The state of me - time for an update!
This is my second 2-day weekend and it's wonderful. I love the fact that I could laze the day away in the knowledge that I'll have tomorrow to actually get shit done. I'm still not used to having to work 5 straight days but I'll get there. I worked that way for years. And the payoff is totally worth it.
Things at work are sliding downhill. The company is in a bitch of a belt tightening/penny pinching mode. It used to be that the assistant mgrs used to have some discretion about the schedules of the people working under them but since the beginning of the year the company has laid the law down as to specific schedules to be filled. For softlines that means one person can come in approx twice a week at 11 am and the rest not until 2 pm or sometime between 5 and 6. If a persons 'availability' doesn't fall withing that range (say evenings of 11-8) then you just won't be scheduled. My titular assistant Heather has only daytime availability so that means she's not only ceased to be my assistant, she no longer works in softlines. I guess she talked with the store mgr and I believe she's going to be working elsewhere in the store. No one has had the grace so far to inform me that the help promised me when I took the job and that has rarely materialized is totally a thing of the past now. I think maybe this is one of the reasons I was given a pretty damn good raise (that should kick in on my next paycheck), to entice me to stay because there isn't anyone else lining up for this huge and detail oriented department. It's actually 4 departments (boys, girls, infant clothing and infant consumables) but the last department takes as much time as the other 3 all together).
Thursday night the crew that works overnights with the specific job to build MODs (semi-permanent displays that only get change a couple of times a year) did the baby furniture, a job that's taken me 2 entire days by myself. No less than 3 people made sure to remind me to have the MOD sheets (schematics) with any specific instructions for the crew, hung before I left for the day. I did but they didn't bother to follow them worth a damn. Over the last month and a half the new furniture has been trickling in and they've been storing it in wrapped pallets up on the high steel in the backroom. I informed the crew of this and told them to be sure and have the pallets brought down. All they did was take off the few things that were no longer supposed to be there (not very many because I removed any displays for which we no longer had stock earlier in the week), put up the labels and called it a day. Yesterday I spent 3/4 of the day emptying 4 pallets, putting the stock in the proper places and hauling the boxes of the ones that had to be built for displays back to assembly.
Theresa, my immediate boss, told me that all the stock had to be in place, all the displays in place, all the signing up, the old stock no longer going to be carried marked down and displayed, and any price changes, inventory counts, etc. by end of shift. I flat out told her she was delusional and if she wanted I'd be glad to go talk to the store manager for her. She declined.
I got all 4 pallets of freight out and the display units taken back to assembly but the guy in assembly is understaffed and overwhelmed, too. Of the 12 pieces I took back there, only 2 were built by the time I left. Only half of the fact tags (those rectangular cards with the picture of the item and the information about it) were in place. Theresa took care of the old stock but was left there with everything else to do. I told her if she could get approval I would work overtime but I knew that wasn't going to happen because any overtime not sanctioned by the home office comes out of Dave's bonus.
I was fricking exhausted and hurting by the time I left. Those boxed playpens, highchairs and especially those damn cribs can get awfully heavy and cumbersome.
But today has been peaceful. Off and on I've been watching Jericho for the last couple of days. I have the first season but I've never watched the whole thing, and I've never seen any of the short last season they had to tie things up. I'm watching that streaming on Netflix. I paid my bills online, made a quick run to the grocery store, made a huge batch of beef stew to see me through the week and later I'm going to make a batch of yummy Blueberry Muffins with my CarbQuick (low carb Bisquick type product that tastes pretty damn good).
I've also pulled out my pattern boxes and my fabric swatch book (I have a metric shit-ton of fabric in 3 tubs large enough to hide medium sized adult bodies in) and I'm busy planning a little more professional and up-to-date wardrobe for my next job. My last 4 jobs haven't required 'business' attire. House of Hezekiah (herb store) was totally a jeans and tee shirt place and ditto the cleaning company (even office manager). Blockbuster and Walmart are both 'uniform' places. Since I'm not a terribly social person I haven't really had much of a wardrobe beyond jeans and tee shirts since I was a manager for B Dalton. Luckily I have the resources and the dormant talent to rectify that situation and at relatively little extra cost to me. *G* I probably can't pull out couture grade fashions but I won't look like I'm wearing a hand stitched flour sack, either. I've never been a 'tailored' type of person anyway. I'm more into 'flow' and interesting shapes. In the next week I think I'll fire up my new scanner and maybe post a few patterns and fabric choices and see what you all think.
Meanwhile, I continue to hover around the edges of LJ. I haven't disappeared, I'm still here, just kind of crouching in the corner licking my wounds.
I hope everyone is doing well.
BTW? Did you all see the news bit about the man in - I think it was Pennsylvania - who striped naked in the parking lot of a Walmart and took a stroll through the store perusing the merchandise? the police had to tazer him.
Yep, that's the kind of environment I work in.
And, oh yeah! The third batch of (oh what the hell, here's the rest of them) my list of:
41. Curried goat - I’ve had curry and I’ve had goat, but never curried goat.
42. Whole insects - chocolate covered ants and fried grasshoppers on a bet.
43. Phaal - again, I had to look it up. No, never had it and probably never will. I do love spicy food, but I like to be able to taste it.
44. Goat’s milk - my friend raised goats so I’ve had it plenty of times. It’s especially tasty as chocolate milk. The fat molecules in goat’s milk are much smaller than in cow’s milk so they don’t separate and float to the top. The milk is very rich and creamy and a little tangier than cow’s.
45. Single malt whisky - nope and probably won’t. I’m not a huge fan of hard liquor.
46. Fugu - nope and it’s not high on my list.
47. Chicken tikka masala - a favorite.
48. Eel - both pickled and crispy fried. I prefer the fried.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - tasty, but I much prefer LaMar’s or even the local Fluffy Fresh (their applesauce and orange cake donuts are to die for).
50. Sea urchin - not to my knowledge
51. Prickly pear - both fresh and candied.
52. Umeboshi - I’ve seen these but I’ve never tried them.
53. Abalone - I’ve had conch. I know abalone is much more expensive but are they similar?
54. Paneer - eaten it and made it. It’s dead simple to make.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - unfortunately yes.
56. Spaetzle - yummy!
57. Dirty gin martini - nope.
58. Beer above 8% ABV - don’t care for the taste of beer.
59. Poutine - no, but I want to!
60. Carob chips - uh, yeah. Not a favorite.
61. S’mores - Oh hell yeah! I was an All-American kid, wasn’t I?
62. Sweetbreads - again with the offal - nope, never felt the burning need to eat the thymus gland of an animal but it’s nothing I’d turn my nose up if I were a guest in someone’s home.
63. Kaolin - why the hell would anyone eat clay - even fine, white soft clay. I’ve used it in several body preparations but I’ve never ingested it.
64. Currywurst - sounds tasty but I haven’t tried it.
65. Durian - yes, I had read about them and then when I was wandering through the largest Asian market in the city with a friend quite a few years ago I saw one and recognized it so we bought one just for shits and giggles. They look like a porcupine mated with a football and they smell rather like rotten garbage but the pale yellow flesh was quite creamy and sweet and tasted a little like custard. The smell is hard to get over, though.
66. Frogs’ legs - they do not taste like chicken but they’re tasty enough.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - all of them and they’re all fantastic.
68. Haggis - no, but I’m a little curious.
69. Fried plantain - yes, they’re OK.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - yes, and despite my Southern roots, chit’lins aren’t a favorite.
71. Gazpacho - several different kinds, all were delicious, but I think I prefer tomato based ones.
72. Caviar and blini - I’ve had buckwheat blini before and I’ve tasted caviar but I’ve never had the 2 together.
73. Louche absinthe - never had the experience.
74. Gjetost, or brunost - another one I had to look up. No, I’ve never tried it.
75. Roadkill - not gonna happen unless the apocalypse comes.
76. Baijiu - actually yes. It nearly seared off the lining of my throat.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - I’ve probably eaten every single kind. My favorite is the blackberry but unfortunately they haven’t been available around here since I was a kid. I enjoyed the hell out of them the last time I was in the Pacific NW, though.
78. Snail - anything is tasty with enough garlic and butter on it.
79. Lapsang souchong - the herb shop I worked in a shop sold teas and I tried every single one including this one. It’s alright but not a favorite.
80. Bellini - delicious!
81. Tom yum - it’s lovely and tasty.
82. Eggs Benedict - yes.
83. Pocky - tasty enough but there are many snacks I prefer.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - probably out of my price range. Maybe when I win that lottery.
85. Kobe beef - see above.
86. Hare - I’ve eaten rabbit many times (esp in my youth), is hare different?
87. Goulash - many times in many different versions.
88. Flowers - I’m partial to nasturtiums, they have a peppery taste.
89. Horse - only if someone slips it onto my plate unknowing or I’m desperate. I don’t think I could eat a horse otherwise.
90. Criollo - no! But now that I know what it is I want to try it.
91. Spam - many times, esp. in my youth when the family when camping every summer.
92. Soft shell crab - I’m usually not a big shell fish eater (except shrimp) but I do like deep fried soft shell crab sandwiches.
93. Rose harissa - I’ve eaten harissa and I’ve eaten rose petals but never rose harrisa.
94. Catfish - many times. I prefer bluegill perch, esp rolled in seasoned cornmeal and fried in bacon fat!
95. Mole poblano - yes, it’s tasty enough but I’m not overwhelmingly fond of mole.
96. Bagel and lox - tasty.
97. Lobster Thermidor - no, but then lobster is not a favorite of mine.
98. Polenta - yes but I actually prefer grits which is ground white corn instead of yellow.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee - I don’t care for coffee.
100. Snake - pickled!
Things at work are sliding downhill. The company is in a bitch of a belt tightening/penny pinching mode. It used to be that the assistant mgrs used to have some discretion about the schedules of the people working under them but since the beginning of the year the company has laid the law down as to specific schedules to be filled. For softlines that means one person can come in approx twice a week at 11 am and the rest not until 2 pm or sometime between 5 and 6. If a persons 'availability' doesn't fall withing that range (say evenings of 11-8) then you just won't be scheduled. My titular assistant Heather has only daytime availability so that means she's not only ceased to be my assistant, she no longer works in softlines. I guess she talked with the store mgr and I believe she's going to be working elsewhere in the store. No one has had the grace so far to inform me that the help promised me when I took the job and that has rarely materialized is totally a thing of the past now. I think maybe this is one of the reasons I was given a pretty damn good raise (that should kick in on my next paycheck), to entice me to stay because there isn't anyone else lining up for this huge and detail oriented department. It's actually 4 departments (boys, girls, infant clothing and infant consumables) but the last department takes as much time as the other 3 all together).
Thursday night the crew that works overnights with the specific job to build MODs (semi-permanent displays that only get change a couple of times a year) did the baby furniture, a job that's taken me 2 entire days by myself. No less than 3 people made sure to remind me to have the MOD sheets (schematics) with any specific instructions for the crew, hung before I left for the day. I did but they didn't bother to follow them worth a damn. Over the last month and a half the new furniture has been trickling in and they've been storing it in wrapped pallets up on the high steel in the backroom. I informed the crew of this and told them to be sure and have the pallets brought down. All they did was take off the few things that were no longer supposed to be there (not very many because I removed any displays for which we no longer had stock earlier in the week), put up the labels and called it a day. Yesterday I spent 3/4 of the day emptying 4 pallets, putting the stock in the proper places and hauling the boxes of the ones that had to be built for displays back to assembly.
Theresa, my immediate boss, told me that all the stock had to be in place, all the displays in place, all the signing up, the old stock no longer going to be carried marked down and displayed, and any price changes, inventory counts, etc. by end of shift. I flat out told her she was delusional and if she wanted I'd be glad to go talk to the store manager for her. She declined.
I got all 4 pallets of freight out and the display units taken back to assembly but the guy in assembly is understaffed and overwhelmed, too. Of the 12 pieces I took back there, only 2 were built by the time I left. Only half of the fact tags (those rectangular cards with the picture of the item and the information about it) were in place. Theresa took care of the old stock but was left there with everything else to do. I told her if she could get approval I would work overtime but I knew that wasn't going to happen because any overtime not sanctioned by the home office comes out of Dave's bonus.
I was fricking exhausted and hurting by the time I left. Those boxed playpens, highchairs and especially those damn cribs can get awfully heavy and cumbersome.
But today has been peaceful. Off and on I've been watching Jericho for the last couple of days. I have the first season but I've never watched the whole thing, and I've never seen any of the short last season they had to tie things up. I'm watching that streaming on Netflix. I paid my bills online, made a quick run to the grocery store, made a huge batch of beef stew to see me through the week and later I'm going to make a batch of yummy Blueberry Muffins with my CarbQuick (low carb Bisquick type product that tastes pretty damn good).
I've also pulled out my pattern boxes and my fabric swatch book (I have a metric shit-ton of fabric in 3 tubs large enough to hide medium sized adult bodies in) and I'm busy planning a little more professional and up-to-date wardrobe for my next job. My last 4 jobs haven't required 'business' attire. House of Hezekiah (herb store) was totally a jeans and tee shirt place and ditto the cleaning company (even office manager). Blockbuster and Walmart are both 'uniform' places. Since I'm not a terribly social person I haven't really had much of a wardrobe beyond jeans and tee shirts since I was a manager for B Dalton. Luckily I have the resources and the dormant talent to rectify that situation and at relatively little extra cost to me. *G* I probably can't pull out couture grade fashions but I won't look like I'm wearing a hand stitched flour sack, either. I've never been a 'tailored' type of person anyway. I'm more into 'flow' and interesting shapes. In the next week I think I'll fire up my new scanner and maybe post a few patterns and fabric choices and see what you all think.
Meanwhile, I continue to hover around the edges of LJ. I haven't disappeared, I'm still here, just kind of crouching in the corner licking my wounds.
I hope everyone is doing well.
BTW? Did you all see the news bit about the man in - I think it was Pennsylvania - who striped naked in the parking lot of a Walmart and took a stroll through the store perusing the merchandise? the police had to tazer him.
Yep, that's the kind of environment I work in.
And, oh yeah! The third batch of (oh what the hell, here's the rest of them) my list of:
41. Curried goat - I’ve had curry and I’ve had goat, but never curried goat.
42. Whole insects - chocolate covered ants and fried grasshoppers on a bet.
43. Phaal - again, I had to look it up. No, never had it and probably never will. I do love spicy food, but I like to be able to taste it.
44. Goat’s milk - my friend raised goats so I’ve had it plenty of times. It’s especially tasty as chocolate milk. The fat molecules in goat’s milk are much smaller than in cow’s milk so they don’t separate and float to the top. The milk is very rich and creamy and a little tangier than cow’s.
45. Single malt whisky - nope and probably won’t. I’m not a huge fan of hard liquor.
46. Fugu - nope and it’s not high on my list.
47. Chicken tikka masala - a favorite.
48. Eel - both pickled and crispy fried. I prefer the fried.
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - tasty, but I much prefer LaMar’s or even the local Fluffy Fresh (their applesauce and orange cake donuts are to die for).
50. Sea urchin - not to my knowledge
51. Prickly pear - both fresh and candied.
52. Umeboshi - I’ve seen these but I’ve never tried them.
53. Abalone - I’ve had conch. I know abalone is much more expensive but are they similar?
54. Paneer - eaten it and made it. It’s dead simple to make.
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - unfortunately yes.
56. Spaetzle - yummy!
57. Dirty gin martini - nope.
58. Beer above 8% ABV - don’t care for the taste of beer.
59. Poutine - no, but I want to!
60. Carob chips - uh, yeah. Not a favorite.
61. S’mores - Oh hell yeah! I was an All-American kid, wasn’t I?
62. Sweetbreads - again with the offal - nope, never felt the burning need to eat the thymus gland of an animal but it’s nothing I’d turn my nose up if I were a guest in someone’s home.
63. Kaolin - why the hell would anyone eat clay - even fine, white soft clay. I’ve used it in several body preparations but I’ve never ingested it.
64. Currywurst - sounds tasty but I haven’t tried it.
65. Durian - yes, I had read about them and then when I was wandering through the largest Asian market in the city with a friend quite a few years ago I saw one and recognized it so we bought one just for shits and giggles. They look like a porcupine mated with a football and they smell rather like rotten garbage but the pale yellow flesh was quite creamy and sweet and tasted a little like custard. The smell is hard to get over, though.
66. Frogs’ legs - they do not taste like chicken but they’re tasty enough.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - all of them and they’re all fantastic.
68. Haggis - no, but I’m a little curious.
69. Fried plantain - yes, they’re OK.
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - yes, and despite my Southern roots, chit’lins aren’t a favorite.
71. Gazpacho - several different kinds, all were delicious, but I think I prefer tomato based ones.
72. Caviar and blini - I’ve had buckwheat blini before and I’ve tasted caviar but I’ve never had the 2 together.
73. Louche absinthe - never had the experience.
74. Gjetost, or brunost - another one I had to look up. No, I’ve never tried it.
75. Roadkill - not gonna happen unless the apocalypse comes.
76. Baijiu - actually yes. It nearly seared off the lining of my throat.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - I’ve probably eaten every single kind. My favorite is the blackberry but unfortunately they haven’t been available around here since I was a kid. I enjoyed the hell out of them the last time I was in the Pacific NW, though.
78. Snail - anything is tasty with enough garlic and butter on it.
79. Lapsang souchong - the herb shop I worked in a shop sold teas and I tried every single one including this one. It’s alright but not a favorite.
80. Bellini - delicious!
81. Tom yum - it’s lovely and tasty.
82. Eggs Benedict - yes.
83. Pocky - tasty enough but there are many snacks I prefer.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - probably out of my price range. Maybe when I win that lottery.
85. Kobe beef - see above.
86. Hare - I’ve eaten rabbit many times (esp in my youth), is hare different?
87. Goulash - many times in many different versions.
88. Flowers - I’m partial to nasturtiums, they have a peppery taste.
89. Horse - only if someone slips it onto my plate unknowing or I’m desperate. I don’t think I could eat a horse otherwise.
90. Criollo - no! But now that I know what it is I want to try it.
91. Spam - many times, esp. in my youth when the family when camping every summer.
92. Soft shell crab - I’m usually not a big shell fish eater (except shrimp) but I do like deep fried soft shell crab sandwiches.
93. Rose harissa - I’ve eaten harissa and I’ve eaten rose petals but never rose harrisa.
94. Catfish - many times. I prefer bluegill perch, esp rolled in seasoned cornmeal and fried in bacon fat!
95. Mole poblano - yes, it’s tasty enough but I’m not overwhelmingly fond of mole.
96. Bagel and lox - tasty.
97. Lobster Thermidor - no, but then lobster is not a favorite of mine.
98. Polenta - yes but I actually prefer grits which is ground white corn instead of yellow.
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee - I don’t care for coffee.
100. Snake - pickled!