After spending the day eating delicious food, I tried to go take a nap prior to heading out to Toys R Us shopping and then to work. I said I tried, but failed....I was too excited. Black Friday for me is like Christmas for kids - I LOVE IT!! I like the crowds, the people watching, the mayhem that happens. It's just exciting to experience it and watch it all unfold.
At 6pm, Catrina and I headed off to Big Lots because they were open until 8pm and we may as well start our shopping early. Stuff was purchased, but I cannot remember what.... Once BL's was done we headed across the river to Toys R Us to stand in line and get in early when they open at 9am. We were in line at 7. We people watched, made friends with the people in line with us, tried to bribe Portland Police, tried to bribe TRU workers....yea, it didn't get us far. Then it was 9pm and the line started moving - YAHHOOOOOOO, let the fun begin!
Catrina and I are no longer amateurs when it comes to BF shopping. This year, Catrina was a organizational guru! No longer did we have handwritten lists of what we were going to purchase and where, nooooooooo that's too simple. This year Catrina organized each child with the items they wanted, THEN listed each store where they could be found AND at which price!!! This way we knew at a glance that the Angry Bird hooded blankets were the best deal at Kohl's for $19.99, plus an additional 15% coupon I had, PLUS my employee discount.
Once in TRU, we stick together for the initial "big" purchase items that we're seeking, then we divide and conquer on other items (when you have boy and girl items you have to split up). Once we're satisfied with what's in the cart, we had off to get into line. However, we tag team while in line. I stood in line first while Catrina went back into the bowels of the store to find more goodies. Back she came with an armful of stuff, tagged me from the ropes and I was off! It's like WWE and Supermarket Sweep all in on!! (Supermarket Sweep - there's a golden oldie)
We were out of TRU by 11pm. Back to my house to unload the car and go our separate ways. Catrina was off for more BF shopping, I was headed inside to get ready for work. Since I had been up since 7am, I thought it would be wise to shower and brush my teeth b/c I'm not getting that opportunity until after 12pm the next day.
Kohl's was CRAZY!!! The line snaked through the store, but I have to say people were all very nice. In the 9 1/2 hours I worked, I only encountered 1 crabby person. I started at 1am and we were crazy busy until around 3:30am, then DEAD from 4 until around 7'ish. By 8:15 we were crazy busy again. That lasted until I left my register at 11:30. Catrina was there to meet me for some shopping - which she had already started (YAY!! Cuz I was tired) and we were out of there, had lunch and home by 12:45. I was asleep by 1, but up at 4pm. What's a couple of girls to do? Go SHOPPING!! Fred Meyers, Target and the Mall were all hit. We picked up some Green Tea Kitchen (Chinese food) on the way home and collapsed in bed for a long winters nap.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Mini promo, BIG compliment!
I have been working at HP for almost 2 months now, fully trained for just over a month. While I'm still learning some things, I've got things running pretty well in my cube. My accounts are very very slow and quiet, so I've had lots of downtime which has been noticed by management. The way our system is set up, I'm not able to walk over to a coworker and just ask if there is something I can help them with because all area's within the system need specific permissions. I'm only allowed to work on specific accounts - mine.
Today, I was actually working on a claim when the 2 bosses came up behind me and said that they'd like to speak with me. WHOA - my heart started beating a mile a minute. I wasn't taken to the open meeting room - the one with no doors where we usually meet for things. Oh no, I was brought to a conference room that had a door and 3 chairs. OH CRAP! We file in, take a seat and shut the door. GULP.
Tina, we know that your 2 accounts haven't been keeping you very busy. This is it. Do you feel that you know what you're doing pretty well? GULP - yes. We feel that you are a quick learner and can grasp things pretty quickly, so we've decided that we're going to give you a more challenging account and take away your 2 easy accounts. AWESOME - gulp. Sigh of relief!! The bosses have liked what they've seen so far and have decided to give me a very large account.
The account they are giving me is the account NO ONE wants. From what I know, it's challenging and the people associated with the account are difficult. Hey, you know what? I'm up for the challenge and difficult people are my specialty!! I'm ready!
EDIT: I should state that I was not given any raise or bonus or anything for this change. It's just that I was recognized and given the responsibility of a large difficult account so soon after starting.
Today, I was actually working on a claim when the 2 bosses came up behind me and said that they'd like to speak with me. WHOA - my heart started beating a mile a minute. I wasn't taken to the open meeting room - the one with no doors where we usually meet for things. Oh no, I was brought to a conference room that had a door and 3 chairs. OH CRAP! We file in, take a seat and shut the door. GULP.
Tina, we know that your 2 accounts haven't been keeping you very busy. This is it. Do you feel that you know what you're doing pretty well? GULP - yes. We feel that you are a quick learner and can grasp things pretty quickly, so we've decided that we're going to give you a more challenging account and take away your 2 easy accounts. AWESOME - gulp. Sigh of relief!! The bosses have liked what they've seen so far and have decided to give me a very large account.
HOWEVER....
The account they are giving me is the account NO ONE wants. From what I know, it's challenging and the people associated with the account are difficult. Hey, you know what? I'm up for the challenge and difficult people are my specialty!! I'm ready!
EDIT: I should state that I was not given any raise or bonus or anything for this change. It's just that I was recognized and given the responsibility of a large difficult account so soon after starting.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Who do Voodoo? We do!!
I'm seriously lacking in my blogging!! I found photo's from this summer that I haven't published yet!
Labor Day weekend, I worked at Kohl's, but also had time to go have some fun in Portland. After work on Sunday, Catrina and I decided that it was a perfect evening to go meet our friends in Portland for a drink. A drink turned into an evening of FUN!! A night of fun in Portland is best ended with a VooDoo Doughnut.
Labor Day weekend, I worked at Kohl's, but also had time to go have some fun in Portland. After work on Sunday, Catrina and I decided that it was a perfect evening to go meet our friends in Portland for a drink. A drink turned into an evening of FUN!! A night of fun in Portland is best ended with a VooDoo Doughnut.
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| Catrina and Cris |
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| Christian and me |
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| Time to DANCE!! |
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| Christian is excited about what he is displaying! |
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| An actual VooDoo doughnut |
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| Looks DELISH!! |
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Retail Manners Reminder
It's that time of year again, time to remind everyone to BE KIND to the retail staff at the stores you'll be shopping. With Black Friday quickly approaching and the mayhem that follows, please remember the following:
* Be kind to your retail workers. We're making close to if not minimum wage and we are just the worker bee's of the operation.
* You're going to stand in line. I don't make the schedules of how many people are on the registers. Tapping your foot, sighing or complaining LOUDLY does not help the situation. The extra minutes that you're waiting in line compared to the whole scheme of your lifetime, is a mere blip, so put on a smile, complain about the weather to your neighbor, play Angry Birds on your phone, or read from your NOOK cuz you're going to be waiting in a line at some point.
* Be friendly when we ask you a billion questions. Would you like a store cc? Would you like gift receipts? Do you need boxes? One of those questions is MANDATORY and the rest are to make YOUR life easier.
* Don't yell at us or get angry when you can't find a shopping cart, or when the item you want is no longer in your size.
* Please be aware of the time. When you hear the "the store is closing" announcement, please do not grab your stuff and "quickly" go try them on in the fitting room. Head to the nearest register and put the items on hold or pay for them. The announcement means that the store is C L O S I N G, not a warning bell of when you need to start trying on clothes. I'm tired and want to go home and I have at least 30 min of work to finish after you've left the store.
* If you want to apply for the store cc, then do so. Don't worry about the people behind you - again, perspective people. For our store cc, it takes LESS than 3 min to complete the process. I can finish bagging your items in the time that it takes you to complete the application. If you want it, then get it. Our bonus' and raises are based upon our new credit card sign-ups.
* Please don't come to the register with a cart full of items and THEN decide which items you're going to purchase. Please make those decisions prior to coming to the check out line. I realize that we have last minute changes of heart (those are fine), I'm talking about when you have a heaping cart full of stuff and more than 5 items are "I'm not going to get that". I am the one who has to put all the items that you don't want back onto their hangers or folded and into their proper place - AFTER my shift.
* From now until February, stores are going to look messy. Clothes may not always be neatly folded, buttoned, or tied and random items may be found on shelves they don't belong. As much as we try, the customer/worker ratio is WAY off and we just cannot keep up with demand.
Have a great time shopping - I know I will, but just remember that the workers in the store deserve some credit for doing their job during the hardest time of the year! AND, if you see a retail worker doing a great job, let them know - it helps us get through the rough days. I remember specific compliments I've received from customers - complaints go in one ear and out the other.
* Be kind to your retail workers. We're making close to if not minimum wage and we are just the worker bee's of the operation.
* You're going to stand in line. I don't make the schedules of how many people are on the registers. Tapping your foot, sighing or complaining LOUDLY does not help the situation. The extra minutes that you're waiting in line compared to the whole scheme of your lifetime, is a mere blip, so put on a smile, complain about the weather to your neighbor, play Angry Birds on your phone, or read from your NOOK cuz you're going to be waiting in a line at some point.
* Be friendly when we ask you a billion questions. Would you like a store cc? Would you like gift receipts? Do you need boxes? One of those questions is MANDATORY and the rest are to make YOUR life easier.
* Don't yell at us or get angry when you can't find a shopping cart, or when the item you want is no longer in your size.
* Please be aware of the time. When you hear the "the store is closing" announcement, please do not grab your stuff and "quickly" go try them on in the fitting room. Head to the nearest register and put the items on hold or pay for them. The announcement means that the store is C L O S I N G, not a warning bell of when you need to start trying on clothes. I'm tired and want to go home and I have at least 30 min of work to finish after you've left the store.
* If you want to apply for the store cc, then do so. Don't worry about the people behind you - again, perspective people. For our store cc, it takes LESS than 3 min to complete the process. I can finish bagging your items in the time that it takes you to complete the application. If you want it, then get it. Our bonus' and raises are based upon our new credit card sign-ups.
* Please don't come to the register with a cart full of items and THEN decide which items you're going to purchase. Please make those decisions prior to coming to the check out line. I realize that we have last minute changes of heart (those are fine), I'm talking about when you have a heaping cart full of stuff and more than 5 items are "I'm not going to get that". I am the one who has to put all the items that you don't want back onto their hangers or folded and into their proper place - AFTER my shift.
* From now until February, stores are going to look messy. Clothes may not always be neatly folded, buttoned, or tied and random items may be found on shelves they don't belong. As much as we try, the customer/worker ratio is WAY off and we just cannot keep up with demand.
Have a great time shopping - I know I will, but just remember that the workers in the store deserve some credit for doing their job during the hardest time of the year! AND, if you see a retail worker doing a great job, let them know - it helps us get through the rough days. I remember specific compliments I've received from customers - complaints go in one ear and out the other.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
4254
4254 - the number of photos deleted from my computer the other night. There are still over 2000 pictures on my computer, but PHEW, it's a dramatic clean up. After double and triple checking that the photo's were backed up onto the external hard drive, I didn't have the guts to delete. Catrina sat there and did it.....how do you delete pictures of your baby!!!???!!
Ok, ok, I know that they are not permanently deleted, but it was still moving whole entire area's of his life into the trash can....then emptying said can. Again, I still think that maybe the old fashioned way of film would just be simpler.
While Catrina sat at the computer, I was busy busy cutting fabric for the upcoming Bazaar I'm participating in. My MOMS Club group is having a 2nd Annual Holiday Bazaar and this year Catrina and I got the crazy idea I should enter. I'm making pillowcases - fun pillowcases. Children themed and Christmas themed ones. My mom started making pillowcases when my nieces and nephew were little (they are now in their 20's), and I have many pillowcases that I use on a daily basis. I have pillowcases (multiple patterns) for each holiday - Christmas, New Years, Valentines, (no St. Pats), Easter, Halloween. Plus, cases for "everyday" use. Dancing hippo's, flowers, race cars, wolves, polar bears....you get the idea. I have tons and love them! They add a fun whimsical touch to a bed. I'll post pictures of them soon.
Ok, ok, I know that they are not permanently deleted, but it was still moving whole entire area's of his life into the trash can....then emptying said can. Again, I still think that maybe the old fashioned way of film would just be simpler.
While Catrina sat at the computer, I was busy busy cutting fabric for the upcoming Bazaar I'm participating in. My MOMS Club group is having a 2nd Annual Holiday Bazaar and this year Catrina and I got the crazy idea I should enter. I'm making pillowcases - fun pillowcases. Children themed and Christmas themed ones. My mom started making pillowcases when my nieces and nephew were little (they are now in their 20's), and I have many pillowcases that I use on a daily basis. I have pillowcases (multiple patterns) for each holiday - Christmas, New Years, Valentines, (no St. Pats), Easter, Halloween. Plus, cases for "everyday" use. Dancing hippo's, flowers, race cars, wolves, polar bears....you get the idea. I have tons and love them! They add a fun whimsical touch to a bed. I'll post pictures of them soon.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Things I learned in Canada
For my birthday weekend, I was treated to a long weekend get away in Victoria, BC. I cannot post pictures and give you details of my trip b/c my camera died when we were on vacation AND I still need to organize my 6000+ photos before I load the 500 plus that I have waiting on Catrina's camera. Once I get the pictures loaded onto the computer, you'll get a full pictorial of the trip.
So, instead, you get the "Things I learned in Canada" blog:
1. When you go on vacation - always bring an extra camera!! Thank goodness that Catrina brought hers or we'd be screwed. On day 2 of our trip my camera decided to stop opening and closing. Yes, my less than 6mo camera...dead. It's being shipped to the camera hospital as I type. While that may not be a Canadian thing, it's just a good tip to remember!
2. Canadians really do say Eh a lot.
3. Everybody is extremely friendly
4. "Cheers" is used a greeting and a goodbye.
5. Canadian's just don't understand our funny comments. We thought of ourselves as very funny, but hardly a chuckle from anyone. Humph!
6. Don't always rely on the people working at the Visitors Center. We went in to ask where exactly was the "light colored named bricks which out line the footprint of the original Victoria fort" as it mentioned in our guidebook - we had been looking for the better part of an hour. The girls looked at us like we had 2 heads and were speaking in a thick southern accent.
7. Victoria is one of the most haunted cities in the world. Almost every building in the city has had some claim of haunting. They say it's because of 3 factors: The layer of Basalt rock under the city, the mountains surrounding and the salt water all keep the energy of spirits within. TAKE THE HAUNTED TOUR, it was fantastic!
8. Canadian's like their shoes. While we may have a coffee place on every corner, there is a shoe store on every corner in Victoria. And not just moderately priced shoes...NOOOO, these were shoes that you picked up, looked at the price tag and VERY VERY carefully put down as the $300+ price tag on a pair of simple flats suggests that you don't wear the shoes, you just admire them from behind a glass case.
9. Whatever you do, do NOT change your look after you get your passport!! Don't grow your hair out, get contacts...nothing! Canadian boarder patrol almost didn't let Catrina leave Canada b/c they truly didn't believe that it was her on her passport. Her passport is 3-4 years old, she had shorter hair and glasses. Today she has longer hair, is 3-4 years older and wears contacts. Ok, she was wearing a baseball hat the day we were leaving, but she removed it and the guy still questioned whether it was her. Also, Boarder Patrol on either side of the water does not appreciate our humor either.
10. The legal drinking age in Canada is 19. When you go to a club, you feel VERY old!! But the next day when you're taking a different tour and you mention that you were at XYZ club the night before and the guy says "I was there last night also", you suddenly have TONS to talk about and he really doesn't care how much time he's taking showing you around the city, even when the boss calls!!
Canada was a blast and Victoria is beautiful! Can't wait to post pictures and tell all about it.
So, instead, you get the "Things I learned in Canada" blog:
1. When you go on vacation - always bring an extra camera!! Thank goodness that Catrina brought hers or we'd be screwed. On day 2 of our trip my camera decided to stop opening and closing. Yes, my less than 6mo camera...dead. It's being shipped to the camera hospital as I type. While that may not be a Canadian thing, it's just a good tip to remember!
2. Canadians really do say Eh a lot.
3. Everybody is extremely friendly
4. "Cheers" is used a greeting and a goodbye.
5. Canadian's just don't understand our funny comments. We thought of ourselves as very funny, but hardly a chuckle from anyone. Humph!
6. Don't always rely on the people working at the Visitors Center. We went in to ask where exactly was the "light colored named bricks which out line the footprint of the original Victoria fort" as it mentioned in our guidebook - we had been looking for the better part of an hour. The girls looked at us like we had 2 heads and were speaking in a thick southern accent.
7. Victoria is one of the most haunted cities in the world. Almost every building in the city has had some claim of haunting. They say it's because of 3 factors: The layer of Basalt rock under the city, the mountains surrounding and the salt water all keep the energy of spirits within. TAKE THE HAUNTED TOUR, it was fantastic!
8. Canadian's like their shoes. While we may have a coffee place on every corner, there is a shoe store on every corner in Victoria. And not just moderately priced shoes...NOOOO, these were shoes that you picked up, looked at the price tag and VERY VERY carefully put down as the $300+ price tag on a pair of simple flats suggests that you don't wear the shoes, you just admire them from behind a glass case.
9. Whatever you do, do NOT change your look after you get your passport!! Don't grow your hair out, get contacts...nothing! Canadian boarder patrol almost didn't let Catrina leave Canada b/c they truly didn't believe that it was her on her passport. Her passport is 3-4 years old, she had shorter hair and glasses. Today she has longer hair, is 3-4 years older and wears contacts. Ok, she was wearing a baseball hat the day we were leaving, but she removed it and the guy still questioned whether it was her. Also, Boarder Patrol on either side of the water does not appreciate our humor either.
10. The legal drinking age in Canada is 19. When you go to a club, you feel VERY old!! But the next day when you're taking a different tour and you mention that you were at XYZ club the night before and the guy says "I was there last night also", you suddenly have TONS to talk about and he really doesn't care how much time he's taking showing you around the city, even when the boss calls!!
Canada was a blast and Victoria is beautiful! Can't wait to post pictures and tell all about it.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Technology developed
I need to have faith in technology soon. My computer is older and running out of memory. I have more than 7,000 pictures saved on my computer and it's time to off load a lot them onto an external hard drive. This is where my faith must come into play. My faith that this will work because these photo's are D's entire history! It's soooo scary. I know that I could probably purge more than 1/2 of these, but how? How do you choose 1 photo over another?
This is where technology and old school compete. Back when we had film camera's, we were only allowed to take a certain amount of photos. Film rolls came in 12, 24, and I think 48 pictures - that's it. When you got them back from the developer, you went through those hard copies and tossed out what you didn't like, but you were limited to the number of photos. Well, with technology our digital camera's can take as many pictures as a 2, 4 or 8 gig card will hold. Then we just download those photos onto the computer and the card is empty - start again. Once those photos are downloaded on to the computer, yes, we can delete, but sometimes we keep those "silly" photos that we'd probably had purged in the past. We keep the ones where Aunt Sally has her eyes closed because it's a fabulous picture of us, the multiple pictures of our infant baby just laying there because how do you purge pictures of your baby, and the multiple pictures of the flowers in the garden because it was the time where you were playing with your new cameras features. Keep keep keep. My edit button is broken, but edit I must and then I must have faith that the pictures will upload correctly to the external hard drive. Crossing my fingers.
This is where technology and old school compete. Back when we had film camera's, we were only allowed to take a certain amount of photos. Film rolls came in 12, 24, and I think 48 pictures - that's it. When you got them back from the developer, you went through those hard copies and tossed out what you didn't like, but you were limited to the number of photos. Well, with technology our digital camera's can take as many pictures as a 2, 4 or 8 gig card will hold. Then we just download those photos onto the computer and the card is empty - start again. Once those photos are downloaded on to the computer, yes, we can delete, but sometimes we keep those "silly" photos that we'd probably had purged in the past. We keep the ones where Aunt Sally has her eyes closed because it's a fabulous picture of us, the multiple pictures of our infant baby just laying there because how do you purge pictures of your baby, and the multiple pictures of the flowers in the garden because it was the time where you were playing with your new cameras features. Keep keep keep. My edit button is broken, but edit I must and then I must have faith that the pictures will upload correctly to the external hard drive. Crossing my fingers.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
First Day Jitters (and not from nerves)
After a slight mix-up between corporate in GA and the Vancouver office, I started work today.
I must back track just a bit.... The slight mix-up scared me silly!! The only person I've spoken with on a regular basis before and during my hiring process is in Georgia. During our phone call, two weeks ago, she stated that I had several things I had to do prior to my start day (drug test, I-9 to be sent to GA, and misc other paperwork) and as soon as she receives all the info, she'd be calling me back. I completed everything by Tuesday and I waited *insert the Jeopardy theme song here* ....and waited. Finally on Sunday night I put it on my "to-do" list to call her back. On Monday morning, while meeting with friends for bagels she called me. YAY a start date on the horizon. UNTIL.....*dum dum duuuuuum* she asks me how my first day is going.
Um, what?
She proceeded to say that I was to start today.
Ummmmm, pardon me? I think my hearing has just failed me. Did you say I was to start today?
She then asked if Vancouver office had called me regarding my start date - no they hadn't or I'd be sitting in an office rather than the bagel shop. She then looked through paperwork and stated that I hadn't completed all the paperwork - YES, YES I DID!! After a moment of silence, she said that she was going to call the Vanc. office and see what's happened. She called me back about an hour later and stated that 1/2 of my paperwork landed in Vanc. and the other 1/2 in GA. OY!! Don't give me a heart attack!! With that, she said that I would be starting 10am on Wednesday.
So, I was all dressed and ready by 8:25 today. Ok, I did have to take D to the bus (then it was decided that I'd just drive him to school). I was at the HP building by 9:50 and waited *again insert Jeopardy song here* .....and waited in the lobby of the building. HP offices are secure, so one cannot just walk in and roam around. I must have a security badge and swipe card for the doors. About 30 freezing minutes later, John came to get me. I'll get back to the freezing part...
I was now 2 days behind in training from the other girl hired for the same position. I'll be working with 2 accounts, Radio Shack and Micro Centers for their claims on instant rebate programs. I'm excited!! The training today was interesting. Instant rebates on the consumer side are simple and easy, but on the back end, there's a lot of processing to be done!! Lots of wheeling and dealing. Who ever was in my position before must have left unexpectedly b/c some of my programs are MONTHS behind on getting paid. So tomorrow I'm being thrown into the deep end and getting to work. Which is totally exciting and really the only way I can learn the system is to work it.
Freezing - I was told during my interview that there currently isn't any heat system on our side of the building and the a/c worked alllll tooo well this summer (temps ranged from 55-60). When HP originally built the building, they had the servers, copiers...etc in the basement, so those things generated enough heat to pump through the building. Well, now the basement is conference rooms, the gym and mail room. So, I knew not to dress according to the 70+ degree weather outside, but rather for 50 degree's. HOLY COW it's cold in there!! Almost every chair has "the ugly office sweater" draped over it (oh, you know the one...the sweater you wouldn't dare wear in public, but for the $12 you paid for it, it's great for the office). One girl had a blanket over her legs, another was wearing gloves....I'm not kidding, it's that cold!! I'm told that they are working on getting heat into the building, but for now, I'll be using my down time trying to make "smoke" rings from my breath.
I must back track just a bit.... The slight mix-up scared me silly!! The only person I've spoken with on a regular basis before and during my hiring process is in Georgia. During our phone call, two weeks ago, she stated that I had several things I had to do prior to my start day (drug test, I-9 to be sent to GA, and misc other paperwork) and as soon as she receives all the info, she'd be calling me back. I completed everything by Tuesday and I waited *insert the Jeopardy theme song here* ....and waited. Finally on Sunday night I put it on my "to-do" list to call her back. On Monday morning, while meeting with friends for bagels she called me. YAY a start date on the horizon. UNTIL.....*dum dum duuuuuum* she asks me how my first day is going.
Um, what?
She proceeded to say that I was to start today.
Ummmmm, pardon me? I think my hearing has just failed me. Did you say I was to start today?
She then asked if Vancouver office had called me regarding my start date - no they hadn't or I'd be sitting in an office rather than the bagel shop. She then looked through paperwork and stated that I hadn't completed all the paperwork - YES, YES I DID!! After a moment of silence, she said that she was going to call the Vanc. office and see what's happened. She called me back about an hour later and stated that 1/2 of my paperwork landed in Vanc. and the other 1/2 in GA. OY!! Don't give me a heart attack!! With that, she said that I would be starting 10am on Wednesday.
So, I was all dressed and ready by 8:25 today. Ok, I did have to take D to the bus (then it was decided that I'd just drive him to school). I was at the HP building by 9:50 and waited *again insert Jeopardy song here* .....and waited in the lobby of the building. HP offices are secure, so one cannot just walk in and roam around. I must have a security badge and swipe card for the doors. About 30 freezing minutes later, John came to get me. I'll get back to the freezing part...
I was now 2 days behind in training from the other girl hired for the same position. I'll be working with 2 accounts, Radio Shack and Micro Centers for their claims on instant rebate programs. I'm excited!! The training today was interesting. Instant rebates on the consumer side are simple and easy, but on the back end, there's a lot of processing to be done!! Lots of wheeling and dealing. Who ever was in my position before must have left unexpectedly b/c some of my programs are MONTHS behind on getting paid. So tomorrow I'm being thrown into the deep end and getting to work. Which is totally exciting and really the only way I can learn the system is to work it.
Freezing - I was told during my interview that there currently isn't any heat system on our side of the building and the a/c worked alllll tooo well this summer (temps ranged from 55-60). When HP originally built the building, they had the servers, copiers...etc in the basement, so those things generated enough heat to pump through the building. Well, now the basement is conference rooms, the gym and mail room. So, I knew not to dress according to the 70+ degree weather outside, but rather for 50 degree's. HOLY COW it's cold in there!! Almost every chair has "the ugly office sweater" draped over it (oh, you know the one...the sweater you wouldn't dare wear in public, but for the $12 you paid for it, it's great for the office). One girl had a blanket over her legs, another was wearing gloves....I'm not kidding, it's that cold!! I'm told that they are working on getting heat into the building, but for now, I'll be using my down time trying to make "smoke" rings from my breath.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
New Building New Life!
For all of my Vancouver/Portland friends, you should be able to recognize the picture of the building.
YUP!, that's my new place of employment! I. GOT. THE. JOB!!!!! I'll be working for Market Source an outsourced sales division of HP!! HP!! A huge $ multi-million business!!! I'm a Sales Service Representative - fancy name for Customer Service Rep. OMG! I'm soooo freaking excited! I wanted this job from the very beginning, I didn't leave anything to chance. I bought a new outfit for the interview, gave myself a manicure, brows were perfectly waxed, I researched the company.....I was ready for my interview on Tuesday.
I knew I nailed it when I left the building, but again, this is a weird job market, so I wasn't 100% sure. The man who conducted the interview had much in common with me - he's from MI (me from IL), he was a teacher (me too), he came from retail into this position (I'm still at Kohl's). I'm also really really glad that I decided to change my outfit at the last minute; I had purchased a purple sweater to wear with the new skirt (black), but decided to wear my suit jacket instead. When John came out, he was wearing a purple shirt and black pants!! OMG! That would've been weird!!
Anyways, I have tons of paperwork to fill out and a drug test to take. Start date is sometime during the week of the 25th. YIPPPEEEE!! I have a job. A job which will pay my bills and rent AND maybe just maybe have a little extra at the end of each month. I feel soooo relieved to have a job. A job that I believe I'll love.
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| The new (original) HP building |
YUP!, that's my new place of employment! I. GOT. THE. JOB!!!!! I'll be working for Market Source an outsourced sales division of HP!! HP!! A huge $ multi-million business!!! I'm a Sales Service Representative - fancy name for Customer Service Rep. OMG! I'm soooo freaking excited! I wanted this job from the very beginning, I didn't leave anything to chance. I bought a new outfit for the interview, gave myself a manicure, brows were perfectly waxed, I researched the company.....I was ready for my interview on Tuesday.
I knew I nailed it when I left the building, but again, this is a weird job market, so I wasn't 100% sure. The man who conducted the interview had much in common with me - he's from MI (me from IL), he was a teacher (me too), he came from retail into this position (I'm still at Kohl's). I'm also really really glad that I decided to change my outfit at the last minute; I had purchased a purple sweater to wear with the new skirt (black), but decided to wear my suit jacket instead. When John came out, he was wearing a purple shirt and black pants!! OMG! That would've been weird!!
Anyways, I have tons of paperwork to fill out and a drug test to take. Start date is sometime during the week of the 25th. YIPPPEEEE!! I have a job. A job which will pay my bills and rent AND maybe just maybe have a little extra at the end of each month. I feel soooo relieved to have a job. A job that I believe I'll love.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Mystery Messages
I was reading updates on Facebook and a friend of mine had a link to a blog that discussed a rather humorous prank. Can't wait to try it....
Listen to the Banana's
Hope you found it to be as funny as I did. I would LOVE to write some messages for unsuspecting customers.....before reading this, I would've probably freaked out if this happened to me!
Listen to the Banana's
Hope you found it to be as funny as I did. I would LOVE to write some messages for unsuspecting customers.....before reading this, I would've probably freaked out if this happened to me!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
A First of First
I cannot believe that D is in 1st grade!!! OMG! Where did the time go! Well, he came home from school today and said that he loves his teacher. He also didn't want me to take him to school today either!
Last night we went to the Open House to meet his teacher and see his classroom. While there, he got to see which classmates from last year are in his class this year. Happy Day, Happy Day! His girlfriend, Julia, is in his class. When he saw her, he turned about 4 shades of read and barely even said hi to her. Oh man, I'm in trouble - this was the girl that he told me he wanted to kiss, but kissing wasn't allowed in Kindergarten. Hmmmm, wonder if it's allowed in 1st grade?
Last night we went to the Open House to meet his teacher and see his classroom. While there, he got to see which classmates from last year are in his class this year. Happy Day, Happy Day! His girlfriend, Julia, is in his class. When he saw her, he turned about 4 shades of read and barely even said hi to her. Oh man, I'm in trouble - this was the girl that he told me he wanted to kiss, but kissing wasn't allowed in Kindergarten. Hmmmm, wonder if it's allowed in 1st grade?
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| Happy First day of 1st Grade! |
Monday, August 29, 2011
Starts and staying put
Finally, I'm caught up on all my blogs. PHEW!
On Wednesday, D starts 1st grade! Holy cow! Tuesday night is the school open house where we can go and meet his teacher. School supplies have been purchased, new clothes are waiting and summer is done. Last week was very warm (high 80's and a few 90's) - I think Mother Nature knew that it was the final week of summer for kids before school starts because today is only going to be in the mid 70's and by Wednesday, the high is only going to be 70 degrees.
I'll be staying put at home continuing my pursuit to locate a job. Time is really runny short for me, so hopefully something comes along soon.
It doesn't seem fair that summer really just started (in terms of weather) and now the kids have to return to school. We never even made it to the beach this summer with the kids. I guess that's what happens in the Pacific Northwest.
On Wednesday, D starts 1st grade! Holy cow! Tuesday night is the school open house where we can go and meet his teacher. School supplies have been purchased, new clothes are waiting and summer is done. Last week was very warm (high 80's and a few 90's) - I think Mother Nature knew that it was the final week of summer for kids before school starts because today is only going to be in the mid 70's and by Wednesday, the high is only going to be 70 degrees.
I'll be staying put at home continuing my pursuit to locate a job. Time is really runny short for me, so hopefully something comes along soon.
It doesn't seem fair that summer really just started (in terms of weather) and now the kids have to return to school. We never even made it to the beach this summer with the kids. I guess that's what happens in the Pacific Northwest.
Torn between 2 teams
On Friday, Catrina took the day off and we headed up to Seattle to go see the Mariners play the Chicago White Sox, so there is my dilemma. I'm a Chicago girl (although, the Cubs are my team), but I now live in WA - which team do I root for? Early on, I decided that you can take the girl out of Chicago, but you can't take Chicago out of the girl - Sox it is.
As plans go, we decided to head out of town by noon...um, yea...plans - they're good in theory. We headed out of town by 1pm - we figured that it's normally 2.5-3 hours to get to Seattle, but it's a Friday and who knows what traffic will be like. GOOD thing we planned that - we didn't get up there until 6pm. Ok, we took a 30 min detour at Emerald Queen Casino, but only from 4:30-5pm. We arrived at Safeco Field around 6pm. We collected our FREE Mariners fleece blanket and headed into the stadium. According to Penny Collector there is a smashed penny machine within the compound, so off we went to look for it. Unfortunately, we didn't find it. Who cares, we had a blast! The tickets were awesome - down the 3rd base line and 12 rows up. Sox won the game 4-2, so it was a great night!
As plans go, we decided to head out of town by noon...um, yea...plans - they're good in theory. We headed out of town by 1pm - we figured that it's normally 2.5-3 hours to get to Seattle, but it's a Friday and who knows what traffic will be like. GOOD thing we planned that - we didn't get up there until 6pm. Ok, we took a 30 min detour at Emerald Queen Casino, but only from 4:30-5pm. We arrived at Safeco Field around 6pm. We collected our FREE Mariners fleece blanket and headed into the stadium. According to Penny Collector there is a smashed penny machine within the compound, so off we went to look for it. Unfortunately, we didn't find it. Who cares, we had a blast! The tickets were awesome - down the 3rd base line and 12 rows up. Sox won the game 4-2, so it was a great night!
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| "Excuse me, I'm trying to watch the game" |
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| This is how close we were to the action - plus check out the scoreboard! 4-2 - Go Sox! |
Ape Caves with some monkeys.
I'm almost caught up on all of my blogging! YIPPEEE!!
We took the kids back up to the Mt. St. Helens area to hike through the Ape Caves - the easy route. Last summer Catrina, Christian, Cris and I hiked the Upper Caves but it's too difficult for children. We opted for the easier lower cave for the kids. We were prepared for everything - sweatshirts (cuz it's about 40 degree's in the cave), flashlights, water, food, and first aid kits....we weren't prepared for the whining. All well, they're kids and sometimes whine comes with the territory. The most whine was about how cold they were. The lower cave is about a 1.5-2 mile hike total on pretty flat surfaces...well, if walking in a 3000 year old lava tube flat a flat surface. All in all, it was fun to take the kids, turn off the flashlights and see (or not see anything) what complete darkness really is, and just have an adventure.
We took the kids back up to the Mt. St. Helens area to hike through the Ape Caves - the easy route. Last summer Catrina, Christian, Cris and I hiked the Upper Caves but it's too difficult for children. We opted for the easier lower cave for the kids. We were prepared for everything - sweatshirts (cuz it's about 40 degree's in the cave), flashlights, water, food, and first aid kits....we weren't prepared for the whining. All well, they're kids and sometimes whine comes with the territory. The most whine was about how cold they were. The lower cave is about a 1.5-2 mile hike total on pretty flat surfaces...well, if walking in a 3000 year old lava tube flat a flat surface. All in all, it was fun to take the kids, turn off the flashlights and see (or not see anything) what complete darkness really is, and just have an adventure.
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| This picture is captured in total darkness. |
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| You have to crawl to where the cave ends |
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| Even if she's pouting here, she still had a great time! |
Moo, Oink, Weeeeee!
It's time for the Clark County Fair!! This year Catrina and I only had the boys - the girl child decided to attend a wedding with Daddy that day. We had intended to get out of the house and to the fair early, but that just didn't happen. It's ok, because the bus depot is just a block away and for $2 we can take the bus to the fair - and the boys get to ride for free! Plus, the boys get in free to the fair - even better! Once we got there, we headed to see what time the Monster Truck show was going to start and get some lunch. When we got to the grandstand and saw that they had a monster truck school bus that we could ride around the hilly track!! YES!! About a 20 min wait and we were on board for fun, and fun it was! Food, noisy monster trucks (earplugs were necessary), animals, rides and lots of fun! Great day at the fair!
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| Bus ride to the fair - we had to stand because it was so full. |
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| The Monster Bus |
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| Is your mama a llama? |
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| "Mom, can we take her home?" |
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| Catrina, don't be scared it's OK, it's just a slide. (she almost ran into the attendant) |
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| Roller coaster fun! |
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| Strong man! |
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| Fun day at the fair. See you next year! |
4T trail
The 4T Trail is appropriately named because there are 4 T's that need to be done to loop back to the start. Trail, Tram, Trolley and Train. Catrina and I once again convinced the boys to hike with us. It's a 4.2 mile hike from the zoo (if you don't get lost) to OHSU (Oregon Health & Science University) hospital. OHSU is up on a hill and there is a tram that takes people from a parking lot at the bottom of the hill, from there we hopped on the free trolley that takes us to the train that will take us back to the zoo.
As I said earlier, it's a 4.2 mile hike IF you don't get lost. Well, we got lost. The trail doesn't stay within a wooded area, some parts wind through neighborhoods. This is where we got lost. Luckily, we were having a snack on a street corner when a woman and daughter (from the neighborhood) walked by and heard us talking. She stopped and stated that we were NOT headed in the right direction and told us the correct way to go. I'm guessing that we added another .8 miles to our trek, but all the stairs we had to climb before we were told we were headed the wrong direction felt like it added 2 miles, but it was probably a 5 mile hike total.
As I said earlier, it's a 4.2 mile hike IF you don't get lost. Well, we got lost. The trail doesn't stay within a wooded area, some parts wind through neighborhoods. This is where we got lost. Luckily, we were having a snack on a street corner when a woman and daughter (from the neighborhood) walked by and heard us talking. She stopped and stated that we were NOT headed in the right direction and told us the correct way to go. I'm guessing that we added another .8 miles to our trek, but all the stairs we had to climb before we were told we were headed the wrong direction felt like it added 2 miles, but it was probably a 5 mile hike total.
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| Annnnd, we're off!! |
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| Christian and Cris - they were goofing around, so Cris is on the verge of cracking up |
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| Counsil Crest - about 1/2 way through. Great views to stop and have water and snacks |
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| A tree growing from the stump of an old tree. I thought this was really cool! |
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| The Head at OHSU needed his nose and ear picked. |
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| I felt he needed a kiss after being violated by Christian and Catrina. |
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| View from the Tram |
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| Catrina and I do sometimes believe that we're at the circus when with the boys - here's proof! |
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| ummmm, maybe a 5 mile hike is just too much for Christian.... |
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