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!

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!

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.

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...

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!

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.

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...