Time and Relative Dimensions in Space

It's actually very late for me to do this, as I usually do this quite earlier in the month. This year, because tensions are so frayed and "anger" seems to be the keyword, I shall share my thoughts properly placed in a friends-only journal entry.

I do eventually hope to begin posting to this journal more frequently. I just have been so busy, and life contains more than typing in Semagic.

I will state this: This post (and it's companion in "friends only" land) share one viable piece of evidence - P.J. is no longer employed at work.

For more information, if you are a friend, you will see it as the next post.

I used to post all the time here. Now, not so much so. Let me correct that. I think that I shall start posting once again. This post is a placeholder post. If you are a friend of mine, you can access the post right after this one for all the juicy details.

Enjoy.

I don't post to my journal anymore. Why? Who knows...Tabetha says it is because I got bad replies at one point. That I see changing my posting habits, but not stopping them for months at a time. I think the culprit to blame is Facebook. Sure, LJ was entertaining for awhile, but can you play neat JAVA games on here? Can you talk smack in brief snippets or watch music videos? Yeah, I am sure there are communities that have something akin to that, but it's not as sleek and ordered as Facebook. Yet, I shall always come back to LJ when I need to vent about work, life, or just to type randomly because I am bored.

In case you all have been out of the loop, Tabetha and I are moving at the end of the month into a Townhouse. To this end, two of the most laziest, disorganized, slackery people on the planet are forced to get their act together, box everything day and night and clean the piss out of an apartment that is literally crumbling at their ankles. This place is the shits. I mean, what do you expect after five years of living in it? They can't expect every crack in the wall and every mis-aligned beam to be something that I did, personally. This building is falling down the slope into the creek with each passing year. Cracks that were not visible upon move in have formed in the past five years. Some are really bad, others are barely noticeable. ALL of them I have taken pictures of, as if to prove that this was not my fault. What is my fault? Quite a bit, actually. The carpet in the living room is a total mess. No amount of cleaning solution or hard scrubbing will get years and years worth of drink stains or burn holes out of the carpeting. I admit that freely. I take full responsibility for it. The bathroom floor has colored wax that dripped off a candle and somehow the pigment fell beneath a layer of the fake tile. I can't scrub it out. That's me. I did that, too. I have patched every hole I put in the wall, I have tried to fix the corners where they began to peel away, but that looks very shoddy and worse than it did before I tried to fix it. Also, Rigel did scratch up the tops of all the closet doors. Though with paying a pet deposit of 300 and a monthly pet rent of 60, you can't honestly think that something like that won't happen.

What isn't my fault?

The hordes of cracks all over the place in places that I can't reach.

The Black Mold problem. Despite maintenence's suggestion that I clean it with a 50% bleach solution, it keeps coming back, and in very odd places, too.



I am sure I will add others to that list as I find them.

The boxing issue (back to that topic): I am a wee bit ticked at how messy the living room gets. Over and over again. I clean it two weeks ago, and now it's in shambles. Paper everywhere, dirty dishes, plates, knives, forks, spoons, glasses. I am cleaning it again before I go into work today at 5:30. I also intend to clean the area around the computer desk (a living nightmare), and second only to the bathroom really as the one room I will most detest to clean.

Well, after all the rooms are clean and in somewhat semblant order, we will have to commence the move-out process beginning on August 28th. On that day, Tabetha and I sign the new lease and get the keys. That kicks off a week of paid vacation for me, but I will really not be resting much. The calendar looks like this:

BEFORE THE 28th: Take out the bent bed rails to the trash, the air hockey table, the couch, the rug, and anything that isn't going over there.

28th - Sign Lease, Get Keys, Inspect Premises. Come back over to the apartment, and begin taking boxes over in the car. Foodstuffs also have to be transferred. Most of the boxes should be in place by the end of the night. Vac and Clean everything before leaving the apartment. Take Rigel over with his stuff last and introduce him to the new place.

29th - Electric gets cut at the apartment at 9am. Couch gets delivered between 10 and 1pm. Take care of that whole deal. Go over to the apartment during the day and clean the fridge, cabinets, look around for any other small stuff that can be taken.

30th - THE BIG DAY. Once I get the times and et cetera from my Dad, we will be meeting up at a pre-designated place. John will meet us there, and we will begin the lumbersome process of moving furniture. Honestly, it isn't going to be all that bad, mainly because what is left is as follows: A Bookcase, A Wooden Endcap, A TV Stand, A Plasma TV (42"), A Two-Leaf Glass and Metal computer desk, A Dresser, A Nightstand, 3 plastic nightstands, A mattress, box springs, and some boxes that were too heavy for Tabetha and I to lift on the 28th.

31st - Turn in keys and shit to the apartment offices. Also around 2pm, I plan to have Time-Warner come out and install HD Cable.

1st - Road Runner Installation.


That is about it. Hopefully the remainder of this month goes along without a hitch. Money is on a shoestring now because of the deposit/rent at the townhouse. We are basically having to save 80% of the next two checks to make this float. The good news is that Time-Warner is offering free installation, with no connection fee. That's good. Any way I can save some dough, I am all for it!

Okay, so this post has nothing to do with work. At all.

This post is about a potential Beatles song called "The Candle Burns" or "Peace of Mind", depending on which bootleg you have found it on. I don't have the bootleg. I heard it off of the internet, because someone was polite enough to create a myspace page that contained streaming audio of the song.

Let me pause to tell you, I am a Beatles freak. Not just a fan, a freak. The Beatles are to music what Einstein is to science. The best. The most popular. I took it upon myself to read (and memorize) the two books "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions" and "The Unreleased Beatles". I now know what they did pretty much every day from 1959 to 1970. My knowledge of the band is quite well stocked. And I am a musician as well, so I have good ears and can detect slight nuances in sounds. When I heard that there was a potential Beatles song that was ignored by both books that I have read countless times, I decided to go out and look for it. I found it.

To examine this properly, I place a cut ( here as this will likely get long and boring to those of you who could care less: )

Ultimately, this is one mystery that will corrode my brain for years to come. Is it the Beatles?

Listen for yourself, I welcome your comments:

http://www.myspace.com/thecandleburns

Let this be a lesson to you children. Never sit idly by and expect the world to do it's bidding. Sometimes, you just have to give someone a swift kick in what they percieve as life. I have been sitting on a boiling pot of anger and frustration regarding a friend. It boiled over yesterday in a spectacular display. I am pleased with myself that it's out there in the open, as it should be. I think I was somewhat afraid of the negative effects the note that I wrote would have on this friend. I kept delaying until he provoked a response. When he did, I realized that in the heat of battle, it probably would not be nearly as bad as a sudden shift into it. Perfect timing.

In other news, the house that I toured for potential purchase was a total shitbrick. Rotting floorboards, handicap poles all over the place, mildew, black mold, badly placed carpeting, no furnace, or a/c, a mosquito-infested backyard pond, a garage that was about to cave in, and acoustic tiles in the main room that were minutes away from buckling under the stress of whatever was above them. I didn't ask, for I didn't want to know. It's a foreclosure, okay, but something was fishy when they asked $51,900 for it one day and then were willing to go $35,500 the next. As I left I told the nice lady "Seriously, I'd get a wrecker, and I'd tear down this rat's nest of a house, I'd blast the ground, and then I'd fill it back up, and sell the lot to a commercial entity, you'd get at least $80,000 for the land alone!". And that's how it played out.

About the worst news this week is that John is leaving work. Just like all the other times someone leaves, it rained that day. Not the actual day when he gave his two weeks, rather the day he told me he had the job. This presents a bit of a quandary. I am the last person left of our little group. The whole staff has learned the daily grind, and most of them have gotten better offers and left. I am still doing (essentially) the same job I signed on to do in April of 2005 at that store. I have been promoted only once, and it was just hours and benefits. No real shifting. Oh well...John deserves his new job. I wish him nothing but the best of luck. Congratulations, John. A finer send-off could never have been predicted in my LJ.


And now, because Tabetha said that I never post about dreams any more (and to be honest, I haven't had any), I will post not one but two dreams that I did have last night. They are, as ever, placed ( behind the cut )


So those two dreams were about it. Now, a day of peace and quiet contemplation. I am also going to clean the living room, dining room, and computer area. The kitchen is a total disaster again, despite countless cleanings, and I am just tired of cleaning it over and over again. Something new has to be accomplished.

Out. Of. Here. Now.

I don't know what kind of week it was. I'll say this though, it was certainly an unusual one. Though I now can breathe a sigh of relief that normalcy may once again be showing itself, and for that I am thankful.

( If you don't like my work vent posts, don't read past here! )

With all of that said and done, it's still not over. Chris has issues that weigh heavily on my mind, and I have my own personal issues that I would rather not post here, but sufficed to say if you know me, I told you the kind of shit that has been going on this week. I don't want to piss anyone off, but I can't be everyone's personal counselor and buddy right now. If you want to talk heavy shit, I am not in the mood, I have far too much going on and it'd be unfair to you, because the reply you'd get would probably not help. That being said, John and I had an in-depth conversation on Thursday night on the way over to Grand Victoria Casino. We continued that convo on the way back to Batavia. It was fun. It was relaxing, and it was a detox of sorts. I needed that. It helped.


Ending this now, and taking a shower. Work at 12:45 tomorrow...fun, I am sure.

*sigh* and not just *sigh* as in "*sigh*, I am really bored" or even "*sigh*, life blows", just *sigh*.

Work is shit. And that much is evident. I talk about little else. Commission rates are in the fucking tank, the associates are all gunning for each other, there is anger, frustration, and pain every day that I work, and I hate it. Now, allow me to make my peace....I do not hate my job. I hate the sideline bullshit that happens at my job. The million and one projects to waste my day, and the million and one arguments and horseshit that waste my nights.

Don't you think that I hate doing fucking projects? I do. It's fucking stupid. Will I complain and act like a baby? No. That is where I differ. I understand that it has to be done, and if I don't do it, it simply won't get done. Erik told me that without me the department would be in the toilet. Hell yes, it would! Jesse sure as hellfire can't be over in Electronics when he's got drama central across the aisle! Someone has to be there to deal with it. Apparently, I was elected without running for the position. Well....shit. Egg is on my face!


Nate is back, and ain't that clever? He's in the dock, doing that stuff. George is moved back to CAC Lead. Poor cashiers. That jerkoff will likely piss them all off before his first week is out! He is sure pissing me off with his credit cheerleader bull-fucking-shit. Of course, I have 93,219 credit apps for you! I have seen one fucking customer all fucking day and they made a payment! GO AWAY!!!! PLEEEEASE! I don't need to be reminded how bad my check is gonna be!

I am going to try and do better by myself. Gonna start taking Driving Classes, soon as I find out some info on them, and then, who knows? I am trying to follow a rule of two carbonated beverages a day, and it's doing wonders to lower the amount of gas that I have. I feel a lot less bloated, sorta full of life.

My back is a mess. Compressed discs be damned! I can't bend over to do anything, and if I want to do something that requires that I do, I practiacally have to get down on my hands and knees and do it that way. Sucks, I tells ya!

Enough of my namby-pambsy whining.

Post This.

I have been waiting on this moment for quite some time. I wake up, and there is no work to go to for six whole days. I love it. I more than love it, I cherish it. If it were someone I could give an expensive diamond to, I'd probably do that. Yes, this is that important. Not even someone holding up $170 in front of my face in order to do inventory on Wednesday AM could possibly deter me from a pursuit of vacation-like activities. It's cold outside, yes, but it's supposed to get up to 60 by Thursday and 65 on Friday! Nice weather and I get to enjoy it all! I am relaxed, cleansing the thoughts of that dungeon out of my head, and trying to wrap my mind around some other things to do for once.

Today I woke up at 6:30am. Why? Probably because I woke up at 11:30 yesterday. My biological clock is thinking "What the hell?" yes, indeed. Anyhow, I was still a wee bit sleepy, so I tried to go back to sleep, only to hear beeping very loudly. After searching the apartment high and low, I figured out that it was coming from the laundry room and that some jerkoid had again shut the door with all four dryers going. In other words: an alarm clock for the whole fucking building. I left the apartment after hastily getting my track pants on, and sat there and fanned the steam off of it, and opened the door to vent it. It kept beeping. I finally got so fucking pissed that I took the top off of the damn thing and removed the 2 AA batteries that were on the inside of it. The sides of the battery said "Use by March 2004". Yeah. They are dead. Well and truly. I went back into the apartment, and got two half-dead batteries that used to be in the recording console, and went back to the laundry room, put them in, and bingo! No more buzzing! Ok so...EG Woods now owes me about two bucks for the batteries.

I had a weird dream last night, too. I haven't had one this strange or uh...poetic in quite some time. I shall regail you with the tale thusly ( behind the cut )

I woke up from the dream and heard the beeping. That was about the impact of the morning. Think I will now go and lie down in bed with Tabetha for a bit more, and then eat some breakfast, watch TV for a spell, and then take a shower, put on some clothing, and get rocking on this fine, nice day. All the while I will be trying to interpret this dream. Hopefully Tabetha can help me...she is good at that kind of thing.


Offa here. Now.

What's to report? Well...work is work is work is work, and it's starting to get on my nerves once more. In jest, Erik says that I take a vacation once every six months. I am due, by that count! I am so burned out by the daily grind in that hellhole that nothing will stop this feeling. It wouldn't be so damn bad if not for the fact that I never see anyone. We are talking two weeks without a single decent commissionable sale to speak of! Most days I averaged about $2.50 an hour. If I was on straight commission, I would have given them the finger and high-tailed it out the door. This is ridiculous! And if that depressing tale isn't cause enough for alarm, ( you can add the following: )

All this goes into the first part of this thing...I need a Vacation. To that end, Tabetha and I are taking one (of sorts) on the first week of March. Just in time for our 5th Wedding Anniversary! And let me tell you...I need it. Bad!

I am burned out.
I am quite pleased to be taking a three days-off week at work this time around. Perhaps that third day off will get rid of this rot setting in.
I got really depressed a week or so ago, and while the cause remains stable, the reasons as to why do not.

Work. It's not that work is that terrible, or that boring. It's that I'm useless now. Not in the practical sense, I still know more than anyone on my side of the aisle, but I don't sell anything. That then leads into the inevitable "well, how CAN I sell anything when there is no customers?" and then the reply: "Because they are all off at Circuit City getting rock-bottom deals". Fuck. That. In some ways, I am quite glad that Circuit City bit the dust, I was getting really tired of fucking price matching their asses all the time. But now, we have to contend with people who don't want to pay prices - even sale prices - for goods that they can get at CC that are so damn dirt cheap, and the people selling there don't push the protections, because they don't offer any now that they are closing. By contrast we still have them, we still need to sell them to survive, and the stuff we sell isn't dirt cheap. Ho-Hum. I guess in two weeks, it'll all be back to normal again, since CC won't even exist as a Clearance Outlet, but still...is it really any reason to wreck my check for two weeks?

That's not to say that the staff at work hasn't been firmly out of touch with reality. They all seem to think that we have real, live people in the store. On Saturday at four PM when I left, we hadn't even hit $8K in sales as a department. The store was struggling to reach $10K. Don't even fucking talk to me about credit apps. The LAST THING PEOPLE WANT IS CREDIT. In these times, opening another charge account is financial suicide, and people just don't want 'em. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but they tend to want them EVEN LESS when EIGHT cashiers BOTHER them BEFORE they even get to the department I work in. It's not like I don't try. The PA's are just impossible to get because I have been playing clean-up all week. Some dude comes in, says he wants to purchase a TV, his heart is set on it, and he does not want the PA. He's been talked to about it. At length. Period. He then whips out the pamphlet, and begins reciting the thing! F-That. That happened both times this week that I sold a set, and TWICE on Saturday!

At this rate, below parity will be a rallying cry! As in, below in everything. Credit, PA, SPP, Captures, et cetera. And for a second month, no less. Seems I've hit a trough. I want out of this! It's a fricking nightmare!

Nonetheless, historic events are afoot! Obama gets sworn in on Tuesday. I will be watching the coverage, and so will Tabetha. To say you saw a contemporary clip of something does not hold as much weight as saying you saw it live.

*sigh*....think I will go and make a bowl of Oatmeal, relax on the couch, watch the rest of the second disc of The Presidents, and eagerly await the NFC playoff game at 3. GO CARDINALS!!!

I think it's happening once again. The rot is setting in. Everything that makes my job the shittiest most undesireable place on Planet Earth is rearing it's ugly head once more. Now that the 4th Quarter is over, and we are happily sitting pretty in the 1st Quarter, I have made the following observations:


1.) I can't sell anything if the management refuses to bring in any product. Simple as that. Order some friggin' TV sets, please! I am losing practically $4K of sales DAILY because the management refuses to put TV sets on order. They think the customers will happily just stand there and take an order that (from the store) will take 2 weeks, and (from the web) will take close to 4. No. That's unacceptable. And so? And so my sales walk on out the door. One after the other. It's never been this bad. People are willing to pay upwards of 30% more just to get it NOW. I mean, okay...what store wouldn't want to have product in stock so that they could sell it in the 1st Quarter? It's the time when gift money is burning a hole in people's pockets! Now is the time to profit from this. But....nooooo! This is really chaffing me, and it's number one on my list for a damn good reason.

2.) You shouldn't fix what's not broken, and you can't expect people to read your mind. Pretty much the rule. Though now it's expanded. People are slowly coming back into our store after a HUGE EXPENSIVE remodeling project from 2007. They like it. Most of them applaud it. A lot of people are changing their minds about shopping in our store. Good news, right? Right, except for the fact that our Test Market BS was just that - BS, and now they are going to de-model our re-model and put us back to the way it was. Why? It's going to cost sooo damn much, and in this economy, why do it at all? But they will...the whole pig-headed lot of them. The second half of this is direct. Nobody can read your mind. Half the damn associates don't know how to access the workbench application to see their numbers, and here's a big one - no one ever taught them how to! So to expect the associate to know that they have to be at a meeting for being below parity on Saturday AM at 8 is unreasonable. Yes, they should be responsible for checking it themselves...TEACH THEM ALL HOW TO USE IT IF YOU WANT THEM TO SHOW UP FOR IT! JEEZ! Also, to our darlings in LP...I have no problem with procedure, but when a new rule is written (especially so for the associates who took a vacation in the past two weeks), please have a manager tell them of the new rule and how it works, otherwise yelling at them (and me) does no good.

3.) Going into work to lose money is never fun. It's not like I want to lose the sale, or for that matter any sale, weather mine or someone else's. I try and save each of them, but nothing will stop a dissatisfied person from returning something. Sorry. Ain't gonna happen. So to carry on and have a hissy fit every time a return gets rung does no good except to make the depressiveness of the moment more tangible and fraught with tension.

4.) Negative Encouragement never helped anyone, especially part-timers. And the store manager is getting big on this. The "Oh, you can do better" bit has been floating about for awhile, all the same, but now it's graduated to "That $2,400 TV better have had protection on it!" and then the "no" and then the "That's worthless. I know you can do better than that. That's plain worthless". It's worse than negative encouragement, it's negative period. It sends the associate the wrong message, and it just adds to the growing cloud above the head.

5.) We have to ask HOW MANY QUESTIONS?!? Now, if you shop in our store you get the following treatment: "Oh, your total comes to $12.49. Would you like the protection on that? Would you like to give us your email address so as we can send you $10 in coupons. It's a one time thing and we don't collect the addresses? Would you like to donate to our current charity drive? Would you like to apply for our credit card it can save you $15? Oh, and if you don't mind when you get a chance go onto our dot com site and fill out this ten question survey as to your happiness with us". Fuck that. That's a zillion questions! Half of them are eager to just bolt out, and here we are taking up their lunches with the 40 question trivia game! Inundating customers and browbeating them with all those questions helps no one. It's bad customer service. Two questions? Fine. Five? That's getting annoying. Flat out annoying. And we're forced to say all of that, lest we be tongue lashed by management for not saying one of them.

6.) Not every day is 4Q. Look around you and realize where you are and what is going on! I think our store manager was blind the other day! He was freaking out about the "horde of customers". I had (at most) three people looking in Electronics, and across the aisle, Charles had about four. Still, he made Charles call John to see if he could come in. He was running around and saying stuff like there needed to be more than one person here, etc. That simply was not true, and the customers who were there got a little freaked out by the store manager wide-eyed on the salesfloor asking where all the associates were when only one was clearly needed.

7.) Schedule? What Schedule? What happens when a brand-new manager goes on his honeymoon a week after he starts? Two weeks worth of 4Q schedules, when associates can work just about whenever, and have no restrictions. Now? School is back in. Nobody bothered to check with the associates before the schedule was made so...now we have kindergarten student jibberish all over our schedule. People making corrections and re-corrections and sometimes we are left with no closers, or someone has to leave three hours early to make an appointment, or hell knows what else! And our schedule may as well not exist at all because nobody follows it, leaves whenever they please and then when Jesse gets back from his honeymoon, it's going be hell to pay, I am quite sure. I am hopefully going to get a hold of Nikki or someone and do schedules (that is, edit them) for next week so that we don't get bitch-slapped on the LRQ's because damn are we ever going to get slapped! Nobody (sans me) has worked a truly assigned shift since 1/1.


That is my list of gripes that make me feel like I want to not turn up the next day for work. The daily grind is so tedious and the store so boring when customers don't come in, I can't tell you. I hate to bring in '09 on a downer, but so be it!

So...where exactly to begin? Well, first off since the last time that I typed on here, I've lost my paid account (not that bad, really since I hardly ever post any longer), and also Mike I. left. Seems the idiots up top decided that their multi-million dollar pilot program didn't work, and therefore his job does not exist any longer. This also means that the position that I was applying for no longer exists, either. At this rate, It'll be another ten years before I get that fucking promotion...shit.

In other news, I finally used my health insurance that I pay so dearly for up at Mercy Clermont yesterday. To give you a bit of an idea as to the supreme hellishness that was yesterday, I shall include a timeline under the cut. If you don't like hearing about bodily functions in a frank and honest manner, please skip said cut.

( Here is the nasty timeline )

I am waiting on Tabetha's arrival presently. I think I am hungry. My stomach has been growling most of the day. I don't want to overdo it so I am strongly considering the soup and salad bar at Frisch's.

Wow. Last night SUCKED!

And of course I just don't mean 'sucked' as in 'gee, that night was worse then most' or 'gee, that was uncomfortable'. No. This was chaos!

For starters, I was EXTREMELY hot the whole night (fever is my guess there), had chills for the other half of the night, my throat wouldn't stop tickling which caused me to cough every twenty or so minutes. Rigel being the cat that he is (cute and all, yes) is also a big allergic irritant. He lays down in front of me, and the sensation like I want to sneeze just intensifies. So I flip over. He dislikes that, so he lays on top of me. This causes my muscles to ache, and so I have to shove him off of me. This circus of events was the entire night.

Sure, I had just purchased some medication that was basically an expectorant, but I didn't want to take it, for fear that it would either

A.) have a stimulant in it and keep me awake

-or-

B.) have a depressant in it and bomb me out of my frigging mind, making me miss the alarm clock, and hence work.

Actually, no need to worry there, my bouts of dizziness came in this morning, making it needed to call in sick for the 2nd time in a two week span (I hate calling in sick).

As I called, it was apparent that Debbie didn't know who I was, and moreover, upon realizing who it was that I am, sounded shocked because my voice has the timbre of a soul singer. She then inquired of Mike Wilkes if he wanted to talk to me, after describing who it was and why it was that I was not coming in today. He shrugged it off, and I hacked up a lung before I hung up the phone. I don't wonder if they perhaps thought that I was faking that cough. Fuck it. I was for real.

I am sitting here now, still feeling not all that well, after a night that was as much tossing and turning as it was frequent and persistent trips to the commode. Not just once, not twice. A record-breaking 8 times, and 50% of those were for uh...not the peeing. On the bright side, I completed The Unreleased Beatles for the 10th time around 8:30 this morning.

I probably got better sleep after I took the pills about 9:00am. I don't recall getting up nearly as much, however, taking an expectorant and then falling asleep leaves your pillow...moist to say the least as all of the saliva in your throat tries to make a daring escape that is best called "Niagra of the Mouth".

On the 'what the hell' side of the coin, I dreamt a song. It's been quite a while since I've done that. I don't have words, just music at this stage. I won't forget it, it's mainly a percussive rhythm. Sort of like "We Will Rock You" with heaps of echo and echo delay on top of 4 to 6 versions of the drum beat going. It'll be interesting to see how it works out when Chris comes over on Thursday.

Speaking of that guy, I do hope we can do something as planned. I fully want to and will likely go to work tomorrow. I don't want to do another sick day. I'd have to be incapacitated to do that. It's just not me.

Time to go now. Post this and stuff.

Happy Effing Thanksgiving! I was in such a bright mood until that pip squeak over at 9News decided to tick me off once again.

This time soldiers are bitching and moaning because a COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE REPLICA of a World War II infantry uniform is available to buy at Sears. No, it's not because the mere fact that a famous infantry brigade is being cheapened to the point of making a commerical replica of it's outfit, but (of all stupid shit) because it's MADE IN CHINA. Fuck that! Come on, people...EVERYTHING is made offshore! One of those fine folks interviewed on the website said 'the US flag has to be made here'. Fuck that! It was made in China. If you purchase a flag from a supermarket or from a retail chain, look closely - there it is! "MADE IN CHINA" right on the back! Oh! The horrors of a world economy! One time enemies can become friends! The horror! It pisses me off to no extent, because of the inept ignorance of these people! They want to buy shit that is U.S. made right? You know what is? Not much. You'll never own an American-made TV set (unless you count CENTRAL AMERICA), those are all of oriental descent. Most appliances are made elsewhere. Face up to the facts - even the big 3 auto makers take parts from overseas distributors. Even if it's made here, some foriegn element exists inside of it. Deal with it.

Some folks think that a red communist country shouldn't be making stuff that is red, white, and blue. Effin A straight! Come on! So what if they are communist? It seems to work for them. Our people now get along with each other, we have vigorous trades out with China. It isn't as if they want to nuke us all to hell like the cold war era. Drop it, folks. Times have changed. Communism is one of the many types of world government, and we all know what happens when you try and push your style of government on a country that isn't ready for it (ahem...Iraq).

This is that article.


Now I shall go and sit down and try to not want to injure someone for this.

Ergggh! Stupid Americans! On Thanksgiving, no less!

I hate Christmas music. Damn stuff rides under the skin, and retail is known for it's mollycoddling of people with this tepid music over the intercom. The bad side is that the associates also have to endure this...travesty. I hear snatches of carols all damn night. When I should be thinking up the next RTV or Lemon Violin track, I am singing "Little Drummer Boy" or "Silver Bells". Seriously, F-That! It's enough that I have to hear the blasted things ad nauseum at work all damn day, the last thing I really want is to hear them in my head all damn night.

Okay, so you all know this had to happen eventually. I am about to make a statement regarding the new Star Trek film by J.J. Abrams.


( The Statement )


Well now that I have said that, I shall place socks upon my feet, wait ten minutes, call my dad, have him get over here, eat breakfast, and then go to work. Fun, huh?

Well, what with Facebook giving me the cold shoulder, I think I'll make a stand and write this entry here on good old LJ. Of course, I may also elect to cross-post to my Facebook. Although I am not quite such a big fan of that.

( You'd like that cut, wouldn't you? )


At work presently, I am awaiting the call back to Mike's office to promote me to Lead of Family Room. Yes, again. Almost to the week as last year. Unlike last year, Mike I. assures me that it's all his call this year, which means that we don't have to wait til next April for a decision to be made. Funny part is that I've been waiting almost a month now, and have been doing everything in my power to assure and assuage the management that I am Lead material, and moreover can do the job. I haven't backed down from a challenge or said no to a reasonable request for four weeks now. I don't think that I will end up getting it. At least in the short term, as Black Friday is out there on the horizon and the last thing this place would like to do is to promote the guy who got them $35K in net last year and close to $5K in PA dollars. I only hope that I can match that. People are talking like they won't buy PA's this year due to the economy. I guess I'll just have to be fast AND persuasive.

Tabetha is working again. That's a good thing, and a reliever of about 70% of my daily stress intake. She is at the Mart of Wal. I honestly think that she got thrown into the mix a little too suddenly, and a little too forecefully, to the point where her body (used to working nothing at all) is now coping with 7 and 8am wake ups and 7 to 9 hour shifts. She's getting sick. That's not good. But then, It's to be expected.

I am also getting ill. Not violently so, but my sinuses were stopped up this morning, and I can't shake that sick feeling. My back is spazming, my feet hurt, Erik drove a dolly up my heels at work the other day so I have two sores on my heels, and my wisdom teeth are causing my whole mouth to radiate pain. It's a pleasant experience.


I think I got out everything that needed to be said. Yes. I did. I lied too, this ain't getting cross-posted. It's sticking around here.

Posting...

John told me today that he created "an awesome 80's mix". To me, he omitted about 20 classics, as well as 30 must-haves. However, because I am me, and not someone else (thankfully!). I will make a 'correct 80's mix' based upon the charts, and will pick essential top-10 hits from each year from 1980 to 1989.

( Behind The CUT! )


Those were all number one hits on the Hot100 Billboard Charts. These typify the 80's. As time goes on, I'll add to these in some later posts, finally compiling the Ulitmate (and correct) 80's mix CD (or CD's as there are quite a number of songs at this stage). I will then burn the CD's and give them to John.

And to quote a phrase:

Thou shalt not meddle with Jay's knowledge of music...

Here's where it begins. I know I might have stated that it was incredibly bad beforehand, but now...now is a whole new level of bad. Let's break down and assess the situation, shall we?

Alright.

Duke Energy will likely disconnect me for non-payment within the next two weeks.
Cincinnati Bell is behind a month for the first time EVER and the charges are close to $100 a month! (This affects Tabetha's credit rating, as it's under her SSN, and I want this bill paid!)
Car Insurance will be paid, I don't have a choice.
Rent is late. I owe an extra $50 in late charges.


I refuse to keep asking my family for bailouts. It's costly on my relationships with all of them. My dad would try and throw some tripe up in my face about how I need two jobs or some such crap. I work an average of 75 hours per two week cycle. Alright, now...there are some folks out there who might consider that weak, maybe you do 60 hours a week, and get 120 hours in each cycle. Whatever. The thing is, my industry of choice is retail. I am working myself crazy. I am not just standing there (unless I have to). I am dusting, cleaning, vaccuming, signing, putting out new product, checking the MSP for changes, DDR's, Reports, count sheets. I am busy 90% of the freakin' time. And because it's retail, the customer factor must be weighed in. They piss me off, i'll admit it. There are a lot of them out there, too. They make the job HARDER than most of your usual fare.


Speaking of industry of choice, work sucks. It's off. I keep getting this nagging sensation that sales this 4th Quarter will be practically non-existant. I base this upon the last few years. Please note my checks (and their balances):

First check of November 2005: $521.74 (Part-Time)
First check of November 2006: $706.51
First check of November 2007: $678.91
First check of November 2008: $531.78

Look at those (steadily decreasing) digits! By this point the store should be hopping EVERY DAY with customers. What happens? We are piled in three deep on a weekday afternoon where there are no customers, and when one does actually show up, we all basically beat each other up for the right to go hump his or her leg. It's pathetic. It's the fourth quarter, and our store is (so far) down about 40% from where it should be. We are underproducing. I mean, it's really bad when you can sit outside at night and discuss food with your good friend John for 45 minutes, and nary a customer will walk in, nor will one have even been in while you were outside. It sucks.

I have a possible promotion in the works, as Stefanie is leaving shortly. That'll help at 40 hours STANDARD a week, at a set wage. I'll know what I make. I also nixed the medical insurance that we don't use (overpriced, anyhow). In the private sector, you can find medical coverage that is IDENTICAL to the policy I have now for about $37.00 for two adults. They want $87.00 EVERY TWO WEEKS! When I actually DO sell something, it's better to act like I never did so in the first place, as that money will never hit my hand. How many times have I had to go see a doc in the last year? None. Haven't even been sick. Nothing that over-the-counter drugs can't cure.

So what's the plan?

I guess I will have to swallow my pride and have Tabetha contact my dad and beg for money for the power bill only (I can stave off the phone til next check) and JUST for the minimum due. Usually the check before Black Friday is for rent, but this year I can wait til the Black Friday check itself, as it's due on December 5th, well within the grace period.

However you strike it, this season is going to be on a shoestring. It's tense now as it is. Gas at least has come down to acceptable levels. I can pay $20 to fill the tank, and that's a good thing.

Don't forget that I also have to:

Buy food to feed five people on Sunday (can't delay, I've already postponed).
Buy food for the two of us to last until November 21st
Buy enough other stuff for the early Thanksgiving dinner that I'm having with Gail on the 17th.
Fill the gas tank up
Probably buy Rigel food and sand


Tally all this up, and you'll see why depression has been hitting me upside the head as of late. I want to be happy, but how can one be so in the middle of all this chaos? I am so fucked with all these bills, all these expenses, and the sole source of income is a fucking joke! It wasn't in years past, but guess what...during a recession, the last thing someone wants to buy is a fancy new HDTV. Sorry. That's the way the world works. All I can do is hold my breath and hope for a bitchtastic Black Friday this year. I could really use a $1000 paycheck to assuage my fears about now.

Add to this the fact that Tabetha is breaking through the noise and finally going to el mart du wal for a job interview, and it's looking at least somewhat passable.

I won't even mention here that it was saving two hundred smackers from the last check that SAVED OUR FUCKING ASSES THIS TIME! It shouldn't be like that in 4Q, but this year it is! Happy Effin' Holidays!

I must go now and bury my head, deep down in the sand and pray to the gods of the grains that I get a fucking awesome 2nd week of this pay period in sales, and that I get that fracking promotion that I fracking DESERVE and fracking NEED something FIERCE!

Barack Obama wins Presidential Election


to which the following I have to say...


OH HELL YEAH!!!