Posts
I have a lot of updates that I haven't put up in here yet. Umm... I'll get to them tonight, promise. Plenty of crazy stuff has gone on at that blasted kiosk so I have things to tell you about.
Today though I'm preeeeetty busy. Going out to lunch with my friend Karen, then possibly seeing Miss. Mierzwa, and I have my first karate lesson tonight. I'm also going to get going a bit earlier maybe, because we have some awesome fog going on. I hate driving in it... but photos... >.>
SO! Enjoy your day, and I'll be back tonight with updates and (hopefully) new photos for you!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
If there's one thing I miss...
If there is one thing I miss about Massachusetts... it was the peace and quiet. Mom and my brother are having a screaming match again because he was too damn lazy to do his homework and once a week chore of taking the garbage out, even after he'd been told several times, and now he's mocking my mother who is angry at him. It's loud, annoying, fucking stupid, and if my stomach weren't feeling off I would leave. To where I don't know, but I would. Wouldn't be the first time either. Shit, I'd probably just go to Uncommon Grounds or something. Stupid brother. >(
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Through a Rapist's Eyes
I got this in email, and it's pretty important stuff so I decided to not only forward it on, but to post it here online. Please read it, take note, and perhaps copy-paste it into an email to send on to people.
---------------------------------
Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke)
This is important information for females of ALL ages. Guys - please forward to the female members of your family and all your female friends and associates.
When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends. I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends & family and this information is too important to miss someone. Please pass it along.
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.
3) They also look for women on their cell phone , searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.
4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00am. and 8:30a.m.
5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.
6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.
11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD . One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches.
Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.
14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN . I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll
anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.
15) When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!
You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
PLEASE READ THEN FORWARD THIS TO EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW, IT'S SIMPLE STUFF BUT IT COULD SAVE HER LIFE
---------------------------------
Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke)
This is important information for females of ALL ages. Guys - please forward to the female members of your family and all your female friends and associates.
When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends. I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends & family and this information is too important to miss someone. Please pass it along.
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.
3) They also look for women on their cell phone , searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.
4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00am. and 8:30a.m.
5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages. Number three is public restrooms.
6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here", "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.
11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD . One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches.
Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it hurts.
14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN . I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll
anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.
15) When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!
You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
PLEASE READ THEN FORWARD THIS TO EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW, IT'S SIMPLE STUFF BUT IT COULD SAVE HER LIFE
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The Kiosk from HELL
All right, so I've worked a total of three days in Clifton Park now... AND I HATE EVERY LAST MINUTE OF IT. EVERY LAST ONE.
I shit you not, this is the KIOSK FROM HELL.
Let me just list the reasons with small explanations. Otherwise this will get too lengthy. WAAAAAAAY too lengthy. And it's going to be long as it is. :P
Before we go there though, please bear this in mind. I am the assistant manager at this kiosk. Alix is still the head manager, but since she can't be there 90% of the time, I'm in charge. So I'll be working 40 hour weeks at this thing, and managing most of the bookwork and stuff. I'm also responsible for training the others and helping them, and for keeping everything in order. My responsibilities have gone up, and I don't mind this. And I wouldn't mind the 40hr weeks either... except that I REALLY HATE THIS KIOSK.
Let me begin...
1. As of Thursday when I got there, we did not have storage space. We were told it wasn't part of our lease agreement, and our legal department was immediately after the mall because it most definitely was a part of the agreement. Thankfully by noon that same day we had a storage space... however it is all the way across the parking lot and behind another building, not that accessible, and not safe to walk to after dark alone, I don't care how many cops are around. Alix agrees. And to top it all off, we share it with the mall who is currently building the Santa set in there. Yeah... so it's not even our own space. And it's definitely not inside the same building like it was supposed to be.
2. The modem was busted. So we couldn't boot the register fully, and had no access to the verifone, meaning no credit card sales. This went from the first day when we were just stocking, before we were open, through to the second day. About 3pm that day though, we finally got it all working. Had to overnight a new modem, and then that didn't work so I don't know what Alix did... but everything was kind of working right then.
3. We had to create a new register boot disk. Thankfully we have a backup one on hand, because the master one is totally corrupted. We couldn't get it to work right on Thursday, and today when I got there it didn't work either and I was on the phone with Alix forever trying to get the register online. Thankfully the backup one worked, and then it was just a matter of fiddling to get the base fund accepted so that we could do transactions.
4. Because of where the storage area is, we have no place for the PC that controls the kiosk and stuff. I don't know exactly how all that works, I just know we need the PC. Well, at first we were told to just keep it under the kiosk, but that meant no place for the security curtains. Thusly we gave up two bins for understock to store the security curtains. But we still couldn't have the PC there because it wasn't accessible enough. So we got a small table on Friday and that's where it now sits.
5. The security curtains still can't go under the kiosk because we need that space for the money box and our jackets and bags. We originally would have used the storage area... but that's just not possible.
6. Borders didn't ship us all the calendars so we have empty spaces on the shelves. This also means we'll be getting more, and that means more overstock. Which means more mass trips to the damn store room.
7. They told us we were supposed to sell Visa giftcards good to the Clifton Country Mall only... but then told us otherwise and we have no idea what we're going to do with that. Not to mention we have no way of selling them, and wouldn't want to because it costs $4-$5 just to activate the damn things. Screw that.
8. We have this really creepy Middle Eastern guy loitering around the kiosk. He works the one next to us but just wanders away from it to read our calendars. And he really is creepy. Asked for a job but we already hired enough people, and I wouldn't want him anyways because he can barely speak English and that bothers me a lot. Especially since we have a lot of older customers with bad hearing to start. We won't even get into the fact that he looks and acts shady. :x
9. Borders is RIGHT DOWN THE STREET from this damn thing, but they decided they didn't want the hassle and it got tossed on Alix. And they don't want to pay her mileage because it's just under 30mi to CP from Saratoga. SCREW THAT. I told her to fight them, and if they won't give her the mileage to refuse the kiosk next year. We shouldn't have the damn thing anyways, since we have our own in Wilton.
10. Our paychecks are getting sent to Saratoga because management is apparently pretty dumb. So I have to go pick them up (we're adding on an extra half an hour for this so I will get paid, but still...) and bring them back. Alix had Mark put in for a change of address for them though so that they'll get delivered to us instead.
11. We don't have the little floating islands, so eventually when we have the same amount of product as Wilton, we'll have less space to put it all out in.
12. The mall is freaking dead. It even made deadmalls.com, which is sad. Even though the article is old, it still holds true. None of the stores are really connected, and nobody gives a shit about this place. They'd rather go to Saratoga or Albany. And Clifton Park is right in the middle. We only did some good business today because Madagascar 2 opened and people were visiting the theatre.
13. It turns out that I have to drive an extra 10-20min to get there, since it's actually a bit longer, and the traffic is a lot worse. When I was going to Saratoga it was more highway and city, so people drove better. That, and it's Saratoga, so people are just generally more inclined to move their ass. Going to Clifton Park I take a lot of back roads, and people just CANNOT FUCKING DRIVE. A lot of people do 35 in a 55 and it DRIVES ME BATSHIT INSANE. And by the time I reach 146East, I'm already close to being late because of the bastards. It's just a mess, and I need a different route.
14. The mall isn't even called a mall, so I got lost the first two days trying to find it. The first day I actually stopped a FedEX truck and asked the driver how to get there. Like... seriously, there are NO SIGNS for this mall. If you can call it that.
15. We're right in the middle of the food court, which is a nice location but it still sucks because it turns out people like to have birthday parties at the mall. Yes, birthday parties. RIDICULOUS. There were THREE OF THEM today, and I couldn't have a peaceful lunch if I'd wanted to.
16. There isn't shit to eat for lunch. And everything is hecka expensive. I had the worst salad EVER my first day there and it cost me $6, with a drink. And the pizza I had the last two days... so greasy it TOTALLY SOAKED two napkins. :\ There isn't anything else healthy that I can eat. Lack of Miracle Whip and all since I'm allergic to mayo. Looks like I need to either bring lunch, or learn to drive faster so I can get across the street to Subway. Because this is just stupid.
17. They want us to park FOREVER away from the mall near a queer entrance. None of us do it, because it's not worth it. Fuck it, I'll just park a bit further back near an entrance I've sort of come to know.
18. We had, and still have, no planograms to tell us where everything is supposed to be, so I was the walk-talking planogram since I have pretty much everything memorized.
19. Because of where we are and what we're hooked to power-supply wise, we can't get the security curtain around the register part of the kiosk correctly, and I doubt the PC gets covered well.
20. The flat screen for the PC is pretty much dead, so we're waiting on the new one to be shipped out to us. So you can only see half of the screen well enough to really navigate.
21. We didn't have any employees for this kiosk until the day before thanks to Borders not giving Alix much time to do interviews, and because trying to find people who can work in Clifton Park was a pain. As it is only two people that I know of live there. Sad.
That's about it. The first day Mark wanted Alix and I to work double shifts to get the rest of the product out too, and that just wasn't happening because they don't pay overtime. Fuck that. And I needed to get to the school anyways in Galway for stuff.
I'm doing the Pictures with Santa, and needed to meet with the PTSA. It'll be free, but I get a whole table to myself to promote myself, and I get to hand business cards out with all the photos, so it's worth it. Grabbed Subway on the way out of Wilton, since I had to run there first on Thursday for my paycheck, and barely made it in time to the school.
Last night I barely made it to the bank with my paycheck thanks to a nasty accident, and then the dumb lady wouldn't shut up about her questions with Borders that were totally dumb, and got me locked in since it was past closing. But at least my check was cashed so I could pay my car loan.
And TigerDirect fucked up and didn't refund me everything they were supposed to, so I chewed their ass out last night.
And today, for the first time ever, I had to work a Saturday because of training people. I work next Saturday as well, and then that should be the end of it. I'd rather have two days off in a row and work Mon-Fri than this one day bullshit before it's back to another four days at work. Ugh.
Thursday Mark is coming out to see the kiosk. No idea what he'll think of it, but we're doing the best we can.
I really don't want to man this kiosk any more. Like... I'm glad it got me up to $9.75/hr, but this is just... ugh. Alix even told me she was ready to quit her job with all this bullshit. This is just nuts. And this kiosk is open until near the 20th of January. Blarg.
I was also looking through the Clifton Park mall hours... and on Black Friday the thing opens at 6AM. SIX IN THE MORNING FOLKS. I would have to be up about 4am to be able to get there by 5:30am to open. And on Thanksgiving we celebrate at my grandmother's in Rotterdam, an hour away. But we don't just celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrate my Mom's, sister's, and brother's birthdays as well. Which means I probably won't be home until 9pm or 10pm at the earliest, if I'm lucky. So I'm going to need to have a loooooong discussion with Alix about having one of the people who live in Clifton Park open on that day, and I'll go in a bit later. You know, one of the employees that live five minutes from the kiosk. And I know Heidi does. So... yeah. A 4am wake-up is just not possible unless I can get to bed by 7pm, 8pm at the latest. And I will be VERY LUCKY if I can leave by 8pm from the family gathering. So not cool.
Shit, the kiosk is going to have to open at 8:30am the few days before Xmas because the mall will open at 9am instead of 10am. I'm just going to DIE those few days. DIE. But at least that's not as bad as 5:30am. -_-;
Someone just shoot me now. This is insanity.
January cannot come and go fast enough. And then I get to stay on at the store, at least, I'm 95% sure I do. THANK GOD.
I really hope these next few months go fast. And I'm glad I have my Zoloft, because I am going to need it.
And once this is done, I am NEVER GOING TO CLIFTON PARK AGAIN. I will turn this job down next year if it's offered. NO THANKS.
I shit you not, this is the KIOSK FROM HELL.
Let me just list the reasons with small explanations. Otherwise this will get too lengthy. WAAAAAAAY too lengthy. And it's going to be long as it is. :P
Before we go there though, please bear this in mind. I am the assistant manager at this kiosk. Alix is still the head manager, but since she can't be there 90% of the time, I'm in charge. So I'll be working 40 hour weeks at this thing, and managing most of the bookwork and stuff. I'm also responsible for training the others and helping them, and for keeping everything in order. My responsibilities have gone up, and I don't mind this. And I wouldn't mind the 40hr weeks either... except that I REALLY HATE THIS KIOSK.
Let me begin...
1. As of Thursday when I got there, we did not have storage space. We were told it wasn't part of our lease agreement, and our legal department was immediately after the mall because it most definitely was a part of the agreement. Thankfully by noon that same day we had a storage space... however it is all the way across the parking lot and behind another building, not that accessible, and not safe to walk to after dark alone, I don't care how many cops are around. Alix agrees. And to top it all off, we share it with the mall who is currently building the Santa set in there. Yeah... so it's not even our own space. And it's definitely not inside the same building like it was supposed to be.
2. The modem was busted. So we couldn't boot the register fully, and had no access to the verifone, meaning no credit card sales. This went from the first day when we were just stocking, before we were open, through to the second day. About 3pm that day though, we finally got it all working. Had to overnight a new modem, and then that didn't work so I don't know what Alix did... but everything was kind of working right then.
3. We had to create a new register boot disk. Thankfully we have a backup one on hand, because the master one is totally corrupted. We couldn't get it to work right on Thursday, and today when I got there it didn't work either and I was on the phone with Alix forever trying to get the register online. Thankfully the backup one worked, and then it was just a matter of fiddling to get the base fund accepted so that we could do transactions.
4. Because of where the storage area is, we have no place for the PC that controls the kiosk and stuff. I don't know exactly how all that works, I just know we need the PC. Well, at first we were told to just keep it under the kiosk, but that meant no place for the security curtains. Thusly we gave up two bins for understock to store the security curtains. But we still couldn't have the PC there because it wasn't accessible enough. So we got a small table on Friday and that's where it now sits.
5. The security curtains still can't go under the kiosk because we need that space for the money box and our jackets and bags. We originally would have used the storage area... but that's just not possible.
6. Borders didn't ship us all the calendars so we have empty spaces on the shelves. This also means we'll be getting more, and that means more overstock. Which means more mass trips to the damn store room.
7. They told us we were supposed to sell Visa giftcards good to the Clifton Country Mall only... but then told us otherwise and we have no idea what we're going to do with that. Not to mention we have no way of selling them, and wouldn't want to because it costs $4-$5 just to activate the damn things. Screw that.
8. We have this really creepy Middle Eastern guy loitering around the kiosk. He works the one next to us but just wanders away from it to read our calendars. And he really is creepy. Asked for a job but we already hired enough people, and I wouldn't want him anyways because he can barely speak English and that bothers me a lot. Especially since we have a lot of older customers with bad hearing to start. We won't even get into the fact that he looks and acts shady. :x
9. Borders is RIGHT DOWN THE STREET from this damn thing, but they decided they didn't want the hassle and it got tossed on Alix. And they don't want to pay her mileage because it's just under 30mi to CP from Saratoga. SCREW THAT. I told her to fight them, and if they won't give her the mileage to refuse the kiosk next year. We shouldn't have the damn thing anyways, since we have our own in Wilton.
10. Our paychecks are getting sent to Saratoga because management is apparently pretty dumb. So I have to go pick them up (we're adding on an extra half an hour for this so I will get paid, but still...) and bring them back. Alix had Mark put in for a change of address for them though so that they'll get delivered to us instead.
11. We don't have the little floating islands, so eventually when we have the same amount of product as Wilton, we'll have less space to put it all out in.
12. The mall is freaking dead. It even made deadmalls.com, which is sad. Even though the article is old, it still holds true. None of the stores are really connected, and nobody gives a shit about this place. They'd rather go to Saratoga or Albany. And Clifton Park is right in the middle. We only did some good business today because Madagascar 2 opened and people were visiting the theatre.
13. It turns out that I have to drive an extra 10-20min to get there, since it's actually a bit longer, and the traffic is a lot worse. When I was going to Saratoga it was more highway and city, so people drove better. That, and it's Saratoga, so people are just generally more inclined to move their ass. Going to Clifton Park I take a lot of back roads, and people just CANNOT FUCKING DRIVE. A lot of people do 35 in a 55 and it DRIVES ME BATSHIT INSANE. And by the time I reach 146East, I'm already close to being late because of the bastards. It's just a mess, and I need a different route.
14. The mall isn't even called a mall, so I got lost the first two days trying to find it. The first day I actually stopped a FedEX truck and asked the driver how to get there. Like... seriously, there are NO SIGNS for this mall. If you can call it that.
15. We're right in the middle of the food court, which is a nice location but it still sucks because it turns out people like to have birthday parties at the mall. Yes, birthday parties. RIDICULOUS. There were THREE OF THEM today, and I couldn't have a peaceful lunch if I'd wanted to.
16. There isn't shit to eat for lunch. And everything is hecka expensive. I had the worst salad EVER my first day there and it cost me $6, with a drink. And the pizza I had the last two days... so greasy it TOTALLY SOAKED two napkins. :\ There isn't anything else healthy that I can eat. Lack of Miracle Whip and all since I'm allergic to mayo. Looks like I need to either bring lunch, or learn to drive faster so I can get across the street to Subway. Because this is just stupid.
17. They want us to park FOREVER away from the mall near a queer entrance. None of us do it, because it's not worth it. Fuck it, I'll just park a bit further back near an entrance I've sort of come to know.
18. We had, and still have, no planograms to tell us where everything is supposed to be, so I was the walk-talking planogram since I have pretty much everything memorized.
19. Because of where we are and what we're hooked to power-supply wise, we can't get the security curtain around the register part of the kiosk correctly, and I doubt the PC gets covered well.
20. The flat screen for the PC is pretty much dead, so we're waiting on the new one to be shipped out to us. So you can only see half of the screen well enough to really navigate.
21. We didn't have any employees for this kiosk until the day before thanks to Borders not giving Alix much time to do interviews, and because trying to find people who can work in Clifton Park was a pain. As it is only two people that I know of live there. Sad.
That's about it. The first day Mark wanted Alix and I to work double shifts to get the rest of the product out too, and that just wasn't happening because they don't pay overtime. Fuck that. And I needed to get to the school anyways in Galway for stuff.
I'm doing the Pictures with Santa, and needed to meet with the PTSA. It'll be free, but I get a whole table to myself to promote myself, and I get to hand business cards out with all the photos, so it's worth it. Grabbed Subway on the way out of Wilton, since I had to run there first on Thursday for my paycheck, and barely made it in time to the school.
Last night I barely made it to the bank with my paycheck thanks to a nasty accident, and then the dumb lady wouldn't shut up about her questions with Borders that were totally dumb, and got me locked in since it was past closing. But at least my check was cashed so I could pay my car loan.
And TigerDirect fucked up and didn't refund me everything they were supposed to, so I chewed their ass out last night.
And today, for the first time ever, I had to work a Saturday because of training people. I work next Saturday as well, and then that should be the end of it. I'd rather have two days off in a row and work Mon-Fri than this one day bullshit before it's back to another four days at work. Ugh.
Thursday Mark is coming out to see the kiosk. No idea what he'll think of it, but we're doing the best we can.
I really don't want to man this kiosk any more. Like... I'm glad it got me up to $9.75/hr, but this is just... ugh. Alix even told me she was ready to quit her job with all this bullshit. This is just nuts. And this kiosk is open until near the 20th of January. Blarg.
I was also looking through the Clifton Park mall hours... and on Black Friday the thing opens at 6AM. SIX IN THE MORNING FOLKS. I would have to be up about 4am to be able to get there by 5:30am to open. And on Thanksgiving we celebrate at my grandmother's in Rotterdam, an hour away. But we don't just celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrate my Mom's, sister's, and brother's birthdays as well. Which means I probably won't be home until 9pm or 10pm at the earliest, if I'm lucky. So I'm going to need to have a loooooong discussion with Alix about having one of the people who live in Clifton Park open on that day, and I'll go in a bit later. You know, one of the employees that live five minutes from the kiosk. And I know Heidi does. So... yeah. A 4am wake-up is just not possible unless I can get to bed by 7pm, 8pm at the latest. And I will be VERY LUCKY if I can leave by 8pm from the family gathering. So not cool.
Shit, the kiosk is going to have to open at 8:30am the few days before Xmas because the mall will open at 9am instead of 10am. I'm just going to DIE those few days. DIE. But at least that's not as bad as 5:30am. -_-;
Someone just shoot me now. This is insanity.
January cannot come and go fast enough. And then I get to stay on at the store, at least, I'm 95% sure I do. THANK GOD.
I really hope these next few months go fast. And I'm glad I have my Zoloft, because I am going to need it.
And once this is done, I am NEVER GOING TO CLIFTON PARK AGAIN. I will turn this job down next year if it's offered. NO THANKS.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
First time call in...
So for the first time I called in sick to work. I just wasn't gonna be able to perform as I should, let alone did I trust myself driving. I was up most of the night with what felt like the flu, sleeping very little on and off, and it was just bad. Somehow I never fell back asleep though... which is odd of me. Probably because I felt so guilty for calling in. I'm a professional at guilt tripping myself because I feel bad for letting people down. :<
So I basically just stayed quiet all day, and had to keep attempting to eat... though every time I did I got uber sick. Until about two hours ago when I managed to just feel discomfort for once. Liquids is the more difficult part though because the house basically has soda... I finished off the juice. Not that we had much juice anyways. But like... ugh.
I actually chose to eat instead of baby my stomach, too, because the hunger pains were that bad. I honestly felt like I was gonna die either way (even though I knew the situation wasn't that severe), and decided if I was gonna go (hypothetically) it might as well be fat and happy. I think I understand the desperate motives of people better now.
Tomorrow I can't miss work though, because it's the first day in Clifton Park and Alix and I have a lot to discuss. So from 9:30-5 tomorrow and Friday I will be busy. Plus, after work tomorrow I am going to meet with a PTSA member at my old HS because they asked me to help them with Pizza with Santa photos. I'm definitely not opposed to a bit of volunteer work. Besides, they're looking into letting me set up my own little stand to promote myself in exchange to help me out a bit. Exposure is good. ^^
In the down time though, I've just been watching Gundam Wing. I never did get to finish that anime, even though I was well over half-way through it. But I like it so it doesn't matter. I'll rewatch it. It's old school, and Duo Maxwell is amazing.
For the sadder news today, Prop 8 in Cali passed. Also, Florida passed one too that not only banned gay marriage, but civil unions and partnerships too. One step forward by being non-racist enough to have a black president (even if I don't support Obama, I do see the progress it took to not decide via skin colour), and two steps back in liberalism. Oh America... how retarded you are.
And speaking of retarded! I was accused of being a racist conservative christian warmonger on DA because I said I hoped anyone who tried to violate and remove my rights as defined by the Constitution got shot. This is the mentality of my generation, and I must say, I am appalled.
Someone save me from the idiots. -_-;
I'm going to bed now, so that I can feel better. And make it to work. Ja ne~
So I basically just stayed quiet all day, and had to keep attempting to eat... though every time I did I got uber sick. Until about two hours ago when I managed to just feel discomfort for once. Liquids is the more difficult part though because the house basically has soda... I finished off the juice. Not that we had much juice anyways. But like... ugh.
I actually chose to eat instead of baby my stomach, too, because the hunger pains were that bad. I honestly felt like I was gonna die either way (even though I knew the situation wasn't that severe), and decided if I was gonna go (hypothetically) it might as well be fat and happy. I think I understand the desperate motives of people better now.
Tomorrow I can't miss work though, because it's the first day in Clifton Park and Alix and I have a lot to discuss. So from 9:30-5 tomorrow and Friday I will be busy. Plus, after work tomorrow I am going to meet with a PTSA member at my old HS because they asked me to help them with Pizza with Santa photos. I'm definitely not opposed to a bit of volunteer work. Besides, they're looking into letting me set up my own little stand to promote myself in exchange to help me out a bit. Exposure is good. ^^
In the down time though, I've just been watching Gundam Wing. I never did get to finish that anime, even though I was well over half-way through it. But I like it so it doesn't matter. I'll rewatch it. It's old school, and Duo Maxwell is amazing.
For the sadder news today, Prop 8 in Cali passed. Also, Florida passed one too that not only banned gay marriage, but civil unions and partnerships too. One step forward by being non-racist enough to have a black president (even if I don't support Obama, I do see the progress it took to not decide via skin colour), and two steps back in liberalism. Oh America... how retarded you are.
And speaking of retarded! I was accused of being a racist conservative christian warmonger on DA because I said I hoped anyone who tried to violate and remove my rights as defined by the Constitution got shot. This is the mentality of my generation, and I must say, I am appalled.
Someone save me from the idiots. -_-;
I'm going to bed now, so that I can feel better. And make it to work. Ja ne~
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Remember Remember...
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot...
"Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history. On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practiced (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason." -Rhymes.org
Today is the 5th of November, and the official end of election day, and the day that Obama is the President-elect. Irony has never been so apparent, what with all the people who believe he is a terrorist plant.
I dearly hope that one year from now I'm not saying "I told you so" to all the Obama followers out there, but I fear I will.
May the powers that be protect America.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Rambo
This might be a bit jumbled since I'm sicker than hell with whatever that stomach bug is that's going around, but I had to post this. HAD TO.
In my town there is a guy who is nicknamed Rambo, who we have all decided is pretty crazy. So we don't give him much thought. This past summer though, he went up and and down Lake Nancy (in my town) asking people to join together to form the Lake Nancy Coalition.
Basically, he wanted to get together a group of people who would band together and share firearms and food should trouble arise and defend our town. Like... mercenaries. Against something like a terrorist threat.
He was DEAD SERIOUS.
Mom just told me about it, since she found out from a close friend of ours who was asked by the guy.
I think the scariest part is, for once Rambo might actually have a good idea, because these are fairly troubled times. And like... we are our only protection where I am. We are MILES from the nearest police station, and we're not a city so I doubt we're high priority to the national guard or something. And I really am worried about the fate of the country.
But since Rambo said it, the idea won't be going anywhere past the idea stage, because as I said before, he's insane.
Yeah, these things really do happen in small towns. It's not just a Hollywood joke. I don't know whether to laugh or be horrified... or both.
Ummm... yeah. So, anyone wanna come live here? >.>;;;
In my town there is a guy who is nicknamed Rambo, who we have all decided is pretty crazy. So we don't give him much thought. This past summer though, he went up and and down Lake Nancy (in my town) asking people to join together to form the Lake Nancy Coalition.
Basically, he wanted to get together a group of people who would band together and share firearms and food should trouble arise and defend our town. Like... mercenaries. Against something like a terrorist threat.
He was DEAD SERIOUS.
Mom just told me about it, since she found out from a close friend of ours who was asked by the guy.
I think the scariest part is, for once Rambo might actually have a good idea, because these are fairly troubled times. And like... we are our only protection where I am. We are MILES from the nearest police station, and we're not a city so I doubt we're high priority to the national guard or something. And I really am worried about the fate of the country.
But since Rambo said it, the idea won't be going anywhere past the idea stage, because as I said before, he's insane.
Yeah, these things really do happen in small towns. It's not just a Hollywood joke. I don't know whether to laugh or be horrified... or both.
Ummm... yeah. So, anyone wanna come live here? >.>;;;
Election 08
So I went out and voted. No lines for me since my town doesn't even have 2,000 registered voters. x3
And for those of you in Cali, I was told to tell you all to vote NO on Prop8. :3
After that Dad and I went and had lunch and I gave my business card to someone looking for a wedding photographer.
And to sum everything up:
Vote by *kris-wilson on deviantART
Enjoy, and pray that time goes fast so all the election bullshit is done with sooner. xP
And for those of you in Cali, I was told to tell you all to vote NO on Prop8. :3
After that Dad and I went and had lunch and I gave my business card to someone looking for a wedding photographer.
And to sum everything up:
Vote by *kris-wilson on deviantART
Enjoy, and pray that time goes fast so all the election bullshit is done with sooner. xP
Monday, November 3, 2008
Don't Land in my Town. orz
So, Dad just told me that while I was gone yesterday there was a plane crash in town. Small engine craft tried to land in a field or something and flipped up near Fayville. Seriously... this is kinda crazy. Two crashes near my house in under sixth months. Oi... >.<;
Wormed my way to Massachusetts
So yesterday I went ahead and wormed my way over to Massachusetts to visit friends, and I must say, getting there was a trip down memory lane.
I did get lost four times total. Two on the way there, and two on the way back. But not for that long, and it only ended up adding 15min onto both trips. So it was good. Next time I won't make the mistakes. ^^ The hardest part was finding the house, since the number isn't visible. I finally had to call Luna-kun and have her come outside. LMAO
But it was a trip down memory lane because the section of route 2 that I had to go through is the same one that the Clark is located on, which we visited when I was in Hallmark. Brought back quite the memories, especially since the current class probably visited it fairly recently. The churches and grounds looked just as I remembered them, as if it weren't a year later and a different month. I figured the grass would be much more dead and stuff, but it really wasn't. It was kind of nice. Ahhhh, nostalgia...
ANYWAYS!
So I got to see Miss Kurama and Luna-kun for the first time in about a year! And I finally got to see their apartment! It was so much fun. I'd forgotten how close I was to them and how badly I missed them until I got there. It was like no time had passed, either. There was no awkwardness between any of us, and we were still able to talk freely with one another. It was so nice. I was afraid we would have grown apart, but no such thing.
I also met their other roommate, Kimli. She is a riot. Miss Kurama had said we'd get along too, since we're both shitheads, and she was right. Both of us make the same sort of snide comments meant in jest, we both love the Revolutionary War, and we yaoi fanatics. I mean, come on, it's a perfect friendship. She was such a blast. I met her father, too, since he was driving her in from the Albany Airport. She worked in Disneyland all of October, so she was just getting back yesterday too.
Then Miss Kurama and Luna-kun got a bit... drunk. LMAO That was definitely comical to watch, and everything just loosened up completely then. Especially with Luna-kun, who is usually much more reserved. She still couldn't handle a discussion about masturbation though. I think she was starting to sober up at that point... >.>
Miss Kurama on the other hand... was just out of it. And when she's drunk, she just does not shut up. If it comes to mind, she says it. She's a very truthful drunk, but she talks in such a funny way. It was great. She and Luna-kun were worried that they'd offended me by drinking, but I didn't mind. No matter what they're my friends, and it's not like they're mean or depressed drunks, so no harm done. ^w^ I would have drank with them, too, except that I had to drive home. Work in the morning and all.
They actually told me to call in sick. xD I wish that had been an option. I didn't want to leave and they didn't want me to go. Seven hours just wasn't long enough for us. I really can't wait until the holidays when they get to come back for a lot longer, so we can hang out more. Even if I have to work, afterwards I'll probably be hanging with them. I miss them so much. They really are my best friends. Especially Miss Kurama. She and I have shared so many of the same experiences and have weathered so many things that there's nothing, short of me killing Luna-kun (which won't happen!), that could tear us apart.
I'd give more details, but those sorts of things aren't meant for the blogosphere. xD I will say this though, before I forget it happened. Nerimo Daikon Brothers... is one screwed up musical anime. o_O; But it's addictive. And Ichiro is so funny, as is Pandacon. <3
I did get lost four times total. Two on the way there, and two on the way back. But not for that long, and it only ended up adding 15min onto both trips. So it was good. Next time I won't make the mistakes. ^^ The hardest part was finding the house, since the number isn't visible. I finally had to call Luna-kun and have her come outside. LMAO
But it was a trip down memory lane because the section of route 2 that I had to go through is the same one that the Clark is located on, which we visited when I was in Hallmark. Brought back quite the memories, especially since the current class probably visited it fairly recently. The churches and grounds looked just as I remembered them, as if it weren't a year later and a different month. I figured the grass would be much more dead and stuff, but it really wasn't. It was kind of nice. Ahhhh, nostalgia...
ANYWAYS!
So I got to see Miss Kurama and Luna-kun for the first time in about a year! And I finally got to see their apartment! It was so much fun. I'd forgotten how close I was to them and how badly I missed them until I got there. It was like no time had passed, either. There was no awkwardness between any of us, and we were still able to talk freely with one another. It was so nice. I was afraid we would have grown apart, but no such thing.
I also met their other roommate, Kimli. She is a riot. Miss Kurama had said we'd get along too, since we're both shitheads, and she was right. Both of us make the same sort of snide comments meant in jest, we both love the Revolutionary War, and we yaoi fanatics. I mean, come on, it's a perfect friendship. She was such a blast. I met her father, too, since he was driving her in from the Albany Airport. She worked in Disneyland all of October, so she was just getting back yesterday too.
Then Miss Kurama and Luna-kun got a bit... drunk. LMAO That was definitely comical to watch, and everything just loosened up completely then. Especially with Luna-kun, who is usually much more reserved. She still couldn't handle a discussion about masturbation though. I think she was starting to sober up at that point... >.>
Miss Kurama on the other hand... was just out of it. And when she's drunk, she just does not shut up. If it comes to mind, she says it. She's a very truthful drunk, but she talks in such a funny way. It was great. She and Luna-kun were worried that they'd offended me by drinking, but I didn't mind. No matter what they're my friends, and it's not like they're mean or depressed drunks, so no harm done. ^w^ I would have drank with them, too, except that I had to drive home. Work in the morning and all.
They actually told me to call in sick. xD I wish that had been an option. I didn't want to leave and they didn't want me to go. Seven hours just wasn't long enough for us. I really can't wait until the holidays when they get to come back for a lot longer, so we can hang out more. Even if I have to work, afterwards I'll probably be hanging with them. I miss them so much. They really are my best friends. Especially Miss Kurama. She and I have shared so many of the same experiences and have weathered so many things that there's nothing, short of me killing Luna-kun (which won't happen!), that could tear us apart.
I'd give more details, but those sorts of things aren't meant for the blogosphere. xD I will say this though, before I forget it happened. Nerimo Daikon Brothers... is one screwed up musical anime. o_O; But it's addictive. And Ichiro is so funny, as is Pandacon. <3
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