.
Sigh, all of this on top of the stress of knowing my baby girl is getting older. Please forward any donations to my local bank. If you need the savings account info, you know how to email me. We would appreciate it if your donations would be in $20 increments.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Miracles
As my family knows, I sometimes wait until the season is done before watching the TV show, then I spend the entire day watching an entire year's worth of episodes. Because I'm on vacation, thought I would finish up Saving Grace.
I love this show, and am sad the season I'm watching will be the last. It is so raw and in your face, and constantly makes me think. For those that have never seen it, Holly Hunter plays Grace, a tough, hard-edged Oklahoma detective. She has alot of personal problems, starting with her drinking and her guilt over her sister's death. Her brother is a Catholic priest, and there are alot of religious symbols and references throughout the show, especially her personal angel, Earl.
The season opener I just watched had me thinking. The premise was that Grace was saved by a miracle of God. The characters bring up a very interesting point, that when a miracle occurs, bad things follow.
Is this true? I wonder if that happens. On some level, it makes sense. This world is a constant battle between opposites, such as good and evil, sunshine and rain, happiness and sadness. In order to balance the miracle, something bad has to happen if theory is correct. I wonder if I were to search any known miracles if we would find tragedy before or after. It just makes sense to me. After the 9/11 tragedy, we heard nothing but stories of miracles happening. Life just has to occur that way to offset the ups or downs we experience. I don't think it's a reason to go looking for that bad thing to happen right after a wonderful experience occurs, I just think we need to take the good with the bad so we can live our lives.
I love this show, and am sad the season I'm watching will be the last. It is so raw and in your face, and constantly makes me think. For those that have never seen it, Holly Hunter plays Grace, a tough, hard-edged Oklahoma detective. She has alot of personal problems, starting with her drinking and her guilt over her sister's death. Her brother is a Catholic priest, and there are alot of religious symbols and references throughout the show, especially her personal angel, Earl.
The season opener I just watched had me thinking. The premise was that Grace was saved by a miracle of God. The characters bring up a very interesting point, that when a miracle occurs, bad things follow.
Is this true? I wonder if that happens. On some level, it makes sense. This world is a constant battle between opposites, such as good and evil, sunshine and rain, happiness and sadness. In order to balance the miracle, something bad has to happen if theory is correct. I wonder if I were to search any known miracles if we would find tragedy before or after. It just makes sense to me. After the 9/11 tragedy, we heard nothing but stories of miracles happening. Life just has to occur that way to offset the ups or downs we experience. I don't think it's a reason to go looking for that bad thing to happen right after a wonderful experience occurs, I just think we need to take the good with the bad so we can live our lives.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Reading Influences
http://thenewdorkreviewofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/10/should-art-be-separated-from-artist.html
I follow "The New Dork Review of Books" blog, and there was an interesting point brought up by the writer. Does the author/musician/artist's way of life influence if you should enjoy their work? Have you ever heard something about that particular person that ever caused you to stop and think you were no longer going to enjoy anything done by them because you were so offended by their actions? The blog brings up Roman Polanski. Has his revenue from his films decreased because he's not allowed to step foot in the country or be arrested for child molestation?
The question posed made me think. If I were to learn about an author's strange lifestyle, I don't think it would affect my decision to read their work. I don't purchase most of my books, they are borrowed, so it isn't a problem for me. I guess if I heard about a crime against a child, it might turn me off from checking out a book by them at the library, but I've never thought about it. Many of my favorite authors were brought to my attention because of the cover art. If it catches my attention, then I read the summary and go from there. For example: "The Lonely Polygamist" was definately an attention getter, just by the title alone.
The cover art/title isn't always a guarantee I will like the story. There are many times I put down a book after reading so much of it, although I don't follow any such rules as "50 pages" limits to give it a chance. I know some people give it time, and say they will try to read so many pages before putting it down, but I just know when it's time to end it.
The blog points out that Hemmingway, for example, was not a person you would want to know, yet every high school in America has him on their reading list. Hitler's autobiography is always on a "must read" list somewhere, and we all know what he did. (I will admit I have that on my list to read, but only from a historical standpoint, I really want to know how his mind worked) Are you influenced by the author's lifetime acheivements beyond their written word, or do you read them because you enjoy them? Maya Angelou is a great person to talk about, she has achieved much more in her life than I can ever imagine doing, but I really can't read her stuff, it just doesn't interest me.
I think it's great we live in a world today where I can go to my local library and get just about any type of reading material I would like to see whenever I want. I could never live someplace like China with all of the restrictions to the outside world (which I think it is terrible about the guy who won that peace award and probably doesn't even know because he is a political prisoner in his own country). Not all humans are perfect, and we can't just assume because they make one mistake that no matter what they do we should just ignore them. I know that one of my favorite authors, Jeffrey Archer, has been in prison for some reason in England, but I've never searched to find out why. I just know I enjoy his books.
Does anybody else refuse to read something or listen to music done by an artist who has committed a terrible crime? Or do you even care to find out about their personal life?
I follow "The New Dork Review of Books" blog, and there was an interesting point brought up by the writer. Does the author/musician/artist's way of life influence if you should enjoy their work? Have you ever heard something about that particular person that ever caused you to stop and think you were no longer going to enjoy anything done by them because you were so offended by their actions? The blog brings up Roman Polanski. Has his revenue from his films decreased because he's not allowed to step foot in the country or be arrested for child molestation?
The question posed made me think. If I were to learn about an author's strange lifestyle, I don't think it would affect my decision to read their work. I don't purchase most of my books, they are borrowed, so it isn't a problem for me. I guess if I heard about a crime against a child, it might turn me off from checking out a book by them at the library, but I've never thought about it. Many of my favorite authors were brought to my attention because of the cover art. If it catches my attention, then I read the summary and go from there. For example: "The Lonely Polygamist" was definately an attention getter, just by the title alone.
The cover art/title isn't always a guarantee I will like the story. There are many times I put down a book after reading so much of it, although I don't follow any such rules as "50 pages" limits to give it a chance. I know some people give it time, and say they will try to read so many pages before putting it down, but I just know when it's time to end it.
The blog points out that Hemmingway, for example, was not a person you would want to know, yet every high school in America has him on their reading list. Hitler's autobiography is always on a "must read" list somewhere, and we all know what he did. (I will admit I have that on my list to read, but only from a historical standpoint, I really want to know how his mind worked) Are you influenced by the author's lifetime acheivements beyond their written word, or do you read them because you enjoy them? Maya Angelou is a great person to talk about, she has achieved much more in her life than I can ever imagine doing, but I really can't read her stuff, it just doesn't interest me.
I think it's great we live in a world today where I can go to my local library and get just about any type of reading material I would like to see whenever I want. I could never live someplace like China with all of the restrictions to the outside world (which I think it is terrible about the guy who won that peace award and probably doesn't even know because he is a political prisoner in his own country). Not all humans are perfect, and we can't just assume because they make one mistake that no matter what they do we should just ignore them. I know that one of my favorite authors, Jeffrey Archer, has been in prison for some reason in England, but I've never searched to find out why. I just know I enjoy his books.
Does anybody else refuse to read something or listen to music done by an artist who has committed a terrible crime? Or do you even care to find out about their personal life?
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