Sunday, May 31, 2009

Go-Getter

I spent a good portion of the afternoon at a coffeehouse with a friend. It was a chain unfortunately, but there is a bright spot. The man behind the counter. I'm not sure if he was the manager or what, but it doesn't matter. He worked there just like anyone else. When we walked to the counter, he immediately asked us what he could get started for us. We gave him our orders and then he asked my friend if he could refill her water bottle off her bike. She accepted. He fixed my drink and we paid. As we were sitting at the table conversing, I noticed the guy walking to our table with my friend's drink. I noted, "he sure is a go-getter!" He later came up to us and told us that he knew we had expensive bikes parked outside the shop, but next time we were more than welcome to bring them inside the shop. You rarely hear this statement as a cyclist. It was so comforting to see a real go-getter at this chain place. I hope he wasn't new and just had a really great attitude starting off. No matter what job you do, you should do it to the fullest, or not work there. I have been at a job where I didn't give it my all, and I subsequently quit. And I have worked with people who don't give it their all and it is miserable. Go do something you love.

On my ride from the coffeehouse I admired the smell of new construction near the shop. I'm not a big fan of new monstrous construction, but the smell is nice.

Speaking of monsters, I like the nickname a friend and I have given this 2 headed monster we know...enough for now!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Stories

Best feeling of the week; no customers asked me why I was limping! This makes me so excited coupled with "no PT for me!" I am now moving to every other week for physical therapy and I feel great about it! It has been a little more than 7 months since I broke my ankle. Crazy huh?

Funny story from yesterday - A customer called the store while I was the only one on the floor. He yelled at me for about 10 minutes. It was the type of conversation where he was so heated that I couldn't get in a word. He was complaining about how his son was in the store a week ago with his wife. Apparently he tripped on something and ripped his shoes. His wife told him that the employees at my store told her that she needs to watch her son and not let him run around the store. The man on the phone was so mad that he wanted to speak to the owner and he wanted compensation for his son's shoes. My boss happened to walk in during the middle of this convo, so I gladly handed him the phone. Mr. Angry Man continued to yell at my boss for another 10 minutes. My boss kept apologizing, asking the man what he could do to make it up to him, and asking for a meeting. The man kept saying he wanted compensation for his son's shoes. My boss said, "how much were the shoes?" $14.99. My boss said he would gladly give the man 15 bucks. Mr. Hot Head then said he would call back at exactly 3 o'clock. My boss asked all of us about the situation, but no one knew anything about it. The man called back about an hour later apologizing to my boss. Supposedly, the man ran into his neighbor who was with his wife when all of this happened. The truth comes out...the little boy tripped on his way up to the store and his wife subsequently lied to her husband about the whole situation. My boss accepted his apology and then fell to the floor laughing after he hung up. Damn. This makes me wonder about what kind of person wifey is and what kind of relationship they have. That brings up some trust issues I suppose.

Speaking of trust...I was let in on a situation the other day. It involves 2 friends/acquaintenaces. They both have different stories. One of them is lying. Great.

Funny story from today - I was invited to a friend's "naughty/nice" wedding shower. I was to bring a nice gift and a naughty gift. Nice gift, check. The naughty gift was bought after work today due to the fact that the adult store didn't open until my work opened. I flew into the parking lot (because I was already late to the party), and briskly walked into the shop. Both employees stated that they could tell I needed a gift in a hurry. I said "yes, I need a $5-$10 gift for a party and quick!" They handed me a toy that required a battery and sent me on my way. I exclaimed, "that was the easiest sale of the day!" Being in retail you have to love easy sales!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Pet Lovers

I grew up with cats. I remember crying for a whole day when we put our first cat down after 18 years. My family has had 4 cats total. In college, I decided to get a dog. Who knows why, but I did it. I love my dog to death, (except when he barks constantly)! I like animals for the most part to preface my next statement.

So, a wise friend of mine once said, "What is even more mystifying is when people have animals, and they don’t have a real residence of their own." I completely agree with this statement. If you are transient so to speak, why would you subject an animal to that unstable life? Furthermore, if you can barely support yourself, then why on earth would you take on another living being to support? It's not fair to others, yourself, or the animal! Lastly, if you don't really like your animal, let your animal in your room, or care to spend time with your animal, then why do you have it?! There are loving people in the world that would love to take care of an uncared for pet.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Snap, Crackle, & Pop!

No, I'm not going to write about a bowl of Rice Krispies...although I used to love eating those as a kid with fresh peaches bought from a side of the road vendor on the way back from the deep south. Speaking of side of the road vendors, I always loved buying boiled peanuts this way too. Usually you will see a broken piece of ply-wood with the words "Boiled P-Nuts" spray painted with an arrow pointing the way.

On to more important things. When I first started PT, my therapist notified me that my ankle would pop from time to time. He said it would be very loud and may scare me, but it was a good thing. It meant that things were starting to work again. It did scare me in the beginning, but now it's kind of funny. It pops every morning when I wake up and start moving. It pops from time to time at work. It ALWAYS pops in PT, especially when I am lying on the table.

Let's just hope it doesn't snap again...



Saturday, May 23, 2009

Advocacy

I heard a story tonight of a person in my life who is unhappy in their job. This person has lots of ideas floating in their head about what to do in a new job. This makes me happy. I am always a big advocate of people leaving a job that makes them unhappy for one that makes them happy! I have seen people around me try to do what I do and fail. It's pretty hard to screw this one up, but I guess it's possible.

Almost one year ago, I left a professional job that required a master's degree AND a professional license for a job a little less professional...I wear shorts, tank tops, and tennis shoes to work! Anyways, it was pretty tough to see/hear people's reactions to my change. I got a lot of funny looks and comments. I knew it needed to be done before my life flashed before my eyes. I will have to say that I have made some mistakes this past year, but overall I am much happier. I am excited to wake up and go to my job in the morning. I feel appreciated and feel I have a purpose. I feel like I have conquered a challenge and still working on improving myself. There is ALWAYS room for improvement.

I will help anyone I know do what I did. It is now my passion. No more sitting in a cube, in a high rise, with a bucket over your head!

Super stoked about receiving a limited edition 1 of 2 tiny tank top from a friend today!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Flat Tire, Flat Affect

Day started very nice with a trip to yoga. The instructor told a story that really hit home. She mentioned how she had a job way back when that was fun, but that she didn't at the time think it was very meaningful. She tried out several jobs in between and ended up going back to the profession she mentioned earlier. She said something to the effect of "even if someone doesn't think your job is meaningful, it is."

This prompted me to visit some of my old coworkers in K-town. I was sad to hear one of them had called in sick. I think she was sick of "speed week." She used to always complain about the speedway because she lives very close to it. The vibe was very different at my old job. There wasn't a sense of camaraderie that used to flow through the hallways. Back when I worked there, it felt like a team effort and we all got along just fine. I encountered the "new Ms. Overcash." She thanked me (very sarcastically) for the bright yellow walls in her office. She then continued to complain about her job, salary, etc. This conversation ended with her throwing her tupperware furiously in the trash. I visited with a few more of the people I liked and then went about my way. My friend alerted me after I left that the "new Ms. Overcash" was upset about end of year testing and about me being there. I had never met her before in my life. My friend has already diagnosed her with a personality disorder. That explains it. I was also shocked to hear that an article was written in the paper today about the school closing down next year. The staff was disappointed to read it in the paper.

I ran some more errands, followed by a nap. Someone had a conversation with me about safety. This is where my flat affect appeared. It didn't seem to effect me whatsoever. I then decided to ride my bike. I popped a flat with less than 10 miles left in my ride. It wasn't in the greatest area of town, but that didn't effect me either. It took me about 20 minutes to change it, but in the meantime a lady named "Nan" approached me. She stated that she saw me as she was driving by and didn't think I would be safe sitting there changing my flat. It was very nice of her to sit with me. She even offered to drive me home or follow me home on my bike in case I got another flat. I thanked her several times and went about my way. Less than 2 minutes after a very kind gesture, a not so nice gesture happened. The bike lane ran out on this particular road and I was riding in the lane as I am supposed to. A lady in a minivan leaned her head out of the passenger window yelling something at me like, "get in the bike lane!" Everytime this happens to me I want to yell back so badly. I don't though.

I have been pretty "flat" about some other things in my life. I've let things happen that shouldn't happen. I'm over it. Done.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Pondering

Should I stay or should I go? Isn't that a song? Yep. I need a change. Something different. I've been doing some research and want to make a decision. Impulsivity and independence. What to do, what to do? I think I will sleep on it and make my decision tomorrow...

Friday, May 15, 2009

A-Game

I slept fine, bedtime tea, window open. Woke up resisting physical therapy. I went anyways. I feel like my physical therapist knows me pretty well by now. He even knows things about my personal life. He continued to ask me today, "are you alright?" "What is going on with you today?" After 6 months of going to him and never complaining one time or "cheating" I did those things today. I don't know what it was. I did not want to be there. He let me leave early and asked if I was upset. I told him I was mad at myself for not performing up to par. I stated that I was not on my "a game." He responded with, "yeah, you are on your z game!"

I almost called in sick to work. I never call in sick to ANY job. I will go to work even if I am on my death bed. I hate letting people down. I went anyways. Bad day at work. I called it a "booger bear" day. My boss called it a "bullshit day." I wanted to leave several times and my coworker threatened to quit more than once. I had several customers comment on my flat affect/mood today. On the flip side, I had several customers thank me for my exceptional service/good humor I gave them today.

Weird, weird day. No explanation. Tomorrow is Saturday. I hope things flow more smoothly...

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Better Day, Better Off

"Do you know what I needed today? I needed a stress-free fun day. And that's what I got. Thank you."

I went into work for a bit to settle some business, put my old bike back together (with a little help from my friends), and avoided getting sucked into work! Cleaning and reassembling my bike was a great feeling. Bikes are pretty complicated if you don't know what you are doing, but I had my hand held the entire time.

I had a great day filled with good food, good conversation, and a good ride! Just what I needed after a couple of stressful days earlier this week.

A few observations of mine from the day.

A) I ended up in this trendy-ish skate shop downtown. We needed to use the phone to alert a friend his business was left unlocked. I thought the store was pretty unique with it's wide array of skate shoes, jeans, and tiny t-shirts. The guy working at the front counter had on a vest-type holster with two huge guns in it! My friend asked if he worked security and his response was, "No, you can never be too safe." I guess you can never be too safe in downtown Charlotte, in the middle of the day, in a trendy skate shop, in a super nice condo high-rise. He also had this too fast too furious orange motorcycle outside of the shop. I kept picturing him in some sort of high speed chase with his guns blazing. Interesting character.

B) I ran into a girl that I have met once before. She updated us on her job status. Apparently she went from designing houses to manual labor. She is the owner of the company. I started to think how it really shows something about a company when you see the head honcho scrubbing baseboards with his employees, changing tubes on wall-mart bikes, or building a foundation on a house. I like it. It's also motivating for the employees to see their boss getting his or her fingernails dirty. I have always told people "underneath" me that I will never give you a job to do that I haven't done myself.

C) I like unique, interesting people. People that have their own story or do their own thing without worrying what others think.

D) I was notified about a change in a friend's life. It's for the better. This friend doesn't know the whole story about the change, but I do.

Off to work in a bit. I'm hoping for another great day!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Not One of my Favorite Days

Today wasn't the greatest day for me for many reasons. Still very frustrated.

Three things have made my day brighter; riding my bike after work (even if it was just around the loop), eating lentils+tomatoes+okra, and now being able to post my friend's website. The gift has been gifted, so I can direct you to this site
http://sofiakollstedt.typepad.com and this one too http://www.sofiak.etsy.com. You will see on her blog the artwork she created for me. I like her style, very unique. I have a thing for artwork created by people I know. It's so meaningful.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better, I do have the day off, so there you have it.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Laser Fest

The juniors and I played laser tag tonight. It's probably been at least 10 or so years since I played. We ended up playing 3 rounds, with the last one being the "ironman" where you play double the time. First round, got my feet wet. Second round, dominated. Third round, filled with a bunch of weird people that play laser tag on a Saturday night. "Old man" scared me. Quote of the night, "Get away from us you creep!" The best part was trying to create code names that the staff would let us get away with. Apparently they have pretty strict rules on what they will allow. We were "necktie," "puto," "white chocolate," and "Hey Loser!"

I just realized that I had no down time today. Busy busy day at work. Made lots of money and had a good time. Time to relax...

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Not Me

I went to an event at a bar tonight to support a friend who is running a marathon for charity. I saw an ex of mine. Everytime I see him, I realize more and more how mismatched we were, and how I am better off now. Anyways, we met up with another friend of ours, and ended up at an event that I used to go to every Thursday in the summer. It has changed locations and it's formula. I realized it's not me anymore. Too many people, too much noise, too much alcohol. I felt super overwhelmed. I liked how it used to be where you could see everyone in attendance. My friend took some balloons from her event to try and get more money at the big event. She raised over 10 dollars in 5 minutes by giving people balloons. One guy ATE his balloon like a rabid animal. It was really scary, but he paid his money for his balloon!

I ran into a guy from my previous life. It was nice to ketchup. He asked about a former friend of mine. I explained why we were not friends anymore and gave him some advice; Focus on the people in your life that care about you and will be there for you. Forget the others.

One last thing; my physical therapist asked me to whistle today while I was "skipping" and I heard a song on the radio on my way home tonight that has lots of whistling. I can't whistle.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Two Day

I had the day off of work today, so naturally it started off great! I met my artist friend for breakfast. We had a nice conversation and then she gave me the artwork she created for me. I want to post what she gave me, but one is a gift that hasn't been gifted yet, so....wait on the edge of your seat for the pictures!

I then ventured down to gas-town to get sized for my bridesmaid dress. This has been a cluster from the beginning. All of the other dress orders were put on hold because I haven't had a chance to make it down there. The lady at the store showed me the dress then furiously searched for another dress in a smaller size for me to put on for fitting purposes. I told her that I would probably be a size 0 or 2. She didn't believe me. I was put in a size 8 dress! It fell completely off when it was zipped up. My measurements were taken and she notified me that a size 4 dress would be ordered for me. Then she happened to remember that she had a size 4 wedding dress in the shop that I could try on. That was too big also. She should have listened to me in the first place but oh well. While I was putting on the wedding dress, which was quite funny, I noticed this sign that made me laugh.



Size 2 was ordered. I knew it would be. I also told her that gaining weight between now and August wouldn't be an issue. If I haven't gained any weight in 6 years, I won't in 3 months.


I then headed to the mall to troubleshoot my mac at the apple store. A new charger was given to me. Next I got a manicure and pedicure. I believe this contradicts an earlier post about not being so girly, but I do like them. I choose a chocolate brown color. I'm really into brown right now.


When I arrived at work, I noticed my new bike was completely finished! This was a very nice surprise! I will post pictures when everything is dialed in.


Today was a great day except for one thing; I was lied to again. This is 2 times in 2 days, 2 different people. Word to the wise people that know me; I'm pretty intuitive and very observant. There isn't a whole lot of things that get past me and I can read people pretty well. In my previous life I was paid to listen to stories, analyze them, and read people. It comes natural.


Off to bed now, busy day tomorrow!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Frustration Ensues

My frustration began Thursday, wait, no maybe before then. Who knows. Frustrated with a lot of things. I'm trying to get things done and help others. I've had some negative things said to me also which hasn't helped.

Here are some words that have been floating around in my head; laziness, ignorance, stubbornness, self-sabotage. I can't stand it when people are lazy. That also kind of ties in with self-sabotage. Is it easier to complain about the negatives in your life than actually do something about them?

{I wrote this last night but didn't get a chance to post it because my computer died and my charger broke. So I went to bed without dinner. To be continued later...}