Last night I was commissioned to write a story. Well, commissioned is entirely the wrong word. I was talked into it...well, badgered into it is a more accurate description.
As you can see, I am not writing said story. Mostly because, I can't write fiction. At least, not well. I can write bad fiction that prattles on endlessly, because I can never figure out how something should end. Seriously. It's like all logical thought escapes from my brain and I think to myself....must keep going....story not told....more background needed. It's completely ridiculous.
It's something that happens often, in fact, it's probably happening now. Essentially this entry is just so the main page isn't blank anymore. And tomorrow I'll probably do the Friday Five...if the questions aren't totally hideous. So that story that I'm supposed to be writing? Yeah, I doubt it'll happen anytime soon. :)
I don't have a lot to say, but I figure I should update, because that's what is supposed to be done with websites. First you create them, then you update them. I really enjoy the creating part, I'm still working on the updating thing ;)
So, I've been job hunting for a while now, not nearly as agressively as I should be, because, lets face it, I'm fairly comfortable in the job that I've got. It doesn't pay nearly enough, but I enjoy it there most of the time, and I know what I'm doing. Plus, I don't have to meet new people. I'm not really very good at meeting new people. But the time has come to move on.
Because I'm me, I have a complaint about this process. I have a complaint about everything, don't I? In case you don't know the answer to that question. It's...Yes, I do.
Resumes. I hate them. I don't know why, it shouldn't be incredibly difficult to list where you went to school, where you've worked before and what you did while you were there. It shouldn't, but for some reason I just loathe doing it.
The resume I've been using wasn't one that I wrote, and now that I think on it, was sort of not even geared towards the type of job I'd really like to have. Brilliant, aren't I? No, I suppose not. It's no wonder I'm still working at the bookstore.
I talked to someone on Thursday morning who pointed out to me what an idiot I've been. She didn't say it like that because obviously she's got some tact, but she basically ordered me to re-write my resume and send it to her again. Which I did on Friday morning. It took me about an hour to re-write one tiny little section. I didn't do it alone either, I had my mom helping over my shoulder.
Anyway, that's all I've got for today. I hate resumes. And don't even get me started on cover letters! I'm just hoping that I don't have to write a new one of those anytime soon. ;)
It's very rare that I run across a person that infuriates me as much as this person who worked at the store that I work at for a while.
She was brought in as an assistant manager in training. My manager is the trainer for our region, so it's natural that people are sent to us to be trained. No big deal. Unfortunately she really hadn't had a lot of experience in the company. The Regional Manager interviewed her and really wanted to give her an A.M. position but couldn't give it to her right away, so he put her into a store where she worked 3-6 hours a week basically ringing people through the cash. There were many, many things she didn't know.
It was incredibly unfair to throw her into a position where people expected that she knew things, which quite obviously she didn't. It was unfair to her, she was frustrated that people were asking her to do things when she didn't know how, she was frustrated because when she asked how to do things she had the impression that people were disappointed with her for not knowing how. We were frustrated because it was an extremely busy time of year, and we needed her to know what she was doing without asking a zillion times. She took meticulous notes, but then when it was time to repeat the task her notes were nowhere to be found and she had to ask again. It was particularly frustrating to me, because since I've been working there for two years, I have the knowledge to do all the things she was supposed to be doing, and because someone had to do them, I ended up doing them, but I didn't get paid for it.
As time went on my patience wore thin, as anyones would. I really don't want to go into everything that happened. It's really best forgotten I think. However, having said that. On New Years Eve, I worked with her and one other girl all day. The store closed at 5pm. We had 'boxing week' sales on which needed to be taken down before close because when we were next open those sales wouldn't be on. The day was incredibly busy, and honestly I can't remember what she did, it seems to me now as well as then that it was a whole lot of nothing. It got to be later on in the day and I asked the other girl to start at the front of the store and start to peel stickers, and I took the rest of the store (which is 2/3 of the store). We'd been busy all day and the store looked like a bomb had gone off. The supposed A.M. was standing at the cash desk doing...I'm not even sure what. As it was 4:30, and the two of us were still peeling stickers, I asked her to please tidy the store. I was frustrated because I knew at this point we wouldn't get out on time, so I was probably a bit short with her. She went away somewhere, and then came back and told me that she had in fact been tidying the store, but it was the first chance she'd had to read the email all day and that she'd needed to do that. To which I replied that I understood that, but that I really wanted to get out on time because it was NYE and so we needed to get a move on it. Case closed, or so I thought.
I found out yesterday that she is absolutely furious with me for asking her to tidy the store. Apparently she told the manager that it was the first chance she had all day and that she had to read those emails. The manager asked me to please not say anything to her, and told me we'd talk about it next week. (The girl in question has been transferred to another store now)
Today I spoke to my manager on the telephone, and she said that we really needed to talk next week because in the last two days she saw an incredible difference in her. She has apparently said some incredibly nasty and vindictive things about me. Honestly, I have no idea why. I've complained to people I know (whom she doesn't) that I was frustrated with her, but any time she asked me for help I helped her, I explained things to her countless times, and basically did everything I could to make her feel welcome. The only thing I can think of is that by default people would ask me what they should be doing, and how to do things, etc.. because they knew that I knew and she didn't. She also knew that the manager had been telling me things, and I think she was suspicious of just what those things were.
Basically I can't believe her nerve. What an ungrateful bitch. I spent months and months picking up her slack, and showing her countless times how to do the same thing over and over again, and she repays me by bad-mouthing me to my manager and God knows who else (I'm really hoping not the R.M. but I'll bet she did). Some people really, really don't deserve the air they breathe.
It's snowing outside. Well, I live in Canada, winter had to come eventually, right?
Actually, the first snow that stuck with us arrived on Christmas morning, which was fantastic. Up till then I'd been completely dreading the whole Christmas thing, when I woke up and saw that there was snow on the ground it brought a smile to my face that I'm sure would have been considered beaming. Despite what some people may think, Christmas needs to have snow. It rained a few days ago and so we could once again see the grass and it looked like it was going to return to looking dreary and depressing outside.
But, it's snowing! :) And has been for two days now. And the smile is back on my face. There's just something about all that clean whiteness that's soothing, and yet exciting at the same time. I'm plan to take my camera tomorrow and finish up whatever film is leftover from Christmas. The trees looked amazing on my way home from work tonight with all the snow hanging off the branches, but it was dark and I didn't figure that pictures would turn out, so...here's hoping the snow is still hanging tomorrow morning.
The roads are incredibly slippery, and I'm sure there have been accidents all over the place. Thankfully, this time, I avoided being one of them. (Incidentally, in case anyone is interested the repairs to my car cost $5000. Tune in in September to hear about my insurance rates, which are sure to skyrocket) Although, while I'm mentioning it, here's a note for anyone that drives a SUV. Back the fuck off! Just because you've got 4 wheel drive doesn't mean everyone else does.
Generally I'm complaining about the snow, but I've just found myself incredibly excited about it lately. Seriously. If we had a yard I think I'd be outside building a snowman. hee hee!
PS: Happy New Year!
*** The photos can be found here, if you're interested ***