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!

Bringing You Up To Speed

Since the last time I blogged (seems like forever, really), I have moved out from living with “Joan Crawford“, and now reside with a gay couple (and their cat, let’s not forget the damn cat)!  They are 23 year-old guys, and not all that bad in relation to previous roommates.

Jeremy – The outgoing roommate, former marine, country boy, owns a ghost hunting company

Chris – AKA Sunshine, very quiet, acts like a child, walks around holding his game boy ALL the time

Winslett – The damn cat.  They couldn’t have picked a gayer name if they tried!

Mike – (36) Army dude who moved in with us temporarily, but has now turned into indefinitely. Unemployed, and vehicle doesn’t run. He dated Chris years ago, but only went out a couple of times because Chris played his game boy all through dinner!

Nick – (19) Mike’s boyfriend, who lives in Columbia.  Only had a part-time job. No vehicle

S-L-A-C-K-E-R

Okay, so I’ve REALLY been neglecting my blog, but mostly because I figure most keep up with me on Twitter.  For those of you who may not, here’s a run down of what’s been going on since the holidays:

I started my new job – The new gig was a little rough in the first week, bored to tears in training, but made it out alive.  We’re in the 3rd week now, and it’s getting better.  Today, we got a little gift, which included a little keychain light, a mini first aid kit w/ plastic tweezers and bandaids, a mini calender, a set of crayons (not sure why, we didn’t get a coloring book), and it was all wrapped. Every so often, we get snacks and every Monday, we get free food.  So far, the perks are nice. Getting yelled at by old peeps that can’t remember what prescriptions they ordered blaming you for them running out of their meds…not so fun!  I can’t tell you how many times I heard “you people” and it drives me nuts!  I do like elderly people, so I’ve had some great conversations with some, and they’ll tell you their WHOLE life story, if you let them!  One girl even heard about how a woman’s bladder fell out of her vagina, or so she said…TMI!  And, even though I don’t wanna jinx it, there is some talk of hiring us permanently, so that would be cool.  And I’m assuming they need the help, they’re hiring another class to start next week…quite a few have either left, and one fired in less than 3 weeks!

Champ was put to sleep – yeah, it was his time, so my mother took him to the vet last Tuesday, and Casey apparently is still not quite over it yet…Vet did say it may take a couple weeks to a month, so hopefully, he’ll bounce back soon! May Champ RIP!

Champ

My foot – If you’ll remember back, I’ve written about my grossly abnormal feet, and it seems I have done something to aggravate them something fierce…some days, I’d rather have my right foot amputated, certain it’d be less painful!  The bad thing is there’s nothing that can really be done about it.  I’ve been told to get more calcium in my diet, and stay off my feet as much as possible.  I’ve had removable casts, and they help, HOWEVER, lack of insurance makes it a little less than feasible.  In the meantime, it takes me FOREVER to get anywhere…

Church – At CrossPoint, I had the opportunity to help out in the Kidz World last Sunday, and that was great!  As cute as the kids were, my stance on motherhood remains the same lol, but I got a chance to meet some interesting folks, like Lindsay Ferrier (I read her blog from time to time, and her hubby is on WSMV Channel 4 News, which I watch religiously) and Wally from Total Axxess (a great radio show on Christian radio…if you have a chance, listen to him, I GUARANTEE you will laugh), and thought it was neat to see all the people CP attracts.  I enjoyed it so much, I will be doing it on a weekly basis…well, really cuz Wendy asked me 🙂

Small Groups – My small group from TrueLife is going to be studying the book of Esther with Beth Moore, and we watched the introduction last night, I’m REALLY excited to get into it!  It’s a 9 week study, on Tuesday nights, at 6:30, in Pegram, so if you might be interested in joining us for the study, let me know!  Like I said, we are just starting week one now, so it’s not too late!  My small group from CrossPoint is starting up tomorrow night, and I’m excited about that one too, studying a book, not sure the name, but to my knowledge, it’s about Philipians, which should be good.  I found out who my “Sister in Spirit” is, and I’m even more excited…she’s one FABULOUS woman!

Well, I think I summed everything up for now, so I’m gonna head to bed, so I can do the whole work thing again tomorrow!  For some reason, though, I can’t seem to get up before 6am…I sleep through 4 alarms EVERYDAY, and I don’t know why!

A Thanksgiving Like No Other

Well, I must say I’m pretty sure I had the most interesting Thanksgiving! How many of you can say their holiday involved flashing, displaced dentures, and overactive bladders!  What can be better than that…ANYTHING!!!!

I’m learning that not everyone is like me, and feels that bathroom breaks should be kept to a minimal during road trips.  I can’t stand having to stop constantly, especially on a 4 hour car ride!  We must’ve stopped 4 times on the way there, and three times on the way back…INSANE!!!!  When describing my situation to a friend, she says I’m more of a destination person, rather than a journey person…YUP!

Once in Woodlawn, I realize how small the town is when Sarah can point out where half of her teachers lived, and when the majority of out-of-towners are truckers!  We were at a truck stop (in Mt. Vernon, which is the big city compared to Woodlawn) where I was chatting with one of the cashiers, and she’d said she knew people from Woodlawn.  Sarah started asking who she knew, and they started rattling off names, and I can’t say I’ve ever been in such a small setting…not even while living in the small expat community we had in Thailand!

Thanksgiving dinner was good, it wasn’t quite what I was used to, but it was still good.  I tried Heavenly Hash, never had it, didn’t care for it much, but it was alright.  I have always loved mashed potatoes and gravy, and luckily, it’s one dish people can’t easily screw up :).  After thanksgiving, Sarah’s dad took falling asleep in front of the TV to the extreme:

Mind you, the TV wasn’t even on!  The TV they have doesn’t even work well, it starts out with a line horizontally across the screen, and with a good beating, the picture will enlarge.  Watching him beat the TV was FUNNY!  He probably spent a good hour and a half one night! I don’t think anyone even cared to watch the DVD of whatever musical it was…we ended up seeking refuge from her family by going to the “crazy lady’s” house.  That ought to tell you something!

Our quick drive to St. Louis on Thanksgiving…Did I mention there was nothing to do in Woodlawn, IL?!?!?!?!

We also did a drive-thru of Metropolis, Illinois, to see Superman on our way home!

I don’t know why this is a video, it’s the last time I give my camera to a man!

This was taken at the gas station in Metropolis, and if you notice, Sarah’s a little short:

Because we felt it would take all three of us to remember everything, we made a lovely little video clip for you explaining the weekend.  I usually wear make-up, but there wasn’t anyone to impress out in the country.

How To Irritate Your Roommate…AGAIN!!

116 – NAG your roommate to death!!!

I came home earlier tonight and she came out of her room, and said she wasn’t sure if I’d actually cleaned the kitchen or the bathroom!!  I advised her that I had done it the night before.  She said because I hadn’t marked off her stupid check sheet, she couldn’t tell!  If she could smell ANYTHING, the kitchen still smells like Pine Sol, and the counters were clean!!!  I also told her I cleaned the bathroom, but she then asked about the sink, and so I went in to clean it, even though I’d done it over the weekend.  My anger may have come out on my twitter, asking about a cheap hitman and all, but as soon as I get a job, I’m O-U-T!!!!!  I haven’t been nagged this much by my own mother…EVER!!!

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!