wow, it's been a long time. my laptop is broken. i dropped it on it's charging port. very sad about that. it is going to take $500 to fix it. i am using another computer right now. what a week! what a month!

i signed up to go to mexico with my church during spring break 2010 to build houses. i am totally stoked. i have never been on a mission. i want to meet little mexican children and paint their nails. the first significant emotions i have had about mexico are curious. when pastor steve first mentioned it, i had a weird curiosity, drawn to the trip. that was 2 years ago when i was new to victoria. the second significant time was a negative emotion. pastor chris said that there was a gentleman in mexico that they wanted to send to university so he could help his family. i felt guilty for wondering why we should help another person in a different country when so many people in this country have student debt, including me. i was actually angry. can you believe it? then i realized i wasn't angry at this mexican guy or at my church or pastor chris. i was angry at my parents, or at my situation. it didn't seem fair. then, after a while, i realized that God will outdo us in generosity. helping one person at a time like that? that's powerful. when a church comes together and helps out a family like that, they are taking them out of some sort of financial bondage. it's not karma or anything to look forward to for the people that give. it's just GIVING. makes the heart softer, more pliable. takes the shell off. the next time that pastor chris spoke about sending him to university, i gave and almost physically felt the shell breaking off a bit. so, now it's time to go myself.

there have been miracles that have happened since i have decided to go. for one, the money just seemed to appear! it has been easy to find the money. weird. doesn't usually happen that way for me. the other miracle is that i finally get my identity. i didn't have my birth certificate, passport, BCID expired. i sent off for my birth certificate and had to use my mother's. my mother learned to use her scanner and emailed it to me. i got to see her full mother's name, her full father's name and their birth places. it was a gift and now i am motivated to get everyone's birth certificate in a book for my mother. i went by my step father's last name for so long with no proper ID to match. it is so great to get my life in order. another miracle is one of my favorite girls from crave is going! we aren't supposed to have favorites, but i honestly can't help it.

sometimes when you are doing something in your life that you are supposed to do, there are negative forces that will try to stop you. i have that in my life. i am praying against it always, but it's tough. my boss is being a real jerk! we have had go arounds and now he is trying to infringe on my days off, trying to keep me from going to mexico meetings. he doesn't know that i am going to a mexico meeting, but he seems to always demand me to be present at work when i have a meeting. he texted me tonight that i am working tomorrow and make sure i am there. i don't think he is the devil or anything like that. he is actually very intelligent and does what he wants. but he has many downfalls.

i had a job interview recently and hope i get the job. it's a job i truly truly want. i was very impressed with them and everyone i spoke to and the environment. i find out monday or tuesday. i feel like walking off my job like, 5 times a week. oh wait, i work 5 days a week. what a coincidence! actually it's more like 6 days a week. that is my rant. i hope to get my laptop fixed sometime soon. gotta go for now. more later.

I don't like this part

K so this guy asked me to hang. You know the one. He's not gay, I think he is a Christian. But I don't like him. He is not for me. Finding a way to say no is difficult. There are many male customers who flirt with me and attempt to hit on me, but I bring it back to business or change the subject and they get the hint. I thought I could possibly like this guy, but he really isn't for me. So, I had to say no. It was awkward. I don't like getting to the stage where I have to say no. I need to suck it up buttercup, and say no, go and tell. Just the facts :

-I think you are truly legit, but I don't see myself marrying you and don't want to waste your time. We are just not a match.
-I am not attracted to you and your icky thoughts and don't appreciate your company. You're a big fat jerky jerk!
-I just see you as a friend. Thanks for playing.

I think the first one is the best.

I am what I am

I have been watching Popeye. A friend lent me the DVD and I have watched it 3 times now. I love this movie, but each time I watch it, I see something I didn't see before, like the fact that the guy is actually kicking his hat and that's why he can't grab it. Or that the father eats soup in a bun and calls it a burger. I remember laughing as a kid and now I think those same things are ridiculous. There is also quite a lot of double entendres. I also am amazed that I didn't notice that Popeye's upper arms are very skinny, but his forearms are quite muscley and hefty. Someone's either been playing a lot of Supermario, may go blind, or is opening a lot of spinach cans. Still a great movie.

Geeks

Geeky phone guy who is from my mall came to see me today. I have an extremely soft spot for geeky guys. We chatted for a while. He kinda reminds me of my ex. Ick. He is not compassionate (the geeky guy. And my ex too, come to think of it.) He is interested. Hinted at going for a beer after work. I don't drink beer. If he had said Earl Grey tea, I would have been all over it. I am not so good with hinting. I get all shy and can't talk because I know the guy wants me to ask. I just clam up, can't even say "oh that sounds nice." I just stand there like an idjeet. He is going to have to ask me directly. Lol! Is that asking for too much? I don't really think so. I am not playing games, I just need clear communication. And also, do guys drink tea?

What is hotter than a geeky tough guy drinking tea?

Oh wait,

a geeky tough guy bringing me a tea. That would be nice. And then if he did a push up or two in front of me, I would throw my teacup at a wall and rip my clothe....oh never mind, this is a blog, not a romance novel. And I don't know yet if he worships Jesus. I have a few things in my mind that he does that I don't like: how he wears his pants, he drinks beer, he hinted. Just be straight up buddy!

Funny thing about Virgin Mobile-this happens at least 3 times a week.

When a customer comes in and wants their phone repaired and it looks like it could be on the virgin mobile line up, and you ask them "Virgin?" and they say "yes" and then you proceed to log on to the virgin network and can't find their phone and ask them again what provider they are on and they say Bell and you ask them why they said Virgin and they get embarrassed, they may have just told you they are a virgin. AWKWARD. And a true story. I have even asked if it's a virgin phone, if it's on the virgin line up, virgin provider, Virgin Mobile. They are mostly young kids, sometimes it's a geeky guy who gets super embarrassed. Geeky can be so cute though. Unless they are my coworker. Then they just get bitter that they are not cool and have to wear lame glasses that look shady. Lol!

Hard Day yesterday

Ok so no more metaphors. Straight up nicknames. Everything else is being kept real.

Yesterday was the most difficult day ever at my job. It actually started the day before yesterday, Sunday. A customer called in, claiming that my co-worker damaged her phone. I saw the phone and it was not damaged at all. She wanted a verbal promise over the phone that I would replace it with a brand new one, free of charge. I declined and asked her to come into the store. She was talking to her husband, who I could hear in the background and he kept telling her what to say. She would be like, "Honey, the woman on the phone (me) says they are not going to replace it. What do I say?" Then I can hear him say "Tell her you are going to sue them if they don't." Then she says, "We are going to sue you if you don't." I tell her that there is no agreement and her phone was working just fine when she left. I can hear her repeat it to her husband and then he tells her what to say. It was straight up annoying! After a few times of this, I said, "If you want me to, I can speak to your husband myself?" She flipped out and starting swearing at me, telling me she isn't a little girl and doesn't need a father figure to figure things out. He got on the phone straightaway and said he was coming to the store to beat me up or shoot me with his gun and would be there in 5 minutes. I hung up on him and called security. They came and I explained the situation and asked them to hang around. Cell phones can be frustrating for people. Especially if they are crazy and unstable. In the meantime, there were so many customers waiting around.

I am currently training the new guy, scar head. He has many scars on his head, hence the name. Has a great attitude, lots of sales experience, is very intelligent, has nice writing and spells things correctly. Has two degrees: one in Theology and one is aeronautical engineering (or something like that). Went to school on scholarships. Downfalls? He is my manager's best friend and they live together. Which makes for a completely fair working environment - NOT! Also, my manager pressures him bigtime for sales. To make matters worse, I think I got top seller for the month for the island. Not conclusive but I am waiting for the numbers to be settled. I don't really care if I am Number 1 or not, as long as I get paid. The thing about Scarhead is that he feels the need to be Number 1, even though he is brand new. He keeps starting people on a sale and then getting me to help because he has NO CLUE what he is doing. It keeps me from actually getting sales because I am busy helping him. He's just so eager and controlling that he can't go slow, even though I told him he would be disciplined if he did this again. He told a family of 5 that we would set them up on the Fido network. They selected phones, gave him their information and went for lunch while he was going to set it all up. Thing is, there is no family plan on Fido!!!! He went through my paperwork, got my login codes and proceeded to complete a credit check for the customer. After activating the first phone, he realized that Fido doesn't have family plans and didn't know what to do. He was stuck. This is considered fraud because it was with my IDs and I didn't know about it. I got in trouble for not keeping them secret!!! Seriously? Are they kidding? He should have been fired, or at least a severe warning. I was so stressed that I started laughing maniacally. Which never leads to positive outcomes.

He apologized up and down and said that if the guy comes to the store to hurt me, he will kill him. I was like, great, but then you will be in jail and I won't be able to train you!
Next morning (yesterday), a couple was waiting outside the store at 9am. We don't open until 9:30 am. Whatever. Their phone was broken and I thought why not? Guess what??? Don't let people in early! And here's why:

Telus always opens late. 9:35am, sometimes the manager sleeps in and doesn't get their until 10am. They get fined $1000 for not opening on time. Telus always has customers waiting outside for them to open. Since we are directly across the hall from Telus, their waiting customers come into our store and ask a bunch of questions in order to compare in their heads between their current service and what they could potentially get from us. Super annoying, but sometimes leads to sales. So when I let the first couple in at 9am, the store suddenly filled up with 20 people, all grumpy and paying too much. Captive audience in one way, but really? they just want to find out how to get a lower price with Telus. You can tell it's an unhappy Telus customer when they start to ask you this kind of stuff:

"Do you think I am paying too much for my service?"
"Do you think $xxx.xx is too much for service for my cell phone?"
"Do you think this is a high quality phone?"
"Do you have any better phones than your competition?"
"Do you have a way of getting rid of extra costs? What should I say to my current provider to lower my costs? Is there a secret word?"
And my favorite: "Can you help me with my Telus phone? I don't want to go to the store, they aren't helpful at all."

Back to my morning. I have a line up of people. A very rude! man in army garb comes in, takes an iphone cover case off the wall and throws it at me, yelling me to put it on his phone. I tell him I am going to be 15 minutes. He freaks out and starts swearing. I tell him he can come back later if he wants to. He tells me to go F$#@ myself. I tell him to please leave. He comes right up to me and says "WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME??" Again, I start laughing. Which wasn't good. I was petrified. So nervous. Dude, seriously, you are going to try to intimidate me? For no reason? Then he leaned in nice and close and yelled in my face, GO F$#@ YOURSELF. I leaned back and walked backwards, got a chair and put it between us, pulled my cell out and called security. The customers in the meantime had cleared out of the store and had contacted security. Security was out by Sears so by the time they got there, he was gone. Weird. I started praying. Hard.

My new co-worker comes in. Not scarhead. The other one. We'll call him Tbone for now. He had a weekend of partying in Vancouver and was coming down from it. He stood against the counter, not answering the phone, just staring at it. I was with customers and after the phone rang 15 times, I said "Can you grab the phone?" He answered it, but when he got off the phone wouldn't talk to me. I asked if he could hear me, he said no, so I asked what's going on? He screamed at me for about 10 minutes about how I am so bossy and rude and not polite and don't care about him. There were many swears in his yelling. I just let him get it all out. He was going red and purple and was so angry. When he was done, I was like, "ok, can we rewind? Cause I don't know what I said." I thought about it and confirmed with him about me asking him to get the phone. He said I should say please and thank you. I felt this was totally overreacting. Reason #4 to not do drugs. I wish I could take actions like this and televise it so kids won't do drugs. The old commercials used to show a frying egg. It made me feel icky cause I don't like eggs. If they really wanted to be effective, they should show how bad of a temper someone has, or how much money it costs and how the drug users are always stressed cause they don't have money. Or how they can't do simple tasks like answer the phone.

So, we talked it through. The whole time I was asking God "why?" I was so frustrated. Then, my other coworker rolls in. 2 hours late. He is also our manager's friend and doesn't get disciplined. There isn't much we can do about it. He doesn't clean, doesn't really do anything. But he gets paid. We will call him plaid, cause deep down he is really geeky but tries to be cool. He was not in a good mood and it was like sour milk for the day. Today was a little better. Here's the spiritual side of it:

My friend Singa says that the enemy tries to intimidate you when you are doing what you are supposed to be. I love my job. I love cell phones, love sales, love the atmosphere. I just don't like the drama. I feel like I am supposed to be here, doing this job. But it's hard. This morning when I opened, I had this idea that we should move the car to a different part of the store and move things around a bit. When the District Manager, Shazam! came in, he made us move the store around. When I came back from the bathroom, I thought I was imagining things because it was just what I had pictured. Odd. But cool. It was like a confirmation from God about my thoughts and stuff. I can't wait til Wednesday. Crave. Thursday off. Relax.

Haiku Friday

Boys that become men

Late in their life, probably

have been very spoiled.








p.s. I had no idea what today was when I wrote this!

Tethered

When I was in junior high, I was obsessed with tether ball. I played it so much. I sprained many fingers multiple times. After they would heal, I would be back at it. It is probably my favorite sport. I can't think of another one at this point in time that I like more.

Every day at least once a day, I have to explain what tethering is to a customer. (It's using the data from your device and tethering it to your laptop so they are sharing the data).

I worked with a certain caterpillar today that perhaps is blossoming into something great! I am so proud of this certain caterpiller. She is attentive to various slugs that come to our place looking to purchase communication devices. Smart, great attitude, high energy. Not a lot of self-initiative, but whatever. I am just so grateful for someone who doesn't spit in the garbage and grunt everytime a cute caterpiller walks by.

BUT...

The head slug, Ducky, let me know that her success is TETHERED to mine. I think sometimes that when people learn English in a communication device slug colony, perhaps they use common words to explain many different things. He said she was ported in from our other store and that the tethering goes both ways. Told me I have a decision to make about retaining her since we are tethered together. I asked when I was given the power stick. He said I don't have it, but I do have a decision to make. Of course I added a line and let her assume responsibililty for it. Sometimes I want to pour water all over the whole slug colony!

Chocolat

So I watched the movie by the name of the title of this blog. It was very good. It was an answer to a prayer. Bit of a long story, but that's what blogs are for, right?

I recently went to Edmonton. I was considering moving there, and may in the far future. But my heart is here right now. I thought I was being foolish. Like running away-with-the-circus-kinda silly. 7 days ago, I prayed for a sign in the form of a story, specifically about a mother and daughter and landing in a town and STAYING there. I prayed that it be a movie or a song or a book that I could relate to. We always moved around when I was little and I hated it. I truly did. I think I may have been bored to tears to stay in one place, but I will never know. I was jealous of people who grew up in one town and knew the people they went to kindergarten with, let alone still knew the people they went to high school with. But I am who I am. Moving around helped me meet lots of people and adjust accordingly. Before we started a movie, I randomly grabbed two movies and held them behind my back. I told our host to pick a hand and that would eliminate one choice. She declined, saying she wanted to watch one of two movies. Chocolat was one of them. We ended up watching it, of course. What are the chances though? Is there ever a coincidence of this magnitude? It was amazing that we picked that movie. In the story, the North wind moved a mother and daughter from place to place. The daughter hated it. And then at one point, they come into a kitchen and everyone is helping out, making food. They stayed and didn't move anymore. It's kinda their church. It was good. For so long, I had this scripture haunting me: "Raise the signal and go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the North, even terrible destruction." (Jeremiah 4:6) I got that back when I lived in Kelowna and that movie reminded me that I don't get that warning anymore. I was just still, for the first time in a long time. And watched a movie. Where the mother and daughter stay put.

Amazing True Freedom

My ex-boyfriend has a new girlfriend and she is very successful. I am happy for them. It is not who I thought it would be.

I am so happy for them. Weird. Not even a hint of jealousy. What? Am I actually becoming an adult? Couldn't be. Maybe it just means he is not the one. I'll take whatever explanation I can get, I am just happy.

WARNING: Grossest entry ever

I had food poisoning. Like nothing I have ever had before! I thought I was dying. I couldn't find my phone because I had put it on silent because I had a killer headache. The advil I took wouldn't stay down. I thought for sure I had H1N1. And I heard it killed people. I wanted to find my phone to tell my mother where to bury me and to not worry. I wasn't thinking clearly. I thought for sure I was dying and people would come looking for me when I didn't pay rent. Ha ha. However, I was kinda glad to be alone cause I was kind of a mess. I only had 3 or 4 drinks the night before and thought "wow, I must be getting old, I really can't hold my drink." I remember feeling queazy when a few of us were in Princess' parking lot looking at her new car. I remember thinking that maybe one day I will buy a car like this. Then I remember thinking, wow, I am dizzy, must stand straight, don't fall over.
At 3am, the volatile vomit started. It didn't stop until about 9pm that night. Stupid me, I went into work. See, my boss was generous enough to give me paid days off and I promised that I would be there. On my way to work, I threw up in the bushes. When I got to work, the garbage can got it. I didn't even make it to the bathroom.

This is a really gross story. It gets better though, I promise.

The guys I work with demanded I go home and pretty much carried me out. (They have muscles, I didn't mind). Who did I see on my way home at 10 am, but non-gay boy. I don't like him anymore. He's obnoxious. (Yes, I change my mind. Quickly sometimes.)
I remember crawling into bed and passing out. Right before I passed out, I thought to myself, I hope Princess is as sick as I am, cause she can hold her liquor and if she is, that means we have food poisoning because we ate from the same place.

I woke up and couldn't make it to the bathroom; my body was too sore to move and I was about to lose it right then. I grabbed a sheet and lost it in that one. At one point, the vomit was bright green. The fish I had eaten hadn't even digested!!!! When I talked to Princess, she mentioned hers hadn't either. Ok, that's the grossest part. It's all done now.

My organs hurt, my bones, hurt, my eyes, hurt. I don't want to eat fish for a long time. However, I have nothing in my fridge and freezer but fish!!!! Blah. I think I lost 5 pounds. Princess lost 2. I hate throwing up. It's like pooing out of your mouth.

And it kinda looked like the soup I had the night before. Milk was a bad choice.

He's not gay!

He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay! He's not gay!



Just so you are clear, this really well groomed guy who smells great is not gay. Not. Homosexual.



Now I just have to find out if he is a Jesus lover. I'm not scared. Yet.

I have no gay-dar

That's right. It's gay radar. That's all I have to say about that.

I'm baaaaaaaaaack.

Ok so I am back from my wonderful trip to Edmonton. I had such a great time, it almost seemed like too soon to come back. It has been a while since I have posted anything so I guess I should catch up. Hmmm let's see.

Oh the pressure. Well, here are the highlights to my trip:
I got to see my sister and mom. When I called my sister to say I was going to surprise them, she started crying. When I got to the door, I went down to the basement where my mom was watching TV and snuck in. I said "Hello?" and she thought I was my sister. Then she looked up and saw me and started crying and shaking. It was good. Not that I want to make people shake and cry. But what a welcome. She saw my friend and started crying that she was there too. I am sure it was because she didn't want to see her. Kidding! She loves Doodle. A lot. And sincerely, which is sometimes rare in my family. Doodle has a niece that calls her Doowa. It is the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. And my nephew. My sister calls him The Little Shit, but really, he is just very active. She never says that when he is around though. I sometimes wish she wouldn't say it but it's hilarious!!! He takes every single item out of her purse, examines each piece and takes it apart to see how it works and then walks away. My sister will come upon a pile of broken items and realize that he did it again.

He isn't that bad or anything, just very active and curious. He is 2 and a half and his little brother is 8 months. He often wants to play rough with his little brother because he plays rough with daddy when daddy comes home from work,so he will put him in a head lock, or sit on him while he is having "tummy time". His little brother will scream his head off, so he will think that he won. My sister sends him to his room. It was so cute to see my baby sister disciplining her children. She is 10 years younger than me, and I had to turn my face so that her and the kids wouldn't see me laughing. I don't know why I found it funny. It's like, I used to have to discipline her and it just seems so funny now that she is doing it. I don't mean any disrespect, it's just so cute.

Until the kids see me with my face turned and my whole body jiggling!

Once they see you jiggling, they know that have gotten away with whatever. And that's how I laugh. Everything jiggles. And I hold the laugh in so much that I let out this little snort. It's horrible. My sister wasn't pleased. At one point, she ducked into the bathroom and I thought she was angry and crying. Nope, she lost control and was laughing. We stayed in the bathroom doing our snorting laugh because we were trying to hold our laughs in and when we came out, her sweet little boy made sure she was alright. Then he told her she was pretty. And then asked for a treat. Smart kid.

I visited a friend that lives close to my sister. She is Canadian and so is her husband....no accent whatsoever. Her little 3 yr old boy comes into the living room and says (in a perfect British accent), "Mummy, may I have a snack?" It took me a minute to think about her and her husband and if they have taken a trip to the UK recently. Nope. Not that I knew of. I listened to her son a bit more as he went on about Spidamon (Spiderman) and toe-mase the Twain (Thomas the Train). Then I asked her if she realized she gave birth to a little British boy? She said "No, no, it's more like Elmer Fudd." He just has a slight speech impediment, is seeing a language counsellor or whatever they are called. Let me tell you, it was the cutest thing ever. I wanted to take Elmer Fudd and cuddle him and tickle him, but he thinks he was born as Spiderman and it's hard to hug a little British boy who is stuck to the side of the wall and climbing up it. Probably so politically incorrect to post this, but it touched my heart. Definitely one of the highlights of my prairie trip.

He Loves Me Not

Blah. Someone I know is in a relationship. And not with me. I am actually fine with it, which seems odd. I am not devastated. I don't know how I feel. Confused, relieved, disgusted. Confused, because I misheard. I am relieved because I felt judged unfairly by this person. So unfairly. And disgusted because he wanted to and definitely would have hooked up with me when I was in Vancouver. I was not interested at all. But I am so conflicted. Did I dodge a bullet? Possibly. Probably. Definitely But really? It's deeper than that.

The bullet is no longer some guy I know. The bullet is me. I am so scared of getting hurt that I just can't step out of my stupid shell and admit that there are guys out there, possibly and probably one for me in a situation that I won't be able to control, and I just give it up to the big man upstairs, err right beside me. It's not a simple thing either. It's a case of day by day, little by little. It would be so easy to say, "Err, I hate men." But that isn't the case at all. I love men. A lot.

I feel free. Hopeful. Disappointed. So many conflicting things at once. The major thing I am having a very hard time with is mis-hearing. What else have I mis-heard?

He Loves, He Loves me not

Ever feel like sometimes books pick you to read them? I just read this book (title mentioned above) and it was so good. I was stuck in Vancouver for 2 days, which is a great place to be stuck. But no one to talk to, shopping was ok, we have most of the same stores. I ate the best foods, saw great things. But it wasn't enough. Also, Vancouver is SO crowded. Most times, I love a crowd, but I was just cranky and wanted to go home. Was also missing Crave, which was frustrating. But then I found this book. I only had 5 minutes in Chapters before the skytrain left so I grabbed this book and ended up reading the whole thing. It is about a woman's journey of faith. The thing she wanted most in the entire world was a husband. She also was a seeker. She sought spiritual connection and exhausted every avenue until she came to Jesus. It was very good because it reminded me of my path (although I am not married....yet!) lol. If you get a chance, this book is a must read! It's not Captivating but it's up there.

i phone u phone we phone they phone

The delivery guy for our store is so nice. I have a lot of admiration for him. And a deal with him. I have always been very nice to him because I know that what he brings are little packages of gold. Not real gold of course, but the sort of equipment that translates into a pay check for me. I have become conditioned to associate delivery men with potential paychecks. He told me my eyes light up when I see him. He said that he initially thought I had a crush on him, but then realized I focus on the package he has in his hands, take it from him, and hold it if I can, while signing the delivery receipt. Then I completely ignore him. Once I have signed the delivery receipt, I am off to the races! It's like Christmas every Monday/Tuesday. I love receiving product.

Today was insane though. The head slug, who is usually very fair, decided to call all his friends when a shipment of fresh green leaves arrived. Some of the green leaves were from 16 branches, others had 32 and were available; both only from Oak trees. The other option is Maple trees, but we did not receive any Maples today.

When I was visiting our other slug colony, the delivery guy came by and gave me the sign that he delivered the leaves. When I arrived at the store, it was so comical. The slugs couldn't figure out how I knew the leaves had arrived. Suckas!!! The other slugs had shown up and tried to hide and stuff the leaves in holes so that others would not be able to find them. But I sniffed out a couple of leaves and sold them while the slugs were visiting the feeding troughs and outhouse. When they came back, they were baffled that the leaves had been sold. It was such a manic experience.

I have to keep giving the delivery guy cookies. He rocks!

True friends get in the dumpster with you

K so my friend Renza called me the other night and I was kinda feeling lonely and overwhelmed. I was making chicken broth, which was simmering and had a couple of loads of laundry in the machines in the laundry room. I invited her to come over and agreed to meet her at the back door. I intended to visit the laundry room to turn the clothes over and then toss my garbage while I was waiting. The bags were so heavy, they almost broke my fingers. I slugged my way across the parking lot with my 5 heavy bags and took one heaving grip and tossed it all in.

WITH MY KEYS!!!

I remained calm and stood there for a minute thinking of possible options. It was dark and I was cold because I was just wearing a tank and shorts and suddenly had to go to the bathroom so bad. I started making my way down the alley to where Renza would park - I didn't want to go dumspter diving alone. I waited and then wandered around to the front of the building. After a while Renza showed up. She was smart enough to ask the neighbors for hangers and a flashlight. Then she undid a wire hanger and stabbed a garbage bag in the corner of the dumpster to move the garbage out of the way. The plan was to work the grid starting in one corner and working out. Wouldn't you believe it?! The keys were under the first bag we picked up!

I was so grateful. However, for those of you that know Renza, you know that she does her own thing, dances to the beat of her own drum. This is why we love her. We stopped in the laundry room to turn the clothes over. Since they were all full, I had to empty one. Renza Renza proceeded to fold someone's underwear.

They were very large underwear appearing to belong to a male.

I asked and then begged her not to fold it. Threatened to mess it up when she was done. To no avail. She does her own thing. I left her in the laundry room folding someone's underwear. Later, when I returned to gather my laundry, who should come into the laundry room but the owner of the large underwear!!! He thanked me and asked me for coffee sometime. Upon returning to my suite I found that Renza had artfully arranged 24 rolls of toilet paper in a pyramid fashion in my toilet paper bowl thingy. I later sneezed and they rolled everywhere. I left it like that for a few days to remind me of the funniest night in a long time. It was hard getting them all piled up again. I had to store some in the cupboard. It would make for a fun time at Crave. Piling the toilet paper I mean, not the part about folding a stranger's underwear or going fishing in a dumpster for my keys. I got another set cut by the way! (Keys, not underwear).

Extended grease to others. And grace too.

I got a flat screen TV, a new couch, side tables and a huge shelving unit for $100. It was an amazing deal. My living room is full of furniture now. Can't even walk into the living room. There is so much to do and here I am on my laptop in bed. I am giving my previous furniture away. The TV has been spoken for but the shelving unit hasn't. There is also a kitchen table, and a majestic couch set.

By the way, cell phone guy's sister requested to add me to facebook. I really like her a lot. More than I like her brother, but it seems weird to be all like, "hey wanna hang out?" The parents have come into my store and let me know how great their son is. The daughter is super cool though. She is married or has a bf or something and has pics on facebook of costumes and places she has gone. Also when I sold her her piece of equipment, we had a great time. We are around the same age and get along great. I don't want to date the guy just to gain a really great friend. However, I don't want to befriend the friend and leave the guy out in the cold. He has come in a couple more times and it is clear that "just friendship" is not in the cards. And my non-attraction to him won't let me even flirt with him or lead him on or anything. I made it clear I was not interested. It was horrible. But free-ing. I don't think he is going to give up easily cause he came back like, 3 more times. Asked if there was any chance. I was firm (almost rude) and very direct. Then the parents showed up. Aaaaaaaaargh. I am not sure which is more difficult, being the person to say no and having to keep say no, or being told no and being so determined. It's awkward. Also, I don't think he is a Jesus lover. Which is fine with me for friendships, but not so much for relationships where I could potentially end up arguing about beliefs. Been there, done that, no more of that.

Speaking of Jesus, there was this facebook status of a friend of mine. It read...How is it that one of the most thoughtful conversations I have had about grace was with someone outside the church?

Totally. I agree, although I think his status is more of question form.

When I was little and my mother tried to explain grace to me, I thought she was talking about grease. My dad would cook bacon and then pour the leftover bacon fat into a can and it would congeal and go white. So one day I came home from school and told my mother about something my brother did while at school that he got in trouble for. My mother picked up the can of bacon grease and was holding it in her hand while telling me that sometimes we need to give grace to others and love them the way they. Of course in my 7 year old mind (no, I never really grew up) I thought she was talking about the grease. When my brother came home after school, I got the can of grease, walked over to him, told him I loved him, went to hand him the can of grease, and accidentally spilled it on him. He called me stupid, so I called him mean and ugly. My mother pointed out that we look alike and asked me what I was doing? I said I was trying to extend grace and love. I don't remember what happened after that but I wasn't in much trouble.

Grateful and tired

I met my goal for this month. I am exhausted. End of month is always crazy.

I can't believe it though. And I had some slugs help me for the last 2 hours of the day.

It was amazing. But I feel like I have run a marathon. I have to get more organized.

Hair Curlers

I am currently conducting a study of hair rollers. The old school kind that you roll into your hair and then remove, hopefully leaving you with shiny, bouncy, uniform curls. They are usually healthier for your hair because it isn't extreme heat from a metal appliance which can sometimes damage your hair. I will let you all know how it goes.

So far, I have tried steam rollers, Revlon plastic rollers and Conair Jumbo rollers. I like the Conair ones the best. They are velour/velvet and have these wire things that hold them in place. I will post pics. I have 5 more to try. And I have to figure out how to embed things. I do notice a difference in my hair. It doesn't seem as dried out and brittle as it was before. And doing my hair in the morning is a snap. I just turn on the rollers, put them in for 10 minutes while I wash my face, brush my teeth and put eyemake up on. Then I run around and get dressed quickly (because I usually sleep as late as I can!) and then take the rollers out, shake the hair a bit, and good to go. How does everyone else do their hair?

A Story

Once upon a time in a slug colony a caterpillar, named Katerpillar, came along and started helping the slugs build their nest. They made a great team because Katerpillar was able to anticipate the slugs' grouchiness, laziness and lack of effort and was able to motivate them to stay on track in building their mud homes and the slugs were able to lay out the expectations clearly, which Katerpillar appreciated. Another caterpillar came along who was very lovely to look at, which was helped by her shiny lipgloss (obviously naturally created). She was quite flirtatious and loved attention from the slugs. The slugs slowed right down to a crawl because they were so busy observing the new caterpillar, which is hard to imagine because slugs are already painfully slow. The caterpillar, whose name was Catty decided to wind her body around the slugs to keep them nice and warm. The slugs really appreciated this act of kindness and stopped building the mud homes altogether. Katerpillar didn't really care because she had seen this before and was happy to be left alone and help other slugs in the community get contracts for their homes.

One day, the head slug, named Ducky, let Katerpillar know that from now on, she would be the only Katerpillar in the colony because he feared that Catty would have hurt feelings from Katerpillar and that Catty would be amazingly unproductive and predicted that Katerpillar and Catty would end up in a fight. Katerpillar was saddened and wondered why caterpillars can't just work together without all the caterpillar dynamics getting in the way. Katerpillar brought Catty to the eating trough and offered her leafy greens or whatever catepillars eat. Catty let Katerpillar know that the slugs are happier with Catty and that Katerpillar has no chance of making them happy. But Katerpillar knew that wasn't true and didn`t really care anyways but let Catty say her piece and left her at the eating trough.

Katerpillar returned to making mud houses with the slugs and ignored Catty. And one day a human little girl accidentally stepped on Catty, crushing her.

The End.

4 Random Sightings of FB Guy- Creepy or Coincidence? and also, I am truly a coward

So I ran into FB guy. He changed his profile picture. The one before this one he was wearing this helmet/mask thing and I couldn't really see his face. In this one, it's definitely him. I knew it was him before anyways. So today I saw him at Mayfair mall. I kinda ducked behind a kiosk to avoid him seeing me. Then later I saw him drive by me while I was waiting for the bus. I saw him a far ways off as he was maneuvering out of the parking lot and turned my back so he wouldn't see/recognize me.
There are 2 reasons I did this:

1. I didn't look well today. I had rolled out of bed and was wearing baggy yoga pants and an old t-shirt, barely any makeup and my hair was in a sweaty pony-tail. I didn't think I would see anyone that would recognize me. That's the beauty of only living here for over a year.

2. Even though I am not interested in this guy and should probably be an adult and let him know, I don't want to even put myself in that position to have to have the talk. He isn't bad looking and he is very polite and really nice. What is it I don't like about him? Hmmm, not sure. I guess he just talks an awful lot. About politics. Like, he wants to tell you everything that is in his head. I felt steamrolled. And I think it would hurt his feelings if I told him. You see, I have had about 10 conversations with this guy. Yes, that right, he has come and talked to me about politics about TEN TIMES. I am moderately interested in politics as far as say, hmm, is there a war going on? I find it mildly interesting. But to have a full conversation about it puts me to sleep! And he has talked to me ten times about this. Oh no wait, the first meeting was me selling him an iphone. So that's nine. The point is, he is passionate about politics and I? am definitely not.
I have tried several ways to cut the conversation short. He picks up the hint and goes away and comes back another day, just like rain. As you can see, I am not good at this. I don't usually get guys interested in me that keep visiting me at work.

Later, I saw him at the same grocery store. And then at the same restaurant. Creepy? Or coincidence?

I am going to have to suck it up and have the talk. I think he is smart enough to take a strong hint. I just have to deliver it.

Why I can't post about work

So there is so much to tell about work!!!!

I think people would be shocked to hear some of the stories. Quite heinous really (that's with a slightly British accent while I call myself Betty).

The reason I cannot tell anything about work is that someone called my manager and said that I said bad things about him to her son. Not true. I might disagree with something that happens, but I really am not going to go to a customer and say bad things about my manager. And what was said is not even in my vocabulary! However, I had a talking to and then they spoke to the whole group about facebook and blogging and such.

I am bursting at the seams to communicate all that goes on in my corner of the world as far as work goes, but I am going to have to wait to post on my blog. I am definitely going to type it out as it happens, but will just save it instead of posting it. And every now and then I will probably have to toss out some pieces of work in the form of metaphors.

How is everyone with reading between the lines?

McExercise

I stretched and then exercised. And then I went to McDonald's on the way home and had a junior chicken. I was so hungry. It was delicious.

Wow, what a predicament

Ok so this regular customer keeps returning to our store to ask me questions. The first 4 tmes, I just thought that he liked the product. But he made it clear that he wants to get to know me. This doesn't usually happen to me. The guys usually go for my co-workers. (I got a new co-worker by the way. Female, beautiful, smart and very nice-that's a whole other blog). So he requested friendship on facebook. I suddenly want to delete my whole profile and hide. Lol!

Dahlias

Yesterday a friend who works near me received delivered flowers. I was very happy for her but honestly a little sad that I don't get flowers. So I prayed for God to give me flowers. As I was taking the cardboard to recycling, I saw ROWS AND ROWS OF FLOWERS! They were on tables lining the halls of Hillside Mall. It was amazing. I paused and stared at them. I went and smelled them and touched them to make sure I wasn't dreaming. One of my favorite songs, "Groovy Kind of Love" by Genesis was on and I was in awe. It was a cool moment.

When I got back, my boss asked why it took me 15 minutes to take the cardboard. I was in dreamland and didn't even engage in a verbal sparring. I said: "It just did."

Don't Stop Believing

I have had a fever off and on for 3 days. Today, being a day off, I discovered I was fully sick. I just thought it was a headache. So I have been in bed with that feverish feeling, running hot and cold. I have an appointment with my doc later today hopefully for a prescription. I finally have benefits at work so it's smooth sailing after that. It was good to sleep though. For the rest of the time, I have been relaxing and trying not to think about laundry or training or whatever, just having a day off from everything. Gets boring though. In my travels on the internet, I found some great places to watch T.V. A show I just recently discovered is Glee. About high schools kids who are in a glee club and the teacher that helps them. The song at the end is the title of this blog. I was honestly frustrated and bored until I found this show and to hear the song at the end of this episode was so uplifting, I just had to write about it. It's a song that comes into my life whenever I feel low on hope for whatever reason. Here is the link for this show and other links for great shows. I am also going to post on the main page of this blog.

Glee
CTV shows like Madmen, Corner Gas, So You Think You Can Dance
Being Erica
The Hills
Top 5 new music videos
Rachel Ray

Going back to sleep now. Happy watching!

Purity

As a naive somewhat new-ish Christian (4 years of following J-man), I sometimes imagine "other" Christian girls who grew up in a christian bubble - a completely functional family with good boundaries and no drinking, swearing, staying out late, and for sure no crazy sex drive! In my mind the parents of these "other" christians had it together, whatever that encompasses. Unlike my family who travelled and let me miss school and had rough boundaries. I am pretty good at not falling into the comparison trap and comparing backgrounds and stuff like that, but I am pretty bad at being naive. I also fall into the category trap. I like organizing stuff so I think Ì start to group people in my head. I think it's my christian-colored glasses. I often think that christian girls don't have sex and don't want to, but I realize it's both unfair and unhealthy to paint everyone with the same paintbrush. Some people deserve fat paintbrushes to smooth everything away and some need a pointy one to get in all the nooks and crannies. The point is, I have discovered a huge segment of Christian girls in the next generation who are secretly having sex or sexual activity. My heart breaks for them because I want them to stay pure and hey, maybe they can be the first generation to get it right.

Something in me is relieved that girls have sex drives. Maybe I am not such a freak after all? I will still be praying for their purity though

Frustrating Day

A customer came into where I worked and did not speak English very well. She said she wanted to start a contract. Find out that after an hour and a half of her broken english and my broken japanese, she wanted to stop a contract and got her verbs mixed up. Great times getting that reversed!

Customer number 2 wanted to give my manager a compliment about me but I convinced him not to since my manager thinks I am paying people to say good things about me.

Customer number 3 wanted me to give a credit for $0.45 because they were charged for 3 text messages that they said that didn't send and wanted me to help them with this. I asked if they were concerned about future text mistakes, but they said they were not. I handed them 2 quarters. They came back and still wanted help getting the $0.45 removed. I gave them the phone and told them what to dial. They wanted me to do it. I informed them that we do not do any adjustments in store and it is up to them to call in. They stared at me like cows in a field waiting for feeding time or something. I almost asked if they are mentally challenged but I think that would have been rude. I dialled the number, handed them the phone and walked away. I didn't get the quarters back (no big deal at all) but then they wanted my coworker to credit them, so he also gave them $0.50 to go away. To no avail. In the end, they got $1.45.

Customer number 4 locked their phone with a password and couldn't remember it. She was very nice and a little embarrassed. I could not unlock it either, since I DIDN'T KNOW THE CODE. After calling the provider and the manufacturer, the only way to get it is to do a system flash, meaning she loses all her contacts, memory, data, applications. Everything gone. She was not happy and started yelling. I gave her the option of paying $50 at a different store for the service of sending her device away, which costs $130. She yelled very loudly. I calmly told her that I will leave her to make her decision and walked away. Half an hour later, she asked me to book her a time at the other store. Said she didn't understand why we don't know the code. Duh! That's why it's called a SECURITY code.

I love customers. I am grateful for my job and am not really as bitter as it may appear, I am just venting.

Haiku Whatever Day

Grumbly and grouchy
Did not want to work today
Stupid customers

Censored

I had to delete work entries. More later.

Date?

He showed up on a motorcycle wearing jeans and helmet and motorcycle jacket. He didn't know I could see him because I was sitting across the street at a table. I watched him take his gear off and lock his bike up, then I went over to him. As soon as he saw me, he started grinning and waving. As I approached, he looked a little shy and fiddled with something on his bike. I kinda kicked the ground with my toe and said "Hi." Then he said, "Hello, it's good to see you." I gave him a hug and he kinda hugged me sideways, hard to describe. We went inside the restaurant and got a table. He let me pick my seat and then pulled out my chair for me. As we were looking at the menu, I glanced at him and saw him glance at me. We started laughing at the same time. He remembered what I liked and ordered for us. Conversation was good. He told me I am crazy and he is glad to see I haven't changed after I dipped my sashimi in his soy sauce. I apologized and he said no, he is happy to share. When the bill came, he grabbed it right away and paid. We were gonna hang out but since his motorcycle license is brand new, he can't be out after dark and had about 15 minutes to get back to Bear Mountain so he had to go. It was pleasant and enjoyable, slightly awkward. Later he texted me to say thank you for letting him take me out to dinner and then called me. I thanked him for being a gentleman. I could hear him smiling over the phone and he said that is what he is going for. Said he was sorry our date was cut short. Date?

I don't know why, but somehow I feel disrespected. It wasn't because of the whole "date" thing. Maybe disrespected is the wrong word. Under-valued? I don't know. It's like he didn't realize who I am or my value. All that time and he finally takes me on a real date? I know we are here to give but really? Too late. And I am not sure he knows who he is or realizes his own value. I feel in my gut that this is not the guy for me. I don't know. It didn't feel like Jesus was wooing me. I appreciated his time and everything was smooth. Right time, wrong boy. Weird. It's like somehow in my soul, I know it's not right. I hope I will know when it is the right one. I think the Jesus will show up. And bring a prince.

Hot promises

My boss threatened to fire me if I didn't do 40 phones this month. It's really annoying. We had a nice little go around. It's ok because I can't afford to work there if I don't do 40, but still, it's harsh to say it that way. My personal goal for this month is 75. I am currently at 42. Woohoo! Just over 30 to go. He also said I would get my own Blackberry if I do 40. Let's see if that happens...

Today is the first full day I have taken off in a while and did absolutely nothing. My apartment is hot and sticky. Kudos to Vancouver Island for not having air conditioning, but seriously? I feel like I am going through menopause, or as a good friend likes to say, mentopause. I am just lazing around reading and eating grapes. Like a greek goddess. With sweat. And somewhat overweight. And not at all tanned. I wish I had one of those fanning boys to fan me with a palm frond and peel my grapes. That would be nice.

By Your Side

I love this video.

Remember the McDonald's song? My sister sang part of it to me today.

Anyone else remember this way-too catchy McDonalds song that turned their entire menu into a song and then distributed fake records in newspapers and ran a contest promotion?!

I'd like a Big Mac,
Mc BLT,
A Quarter-Pounder with some cheese,
Filet-O-Fish,
A Hamburger,
A Cheeseburger,
A Happy Meal.

McNuggets,
Tasty Golden French Fries,
Regular or Larger Size,
And Salads: Chef or Garden,
Or a Chicken Salad Oriental.

Big Big Breakfast,
Egg McMuffin,
Hot Hot Cakes,
and Sausage.

Maybe Biscuits,
Bacon, Egg and Cheese,
A Sausage,
Danish,
Hash Browns too.

And for Desert
Hot Apple Pies,
And Sundays
three varieties,
A Soft Server Cone,
3 kinds of shakes,
And Chocolatey Chip Cookies.

And to drink a Coca-Cola,
Diet Coke, and Orange Drink,
A Sprite and Coffee, Decaf too,
A lowfat milk, also an Orange Juice.

I love McDonalds Good Time Great Taste,
and I get this all at one place...
The Good time,
great taste,
Of Mc Donalds.

My little brother pronounces it MiDonoes. He is 28. It's still cute. Kinda.

This actually happened today

Which is weird because my last post was about programming phones. This is an interaction that took place between my coworker and a customer.

"Hi, welcome to (our retail store) . How can I help you?"
"Can you program my Telus phone for me?"
"No, I am sorry, we are not a Telus provider. You need to go to Telus, they are just across the hall and they can program it."
"Why can't you program it here?"
"Since we don't service or sell Telus cells, we are not able to program them."
"Well, I am not going to Telus because they are rude! So I guess you are telling me that I am going to be carrying around this phone and not use it just because you can't program it?!"
"Look, I am sure the people at Telus will program your phone. They have to. You got it from there."
"Whatever. I am just not gonna use my phone. Thanks for nothing. And you know what? I want to lodge a complaint with your head office. What is the number?"
"Hold on, I'll get it for you." (He looks under Telus in the phone book, gives the customer the number). "Here you go, just tell them what you told me. I am sure they will be happy to hear what you have to say."

I'm a train wreck, waiting to happen

My good friend, Doodle, is both petrified of and in adoration of men. She falls fast. And hard. What a great thing. To have a heart and to use it. It's a beautiful mess. I can't wait. And I am scared for her. The whole process that she goes through is extremely contagious. If you even get a whiff, you too, will be contaminated with the love bug.

Call Center Culture

"Thank you for calling Sprint PCS Wireless, my name is Katherine. How may I help you?"
"I would like to order a Hawaiian pizza please."
"Sorry?"
"A large hawaiian pizza please."
"Sprint PCS WIRELESS. How can I help you?"
"Uh, this isn't Pizza Hut?"
"No, it's a call center."
"Nevermind".

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for calling Sprint PCS Wireless, my name is Katherine. How may I help you?"
"I just got my new phone and need to program it."
"Ok, are you calling from a land line?"
"No, I am using the cell phone!" (with an angry tone)
"Okay well you need to call from a land line so that we can program the cell together over the phone."
"It's okay, I will stay on the phone with you and we can program it. We need to hurry because I am expecting a f&%$ing call!"
"I'm sorry sir, but you will need to call back on another line because this cell phone gets shut off."
"It doesn't matter! Just help me program my phone over the phone!"
"Ok, the first step is to press the red button."
"Press it now?"
"Yes. If you want to program your phone, you need to first press the red button."
"Okay." Call ended.

Favorite Pick Up Lines (I would actually never use any of these, but they are funny)

Are you a surgeon? Cause you've just took my heart away!
Excuse me, but I think I dropped something ... My Jaw !!!
I'm not wearing any pants.
You have been very naughty! Go to my room!
Mind if i stand here until it's safe where i farted?
If I received a nickel for everytime I saw someone as beautiful as you, I'd have five cents.
When God made you, he was showing off
It's not my fault I fell in love, you're the one who tripped me!
There must be something wrong with my eyes, I can't take them off you.
Do you have a map? I just keep on getting lost in your eyes.
Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?
If I could rewrite the alphabet, I would put U and I together.
If you were a new hamburger at McDonald's, you would be McGorgeous.
Are you a parking ticket? 'cause you got fine-fine-fine written all over ya.
Baby, you must be a broom, cause you just swept me off my feet.
If I said you had a great body, would you hold it against me?
You must be tired 'cause you've been running through my mind all day!

2 plus 2 is 4, 4 plus 4 is 8, 8 plus 8 is 16, 16 plus 16 is 32

Inchworm, inchworm
measuring the merigolds
Seems to me, you'd stop and see
How beautiful they are.

If life was a musical, this song would be playing right now.

It's haiku time...and it's Thursday

Unconditional Love

Stubby little legs
Shiny smooth short-haired poodle
Looks like her owner



.

Everything has a purpose right?

I was reading in June 2009's Reader's Digest that the cellular phone industry is in the bottom 5 least trusted industry's in Canada, according to a poll taken. It isn't the bottom though. It's about 4th from the bottom. The least trusted industry is advertising,then oil, then tobacco, then the industry in which I am currently employed.

I think that one of the reason's it is not trusted is because of all the hidden fees. A lady came in today and as I explained the different costs and all, it was fairly obvious which network would be the best one for her needs. I usually tell the customers the bad news up front. Then I can play the hero and save the good stuff for later. It also usually gains their trust. But Ms. ANALytical wanted me to chart it! Make a graph, show what she does and doesn't get. I handed her the brochures and my Tim Horton's card, invited her to use it and sit in the food court while she compared the differences. But no, she wanted an Excel spreadsheet! Normally, I love Excel. In this case, it was a little too much. I told her I will email it to her. Blah. She is an accountant and offered to do my taxes in the future for a good price. I am learning integrity. Or character. Or something. Networking? Blah.

When I got home, I collapsed on the couch and grabbed my Reader's Digest and randomly opened it. Guess what I found? Yup, the article about trust. Ok, ok, I get it. I have to start somewhere. I am gonna go create the spreadsheet now. Blah. At least I'm not in advertising. Or tobacco. Gross.

I've got one hand in my pocket and the other is wearing a white glove.

I received quite a few text messages today telling me that Michael Jackson passed away. He was 50 years old.

Michael Jackson was unstoppable Thriller became the biggest selling album of all time and he was the first black artist to find stardom on MTV, breaking down innumerable boundaries both for his race and for music videos as an art form. For someone like me, who was (and maybe still is) in love with videos, he was one of the first people I started watching in music videos. Later in his career, most of the media's attention focused on his increasingly bizarre eccentricities. The Neverland Ranch, Bubbles the monkey. Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy. Although he categorically denied the charges, his out of court settlement failed to restore his tarnished image. He never quite escaped the stigma of those allegations, and while he continued to sell records at superstarlevels, he didn't release them with enough frequency to once again become better known for his music than his private life. Even so, Jackson always remained bigger than life. And when I think of him, only fondness comes to mind. And a soft picture of him wearing a light yellow sweater on the cover of his album.

I am a big fan of his music, of course. I don't even know what to say about this. He was getting in shape for a concert tour, but suddenly passed away. They haven't yet confirmed what the cause of death was. Cardiac arrest has been mentioned. Favorite Jackson song? There are a few. In no particular order:

Beat it
Billie Jean
Will you be there?
Thriller
Heal the world
PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
The way you make me feel (I love the snapping in the video)

I guess I don't know what to say because I only have good feelings when I think about Micheal Jackson. Even with all the odd reports and court settlements. My earliest music memories of my life soundtrack can be triggered with Micheal Jackson songs. I remember buying the Thriller tape at the music store in West Edmonton Mall when I was 12. I played it over and over. I got the Faith tape by George Micheal the same day. I was kinda hoping that he would make some more music and possibly tour Canada. It's kinda like Elvis for my generation. Michael Jackson's music is something I will listen to and remember. And I will dance. Like Michael. God must have cool music in Heaven. Hopefully I will get to listen to it in person one day.

I want to be an eagle, not a chicken

A good friend of mine in Kelowna, who is a writer, wrote this to me:

When a storm comes, chickens run around madly flapping their wings, squawking, going in circles, digging in the same old dirt and going nowhere. The eagle is different. When it sees a storm coming, it sits on a rock and waits. When the storm comes it rises up to “catch the wind” so that it will take the eagle to higher heights – soaring on the strength of the wind. In fact, the eagle uses the storms to lift it higher than it would normally go.

It was perfect timing on her part to write this to me, as usual. I think eagles are nicer than crows. Crows chased me down the street the other day. I was waving my arms and screaming, imagining a Chandler Bing (from Friends) kind of move. I prayed to God out loud to save me and the crows stopped chasing me.

If you are in the middle of a storm, please stop with me right now. Breathe in the word of God which promises this: “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:32 NASB). Yeehaw! I am gonna outrun those crows!

Business Ethics

If you think you are doing something bad, you probably are.



I got a phone call from a co-worker telling me that he took a sale of mine because he helped the customer more than I did. That makes me not trust him. Doesn't feel right. I asked him why he called to tell me that. He said he would feel guilty if he took the sale and didn't tell me, wouldn't want me to think he stole the sale from me. Nice.

Haiku Thursday

9/11. Where were you?

After studying
At Julia's house, we woke
To find tragic news

4 Personality Types

We are studying 4 personality types at work. We are to assess what personality type a customer is and adjust our pitch accordingly. Of course the world has more than 4 personality types and it is dangerous to categorize people in the real world. But I can't help thinking about the 4 personlity types outside of work. They are divided by cool or warm emotions (could also be extrovert and introvert) and then by speed of decision making (slow and careful or fast). The 4 types are Expressive, Amiable, Driver and Analytical. Of course it is rare for someone to be all one type and most people have bits of everything in them, depending on the circumstance, but in general, people have a dominant personlity, with facets that come out.

Expressive: Fast decision makers, high emotions
Amiable: Slow decision makers, high emotions
Drivers: Fast decision makers, low emotions
Analytical: Slow decision makers, low emotions

Avoid avoid avoid

Temptation.

It's everywhere. I am not strong. I am weak. I am a tactile person. I can hold myself back when I have laid out the boundaries and if I know people are aware of my boundaries.

I had made arrangements to meet up with a certain person in Vancouver. I did not keep those arrangements. I made a slight attempt to, but then just surrendered it. It wasn't the right time.

Upon arriving home, sent truthful messages about my expectations and behaviors. They were received very enthusiastically. However, that certain person was very disappointed in not meeting up. It made me a tiny bit satisfied that they really were serious about getting together. So much so, that certain person is coming here next month. Two choices: Avoid. OR Be strong.

Haiku Tuesday

Orange Pekoe, served by Deanna

2 in the morning
The best cup of tea ever
Kelowna Perkins


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Training in Vancouver

It was great. I travelled with Hip who is funny and warm and interesting and smart. I like her. We took the ferry the night before and shared a hotel room. The only thing we were required to bring was business attire and our training books and be there at 8:45am. Missing any one of these 3 requirements translated into "you're fired". Seemed simple enough. Business attire? Check. Training Book? Check. Alarm clock? Check. 3 different catastrophes almost spelled me getting fired though.

1. We took a couple of buses and almost got seperated. I had no idea of the name and location of the hotel, but we had it written down in a book that Hip was holding when we almost got seperated. Also, my phone was completely dead. It had her number in it as well as any other number I may have needed. Sure, I could call my work but they were closed and I wouldn't get ahold of anyone until 9am the next morning. Maybe call friends and get them to email someone on facebook? I don't have anyone's number memorized, it's all programmed into my phone. Thank God she held the doors to the skytrain open before it took off! Scary stuff.

2. Slept in. A good friend texting me is what woke me up at 7:45am. Apparently, I had pressed the "off" button instead of "snooze". I texted her thank-you's all day.

3. We thought the meeting started at 8:30am and our cab that we called came and left because we weren't in front of the hotel. So we called again and were waiting. We wanted to use that particular cab company because they bill directly to our company. But by 8:25am, we decided to go with a cab that was waiting out front. He got us there in record time. We got out of the cab with our bags and purses. Suddenly Hip screams and yells at the cab and runs over and opens the back door. I had left my book in the cab! She grabs it and throws it at me and we frantically run in, laughing at the craziness of the morning. It was 8:39am and we were shocked when the instructor didn't kick us out. I saw my co-workers and they said they were just about to call me. Yeah, right. So then we find out it actually starts at 8:45am. I was so relieved I told the instructor I could hug him right now. So he hugged me. Said he will always take a hug from a beautiful lady. I gave him 5 points. He was very happy with that and said he will keep the 5 points for as long as he lives.

A couple guys showed up late and were asked to leave. The instructor seemed very sad and kept apologizing to the guys. One of them had his book, but it wasn't completed. The instructor openly explained to us that this isn't acceptable. I honestly felt bad for that guy.

The rest of the day was smooth sailing. I did not get fired.

Woohoo, I finally have internet!

K so it's been awhile. I have missed you, Mr. Blog (yes, he's a boy). So much happening and I didn't have any internet access. The good thing about not blogging for a while is that I can sum things up in a big picture. Details later.

Youth night has ended at our church for the season. Sad, not because it has ended, but because I feel like we have gotten nowhere with our kids. Do they read their bible? Are they praying? Are they avoiding temptation? Based on the text messages I have been getting, that's a negatory, Sam. Sex, drugs, rock and roll. Whatev. It's a process. Time to get out the watermelon and knife. What? I am using the knife on the watermelon. What were you thinking?

Facebook is fun. Haven't been on there in a while. Didn't miss much. But I love love love looking at pictures. Favorites in descending order:


Babies that I know or have held and have smiled at me while I was holding them
Babies that I know or have held
Wedding pics
People laughing really hard
Baby pics of babies I don't know
New boyfriend/girlfriend/wife/husband pics
Nature pics

The ones I dislike? My own. Why is it that I can look at a picture and be all like, wow, I need to change ______ (pick something), and then 5 years down the road look at the same pic and be like, wow, I was really cute there. I need to have my 5-Years-Down-The-Road glasses on when I look at my own pictures. The ones where I am extremely happy are the ones I actually like though. And I love totally candid shots. Posing is one thing I just can't do properly. I wouldn't make a good model. The photographer would be like, "No, no, Miss Garvey, don't close both your eyes when you wink"; "stop clenching your jaw"; "don't wrinkle your nose"; and "can you please try to not look Chinese? Oh, you can't help it? I'm sorry, but we are going to have to airbrush the asian look our of your pics" No offense to anyone asian, and I used to want asian eyes, I thought they were exotic and beautiful. But it's different when you look asian because your eyes disappear into your cheeks. Once, when I was visiting a certain friend here in Victoria some years back, we got a black and white drawing of ourselves done by an artist in the Inner Harbour. Totally Chinese smile. I still have that picture. But he made me smiling really hard, so I am happy. He even commented that I look Chinese in the picture he drew. My little sister once was asked to prove she was born in Canada when she started going to a new school because there were some Chinese immigrants coming illegally to Canada. She was so upset, she went home and cried because she thought the school didn't want her. I told her she just looks exotic. She calmed down and tried to work it by putting on black liquid liner. It looks good on her. Exotic is going to be the look I will be going for in my pics. Maybe. Or laugh really hard and try to keep my eyes as wide as I can. I think that will make me look scary and surprised though. As a great friend says..."I'm sexy, I do what I want."

K so I went into detail and didn't really give a general picture at all of what I have been up to. From this blog, you would think that I am obsessed with myself and pictures on facebook. Not true. Not entirely true. I will post more later. Of course.

Fulfilling Popcorn

Ingredients:
3 tblsp vegetable/canola oil
1/4 c. popcorn
1-2 tblsp sugar
Large pot with tight-fitting lid

Put oil in pot, tilting pot so that oil coats the entire bottom. Turn heat on burner to medium. When oil heats a little, add the sugar, sprinkling evenly over the oil. Add the popcorn, sprinkling the kernals evenly as well. Put the lid on and let it heat up. When you hear the popcorn popping, give the pot a shake so that the unpopped kernals fall to the bottom of the pot. Keep shaking until the popping decreases. Remove from heat when the popping sounds are quite spaced apart (30 seconds between contractions). Keep the lid on for about a minute. When pouring popcorn into a bowl be careful as the sugar can burn a hole the size of a crator in your hand (I know this from experience). Sprinkle salt all over the popcorn. No butter needed. Delicious! (Some people call this kettle corn).

Bob

Had coffee with a man today who has been doing business with my dad for more than 25 years. He presented an opportunity to me that I have been seeking for a long time (3+ years). Totally stoked. He is a bit older than my dad, and like my dad, has the spirit of someone much younger. We chatted for 2.5 hours at a coffee shop about business and ethics and financial products. At one point, I made a corny joke and he said "Ah, you really are your father's daughter." I replied, "Yes, but my jokes are not as lame as my dad's." His 5 minutes of laughing at me told me they were. Said he misses my father and hasn't seen him in a while and is going to visit him next time he is in Alberta. I miss my dad too. I need a really good joke before I go visit him though; I don't want my jokes to be as lame as his. Heh heh.

The Michael Scott Paper Company

I should have been fired. Yesterday and today. Yesterday I signed up a whole family in a group plan. I charged them the incorrect price and my manager had to take $50 off each phone to accomodate my promises.

Today that family came back because there were so many errors in their plan that they couldn't function with the equipment I sold to them. They wanted to cancel everything. It was horrible. They talked to the manager and he retained them as customers, made everything better and apologized. He explained that I was new and was not trained enough. It was embarrassing.

In the meantime, a brand new customer came in and approached me for a sleek peice of equipment, and after going over the potential plan a couple of times, I attempted to sign her up. Guess what? That application came back with an error message after I had determined the plan and entered all her information! Turns out if you leave your application for 3 minutes or longer, it boots you out and you have to start again or call in to the network. Aaargh! I was waiting to get my manager's help with the girl while he was finishing with the family. He turned to me with The Stern Look of Death and shook his head. So that is why I was waiting. He finished with the family and sent them on their way, thanking them. I also thanked them, but the mother gave me The Look of Death. My manager came and fixed the girl's plan by calling in to a network and explaining the details. He thanked her, sent her on her way. On her way out, she came to me and thanked me and said she will be back when she needs us. He walked past me and stood in the doorway of the store looking down, shaking his head and walked off. He didn't tell me where he was going, but I bet he was so frustrated, I thought he was going to punch something.

He came back and asked me to take a walk. I made sure he didn't have a gun first. And no axe, hammer, poison or crossbow. He sat me at a table in the food court and apologized to me for not giving me enough training. My jaw dropped. I thought he was going to fire me for going too fast and not getting help. At that moment, I thought to myself what a great manager to realize and admit his shortcomings.

I He pointed at me and said (in his thick accent), "You! You can sell! But I will NOT have you selling s*%^ and lying to people without knowing it! My life is based on my honest reputation and you are ruining it! We know you can sell, but from now on, you are only going to observe. And once you are trained up properly, I am going to make a lot of money off you." At that moment, I thought to myself, what a greedy little man. Thing is, when I came back, and asked questions, he told me I should know already. I feel like screaming at him and asking how I should know. He looked me in the eye and said that I need to think more accurately about what questions to ask. How frustrating. My heart was in my throat the rest of the day and I didn't really ask a lot of questions, just tried to observe a lot. But I need to work hands on, that is the best way of learning.

The good news is, I can sell. If I get fired, I can get another sales job. And another. And another. I keep thinking of that episode of The Office where Micheal makes his own company and then enter into negotiations with Dunder Mifflin and he tells them he will just start another company. And another. And another. It's inspirational, but I don't want to keep finding another and another job after job. And it won't solve this current problem if I keep hopping. I need more training.

Online Training with 30 Rock

I have been holed up in my apartment for 24 hours working on my training. My assistant manager decided to tell me that in order for me to receive my commissions check, I need to have all my training done. There is 12 hours worth!!! I worked straight through though, taking breaks to watch episodes of 30 Rock for every 1.5 modules completed. There are 16 modules, so I am basically thinking in 30 Rock mode with the thought of cell phones going through my head.

No wonder the new guys at work were standing at the computer all day. I thought they were slacking or were shy with customers. Turns out, they were training at work. Smart guys. I asked my assistant manager if he was hiding this information from me and he said no, he just found out and told all of us at the same time. There was a flurry of activity with the new guys and they seemed really intent on their computer screens. So I asked and they said that they assumed there was online training, but were just told that it is a requirement to get paid. I was pleased to find out that we were told at the same time. They used to work at Future Shop or The Source or places similar that require training to be done. Those places don't require it to be done in order to be paid though.

I am almost done all my training. Just have one last module to complete which will register me for the training trip to Vancouver. Finishing ahead of schedule (deadline is May 31st) so hopefully I will get a good seat. And won't have to train while I am at work. I would rather train at home in my bed where I can watch 30 Rock. Ok, so not the most healthy way of working, but whatev. I kinda like it. And now I have today off. I am going to make a tomato and cheese grilled sandwich and removed the skin of the tomato it doesn't get all shrivelled up. And a nice hot cup of tea. I am becoming a grandmother more and more every day. Just need to get married, raise a child and wait for their kids.

I have a Secret

And I can't tell.

Haiku Thursday

Retail Jobs

Sometimes I don't know
What day today is. Thursday?
Nope. Crave is tonight.


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Boundaries in Dating AKA Hey Now, You're an Allstar, Get Your Game On, Go...Play!

Ok, So I have decided that I can definitely hang out with people I used to date. The attraction factor only factors in if you are still interested in them. Even then, the attraction factor has to work both ways. A fellow I dated in the past tried to add me to facebook. Ick. I clicked on "ignore" but he tried again. Now I don't "ignore" or "accept" in order to make it that he is unable to keep inviting me. Kinda of a metaphor for relationships (I like metaphors-I probably overuse them, but it's fun, go with it). If a guy asks you to do something, you can ignore and he won't ask. That is the wussy way out though.

The original question was, can a male and a female be friends, but I think a better question is, should a male and female take their friendship to another level? I sometimes feel like, ok, I like this guy. He likes me. Therefore, we can be married and have kids. What? I jumped to a conclusion, didn't I? I admit, this is a sign of the immaturity of the Disney Princess deep inside me. I think we all have one. I have come to the conclusion that I want to push things to the nth degree, whether it's boys, work, family, whatever. My dad says I fall in love with people's potentials (he also begged me to stop bringing losers home). Thing is, there has to be a friendship there first. For me, anyways.

Here's the scoop on how this all relates: There is this guy who likes me. I like him. We are attracted to each other. Disney Princess mask taken off. I am enjoying friendship. NOT pushing it to the next level. Or maybe the Disney Princess is present and is being a princess and letting the guy do what he should do. K honestly, I don't know how the Disney Princess factors in. There is this app in facebook called "Disney gave me unrealisitc expectations about love" and sometimes it comes to mind. Whatev. I am just me. Made of of layers like an onion, which reminds me of a another Disney character.

When Harry Met Sally: Can a male and female who are around the same age ever be JUST friends?

I am sure most of you have seen this movie. It is classic. A male and a female become friends and debate if two people can remain as just friends. They remain friends over the years and then finally declare their love. Chick Flick, although I know a lot of men who love this movie. I think it's because it is about relationships and how they develop. I highly recommend seeing this movie.

So I pose the question to you: Can men and women be just friends? I am not talking about weird gaps in age, or nothing in common. I am talking about an attractive man and an attractive woman, a couple or few things in common, around the same age. I personally think it's possible and common. But it is said that men think of sex, like, once every 20 seconds, or something like that. Do they think about it with their "friends"? Also, women develop attachments very easily and feel loyal to someone they have formed an attachment with. If that is the case, then do women have a feeling of attachment to all their guy friends, making it difficult for any other woman to get close? A good guy friend of mine says that he is friends with his co-workers and hangs out with the girls all the time. I think this is a healthy thing, although this guy can be a bit feminine and not sure if he is the norm. Also, can ex-bf's and gf's be friends? I like to think that they can. Some people say it depends on their maturity, respect, all that stuff. I am not sure that this is a cut and dried issue, it really depends on each individual person. That being said, I want to know what you all think.

So, I have re-posted the poll ( I actually found out how to extend the voting day). Feel free to vote.

Random Family Memories

BUBBLES

One time (in band camp...hahahaha, just kidding), when I was very little, my mother was taking a nap. Everyone was in school or at work and I was supposed to be napping as well. I couldn't sleep so I decided to get up and give my mom a gift by doing some dishes. I put the plug in the sink, squirted lots of dishsoap into the sink and turned the water on. It was taking a while for the sink to fill so I went to watch cartoons completely forgot about the water filling up. The living room was in a completely different part of the house. As I was watching TV, I felt this water on my hand. I looked down and saw this puddle of water creeping towards me, coming to get me! I ran into my mom's room and leaped on the bed from the doorframe and let out a little scream. My mother woke up and told me to go back to sleep, so I climbed under the covers with her and told her I was going to take a nap in her bed. She asked why my feet were wet. I told her the water was coming to get me. She had a concerned look on her face, sat up in bed and saw the puddle of water around the bed. She screamed and asked me what happened. I just shrugged. I couldn't talk, I was scared the water was going to come and get me! She later explained to me what I did. I thought it was funny at the time. Ok, it's still funny. I actually called her and reminded her of this today. She said "Yeah, real funny!" She spent the day using towels to mop up the mess and squeezing them into the tub.

Sales Training

I love working with groups of guys in sales because if they compete, it's with sales instead of with looks or status or whatever (they also compete over who's phone is better). When I was working with all women, they would compare weight, clothes, looks, etc. These guys are all about how many phones were sold. Then, they listen to the person that sold the most and actually put their advice into play. It is a very exciting, growing atmosphere. The young guys always try to tell me what to do and tell me I am too nice to customers (I didn't know there was such a thing). They say I should let the customer come to me and not cater so much to them. My manager heard them and tore a strip off them, loudly and in front of all of us. I was embarrassed for me and for them, but they stopped trying to tell me what to do, especially after I made a sale. Then they tried to help me on the computer.

The major thing I learned was the four personality types that they expect us to base our sales approach on:

Amiable, Aggressive, Expressor, and Analytical

It is based on whether someone is more logical or more emotional and whether someone is quick to make to decisions or slow to make decisions. I am the expressor, which means (I am not sure, I will get back to you on that...there is too much crammed in my brain at the moment to recall what that means).

Day 4-Engaging in Delightful Yelling Matches with my Boss (no, this is not sarcastic)

So I was working with the GM today and sold a phone. Yay! I actually sold 4. I was so excited I could hardly process the transactions. They were all iphones, which is a beautiful piece of equipment, I must say. I am pretty much in love with the iphone and stand at the demo playing with it almost my whole shift when I am not with a customer. I know I should do more training, but I just love it. Not too fond of texting on the touchscreen keyboard though and like aspects about the Blackberry one better.

Anyways, back to my boss and I yelling at each other:

We were working alone today and were a little busy. When I got to something I didn't understand, I would ask him. He would roll his eyes and in an exasperated sigh, tell me where I could find something. He has almost no patience and is so rude to me! But I respect him, or something like respect. Admire? No, too strong. In awe of? Not sure, but to watch him work is a beautiful thing. I am completely comfortable around him and like how he cares about his customers and that he is very assertive. He can seem a little controlling. His margin for people to make mistakes is very narrow. High pressure. I don't mind it at all and rise to the occasion. Even as I type this, I know it's probably unhealthy, but I love the atmosphere. So he yells at me that I don't know enough. So I yell back at him that if he wasn't so lazy and would actually train me properly I might be able to do complete the sale. He got a smirk on his face. I tried not to let him see my smirk while I yell at him. Sometimes yelling can be so satisfying. And after my last job, it's great to vocalize my thoughts honestly. He yells back that I need to take initiative and learn myself. So I yell back that I need to know where the tools are so I can train myself and if it's not too hard to tell me since he is already using so many syllables, it could really help the situation. We were standing 3 feet apart and probably didn't need to yell at each other.

The customers were puzzled and a little disturbed (yes, this transpired in front of customers!) I admit, probably not the most professional way to complete the transaction. We both looked at the customer and at the same exact time told them I am new. The customer thought we were crazy and so I just said we are making music. The customer just smiled, nodded and backed away slightly. We both cracked up.

This friend of his came in to purchase a phone and apply for a job. She was speaking a different language and he was replying in english and was in the middle of processing her transaction when I asked him a question about something. She looked at me and I smiled at her, but she did not smile back. He politely (can you believe it?) answered me and then she said something to him in a different language while looking at me. It was one word and I memorized it over and over in my head so I could later this other east indian guy what it meant (I found out later it's not a very nice word, it means rule breaker and silly together, or something like that). When she said that word, my boss was silent and didn't even make eye contact with her and seemed to stiffen up. She said something to him in her language and he didn't answer her. She seemed a little alarmed.
I went around the corner to stock up a shelf. He didn't know that I could hear him, but I heard him say to her in a very quiet voice, almost whispering:

"Here at this job we stick together, we are a team, like a family. Teamwork is the most important thing. That girl that you commented on is one of my top salespeople. I regretfully will not be hiring you any time soon, but I appreciate you applying for the position. I also appreciate your candor to let me see that you are not a team player. I think you would do very well in a sales position where you work alone, possibly owning your own designing company. That is probably the best fit."

Honestly, I was pretty amazed, grateful and humbled. He handled that with grace and professionalism. And also has the insight to see strengths of people. It is amazing how body language can convey so much, even when people are speaking another language. Makes me want to show more respect. But it has to be earned.

Ohmigosh I want to stab myself in the eye with a cell phone case

There is so much to learn!

I don't know anything.

I am drowning in cell phones and plans.

At least I can fake it til I make it. Good ol' Mary Kay saying. Mary Kay beauty consultants have all these cute little rhyming motivational phrases like: Work Smarter, not Harder; Fake it Til you Make it; Persistant and Consistent; Believe it and Achieve it. I am using the Fake it Til you Make it one.

There is no more training. Actually that is incorrect. There is tons of training that I can take part in. Thing is, there is no time. Because I am good with customers, I am thrown right onto the floor, which I have no problem with. We are also short staffed. However, I don't know where the charts are kept, or how to find the codes for programming phones, or the price list for phones, or the price list for warranties, or the loaner phones when someone has a damaged phone. And forget about if someone's roller ball in their Blackberry isn't working (rubbing alcohol on a q-tip does the trick I found out), I didn't even know Blackberries had a rollerball! I thought it was some kind of pin thing that you just tilted up. And 3G phones? If you can give me a minute, I will read every single card in the store to tell you which is which. I don't like being the newbie.

Vanilla Nice

Ok, so today was my first day at my new job. Seemed good, kinda hectic, a little chaotic and disorganized. Lots of east indians, they call themselves brown and I am Vanilla. Very nice and supportive. They told me the names of successful female associates who are top performers. There is so much to learn and I am technologically challenged. My trainer is very young, but very motivated and motivating. Dress code is business. Can I just say how nice it is to be surrounded by very good looking men dressed in ties and suits? It is very nice! And these are mostly gentlemen. Also, texting is encouraged. On this job, it's actually a good thing to play with phones. Play games, text people, check emails, whatever, as long as customers are taken care of. They want us to know the phones inside and out. The three things to learn is sales, phones, and plans. So far, so good.

Trading My Ashes for Jones New York

I start my new job soon. I am totally stoked. Stoked is my favorite word lately. I think I am going to start a word list. Not so much a word of the day, or word of the month. It will be random word time. I missed last week's haiku and now it's Thursday. Oh the pressure!

Anyways, back to me. What? It's my blog. lol

I start the new job tomorrow. I am going in today to see what time I start, get some training material and all that jazz. I am super stoked because this seems like a professional setting, I no longer have to take the bus to get to work, and I think I get a complimentary cell and plan that is covered by the company (saves me a total of $225 a month). Stoked. The other thing I am totally looking forward to is not working with mean people. I have met my co-workers and they are very supportive. They bounce sales off each other, take turns when people come in. Also, they really promote from within and believe strongly in training. I also believe strongly in training and any company that does not invest in training of some kind probably won't last or will have lower performance than a comparable company that does.

I have gotten a new haircut and color. The haircut is the shortest it has been in a long time, just above my shoulders! But it looks good and is easy to manage. The hairdresser showed me how to backcomb to get it to lay where it should. Also, since I have a round face, the hairdresser cut a lot of layers into my hair to give it height on top and give the appearance of elongating my face. It was a free haircut from the Welcome Wagon and I am definitely going to stick with this hairdresser for a while. Next time, we are putting blonde and copper streaks in. Ganice at Partings (pronounced Ja-neice). I highly recommend! I would not have even thought of this style myself so I am pretty grateful for her. I also got a couple of new, used blazers from an old friend/co-worker. We used to be the same size until she lost a bunch of weight, which turns out great for me! She has a very similar build to me, so the jackets taper in at the waist and flair out at the stomach, hiding my fat. It's all about accentuating the good, hiding the not so good. She used to work for some big office in Calgary, and had lots of money so these are quality clothes (Liz Claiborne, Jones New York). I am totally stoked to not just have to wear a uniform everyday but actually be blessed with such nice clothes. Trading my ashes for beauty has been coming to mind lately (Isaiah 61:3).

Waiting for our Heavenly Father

A couple of Sundays ago, I was helping in the nursery with a sweet little girl who is 2 years old. Her mother left to go to service and she cried for just a little bit and then was fine. At one point she fell and hit her mouth on this bike. Her lip started bleeding a little and she was crying. I picked her up and held her, gave her a kleenex and she was fine, no more crying, no more bleeding. She climbed down from my lap and started playing again. I had pressed the numbers for her mother to see in the sanctuary and come to the nursery.

After a long time, the mother came and checked her daughter to make sure there wasn't anything seriously wrong. She couldn't see any cut and there was no more blood. Her daughter wasn't crying and also was so happy to see her mother. She laughed and giggled and knew it wasn't the normal time for her mother to pick her up and was absolutely thrilled that her mother came early. Then her mother went to leave to go back to service and she must have thought she was leaving her there forever. She is used to leaving with her mother when her mother comes back.

I have never seen her or any kid have a tantrum like the one she had. I put the parents' call number back up to be displayed. She kicked the door, lay down on the floor and kepted kicking the door, then got into a fetal position and sobbed and screamed at the door. In the end, she was just sitting cross-legged against the wall and held her forehead in her hands and sobbed. I had been trying to comfort her or hold her but she only wanted her mother and pushed me away. My heart broke for her at that moment and I thought this is what despair can feel like. I just sat in front of her a couple of feet away and silently prayed and stayed still and then she calmed down. Right at that moment her father appeared and said I could go to service and he held her while she calmed down. I am too big to sit on my dad's lap and that would definitely be an awkward thing to do, but sometimes I feel like kicking the door. I know our Heavenly Father is with us. I just have to remember that there is a roomful of toys I can play with. People I can interact with. And that my Father will come sometime. I love our nursery, but patience with waiting is not my strong point. He is coming back.

Sleep Dialling

I had a dream that this really big, huge mean man came to my counter and told me to give him money. The supervisor closed the door in his face and said no. He got really mad and was going to go for another door. I kept running around closing the doors. People that I worked with stood and watched me, not doing much. But the mean man kept running after me and finding all these stupid little ways to get in. He didn't just want money, he wanted to kill me and anyone else he could. I finally found this tiny room that had a door that also turned into a counter. I closed the little door to the counter and also closed the door and locked it. He was outside and I was inside. I was safe. I had gotten away. He was banging on the door though. Very hard. I thought he was going to break the glass. Then silence. Suddenly, I felt this hand reaching for my lower back. I turned and realized he had stuck his hand through this hole in the bottom and was grabbing for me. I smartened up and grabbed a phone and dialled 911. Why hadn't I thought of that before? It was at that moment I woke up. I had one hand on my lower back and my cell phone in my other hand. I guess at that point because in my confused sleepy state, I thought he was still there. It was such a huge relief and I am weirdly a little grateful for this terrifying dream because I realize I was safe. That guy in my dream is gonna get his ass kicked by the cops. Or be brought to justice. Or Mercy. Or something like that. Who cares, I am awake now. Then I hear this voice asking "Police, Fire, Ambulance?" I hung up. Of course I get a call back asking if I am okay. I had to explain that I was sleep dialling. How embarrassing!