This entry is like a Cobb salad....
...because there's a little bit of everything in it! ;D Plus, Cobb salads are pretty tasty, and so is this entry! And now before I get too crazy with my weird comparisons, I'll just do the update! LOL
I'm an optimist, so I'll give the bad news first. That way, there's still good news to look forward to. :) Yesterday at work, assistant manager G2 told me that G1, the manager, just got transferred to another store. (I call these ladies G1 and G2 because both have a first name that starts with "G").
G1 was the person who interviewed and hired me, and I liked her right away. She's a very warm, friendly, funny and extroverted person, and I'll miss her! Even though I only worked with G1 for a month (Oct. 18 is my one-month work anniversary, in fact! *cheer*), I will still miss her a lot. :( I heard through the grapevine that she didn't want to be transferred from our store to another one, but she didn't really have a choice. When G2 told me this sad news, she hadn't yet met the man or woman who'd be taking over as manager. So of course, I started getting all worked up in my mind, wondering if it was a man or a woman, what age he/she might be, and most importantly, what type of personality would he/she have, would we be compatible, would he/she be compatible with G2, etc. (I could tell G2 was not happy about losing G1 and having to help train a brand-new manager. And I don't blame her! I don't have to train the new manager, but I still have to deal with having a manager who, for a while, knows less about what's in the store than I do! *chuckle* Plus I have to deal with missing G1, as she was such a cool person).
But now the GOOD news! As I was walking through the store, putting back some merchandise, I saw two ladies walking around who looked like they were looking for something. So I smiled at them, said hi, and asked if I could help them with anything? (I usually say this, but once in a while, I zone out while I'm walking and don't say it. But it's a damn good thing I said it THIS time!)
It turned out that the taller women was some regional manager-type person for the entire store chain, and the shorter woman was "E" -- our new store manager!!! Now you see why I'm so glad I greeted them in such a cheerful and helpful way! *blush* The taller woman introduced herself and E, and said they were looking for G2, to talk with her about the change. As it turned out, G2 came by a few minutes later, so we all chatted for a bit before they all went to the back room to talk.
But BEFORE they did, I had a chance to make a nice personal connection with E! :) She pronounced her name differently than I thought it would be, based on its spelling, and she mentioned how she always has to correct people. (She says it with a certain accent, and I was able to say it perfectly). I also told her I could sympathize, because of the way my name is spelled. Some folks wrongly pronounce it to rhyme with "sorry", when actually it rhymes with "scary". I don't think I mentioned these rhymes to E, but I said something along these lines about names, and she and I shared a good laugh. I'm pretty good at figuring out what a person is like, overall, after spending a few minutes interacting with them, and I definitely like E. She seems very warm and friendly. I felt relieved afterwards, and most of my anxiety went away. Let's hope I'm right!
Today I finally had lunch with my friend Ina. She's one of the original members of my Bingo Belles group, and a very warm, sweet, thoughtful friend. She's a stay-at-home mom of a 1-year-old, so we try to get together for lunch when we can. Over the summer, Ina and her daughter Sasha came to my house for lunch and then we went swimming in the junior Olympic size pool here in the townhouse complex. But ever since I started my new job, I haven't done a lunch with Ina, and I felt bad about that, especially since I *did* go to lunch (and geocaching) with beckerbuns. But with Becky, there was a time element, because she plans to go back to work full-time or 3/4-time next week, and therefore we won't have many chances to do lunch during the week anymore.
Anyhoo, because Sasha recently started walking (or rather, "toddling") all over the place, she's at that age where she sometimes gets frustrated when she's forced to sit in one place for long. So, Ina didn't want us to have lunch in a sit-down restaurant, in case Sasha wasn't "in the mood" to sit and eat in a highchair. I'm sure she'll get better as time goes on; right now there's a whole new world waiting for her to explore it! :D Ina and I decided we'd have lunch at her house. At first I thought I'd pick up sandwiches from Subway, Togo's or Quizno's, but then we decided on pizza, because Ina remembered that the frozen, boxed California Pizza Kitchen gourmet pizzas were on sale at Safeway. Because we both love them, especially the chicken and garlic one, I picked up a pizza on the way to Ina's. The pizza baked in the oven while she made a salad (she asked me to entertain Sasha in the meantime), and then we had a "picnic" of salad, pizza and drinks out in the backyard, due to the beautiful, sunny, mild weather.
We also played a MAJOR game of catch-up, because we hadn't had a chance to just hang out and talk for a while. And we knew that it wouldn't happen tomorrow during the bingo game, because there will be 7 or 8 other people there and it's definitely not a quiet time! But that's okay, because it's going to be a GREAT game! It always is! :) The Bingo Belles is 1000% better than the "Bingo Bitches", the nickname of the old group that I, and two other friends, used to belong to. (It's a long story; I think most folks know it by now.)
After I left Ina's, I came home and baked 2 dozen festive Halloween cupcakes for bingo tomorrow. I bought both the cupcake liners and the sprinkles at work with my employee discount. And amusingly enough, the cake mix and frosting were on sale when I bought them at Safeway (not the same trip as Ina's pizza), PLUS on top of being on sale, I also had a coupon for them! When you're poor like I am, it's always a happy thing to unexpectedly save some extra money. :) BTW, I'll be taking plenty of pix at bingo tomorrow night, but I don't know when I'll post them, because I have to work both Saturday AND Sunday. *sigh* Although Saturday, at least, I don't start until the afternoon.
I saw the coolest bumper sticker earlier this week. It wasn't the usual rectangle, but more like a somewhat long square. It was black with white lettering, and it said the following: One nation, under George, divided." For those friends who aren't American and might not know our Pledge of Allegiance, there is a line in it that goes: "One nation, under God, indivisible." I agree 100% with the wry (yet sad) humour of that bumper sticker, and I really want to get one! I haven't found it online yet -- not even for sale at Cafe Press, but I did find a book on Amazon called One Nation Under George. Hmmm, maybe I'll just have a "One nation, under George, divided" bumper sticker printed up myself! *chuckle*
Oops. Saying "new squirrel photos" almost makes it sound like I took photos of some new squirrels. But actually the photos are just Peanut and Goober, my old friends. :) I'd LOVE to make some additional squirrel friends, and some of the younger ones are getting used to me, but none run over to me like Peanut and Goober do. Well, actually, Twinkie used to come SORT OF over to me, and was starting to trust me more, but I have not seen that girl in a long time. :( I hope she's okay!
And now, on with the photos!
Goober putting an unshelled peanut in his mouth, getting ready to run and hide it. (Oct. 14)
Peanut looks like she's SNIFFING this peanut, doesn't she? *giggle* (Oct. 14)
Goober decided to eat this nut in my neighbor's ivy. What a funny boy! :) I see you peeking, Goober! (Oct. 17)
I'm pretty sure this is Peanut. Notice how her little hand is the least blurry of all. Apparently their hands stay in contact with the ground the longest, when they're scampering around. (Oct. 17)
This is Goober. Doesn't it look like he's sitting at a crossroads, deciding which path to take? I didn't mean for the photo to look so philosophical, but it kind of turned out that way. I like it! :) (Oct. 17)
Here is Peanut, excited with the almond I just gave her (I'd never given her one before). I love the way her big FOOT looks in this photo -- squirrels definitely have big stompers! ;D (Oct. 17)
Below is a photo of some delicious mixed nuts I finally found in a self-serve bin in the supermarket: almonds, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts. (Sorry the lighting is weird, although it looked even worse before I Photoshopped it). The squirrels seem to be more interested burying nuts than eating them -- probably their Winter hoarding instinct kicking in -- so I decided to buy some nuts that would hold up better than peanuts would, when buried in the sometimes-muddy ground.
Peanut and Goober LOVE burying these nuts! Although I did notice that the first time I gave Pea an almond, she seemed so excited (perhaps the smell?) that she ran away a little, then stopped and started cracking it open to eat right away! Maybe she couldn't control herself? :) Goober doesn't seem as excited by almonds, but he loves hazels and pecans. My mom said the first time she gave Pea a pecan, she held it in her mouth for a moment like she was agog and didn't know what to do! (heehee) Then she dashed away to bury it somewhere. I haven't given them the walnuts yet; I'm curious how the heck a squirrel can carry something that BIG and round using just its mouth!?
I'm an optimist, so I'll give the bad news first. That way, there's still good news to look forward to. :) Yesterday at work, assistant manager G2 told me that G1, the manager, just got transferred to another store. (I call these ladies G1 and G2 because both have a first name that starts with "G").
G1 was the person who interviewed and hired me, and I liked her right away. She's a very warm, friendly, funny and extroverted person, and I'll miss her! Even though I only worked with G1 for a month (Oct. 18 is my one-month work anniversary, in fact! *cheer*), I will still miss her a lot. :( I heard through the grapevine that she didn't want to be transferred from our store to another one, but she didn't really have a choice. When G2 told me this sad news, she hadn't yet met the man or woman who'd be taking over as manager. So of course, I started getting all worked up in my mind, wondering if it was a man or a woman, what age he/she might be, and most importantly, what type of personality would he/she have, would we be compatible, would he/she be compatible with G2, etc. (I could tell G2 was not happy about losing G1 and having to help train a brand-new manager. And I don't blame her! I don't have to train the new manager, but I still have to deal with having a manager who, for a while, knows less about what's in the store than I do! *chuckle* Plus I have to deal with missing G1, as she was such a cool person).
But now the GOOD news! As I was walking through the store, putting back some merchandise, I saw two ladies walking around who looked like they were looking for something. So I smiled at them, said hi, and asked if I could help them with anything? (I usually say this, but once in a while, I zone out while I'm walking and don't say it. But it's a damn good thing I said it THIS time!)
It turned out that the taller women was some regional manager-type person for the entire store chain, and the shorter woman was "E" -- our new store manager!!! Now you see why I'm so glad I greeted them in such a cheerful and helpful way! *blush* The taller woman introduced herself and E, and said they were looking for G2, to talk with her about the change. As it turned out, G2 came by a few minutes later, so we all chatted for a bit before they all went to the back room to talk.
But BEFORE they did, I had a chance to make a nice personal connection with E! :) She pronounced her name differently than I thought it would be, based on its spelling, and she mentioned how she always has to correct people. (She says it with a certain accent, and I was able to say it perfectly). I also told her I could sympathize, because of the way my name is spelled. Some folks wrongly pronounce it to rhyme with "sorry", when actually it rhymes with "scary". I don't think I mentioned these rhymes to E, but I said something along these lines about names, and she and I shared a good laugh. I'm pretty good at figuring out what a person is like, overall, after spending a few minutes interacting with them, and I definitely like E. She seems very warm and friendly. I felt relieved afterwards, and most of my anxiety went away. Let's hope I'm right!
Today I finally had lunch with my friend Ina. She's one of the original members of my Bingo Belles group, and a very warm, sweet, thoughtful friend. She's a stay-at-home mom of a 1-year-old, so we try to get together for lunch when we can. Over the summer, Ina and her daughter Sasha came to my house for lunch and then we went swimming in the junior Olympic size pool here in the townhouse complex. But ever since I started my new job, I haven't done a lunch with Ina, and I felt bad about that, especially since I *did* go to lunch (and geocaching) with beckerbuns. But with Becky, there was a time element, because she plans to go back to work full-time or 3/4-time next week, and therefore we won't have many chances to do lunch during the week anymore.
Anyhoo, because Sasha recently started walking (or rather, "toddling") all over the place, she's at that age where she sometimes gets frustrated when she's forced to sit in one place for long. So, Ina didn't want us to have lunch in a sit-down restaurant, in case Sasha wasn't "in the mood" to sit and eat in a highchair. I'm sure she'll get better as time goes on; right now there's a whole new world waiting for her to explore it! :D Ina and I decided we'd have lunch at her house. At first I thought I'd pick up sandwiches from Subway, Togo's or Quizno's, but then we decided on pizza, because Ina remembered that the frozen, boxed California Pizza Kitchen gourmet pizzas were on sale at Safeway. Because we both love them, especially the chicken and garlic one, I picked up a pizza on the way to Ina's. The pizza baked in the oven while she made a salad (she asked me to entertain Sasha in the meantime), and then we had a "picnic" of salad, pizza and drinks out in the backyard, due to the beautiful, sunny, mild weather.
We also played a MAJOR game of catch-up, because we hadn't had a chance to just hang out and talk for a while. And we knew that it wouldn't happen tomorrow during the bingo game, because there will be 7 or 8 other people there and it's definitely not a quiet time! But that's okay, because it's going to be a GREAT game! It always is! :) The Bingo Belles is 1000% better than the "Bingo Bitches", the nickname of the old group that I, and two other friends, used to belong to. (It's a long story; I think most folks know it by now.)
After I left Ina's, I came home and baked 2 dozen festive Halloween cupcakes for bingo tomorrow. I bought both the cupcake liners and the sprinkles at work with my employee discount. And amusingly enough, the cake mix and frosting were on sale when I bought them at Safeway (not the same trip as Ina's pizza), PLUS on top of being on sale, I also had a coupon for them! When you're poor like I am, it's always a happy thing to unexpectedly save some extra money. :) BTW, I'll be taking plenty of pix at bingo tomorrow night, but I don't know when I'll post them, because I have to work both Saturday AND Sunday. *sigh* Although Saturday, at least, I don't start until the afternoon.
I saw the coolest bumper sticker earlier this week. It wasn't the usual rectangle, but more like a somewhat long square. It was black with white lettering, and it said the following: One nation, under George, divided." For those friends who aren't American and might not know our Pledge of Allegiance, there is a line in it that goes: "One nation, under God, indivisible." I agree 100% with the wry (yet sad) humour of that bumper sticker, and I really want to get one! I haven't found it online yet -- not even for sale at Cafe Press, but I did find a book on Amazon called One Nation Under George. Hmmm, maybe I'll just have a "One nation, under George, divided" bumper sticker printed up myself! *chuckle*
Oops. Saying "new squirrel photos" almost makes it sound like I took photos of some new squirrels. But actually the photos are just Peanut and Goober, my old friends. :) I'd LOVE to make some additional squirrel friends, and some of the younger ones are getting used to me, but none run over to me like Peanut and Goober do. Well, actually, Twinkie used to come SORT OF over to me, and was starting to trust me more, but I have not seen that girl in a long time. :( I hope she's okay!
And now, on with the photos!
Goober putting an unshelled peanut in his mouth, getting ready to run and hide it. (Oct. 14)
Peanut looks like she's SNIFFING this peanut, doesn't she? *giggle* (Oct. 14)
Goober decided to eat this nut in my neighbor's ivy. What a funny boy! :) I see you peeking, Goober! (Oct. 17)
I'm pretty sure this is Peanut. Notice how her little hand is the least blurry of all. Apparently their hands stay in contact with the ground the longest, when they're scampering around. (Oct. 17)
This is Goober. Doesn't it look like he's sitting at a crossroads, deciding which path to take? I didn't mean for the photo to look so philosophical, but it kind of turned out that way. I like it! :) (Oct. 17)
Here is Peanut, excited with the almond I just gave her (I'd never given her one before). I love the way her big FOOT looks in this photo -- squirrels definitely have big stompers! ;D (Oct. 17)
Below is a photo of some delicious mixed nuts I finally found in a self-serve bin in the supermarket: almonds, pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts. (Sorry the lighting is weird, although it looked even worse before I Photoshopped it). The squirrels seem to be more interested burying nuts than eating them -- probably their Winter hoarding instinct kicking in -- so I decided to buy some nuts that would hold up better than peanuts would, when buried in the sometimes-muddy ground.
Peanut and Goober LOVE burying these nuts! Although I did notice that the first time I gave Pea an almond, she seemed so excited (perhaps the smell?) that she ran away a little, then stopped and started cracking it open to eat right away! Maybe she couldn't control herself? :) Goober doesn't seem as excited by almonds, but he loves hazels and pecans. My mom said the first time she gave Pea a pecan, she held it in her mouth for a moment like she was agog and didn't know what to do! (heehee) Then she dashed away to bury it somewhere. I haven't given them the walnuts yet; I'm curious how the heck a squirrel can carry something that BIG and round using just its mouth!?