Thursday, September 1, 2011

~* Deep Breath, It's a New Day *~

Yep, I'm pep-talking myself. I cannot express how grateful I am that it is a new day, and I can leave yesterday behind. I don't really want to go into all of the gory details that yesterday consisted of. I really do want to just enjoy the fact that with the sun, I got a brand-new day, wide-open and empty, and just waiting for me to fill up the minutes. And boy, do I have things to fill the minutes with!

Because we are leaving early tomorrow (woohoo!) and I am neurotic, here is my to-do list, in no particular order:

1)Wash every single dish in the sink so that there are no funky sink smells when we get back
2) Empty every trash can (for the same reason)
3)Wash every single piece of clothing that is dirty, including the clothes I'm wearing now
4)When those clothes are clean, wash the robe I'll be wearing while the above clothes are washing, and towels
5)Wash all 3 blankets that G (the dog) sleeps on
6) Clean out the fridge and get rid of any food that will go bad while we are gone
7) Put together some snack-packs for the trip
8) Bag up a week's worth of food for G
9) Pack. Check it. Add or subtract items as needed.
10) Set an alarm for Mr. M, so that he can sign out for leave at midnight
11) Set aside cash for tolls

I know I'm a lunatic. But I would have made a pretty good boy scout because I like to be prepared.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

~* Got It! *~

I got a job!! I'll be working at Gold's Gym, starting when I get back from "vacation" next week. Woohoo!!

I don't understand how people have a hard time finding a job down here. It took me a month to get my first one, and that was mostly because I didn't know the area and I was scared to ride the bus. But once I got over that, it's been a piece of cake. Employers down here want to hire people, there are jobs available (not great ones, but still jobs). The problem I've been seeing is that people here don't want to work. They say they want a job, but they don't want to have to actually work. That's a mind-set I just don't understand.

Anyway, I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of...eyes. Wish me luck!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

~* The Golden Rule *~

I was browsing thru some of the blogs that I read regularly this morning, contemplating sharing my good news with everyone (I got a new job!), when I came across this and it made me cry at 5:45am. Good cry, not bad cry. Read it, and really think about it. We all have room for improvement.

Five Lessons About How To Treat People
-- Author Unknown


1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady"

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain"


One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve" (this is the one that made me cry)

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path"


In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."


5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts"

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Monday, August 29, 2011

~* Hunting Season *~

Job-hunting, that is. I quit my miserable excuse for a job Saturday evening practically at the demand of Mr. M. Don't get me wrong, I was more than happy to quit, but I usually like to be a bit more prepared when I do.

The entire day had been stressful. It had gotten that way a lot recently, since my previous co-worker left and the new one signed on. But Saturday I decided I had had enough. Nothing major, just a lot of little things.

We were open on the day of one of the worst projected hurricanes to hit the Carolina Coast, so my day started kinda lousy. I knew we weren't gonna get much damage, but still. So, I show up for work at 8:30am and wait for my first customer for two hours. When I got there, the new schedule was stuck to my timecard. It had me coming in at 8:30am on Wednesday to clean. I am not fucking Cinderella, and I can't get there that early. AND I've told them I can't get there that early. My co-worker came in at 10am, and she has a speech impediment. That is, nothing impedes her speech. The girl doesn't shut up. Ever.

Now, let me back up a bit. The only reason both of us were at work to begin with on a Saturday (generally a slow day) was that the Infidels were supposed to be having their anniversary run, and they were due to stop in at our place from about 11:30am-1pm, and there was supposed to be about 60 of them. Well, they finally rolled in at 1pm- about 35 of them- and they only stayed about an hour or so. My co-worker started handling them wrong from the get-go, and I could tell she was upsetting the poor cook. So I stepped in and delegated, and I have to say, things went pretty smoothly from there. When things calmed down, I went to talk to the she-owner about a few things. 1) I brought up the schedule. Oh, don't worry, she and my co-worker had that figured out before she finished the schedule. EXCUSE ME?!?! 2) I expected to be paid more than waitress salary if I was coming in an hour and a half early to play maid. 3) My co-worker was NOT going to take half of my tips that day because she wasn't waitressing. Ok, done. So I go back out, and as I'm taking my first breath since the Infidels left, he-owner comes up to me and says "Standing around again, huh? Doing what you do best." WTF?!?! Even if that was meant as a joke, it's not funny, and it damn sure is not how you talk to an employee who has busted her ass for you without so much as a please, thanks, or good job. The final straw was that she-owner said he-owner wanted to inspect my clean-up before I left. I haven't been inspected in 2 months, and I felt like I had just been demoted. I was so mad, I was red and shaking, but I did it.

When Mr. M picked me up, I conveyed the story of my day, and he practically demanded that I quit. I wanted to quit, but I also wanted to have a backup plan. I hate not having a backup plan. I'm a planner- I like to know that things are gonna be ok. He said he would support me either way, but that I deserved to be treated better. And he's right. I am a damn hard worker, and I DO deserve to be treated better. So, it's Monday morning, and I'm sipping coffee decided whether to go to the pool or paint today. Maybe I'll do both.
" Don't place your better days in the future."