the wonderful world of des

moving!

2011-03-12T18:41:00.004-05:00

So!

I did it, I moved to wordpress. I don't feel like transporting all this over there, so I'll leave it here, at least for a while. But go check in at http://retailretales.wordpress.com/
for all future updates.

Tell your friends!

Love,
superdes, aka desstar

oh hi

2011-03-04T15:56:00.003-05:00

Oh hi, I have a blog that I haven't updated in over a month.
Remember when I used to update at least once a day? Yeah.

So anyway, I think I'm going to switch to Wordpress. Blogger is always ridiculous for me - it gives me issues uploading photos and whatnot.

Maybe it will inspire me to blog more. It won't be every day, because I'm still pretty damn busy, but more often than once a month anyway.

I haven't started the new blog yet because honestly, I don't know what to call it. And I don't know if anyone cares. That's not an invitation to a pity party, I just never get comments anymore. Of course, I rarely leave comments on others' anymore either. Part of that whole "being super busy" thing.

So.... thoughts?

personality test

2011-01-30T10:29:00.004-05:00

Every so often, I like to take the Jung Typology (personality) Test. Even though I get the same answer, I always forget what that answer is.

I'm an ISTJ, also known as an Inspector. Also read as a robot. I find it pretty accurate, the most hard-hitting sentence being "They are patient with their work and with the procedures within an institution, although not always with the unauthorized behavior of some people in that institution." What? Me get annoyed at people for not doing thir job, especially when it affects my job? Nooooooooo.

I had to take a test like this for my job in NYC. It was very long and much more involved then this online one, and the results were much more in depth. I got to see my results (most people don't) and I should have made a copy. It said the same thing, and it actually used the term robot. So you see, I'm not just making that up.

Speaking of jobs, the online test gives a list of jobs & careers suitable for my personality type, but I'm pretty convinced that it's just a ploy to check out some online schools. It gave me things like Management and military service. I understand why - they are rigid and organized. But getting to those positions is not. Regardless, I'm happy with my choice to go into cosmetology. It mixes science with creativity, plus I get the benefits of dealing with people and having every day be different. And who better to do hair than a robot? ;)

updates on school and work

2011-01-23T12:10:00.000-05:00

Other than burning my finger when learning to use old skool metal curlers and straighteners, school is still going well.

For some reason (I guess just to have it on paper that I'm not a total idiot), I have to take a Computer Basics class. It really is the basics too. I mean, obviously I can use a computer. I'm using one right now. I used one to register for that class. I can write HTML code. I can use a damn computer. But they teach us to "double click" on icons and how to get on the internet. I spend that 2 hours a week texting Jay and playing games on my phone because honestly there's nothing I can learn. I also had to buy a book for it (really?) and the one in the bookstore was like $75. Next semester they're upgrading to Office 2010, so the book on Office 2007 (I know!) won't be worth anything to buy back. Luckily I found a place to rent the book for $19, so now I don't have to worry about spending a bunch of dough that I don't have on a book that I will never use.

Pretty much everyone in the COS class gets along. I haven't hung out with anyone outside of class yet, but there are a few people that I would consider. This is evidenced by the other day at lunch: everyone was crowded around one table with not enough seats. I had gotten to the lobby a little late, so I was left without a chair. I stood around for a few minutes, then decided to go sit at another table by myself. (We stand up for 7 hours a day, so I took the seat when I had the chance.) But a few minutes later, a few of my "friends" came from the other table to sit with me. That made me smile.

However, there's one chick in my class that noboody likes. All she does is complain, and everything she says is negative. At first she was complaining that we use too many chemicals and everything is so wasteful. I initially brushed her off as a hippie that was just in the wrong profession (seriously, cosmetology uses a ton of unnatural chemicals!) but she kept making it worse. Everything we do in class is "impossible" (even though the rest of us are managing ok) and every problem she has is horrible and dramatic and deserves special attention, even making the teacher stop in the middle of class. The rest of us always exchange silent eyerolls whenever she opens her mouth, and I hope that she drops the program. She's only taking it because she was a dog groomer and people aren't paying for that service anymore, so she figured grooming people "is the same thing" just with a license.

I'm still looking for a new job. Besides the pay cut I mentioned previously, I found out some things the other day that made me very stabby. My previous supervisor lied to the managers about me. He said he had previously "counseled" me regarding my performance, and since my performance hadn't improved, I was supposed to be written up. The only problem was that he never had actually counseled me, which is why (thankfully) they couldn't find the paperwork, so I couldn't be written up. For a job that I no longer have, btw. And this same guy had told them that he was doing my work for me. For example, there were these giant cardboard bins that I spent several days building... he said that he built them. I threw a fit right then and told the manager to ask the rest of my coworkers, as they all saw me building them, and many made jokes about how I was building cardboard forts to hide in. Before this, I had been friends with this guy. I was able to separate friendship from work, but lying to his superiors to make me look bad and him look good, well, that's not something a friend does. That's not even something a good manager or decent human being does. I haven't had to work with him since, but when I eventually do, I'm sure he'll ask why I de-friended him on facebook. And I'll tell him exactly why.

Other than that, work isn't horrible. It's kind of nice not having to do so much - my new position is like braindead. I mean the pay still sucks, but until I get something better I can stick with it. I haven't had to work with either of the 2 people I hate, so hopefully it will stay that way.

Sorry this was kind of a negative blog but really I am still pretty happy. I miss my friends at work, but I still keep in touch with them and hang out with them occasionally, and I'm on my way to having new friends from school. And of course, I still have all of you lovely people.

And sorry it was TL;DR. And I used a lot of parentheticals. But I actually have things to say now!

2011-01-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

I finally had my first day of school, after 3 & 1/2 days' delay from snow.

I think I'm really going to like Cosmetology school. There are 4 "classes" in the program - beginners (like me), advanced, seniors, and estheticians. Normally there's a manicurist class too, but not this semester. My class only has 9 people in it, all girls. There are a total of 3 guys in the whole program (out of about 40 or so), and well... way to fit stereotypes, gay hairdressers. (jk)

The $1500 I spent break down into one giant box of books - a set of 7 - and my cosmetology kit, which includes things like plastic heads and various hairpieces, along with assorted tools. I was super excited to open the kit and play with everything. :D The books include "quizzes" which are so simple that I could do them all tonight and turn them in tomorrow. It's a nice change from the studying I had to do while getting my Bachelors. However, I know cosmetology uses a different part of the brain than that.

My teacher is a no-nonsense Jamaican lady, and I think I'm going to like her. In fact, I'm really excited about the whole thing. Even though it's going to take some effort and life adjustments, I think I made the right choice in going back to school for a career in hair.

resolute

2010-12-30T15:22:00.001-05:00

I normally don't make New Year's resolutions. I'm of the mind that if you want / need to change something about yourself, you should just do it and not wait until the calendar says to. This year it just so happens that I need to change myself right at the new year. How convenient.

I'm going to stop being such a downer and have more fun with my life. I know I've been having a hard time lately, but I shouldn't let it bring me down. I am certainly lucky in that I have love (from both Jay and 2 adorable kitties), a nice place to live, lots of friends all over the world, and a job. Sure, I'm looking for a new job because I hate this one, but a lot of people don't have even that luxury. In fact, I've been that person too, and I'll do what I can to not be in that position again. I watch tv and movies about families that are poor but happy. I want to be that. I am going to stop being so sad about my situation and have fun with what I do have. The fact that I'm being sad just makes me sadder, and that's a retarded circle that needs to stop. I'm going to stop wishing for things I can't have, and start enjoying the things I already do.

So I'm gonna do it. I used to be one of the happiest people I knew, so I know it's possible. And I need you, my blog friends to help keep me on track. An occasional downer post is allowed, but if I start bringing you down with all my Desi Downer acts, slap some sense into me!

I might even get a tattoo of the quote "It's fun to have fun" which is a Dr. Seuss quote that (used to be) my motto.

Other than that, everyone have a safe and happy new year. And have fun! :D :kiss:

ps - I'm officially done working overnights now, so that will probably help with the happiness. :D

silly cat

2010-12-18T21:10:00.006-05:00

When I was in 3rd grade or so, we read a story in class about the Alaskan natives. The time period was such that they still weren't "Americanized" but they did receive yearly boat shipments of oranges. Because oranges are not native to Alaska (something about the cold....) the girl that was the focus of the story would eat the outside (the peel) and throw away the "garbage" inside. Obviously this is backwards from the norm. But the outside was better than anything she had ever had, so she didn't imagine that it could be even better.

I relate this story because of Hadley, the new kitty. She was definitely a "street cat" before we got her, and so is not used to the basic comforts of home that Mecrutio takes for granted. For example, we have a few cardboard scratchers around. Mecru uses them like a normal cat - scratchy scratchy. Whereas Hadley lies on it as a bed. We have many soft things for the cats to lie on, including various cat beds, blankets, and even our own bed, but no. The scratchers are more comfortable than anything she had on the streets, so she doesn't need to look for anything softer.

See?

We're trying to teach her about beds, but as long as she's happy.

financial woes

2010-12-10T18:15:00.002-05:00

Warning, sad emo blog.

I'm really stressing about money today. Why?

-Out of the 2 cars we started out with, one is still smashed and the other has severe transmission problems. Both can be fixed, but not with our current resources.

- I don't know I'm going to pay for school. My financial aid still hasn't kicked in, and probably won't until too late. I can make payments on the tuition, but I didn't realize until I actually went to sign up that it requires a 33% down payment, which means I need about $300 by next week. Then I need another $1300 or so by next month for a uniform and supplies, which are specific packages I can only get through the school.

- xmas is coming, and I already feel horrible that people are going to be buying me gifts when I can do so little for them.

The list can go on, but those are the major worries right now. And I am trying to better my situation - I have one side job that started out pretty awesome. It's one of those work at home deals, and it was so awesome that I was planning on quitting my real job (which I hate) as soon as I had all my school bills paid with the extra money. But they recently changed it so I can only work like 1-2 hours a day. I know every bit helps, but seriously, an extra $10 a day isn't really helping me make my deadlines. And that means I have to stay at my horrible "real" job.

I have another side job lined up too. I did my (paid) training for it today. A friend of mine is going on vacation and needed someone to cover his part time job. It's a pretty sweet gig: I go down to the local BMW dealership 3 times a week, and take pictures of cars. I have to move the cars around and take very specific pictures of them, but I get paid for 3 hours' work whether it takes that long or not (and he said it usually takes only about an hour). If it's raining or snowing, I still get paid. Then I go home and upload the pictures to the website and a few days later there is more money in my bank. So this will help out a little anyway, though I'm not sure if that will be in time for school. And as always, there's still the odd sale from my etsy store and the random modeling job, but those are not reliable sources.

OK, sorry to lay that on you but I needed to get that off my chest.

new kitty

2010-12-03T18:39:00.003-05:00

I got a new kitty! Warning, this is long but the cuteness is worth it, I promise.

The local humane society did a free cat adoption the weekend after Thanksgiving. Jay had to work both days, but I was off Saturday (after 9 hellish days in a row!) so he trusted me to go pick a winner.

I was originally looking for a male cat because the cat I already have is male. (Because they're from the Humane Society, no matter what they would be spayed or neutered.) I found one that was cute, but he was very shy. I'm awesome with cats, so he eventually warmed up to me, complete with snuggles and love nibbles, but he was still skiddish. There was an older couple outside the pen discussing the cat with an adoption coordinator. While they were surprised that I was getting any kitty attention (kit-tention), they were looking for an outside / barn cat - not necessarily people friendly but cat friendly and a good hunter. From their description, this was the perfect cat for them. Even though I liked him, I didn't know how he would react to Jhay and other guests, which is important to me. (I didn't stick around for the follow up, but when I next cheked the webpage, that cat had been adopted, so I assume it was with those people.)

Also I didn't feel so bad about letting that one "get away" because that cat's pen-mate, Hadley, was an adorable sweetheart. She was very affectionate, but not needy. She was comfortable enough around me to eat and let me hold her and touch her feet, and was still playful. In total, I spent over an hour in that pen, occasionally venturing out to see if I wanted to meet any other cats. But I kept going back to her until my mind was made up. She wasn't spayed yet, so I signed all the paperwork and was told I could come back Tuesday to bring her home. Perfect, as Tuesday is both my and Jay's day off, so he would get to meet her before actually getting home.

We got there and signed all the final paperwork and whatnot. They gave us a cardboard carrier to get her home - we took it because it's always nice to have 2 carriers when you have 2 cats. She was still groggy from surgery so we left her in the cardboard one. The adoption folks warned us that she hadn't gone potty since before the surgery - more than 24 hours ago. No problem, we had a litter box waiting at home. Unfortunately, poor girl couldn't wait til then, and I ended up very covered in stinky cat pee. And the cardboard carrier went straight in the trash.

At first the two cats didn't get along. We kept them separated, but the new one was still grumpy from surgery and all the recent changes in her life. So even though Mecrutio wanted nothing more than to be friends, the new kitty let out the occasional hiss, and that was off-putting to everyone. But as time went on. they became friends. As I type this, they are chasing each other around upstairs, sounding like a herd of elephants.

And now pictures! Meet Hadley. (The shelter named her, but I think it's a cute name so we'll keep it.)

Did I mention she's polydactyl AND bobtailed? She's my little genetic opera of a kitty.:)

rantings of a fangirl

2010-11-29T18:17:00.004-05:00

Last night I got to see the legendary Cyndi Lauper in concert. I may be biased since I've loved her since I was born, but even the casual fan would agree that it was A.MA.ZING. The crowd was mostly older, though there were a few people my age, and one pair of girls that were definitely like 15. They tried a little too hard with the hair gel and the "crazy" outfits, but as long as they had fun I don't care.

Most of the show was her rocking out old blues covers, and I do mean rocking. It was so good that I didn't even care if she played her old 80s hits. However, the mouthy broad next to me did. "We paid $36 to hear some She-Bop!" she kept complaining to her friend. Directly in my ear. I wanted to turn to her and be like "Well maybe after 30 years she's tired of playing that old stuff. She has a new cd out, let her plug that. And *I* didn't pay to hear She-Bop. I can hear that for free, at home. I paid to see one of the most awesome women in music history live in person."

And I almost wish she hadn't played the 80s hits. She is such an excellent performer - high energy singing and dancing mixed with storytelling in her adorable Queens accent. (And how often do you call a a Queens accent adorable?) But she did play the 80s hits, and they too were fucking fantastic. She just waited until after the fake end of the concert, when everyone leaves the stage but the house lights don't come on. The audience cheers for a few minutes, and everyone comes back to finish the set.

Here is a video of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". The quality is crappy, but you can see how high-energy it all was. I had to cut off filming because she said "raise your hands in the air" and everyone did, and little old me couldn't see a thing. :(
ps - you can definitely hear that mouthy broad I mentioned earlier.

Here are a coupla other of my fave pics.

I got an autographed cd, too. They were pre-autographed, I didn't get to meet her, but it's still pretty cool. And yes, I idolize Cyndi Lauper almost as much as I do Joan Jett. And you all know how much I love her. But honestly, it was one of - if not THE best concerts I've ever been to.

pre-thanksgiving

2010-11-24T10:42:00.002-05:00

This is not a post about what I'm thankful for. Those are boring. It's more of the minor disappointment variety.

This year we are eating dinner with some friends, who are incidentally moving out of state just a few days later. They are preparing the turkey, so we just have to worry about sides. My requirements are easy enough: candied yams, black olives, and sweet dinner rolls. Yams require no effort at all because this is the South and they love their sweet potatoes. Olives, well, that's just opening a can (and putting the olives on my fingers). I thought sweet rolls (also called Hawai'an rolls) would be easy too, considering this area's love of sweet tea. But they also love homemade flaky biscuits, and I guess that wins out because I can not find sweet rolls anywhere in this town.

After failing at the regular grocery store, I checked the organic / specialty store. Nuthin. They did have honey butter though, so I bought that, even though it was $6 for a small tub. And because I didn't want to make another stop, I went ahead and bought the regular rolls, which were literally 4 times the price I should have paid. Since I was spending unnecessary money, I thought I would buy some Tofurkey jerky as well, but apparently it's been discontinued. And usually that store has a coupon for a certain item free (be it a bag of apples, pasta, or what have you) when you spend $5. But not this week.

So all in all, it was a disappointing trip. I know dinner will be tasty no matter what, but I wish things had gone my way.

updates

2010-11-13T14:26:00.002-05:00

Lots to update.

We moved into our new place like a month & a half ago. I don't have my own internet YET, but it should be coming soon. Luckily I have Jay's smartphone to tether sometimes. :)
The new place is pretty great, a lot better than the old place. My only complaints are that none of the rooms get full sun - the den and kitchen each get a sliver big enough for the cat to sit in but not me - and the neighbor kids do nothing but scream and cry. All day. Every day. It's not so bad when we have the tv or music on, but when I'm trying to read quietly or go to sleep... yeah, I consider taking those 3 kids (all under age 4 or so) and ditching them in the woods somewhere.

So things were going quite well, until...

...we got in a car accident. Downhill (maybe a bit too fast) at the moment that it starts sleeting for the first time leads to smashy smashy. We're both fine, but down to one car that already barely runs. For the record, I wasn't driving and I maintain my perfect driving record. :D

Work has been killing me. A month or so ago I put in to get my old job back, because I'm tired of being beaten up and exhausted every day from doing my job without the proper equipment. They said "we'll talk about it" after the first of the year. Which means no. Then the other day the store manager chewed me out for not meeting a deadline. I had already pointed out multiple times why the deadline was impossible. What made it worse is that I got yelled at on the sales floor, in front of many of my coworkers and customers. That is the part that I couldn't let slide, and in fact I would have walked out right then if I didn't need the money so badly (thanks in part to the aforementioned car accident).
Then later I was informed that during the managers' meeting, I was named "bottom contributor" of the store. I've never called in sick, I'm never late, and I'm generally ahead in my work - so much so that I help out other people all the time. In fact, right before I switched positions, I was unanimously named the Top contributor. Yet somehow now, I am worse than all those part-time cashiers that call out constantly (if they call at all) or worse than the guys that cuss at the customers or whatever. So anyway, I've offically lost my work ethic and am open to another job elsewhere.

Speaking of that....

I'M A COLLEGE STUDENT AGAIN! Cosmetology, to be exact. I've been thinking about it for a while, and the other day on a whim I went down to the school. My timing was perfect, and I put my name in just in time for them to go ahead with the program (they only do it in Spring if there is enough interest) and classes start January 10. I went to my orientation, and it's going to be a pain in the ass and a lot of work, but I know it will be worth it. I'll get to do something I actually enjoy for a living, imagine that! I do have to take out all my earrings / piercings for class though (thank you very much, state board) but if that's the most I have to sacrifice, so be it. ;)

However, my financial aid is going to take several weeks to kick in, and I need to buy my supplies before that happens. The plus side is that I only have to buy supplies once - not every semester like regular college. The down side is that I need about $1500 before classes start to do this, and that's the part I am stuck on. I'm selling things on ebay, still selling jewelry (in theory), and doing what I can, but money is already tight without this giant expense. I'm looking for work gigs for extra cash, but this town is dry as a bone. I'm almost to the point where I feel like I should just complete the cliche and become a stripper at night while I'm a cosmetology student during the day. And yes, I'm joking. Kinda.

Anyhoo, hopefully when I get my internet back, I can blog more.

stream of job consciousness

2010-09-27T16:46:00.003-04:00

Longtime readers know I've never been happy with any job I've had. Some are better than others (especially in hindsight) but I've never found the perfect one. I like being creative. I like working with animals. Unfortunately, most jobs involving either of these things require a piece of paper stating that I can do them. I have no such paper. I do want to go back to school, but until I am more financially stable, it is out of the question. I don't even know what I would go for. I've had aspirations for everything from veterinary school to beauty school to a university for the science degree I never got (instead I got that one in literature).

I would just about kill to be able to do something creative for a job. I like thinking on my own, not being told exactly what to do by some corporate office 2000 miles away. I am reminded of this every single day in my real job.

Jay wants me to start writing again, which is why I've been trying to blog more. I love that he has faith in me, I just lack the discipline. I know I could put out a book if I just sat down and DID it. (I dunno if anyone would read it, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.) But that's just one example. I still make jewelry, and sometimes I model, but neither one pays the bills. I still need a place to live and food to eat, after all. (Though the extra income I get from one or both of those IS a help.)

I know the perfect job is out there, I just need to find it.

news - high heels

2010-09-22T21:44:00.004-04:00

Today on my break at work I was watching the news. Rather, I was reading the headline ticker at the bottom of the tv, while the newscasters babbled on about how David Hasselhoff was kicked off Dancing With the Stars.

The one that caught my eye was "High heels a waste of money? New study shows 40% of men don't notice women's shoes."

First, men aren't supposed to notice the shoes. They're supposed to notice what high heels do to our legs and butts. Evolutionarily speaking, high heels lift and separate our buttcheeks, and that is a prime indicator of sexual readiness. Or to the layman, Dayum!

Also, apparently all women only buy things to impress men. It's inconceivable that a woman would buy something, say a pair of shoes, because she actually liked them and found them aesthetically pleasing. I know every pair of shoes *I* purchase is in the hopes that a man will lie in awe of how wonderfully they match my fingernail polish.

Thank god for the news.

local music

2010-09-18T11:03:00.004-04:00

I went to see my friend play a concert last night. He was really good, but the other acts not so much.

The first act was just a guy with an acoustic guitar. You could tell he was talented, but he was boooooring. Such a stereotype. You know, songs that are just a few chords and ramblings of words too long to fit in the musical meter, not "sung" so much as spoken in rhythm. One of the songs was called "Exercise in Existentialism" so you can imagine how that went. (eyeroll) All the songs sounded the same. Luckily it was pretty easy to ignore, as everone in the(very small) audience was bored. I could see that happening in a coffeehouse. However, upstairs from the venue is a gay nightclub, and we could hear the techno beatz over the acoustic guitar, so I was dancing in my chair to that, really resisting the urge to go up there.

Next up was my friend, and he too is just a dude with a guitar. I knew that coming into the show, but I wanted to support him. He was actually really good. He had good volume, had variety in his playing, and had actually well written lyrics. He gave me a cd of his, so maybe someday I'll share it with all of you.

The third and final act (for us, anyway) was having a bit of an identity crisis. They really wanted to be an indie folk band (sticking with the theme of the night) but also kinda sounded like The Pogues. I wish they would have embraced that, but no. This one was two dudes, one with an electric and one with an acoustic guitar. The singer wore a green wifebeater and trucker hat to go with his long redneck beard. The lyrics were less than stellar: one song repeated "Why or why are you such a bitch" and "Why or why are you such a whore." Gee, tell us how you really feel about your ex wife. (He explained the song before he played it, you know because we never would have figured it out.) Another song featured the line "breakfast is a metaphor." For what, we wondered. His "singing" was way more on the screaming side, and as the sound system in the place isn't as awesome as it could be, it was a pretty overall awful aural experience. We left partway through their set, since the friend I had gone to see also left.

But I miss the experience of going to shows (especially local ones) so it was still a fun time. And hey, it gave me a story to tell.

Really? (a different one)

2010-09-16T17:02:00.000-04:00

I was looking something up for a customer today and she reached out and TOUCHED MY FACE. I recoiled violently, and she said "oh sorry, but your star is so pretty!" I said, I don't like people touching me! And she seemed to get the hint.

I've said it before: tattoos are not invitations to touch strangers. Especially their face!

really?

2010-09-13T18:50:00.004-04:00

Today there was a notice on my work's internet message board about overhead signing. Since that's my job and all, I had to read it. Here's a paraphrasing:

Many stores have questioned the fact that they received both pharmacy and Halloween signing for the store's entrance. There seems to be some consfusion as to which signs to hang.
If your store does not have a pharmacy, do not hang the pharmacy signs. For those stores with a pharmacy, hang the pharmacy signs now and replace them at the end of the month with the Halloween signs.

Really? Stores that don't have a pharmacy shouldn't hang the signs advertising the pharmacy?

Apparently enough people were confused by this that they had to issue a company-wide announcement.

This, people. This is why I need a new job.

it's official!

2010-09-11T10:41:00.004-04:00

We were approved for the townhouse! I hate moving, but I'm excited to be in a new place. I'm looking forward to all of the following:

-no major bug infestations, so it won't take 3 additional months to move in
-any problems will be FIXED (like heat and/or AC)
-carpeted floors
-two stories
-two bathrooms
-more room, so now we can actually have people over!
-better location: closer to both of our jobs, a more fun neighborhood, etc.
-related: walking distance from a delicious BBQ joint that everyone in Asheville knows
-24 hour access to a fitness room

I'm sure there are more advantages, but I think that's enough to show why I am pleased. :)

moving, step 1

2010-09-05T13:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the first (and probably one of the only) nice day of the year here. It was about 77 degrees and NOT humid! It was the best. Jay and I spent it looking for apartments.

In short, the house we live in is very old and more than a pain in the butt to heat and cool. We looked at a few, and we think we found an awesome new place - a 2 story townhouse, with 2 bedrooms and 1 & 1/2 baths (full bath with toilet / bathtub / sink upstairs and toilet / sink downstairs). The model we saw was pretty great and beautifully laid out. It's cheaper and bigger than the other ones we saw, and pretty close to both of our jobs (though hopefully soon I'll be at a different job...) We've got a coupla more places to check out "just to be sure" but I for one am pretty set on the townhouse.

So after we check out the remaining places on Tuesday, we're going to drop off a fairly large, mostly non-refundable check. There's a holding deposit, pet deposit, application fee x2, first month's rent, etc, etc, etc. Some of it is due with the application and the rest a few weeks later when we actually get the keys and move in. Not sure where we're suddenly going to come up with like $1500, but we don't have a choice. On a semi-related note, anyone wanna buy anything?

So that's my update for now.

why?

2010-09-01T16:25:00.003-04:00

So today at work I had to hang a sign on the front door. I sat on the inside, so the automatic doors opened towards me. The static cling sign was about 3 feet square, so it took several minutes to get it straight, smooth out all the bubbles, etc. Now, I would rather have waited until the morning (before the store opens), but the Store Manager - you know, the one who knows everything about my job even though he's never done it) wanted it done today.

During this time, people were coming in through this door. All of them would stop and look at me. Then some of them would walk 1 foot to the right and use the *gasp* manual door. But too many people continued through the automatic door, opening it ONTO me, inconveniencing me and forcing to stop my work (and move fast to avoid getting whacked in the face). I actually had to recruit one of my coworkers to stand guard so I could just take 5 uninterrupted minutes and finish.

Now, what went through their heads? Hmmm. there's a person on the other side of this door. Since I can see her clearly, I know she is in the middle of doing something. But she's in my way. I don't understand what to do! If only there were some simple solution....

more adventures in retail

2010-08-20T16:59:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking about starting a new blog, just about my stories about customers. I could pull a lot from this blog, and as long as I have my current job I will always have fodder for new material. What do you think, would you be into that?

Anyway, here are today's stories:

-My last customer of the day br\ought a whole cartful of things, and each item had a coupon. But she didn't bother reading the coupons, so some of the items were the wrong sizes or flavors, or the coupon was only good when you brought 3 of them, or whatever. Some of the coupons weren't even for items that we sell in my store.
The chick that was taking over my register so I could go home had to keep running and grabbing items for this lady because the lady didn't want to do another transaction.

I made sure the managers knew about that one, and I wrote my coworker a "great team" card, which gets posted on the bulletin board for all to see.

-Someone was buying 2 binders today, so I put them inside each other so they would fit in the bag better. She said" Did they teach you to do that? You're so smart!"
But her tone wasn't genuine - it was the same tone you would use with a child or a retarded person. Since I'm obviously not a child, I think she honestly thought I have a mental disability. I got that vibe a lot today. Not sure if people are just quick to judge based on my "profession" or if I was really being stupid. I didn't feel stupid.
Just because I play cashier sometimes at work doesn't mean that I'm retarded or that I didn't go to college. First off, cashiering is not my job. I just help them out sometimes. Secondly, I'm lucky to have any job at all in this shit economy. I can't pick and choose based on what other people will think of me!

-Also I had someone buy a bunch of stuff, pay with foodstamps, then with $4.82 remaining on a gift card (that she wasn't even sure she wanted to use), and then she realized she didn't have enough money to cover the rest. I can't suspend a transaction once a payment has been made, so I had to void the whole thing while she ran out to her car. So she left a shopping cart full of bagged, unpaid merchandise, [b]along with her purse[/b]. I kept it there for a few minutes, but all my other customers were commenting "why would she leave her purse?"
After about 5 minutes I had the manager take the whole thing over to the guest services desk. The lady still didn't come back for like 20 minutes. I son't know where the hell she went.

/eyeroll

suffering

2010-08-15T16:01:00.003-04:00

I'm half-heartedly looking for a new job. I really like all my coworkers, but there are sooo many things that make me grumpy.

Mostly it's the store manager. He has told me repeatedly that he never would have hired me "looking like that." Lucky for me, it wasn't up to him because he wasn't there. But still, even though I receive nothing but praise from everyone else in the store for being the hardest and best worker they have ever seen, he still judges me on my hair and tattoos.
I am the only person capable of doing my job - the store manager really has no idea what it entails. Yet, he continually criticizes me and then tries to give me "advice" on how to improve. "Why aren't you straightening the area while you're over here?" Because I don't have nearly enough time to worry about what the product on the shelves looks like. I don't even have enough time to get all the displays set up because about once a week I'm taken from my actual job to do something else, like cashier. You know, the important stuff that utilizes every bit of my potential.

Today he was complaining that a sign I was hanging on the wall (via adhesive) was crooked. It didn't look crooked to me, but I explained that I couldn't reach it to make it perfect, as it was over the sunglasses cases, which was about 4 feet from the closest point the 8-foot ladder could get. We had this conversation:
"You can step on these, you know."
"Dave, those are cardboard."
"Then step on this."
"That's a light. That would end badly." (specifically, it was the casing for a flourescent light that hangs over the sunglass displays to showcase them better.)
"Well you don't have to put any weight on it. Just put your front foot on it so you can reach the wall."
"No. Putting my foot on something in front of me and then being sure to not put any weight on that foot while I'm reaching in front of me will not help me do anything except fall onto the displays from 8 feet high and go to the hospital."
"But the sign is crooked."
Then another coworker who was in the area said "Why don't you do it for her? You could probably reach better than her, so it would look like you want it to."
I said "yeah, there are only 15 of them today, and the store opens in under 2 hours. Knock yourself out. Literally."
After that he left me alone for the time being, but this is the kind of conversation that I have with him every time I see him. You can imagine how irritating this would be when I've been at work since 4am, and he comes waltzing in and pokes around in everyone's business, trying to look useful since he doesn't actually know anything about what we are doing.

I don't get paid enough to put up with that, or for the new shade of "bruise" my legs have become. I've started using Arnica lotion to help heal them, but that stuff stinks to high heaven. Plus there's no point if I just get new bruises every day, even when I am super careful.

The downside is that there are no jobs in this town. I take that back - there are a very few. However, they are all either retail jobs equivalent to what I already have, or things I am in no way qualified for, like "doctor" or "machinist." I don't have the resources needed to learn a new trade, and I already know plenty. So I'll suffer through this job for a bit longer, knowing that I will get glowing recommendations from everyone I work with (except the store manager, whose opinion I won't ask) for suffering through.

ad psychology

2010-08-13T15:43:00.002-04:00

Since I spend my days at work hanging signs, I naturally spend a lot of time looking at the pictures ON the signs. I noticed something this morning. The store (or the modeling agency that the store hired) features models from every age, race, etc.* and a lot of men with what we're supposed to assume are their children. Every single one of the men in pictures with children feature a prominent wedding ring. They are posed in such a way that you always see their left hand, whether it be holding the child, or near their face, or whatever, but it's always there.

I'm not sure if this is to convey a more family friendly message, like "there's no way this stylish young man is sleeping around and irresponsible - he's married and that is his child with his wife. Both of whom he loves very much." Or the fact that women (the primary shoppers and thus the main focus of the ads) are more attracted to a man with a ring. "There must be something good about him, because someone claimed him as her own! I WANT HIM! But I'll settle for that sweater vest, because it looks so good on him, it's bound to look good on that slob I call my boyfriend."

I had a lot more to say on the matter (and did have a whole conversation about it in my head), but that was at 4am and ironically I was more rational then.

I just thought it was interesting to note.

*There are no models with visible tattoos, but that's just about every ad campaign out there. I'm trying to change that, I just need to be featured in some ads. :P

moving again

2010-08-09T16:45:00.002-04:00

We've officially given notice that we're moving out of ths house by October 1. I won't go into why, as I have complained about it many times in this blog, but suffice to say that it's not a place where we can spend our lives. So the search for an apartment is on! There's one that I really have my eyes on, but they need to offer us a special - like $100 off a month or something - in order for us to afford it. At some point as the date approaches, we'll go talk to them and see what they can do for us, gently reminding them that in this housing market, good tenants that pay slightly less are better than no tenants at all. We are planning on staying in Asheville though, at least for the time being.

So we'll see how that goes. It also means we both need to buckle down even more (if that's even possible) and not spend money. We're going to sell things like crazy, and keep working our asses off at our mediocre retail jobs so hopefully we can save up for the deposit on our new place, plus the cost of moving.

As always, you can buy jewelry from my Etsy. I made a really pretty pearl necklace yesterday, see:

You can buy that at the shop. ;)

Regarding the boycott of Target:

2010-08-07T12:55:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't heard, people are trying to boycott Target because the CEO gave money to a Republican candidate in Minnesota, who is apparently the biggest homophobe / anti-gay man you could find. So people are boycotting the entire chain of stores to show how this displeases them as consumers.

But here are some facts you should know.

- Target sponsors Twin Cities Gay Pride every single year (3rd largest in the country, by the way), and at least the San Francisco and NYC AIDS Walks (I'm sure it sponsors more of them, but those are the ones I've been to and so can vouch for personally).

- According to MN Forward Executive Director Brian McClung, Emmer was chosen by the group because of his position on job growth and the state's economy. It is the same reason that the group has been garnering contributions from corporations like Target and Best Buy. IT IS ABOUT ECONOMICS. The guy's homophobic nature didnt come out until later.

- Target does believe that gays should be able to get married.There is an option on Target's wedding registry for gay couples.

- In the store I work in, I can name 6 LGBT employees right off the bat, just in my circle of friends. I know there are more. They are treated exactly the same as everyone else. They are not denied benefits, or paid less, or anything else that could be considered discriminatory.

-Boycotting a large company hurts nobody but the measley hourly workers like me. They give us hours each week based on our sales. So when you boycott the store, it can't pay the employees, gay or otherwise, that you believe you are protecting.

- Like with anything, READ UP ON THE FACTS. I usually don't comment on crap like this, but I'm tired of people treating me like shit because of their half-informed perceptions of where I work.