Around the House 2

One of my favorite things-- my Unicorn Hex sign. I should have tried to take a picture that actually shows how large it is. (1 yard wide). 

My first job, the kind where taxes were actually deducted, was waitressing at a local restaurant. It started out as a Dutch Pantry, but by the time I worked there, it was just The Pantry. I worked there during my Junior and Senior years. And then I worked summers and holidays through college. 

When the owner remodeled, he took down all of the hex signs and I grabbed onto this one. I collected Unicorns back then and this was the ultimate prize. It's hung on a wall in every house I've lived in ever since.

(I wish I had a better picture, but back in the stone age, before digital, you never knew what you were going to get until it was too late!)

Customer Service: It Gets Worse-- A Little Morning Humor (or is it?)

My husband and I both believe every person should have to work customer service for a couple of years! I about fell out of my chair when the girl mentions hoping the cafe catches fire-- I have that fantasy quite often! Funny and true, all at the same time!

Just do It

I majored in Art for one year until my Dad's hounding about what kind of job I was going to get with an Art degree finally convinced me to switch to Psychology. Fat lotta good it did me, since I've worked in a grocery store for the past 15 years! I'm not the type to look back and regret decisions because regrets get us nowhere. However  I do regret that I quit drawing. Somehow, between raising kids, working multiple jobs, doing housework and just all of the minutia that goes with life, I let my talent slip away. My daughter, who is majoring in 2D animation  told me to just pick up a pencil and start drawing again.  And I admit, she's right. So, I did. And it felt good. The fine detail is gone, but maybe there is still a little talent left to develop  So, starting today, I'm starting my day with muscle building exercises  (which I've already done this morning) and reserving drawing time in the evening. I think I've got a bit of that "mid-life" thing going on, but maybe that's not a bad thing!

Hello, How Are You?

I work in a grocery store. I have to greet people hundreds of times a day. There is the classic, "Hello, how are you?", which of course is supposed to be answered with "fine", because we really don't want to know if it isn't.(Although some customers are more than happy to launch into a long narrative of how bad they are, with details. ick)  Or there is the "How's Sara?", which I really want to answer "I don't know, I haven't seen her". It would confuse the hell out of them, but I hate when people use that greeting--it feels like someone talking to a child to me--, and besides, my name isn't Sara. But that's a whole other post. I watch alot of British TV and I've noticed this greeting,"All right?", in quite a few of them. I know if I tried it, I would confuse the hell out of people. But it could be amusing!

Spring Fever!

The first of the week the weather was so nice- high in the 70s. Every Spring I get this feeling, like I want to jump out of my skin. I feel like I'm 20, not amost 50. Actually it's kind of painful. Tuesday was really bad. I was in a manic good mood. If I could have found someone to go "road-tripping" with me, I  might have called work during my lunch hour and told them I got suddenly sick and wasn't coming back. (as if they would have believed me!) Even though it got cold and wet at the end of the week, I've stayed in this good mood. I wish I felt like this all of the time.

Amazed and Bewildered

Tuesday afternoon a young couple from Missouri robbed one of our local banks. That's not the story I'm going to tell, though. The story I'm telling is how amazed I am at how so many people go through life uninformed on things I consider basic, maybe even important  knowledge. Tuesday is our Senior Citizen day plus this week there was talk of bad weather coming in, resulting in a very busy afternoon. The robbery happened around 2 o'clock and the grade school, at the other end of the block, was put on lockdown. Hoards of people starting coming in- possibly because of the reasons I just listed or maybe just to hear the gossip. At one time we had lines of people at our two registers. The discussion became "I sure hope they didn't steal my money" which was all funny and people were laughing. Then I realized a few of them were serious. They really were afraid their own, personal money had been stolen. I looked at one lady and said, "well, you know, the bank is insured. You won't lose anything". I could physically see relief pass through her body. And I realized, she really didn't know. All those bank commercials with "FDIC insured" meant nothing to her and some of the others standing there, afraid they had just lost their money. I've always considered myself to be of average intelligence,  but lately people have really done their best to make me feel smart!

Cheers!

The last couple of weeks have been mad crazy.  I don't know how many miles I've put on my car between my Uncle's funeral (70 miles), picking my daughter up from the airport (150 miles), going to the Avon awards luncheon (90 miles) and various other heres and theres.  Plus I've had to deal with the additional  mental strain of losing an Aunt last week (who's funeral is in Arizona--too far for me to attend) and the physical strain of taking a newly 21 year-old work colleague out on a pub crawl last weekend and then my class reunion this weekend. I think I've had more to drink in the last 10 days than I have in the last year combined!  I don't drink much anymore and after all of the money I've just spent I understand why! I'm worn out and ready for things to slow down a bit, but it has been nice seeing people, reconnecting with some I hadn't seen for a long time. After listening to some of them talk about their husbands and children I definitely realize how lucky I am! I need to remind myself of that more often.

Sick Day

I stayed home today. I've had a cold all week, but I've always been one of those people who think if I ignore it, it'll go away. It didn't. I got up this morning with every intention of going, but I don't feel any better today than I did yesterday, and yesterday I was miserable. Hence, I'm using one of my sick days. I always feel so guilty, and I shouldn't. All I was doing was passing it on to my customers, afterall. And maybe it was a good thing I'm home because I just got some news that has thrown me for a loop. Not bad news, just something that is out of the blue that I didn't expect. Something that is throwing off some of my plans for the next month or so. I'm one of those people who process things a bit slow. I need time to adjust. And this feels like a BANG! Like the song says, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans"!

Just Venting

Have I mentioned I need a new job? I used to really like my job, actually looked forward to my day. But things have gradually gotten worse and now I'm just there to put in my time. Life is too short for this. I've been there 14 years. When I first took the job, I intended to only stay 2 or 3 years. That was my average time at my previous jobs. But I liked it well enough and the positives far outweighed the negatives. Now it's starting to be the other way around. The worst part is, I've been looking for another job for the last several years, but with the economy the way it is, every job I've been offered has been part-time. I need full-time! I've always had an easy time finding a job. It seemed I either got offered the jobs without even looking, or applied and was hired right away. It's frustrating!

Hot Commodities

We received these cute little guys last week. They've been a big hit with the kids--and the adults. We've heard over and over again "tell Jerry when he doesn't want these any more, I'll take one". Sorry folks, ain't happening! Turns out these display units aren't something the company sent us for free--the stores had to order and pay for them. Our Mars/M&M rep. was in the store the other day and she said some of the stores never received theirs. I guess there is a limited supply. In fact, it took awhile before we received ours. She then said some have been stolen right out of the stores! (We're talking small stores here where the cashier sometimes has to move away from the door to help customers.) What do they do with them? Check out Ebay--they're going for a couple hundred bucks!

Tales From the Bitchy Cashier

We've had some extremely hot weather mixed with massive humidity--the kind that makes you feel like you are trying to breath underwater. Miserable. It's just high summer in the Midwest. It happens almost every year and we all stay in a much as possible. Thank God for air-conditioning. Which I imagine is why the woman brought her dog into the store the other day. It's common knowledge that pets aren't allowed in grocery stores, but some people seem to think that doesn't apply to small dogs. If you can carry it in your purse, you can bring it in. Wrong! I noticed she was carrying her purse weirdly when she first came in the store, but I didn't realize she had a dog-- two, as it turned out. I think what pissed me off the most was the fact that there was another woman with her. She could have stayed in the car with the dogs and ran the air conditioning. This was just a "show-off" thing. When they got to the register they made a point of being loud enough so everyone knew that there was a puppy in the bag also. I didn't say anything, but I wanted to say, "you know if the Health Inspector comes right now, we're going to get in trouble". Some people just don't think the rules apply to them!

Made in the USA

I decided a few weeks ago that I would try and do my part to improve our economy by making an effort to buy American Made products. Turns out that is harder than I thought it would be. Even in the grocery store most items say "distributed by" instead of "made in". So the question becomes, what is actually made here and what isn't. I suspect that many of the food products are produced here, but the packaging is imported. I don't object so much to items made in Canada, or even Mexico. I guess I figure our three countries are kind of "in it together". I spent 15 minutes reading labels and came up with only a handful of items that actually say they are made in this country. The great State of Illinois is raising taxes (again). Some say it is going to result in even more companies leaving the State. I imagine it will. I don't know what the solution is, but things are going to change. I keep hearing with out spending we have no economy. I think it has just as much to do with the lack of manufacturing!

Fun at Work

Our Debit/Credit Card machine at work is on the fritz again today. It seems that this is becoming a normal occurrence. Not a pleasant one, I might add. We put a big orange sign on the door announcing said inconvenience, but it's amazing how many people pay absolutely no attention. They get to the register and see the second sign I have posted there and seem so surprised. Then they hand me their card like I can do some magic with it. Machine's down means machine's down, folks! I can't do anything with it! More and more people rely on their cards alone--no cash, no checks. I admit, I'm one of those people myself. We lose business. Something needs done--a different system, a different tech. I don't know, but something!

Merry Christmas!

Fat Cat found himself a good spot under the Christmas tree! I remember as a child laying under the tree and looking up through the branches at the lights. I miss having the time to do that! Everything is hustle and bustle. I called Mom last night and we went to Walmart and stopped and got something to eat. I didn't really need anything, but it was a chance to spend some time with just her. With Dad gone and my brother and his family living 4 states away, the Holidays are just a little melancholy. I have a great step-family, and my step-brother and his daughter are coming for Christmas dinner, but it's just not quite the same. Today is going to be one of those nutty days at work. Every Christmas Eve the boss has everyone come in. We will have more help than we actually need. It's fun and tedious at the same time! We have a pot-luck dinner and people pop in and out just to visit. The boss starts indulging in a little Holiday Spirit early in the afternoon. We close early (we close at 4 every year, but they can't seem to remember that from year to year) and some of the grown-ups stay and share a drink and see how many times the phone rings to see if we are still open. Usually I do, but I think today I'm coming home to be with my family. Right now, I'm just hoping for a little snow this afternoon! Merry Christmas, everyone!

But I'm Not Complaining!

I had a wild week at the store. We actually got some snow over the course of the week, but unfortunately it was accompanied by ice. Whenever there is a threat of bad weather, everyone comes running in to "stock up" as if we are going to get snowed in for 2 weeks. It's been years since it was more than 2 days! Tuesday is our Senior Citizen day, so it's always our busiest day anyway, but add in bad weather and it becomes hectic. Plus, to make the day more fun, one of our registers went down for about two hours. Understand, we only have two registers on the best of days. (It's a small store.) One register, lines of people. Hence, loads of fun. (sarcasm, in case you missed that!) Fortunately, everyone was very understanding. That's not always the case. Wednesday, somehow we just got behind, then the other day girl went to do deliveries, and was gone half the day. (I think she only had two deliveries but the Pepsi delivery guy parked her in.) Then, on Thursday and Friday, she couldn't make it in because she lives about 10 miles out and the Blacktop was one big stretch of black ice. Therefore, I got to do my work, her work, and even a little extra, just for the fun of it and because one of the owners had a doctor's appointment. My bad foot has had too much of a work-out, and I think I re-injured my knee. I'm feeling old. Next week, Christmas week, should be just as fun, maybe even more so! Thank goodness, I actually do enjoy the hustle and bustle!

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The husband had to work 5 to 9 this morning, so I rode over with him and went shopping with the goal of finishing my Christmas shopping. It's rather nice when there isn't many people in the stores! I went to Walmart at 6 and parked up front. Then I wondered around for awhile. Picked up a few things, checked out with no lines. But I had to go back at 9 because the photo department wasn't open and I had my mother-in-law's present to pick up. In the two hours from when I left to when I came back was like night and day! The parking lot was full and the lines were all long! But I think I'm done! Yeah!

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A few nights ago, a slightly intoxicated young man "driving too fast for conditions" jumped the culvert and hit a main power-line pole North of town, taking out the electricity in at least 3 towns. It fried my answering machine. I meant to look for a new one this morning, but with all of the Christmas shopping, I forgot. My family really doesn't like answering the phone, so I guess I better figure out something quick!

On the Fence

I can't seem to stay mad. Most of the time I think that is a good thing, but sometimes I think it's why I never seem to get any where with my life. I get mad at work and decide I have to find another job, but then I get over it and it's just easier to stay where I am. Twenty excuses to stay--it's flexible, I can get off any time I want to, I like the people, on and on. But it's minimum wage and there is no future there. If I knew that in five years I could have the position I want I wouldn't even consider leaving. But the woman that does it is in her early 60s and will probably stay until she's in her 80s! By then, I hope I'm about ready to retire myself. Unfortunately, the job market sucks here. I've got a job interview tomorrow for a job that I think I could really like, but it's only 20 hours a week. It actually comes with benefits, but with my husband not working right now, I'll probably still have to work part time else where. Probably at the grocery store. I don't think that will make my life less stressful! They will probably be interviewing 2 dozen people, so maybe the whole quandary is moot!

Kick the Computer

I'm going to start a new game--Kick the Computer! I'm talking about the one we have at work. Three years ago we got a new register system at the grocery store. At the time, I and the other full-time "day checker" had our doubts about the system. It is a flat screen with lots of "buttons" that one pushes to get to other screens. We had very little training--basically we just had to figure it out ourselves. I asked the tech that installed it for a manual and his response was "the manual is 600 pages long and no one reads it". In other words, we received no manual. I believe we were the first store that said computer expert installed and it has been buggy as hell. We have had trouble after trouble with it for the whole three years. And this week has been a bad one. I'm sure the owners spent a lot of money on the system and we are stuck with it for years to come, but oh, it is so frustrating!

Current State of Affairs

My world is falling apart right now, by which I mean that I have so much to take care of that I'm becoming paralyzed. The list is so long that I don't know what to do first. This isn't the first time this has happened, and what normally happens is I will do whatever has to be done in the next day or two as each thing comes due, and eventually I should work through it all. It always works out, but this time feels worse for some reason. I think my nerves are so frayed at this point that my mind has quit working. I keep screwing up at work. Not good. I've suffered from depression in the past and a few years back I started having panic attacks so bad I could hardly leave the house. I ended up on medication for a few years. I don't want to end up back there again. I know time takes care of things, but I just don't want to have to wade through it. I would prefer just to pass by it! Do you think if I just ignore it all, it will go away!?

Sign of the Times?

We have Senior Citizen day on Tuesdays at the store. Over 60, get 10% off. Tuesdays are almost always good. Throw in a holiday and you have a busy day. Put a holiday on Thursday and you have two good days....normally. We had a good Tuesday. But not great. The day's total was only $90 better than last year. If you adjust for the higher cost of everything it wasn't better. And yesterday? Unless they really got busy after I left at 5, we aren't going to be anywhere close to last year's totals. We ran out of some of the basics--some things they didn't order enough, some because our warehouse shorted us--and some things we just couldn't get for some strange reason. But I'm sure that hurt us alot. We are the only store in town, and I believe that if our customers had to run to the next town over, they were just going to pick up everything while they were there. Quite frankly, that's what I would do. The day before Thanksgiving is usually one of our best days of the year. I won't know the actual numbers until tomorrow, but I'm betting we are down a quarter of what we did last year. It worries me.
P.S. I guess they did stay very busy and the day's totals weren't bad at all. Who could have figured?!

Roller Coaster Week

It's been quite the week. Not bad, mind you, just up and down. Work was okay, except we got extremely busy Tuesday afternoon and everyone had already left, leaving me and Jean to cope with lines of customers. My son broke his arm in PE on Wednesday. He really thought he had just fallen on it wrong, but by the time I got home from work it was hurting pretty bad. We sat in the Emergency Room all evening. It's just a buckle fracture and should heal fast and he should have the cast off before Christmas. I took a "vacation day" on Thursday, did some follow up stuff from the night before, went to coffee with my friend Tina and went shopping and out to dinner with my Mom. Made for a decent day. Today, hopefully, I'm going to take advantage of the sunshine and put out some Christmas lights. And my daughter should be home Thursday for the weekend, so I'm looking towards a good week ahead. Fingers crossed!