Better Late Than Never

I know it seems like forever since my last posting, so it’s always better to follow me on Twitter because I don’t always have the time to update my blog, and it’s not going to get any easier for me to post anytime soon.   Since my last post, Christmas, my 27th birthday, and, now, Easter has come and gone.   Also, I got TWO jobs since Christmas, and am almost done with training in my most recent job, which I’m oh so excited about!

The first job was working for a kitchenware company that tries to get people to attend, or host in their home, an event where they can sell their cookware and stuff.  My job was calling (a lot of times cold calling) people and “pitching” the event to them.  The problem was the pitch seemed all too good to be true.  And this is how they and all their competitors did things too (which I never would’ve thought there’d be that many companies doing the same type of thing).  And, of course, we are giving them a 3 day/2 night all inclusive accommodation package, of which we tell them there are no strings really, but, if I were called, I’d hang up on me too!  Nothing is for free anymore, and, really, we wanted you to spend the big bucks on their UBER expensive stuff.  For instance, I happened to see a 2007 price chart, and a cookie sheet was $85!!!!!  Who knows what it is now, but that better be gold-plated…and self-cleaning!  The hardest part of the job, for me, was trying to pitch to people, and getting shot down constantly.  I’ve never been much of a sales person, so I’m not good and overcoming objections.  I needed to make the appointments, AND for the people to show up to receive a bonus (which wasn’t all that much to begin with, on top of my minimum wage base pay), so I was quite often discouraged, which I’m sure didn’t help the situation.  I had to drive 30 miles each way to Smyrna, so the drive was just another reason I hated the job.  I originally took the job because I was told most agents make 4 appointments an hour, and about half of them show up, so it could be quite profitable.  I was also told the people we’d be calling had already shown interest in the company, but I quickly learned that’s not the case, either!  A lot of people we called just attended a bridal show, and had signed up for something at the door, and we bought the list.  I made some appointments this way, but I wonder, on average, how many of the people off the lists we buy actually show up to the events…not many, I’m guessing.  I met some cool girls that I worked with, but other than that, it just wasn’t the job for me.

Then, I went and interviewed for a company as a Reservationist, and I was offered the job on the spot!  I was ecstatic!  The only cons of the job are that it’s all the way in Hendersonville, and it’s not the pay range I’d like, but they do offer overtime quite a bit, so I definitely plan on taking advantage of it when I can.  This job is definitely more up my alley, I love hotels and resorts, and people, so I’m excited for training to finish up and hit the floor taking calls.  this company appears to have low turnover, which is a great sign of a good company culture.  The break room is really nice as well, and it’s the nicest call center I’ve been in.  They give incentives for punctuality, which means I’ll be on time EVERY day!

My birthday was a lot of fun, we went to a Thai restaurant, the food was WONDERFUL!  Love me some Thai food!  Some of my bunco babes came, as well as some chicas from small group, and another friend.  Everyone, I think, had a great time.  We were going to go see “Dear John”, but we would’ve been too rushed.  Instead, we just went and hung out at Starbucks for a little while, and had great conversation.  It was a great birthday, but man, 27 sure seems a whole heck of a lot closer to 30 than 26!

In other great news, my dad has moved back to this side of the Atlantic, which means I will hopefully get to see him more often.  He’s living in Canada, not far from Niagara, and I’m happy he’s closer to home.

My mind has gone blank being so late at night, but I’ll try to write again soon!

Why ME?

I know it seems like my roommate issues have been an ongoing theme here at Schmidt Happens, but, for some reason, I have a real gift for finding the worst roommates.  I know what you’re thinking…maybe it’s me.  It’s not.  All the issues are different.  If they were the same ones, I’d think it was me too, but I couldn’t make up the weird ones if I tried!  I really think I’m a reasonable roommate, not the best, I have my flaws, and I’ll be the first to admit it.  My roommate, on the other hand, fails to see that she has any, and is now holding me to standards that she, herself, doesn’t uphold.

And so the saga continues…

118 – Enforce an unreasonable policy

Keri (roommate) comes into my room earlier today (Sunday) and says something along the lines of “I really didn’t want to have to do this, but I tried to make it work, and it just hadn’t” and hands me a sheet of paper:

I, stupidly (shame on me), signed the note without reading the whole thing because I just wanted her out of my room.  If you caught the last line, it states “it is not to be discussed with any other person,” so apparently, I’m not allowed the freedom of speech, according to her, but you know me…I’m SO not the quiet type.

I am wondering if she is just looking for an excuse to kick me out, does she not want the rent money? Does she just not like me? I thought we were really getting along lately, and she hadn’t bitched about anything in awile.  That’s what threw me for the loop, I really can’t tell you the last time she complained about something silly, I thought she was loosening up a little.  NOPE.

My friend, Katie, advised I better start looking for a new place to live.   Like I said, I’m not the greatest roommate.  I MAY not put my groceries away immediately, and I MAY not necessarily put my dishes away at the moment the dishwasher is done, but I’m respectful of her and her things, and keep to myself a lot of the time.  There are FAR worst people out there.  And I LOVE how “the ceramic stovetop cleaner will be used by Landlord.” Can I not be trusted with that even???  I have a wicker basket on the counter in there, and now, I can’t even put what I want in my own freakin’ basket!  Am I the only one thinking this is absurd?!?!?!?!?  The bathroom is not nearly as bad as she makes it sound, I swear she makes special trips in there just to see what it looks like.  The only thing on the floor of the bathroom is my rugs and dog hair, from HER dog!  I really just want to scream.  I feel like I’ve bent over backwards trying to make her happy, even giving myself a curfew, and I’ve done really well, trying to be home by 10pm as to not wake her up.  My friend asked if I’d slipped up on curfew and that’s what started it, I said there’s no way…had that been an issue, you’d better be sure it’d be included in this screwed up “policy.” I just don’t understand why it is I have to endure such insanity…the only silver lining is great blogging material, as a friend has pointed out before.

If anyone happens to know of someone NORMAL needing a roommate (preferably) on the west side of downtown, at a reasonable rate, please let me know.  I’ll pretty much be out on my butt in 2 weeks.

Have you had any HORRIBLE roommate experiences? If so, what did you do to combat them?

What NOT To Say At Thanksgiving

1. “Whew, that’s one terrific spread!”
2. “I’m in the mood for a little dark meat.”
3. “Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist.”
4. “Talk about a huge breast!”
5. “It’s Cool Whip time!”
6. “If I don’t undo my pants, I’ll burst!”
7. “Are you ready for seconds yet?”
8. “Are you going to come again next time?”
9. “It’s a little dry, do you still want to eat it?”
10. “Just wait your turn, you’ll get some!”
11. “Don’t play with your meat.”
12. “Just spread the legs open & stuff it in.”
13. “Do you think you’ll be able to handle all these people at once?”
14. “I didn’t expect everyone to come at once!”
15. “You still have a little bit on your chin.”
16. “Use a nice smooth stroke when you whip it.”
17. “How long will it take after you stick it in?”
18. “You’ll know it’s ready when it pops up.”
19. “Wow, I didn’t think I could handle all of that!”
20. “How many are coming?”
21. “That’s the biggest one I’ve ever seen!”
22. “Just lay back & take it easy…I’ll do the rest.”
23. “How long do I beat it before it’s ready?”

I Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!  I will be going home with my friend, Sarah, to Woodlawn, Illinois (don’t even know where it is exactly, but it’s close to Mt. Vernon, which isn’t that big either), which from what I hear is a podunk little town, population 683! From what I’ve heard about her family, it’s gonna be one INTERESTING weekend!  I’m packing my camera, so hopefully, it’ll be some good blogging material!

Incorporating Blogs

Before I started this blog, I used to have one on Myspace, and just now realized I can copy and paste them, and make it like I posted it on that day LOL, so here are my back blogs:

My New Place, In “La Ghetto!”

Silence Just Can’t Be Golden

They’re Gunning For My Vehicle

Just Call Me “Grace – ful”

Just Not The Brightest Crayons in The Box

There were a few I left out, but only because they weren’t all that important, and I did try to take out as much of the vulgar language (a foul mouth was second nature where I used to work) or tweaked it a bit…there’s still a little, but not AS bad!

Dead Computer

Sorry if I’ve neglected my blog,  if you haven’t caught my tweets, sadly, my computer has died.  Well, we’re (Geek Squad, that is) trying to revive it, but until we bring it back to life, I’ve been hopping down to the library a few times a week, and trying to do what I need to.  So, I’ll try to post, and respond, if I can, but I’ll keep you posted on when I’m back up and running!

The Little Things…

I just hit 2, 500 views!!!!  This guy just hit 7,500 comments, but he’s probably more popular than the BEATLES in the blogging world LOL.  I’m excited just to have hit 2,500!!  Sad in comparison to a lot of bloggers, but it’s the little things that count, right?  I owe it to all the tagging, of which, I have no shame in tagging EVERYTHING, and finding random people to comment on their blogs 🙂  And the rest of the wonderful people that read my blog…I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

Careful Who Your “Friends” Are

I saw something this afternoon that kind of irked me, especially because I’m currently in the job market.  Apparently employers are now using Facebook as a way of checking up on their applicants.  Companies have contacted applicant’s friends as references, and will judge people based on what their “friends” say.  I, for one, am not defined by who I am friends with, I mean, to a point I guess that I am, but if they may have a risque picture, that is them, not me!  I have a bunch of “friends” on facebook, but I don’t even know many of them because we became friends over a silly game on there, or there are friends that I may have known in college, but we weren’t really friends outside of classes.  It just seems like a sneaky way to screen people.  Yes, I am aware that when you put something online, it is out there for the world to see, but judge my work ethic and skills on me, my resume, and information I give you, NOTHING ELSE!  I’m not saying I have said or done anything online that could be bad, but should I stop blogging because of the chance that they might find it and make assumptions about me???   The only way they can find me is if they google “Christina Schmidt Nashville”, and my facebook and blog pop right up at the top, but if they leave the Nashville out, they’ll come across an actress, which dominates the majority of results.  I know, on Craigslist, I’ve seen people looking to hire people who specifically have a facebook account, and go to Vanderbilt, presumably to screen Vandy students, but I just never thought they’d actually contact your friends as references!