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Life is good. I still hate my job but I'm not going to get into that - fortunately my job is so mindless and so superfluous in the grand scheme of my life that when I come home, apart from having a few bitchy customers to rant about for 5 minutes, I pretty much completely leave work at work. It never looms over me. Which is good.
I have a resume and cover letter composed, though they are pretty rough around the edges and need some serious spit-shine. But I am being optimistic.
So sad to hear about Brittany Murphy dying. I was never a ginormous fan but I loved her as Louanne in King of the Hill and of course Clueless. I don't really remember much about Girl, Interrupted, and forgot she was in it. It's interesting how celebrity deaths affect people so much - I mean, none of us commoners knew Brittany Murphy, or Heath Ledger or any number of the young celebrities who have died over the years, but growing up knowing that someone exists, and then all the sudden they are no longer there - that's a bit weird. I think it also hits closer to home than, say, a 60+ actor dying of cancer, simply because it's caused by these people doing things that we do, or things that people we know do. I'm sure most of us know, or have known, heavy drug users, people with eating disorders, people in violent relationships. It sucks that it takes a celebrity dying for people to realize that this stuff can actually kill you. I'm not saying that necessarily applies to Brittany Murphy - I don't know how she died, but a 32 year old woman doesn't just drop dead from being healthy. Something was wrong, something was up, and that something ended up killing her.
Anyway, on a happier note...Christmas is going to be interesting this year. We always "do" Christmas on Christmas Eve, and this year is no different. We're not going to bring my Grandpa over for Christmas Eve for various reasons, but will have him over Christmas morning for breakfast and stockings and some additional presents. I'm excited! This is also of course the first Christmas with my niece Alison, so that will be fun, even though she's only 5 months old.
Is celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve "weird" to a lot of people? It's fairly common in this area. Maybe it's a cultural thing? Wikipedia suggests Germans, among others, do it on Christmas Eve, and there are quite a lot of German descendants in Colorado so maybe that's why? All I know is we've always done it on Christmas Eve and a lot of my friends through the years do it then as well. Christmas Morning just seems weird! We do stockings on Christmas morning.
While I complain about my job as much as the next person, in general I really don't mind it. It's easy, it's mindless, it's money. But the past week has really tested my patience with it. Not only customers (I hate dealing with the public though I've gotten used to dealing with their asshattery so it doesn't bother me as much anymore) but also coworkers.
First, the owners. The liquor store is owned by two individuals, who are there during the day. They are nice people and I don't mind working for them but I dislike working with them. They micromanage and nothing is ever done how it should be. You're either working too slow or too fast. If you're doing Task A, you should be doing Task B, but then will get in trouble for not doing Task A first. We had a bottle stolen from the store today and it was, of course, the cashiers' fault. Similar to how a goalie will get blamed for letting the other team score in soccer, we got blamed for "letting" someone walk out with a bottle hidden in his hoodie. It wasn't the fault of the stockers or managers that were all on the floor and who can more easily monitor the entire store (the vodka aisle is way in the back and out of sight from the cash registers.) No, it was the cashiers' fault, or, more specifically, my fault. Fuck you. It's a liquor store, shit happens, shit gets stolen, deal with it. I didn't even see the kid, since I was doing OTHER WORK. But if I hadn't been doing that other work that was occupying me, I would have been reprimanded for "standing around."
On the day before Thanksgiving, near the end of the day when things were slowing down, around 8 o'clock, I was still running a cash register and was dealing with a pretty constant stream of customers. During a small lull, one of the owners commented that if I helped the other cashier who was currently stocking product at the front, then I could get out of there faster. Um? If I was doing that, who would do the cash register? I would certainly get yelled at for that. If I'm on the register, I should be doing something else, but as soon as I'm doing that something else, I should be at the register. How about you just fuck off and let me do my goddamn job? If, by the end of my shift, something I should have done hasn't been done, then maybe please remind me that next time I will need to do whatever it is that I missed. Don't talk down to me and boss me around about doing shit that is less important than what I am currently doing.
I also have a serious problem with the attitude that customers can't POSSIBLY wait in LINE for thirty fucking seconds. Today I had signed up a customer for our "value club" dealie, so after they left I still had to print a duplicate receipt and do some other shit to make sure that they would get registered in the system properly. This took me about 10 seconds, which was enough time for someone to walk up behind a customer another cashier was dealing with. One of the managers was around and basically said "Katie, you need to call customers over to you." Again: fuck you. I was working, finishing up a task from the previous customer. I'm not lazing about doing nothing and ignoring customers. Also, since when are customers completely helpless and incapable of doing things on their own? Can they not look around and say, oh, there is a cashier who is open, and go to that cashier?
One of the owners also has the feeds from the video cameras in the store on his computer at home so he can watch the store 24/7. This is fine and totally understandable, since there is a lot of alcohol in the store and a lot of money. But he takes it way too far into Big Brother territory when he calls in the evenings wondering, you know, "why is this person doing that" or "why hasn't that been done." Tonight he called because the ONE customer in the store hadn't been helped. Ohhhkay. Yes, someone should have asked the customer if he was finding everything alright, etc. But, seriously, buddy, get a life.
*sigh* Ok, just had to get that out lol.
We officially started the Christmas season the other day when my mom put on The Christmas Revels, a cassette (remember those?) that we had from way back before I can remember that we eventually replaced with the CD when it became available. Listening to it is one of our Christmas traditions and nothing gets me in the "holiday spirit" more quickly or more intensely than this album. It's very "traditional" and is what I guess I would describe as "really, really good church music." There aren't a lot of popular traditional songs, though it does have the Twelve Days of Christmas (which I cannot stand in any way shape or form), the Holly and the Ivy and the Lord of the Dance (my two favorite songs.) I can't find any of it on YouTube or anything, though I'll upload either the entire album or at least a few songs sometime before Christmas. BECAUSE IT'S SO GOOD AND DESERVES TO BE SHARED.
Anyway, this weekend we are planning on putting lights up outside, as well as getting a Christmas tree. We probably won't set up the tree inside just yet, but we figure the tree we'd buy in 3 or 4 weeks is already out there in the tree lot at the grocery store, so we might as well get it now when there's better selection, and just let it hang out outside for a bit so it doesn't dry out so much.
So....for Thanksgiving we are having a total of 9 people plus a baby. This is the largest group we've had for a long time so that's awesome. It's going to be my parents, my sister, my brother-in-law, their baby Alison, my uncle (dad's brother), my grandpa, my other uncle (mom's brother) and his wife, and me. It's going to be fun!
Then for Christmas I think it's just going to be 6 of us, plus Alison. We're planning on having another turkey with all the fixin's, and maybe a ham as well. Mmmmmmm. We "do" Christmas on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas morning. We do stockings and stuff on Christmas morning but our big dinner/presents/craziness is on the 24th. The 24th is my favorite day of the year, since the morning is spent cooking and cleaning (the only time cleaning is fun in any way) and listening to music and just having a good time, then having an amazing dinner and presents and all that. :D So exciting!
Also, good news: New Years Eve is generally one of my least-enjoyed holidays. It's even worse than being single on Valentine's Day, because that is more easily ignored. Ignoring New Years is impossible. AND I HATE NEW YEARS. But this year, I think New Years Eve is going to be a good time. When my sister and I were little we would play Monopoly and get Chinese food. Then everyone grew up and we all did stuff with our friends, etc. This year, though, I think everyone is staying home and I'm going to try and get everyone to do the old traditional Monopoly and Chinese food. My mom is already on board, and I know that everyone else will be on board as well. No pun intended, hardy har...
I LOVE this time of year. If that was in any way unclear. :D I'm not religious in the slightest, but I absolutely love Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the time surrounding both.
....And after I got myself all excited, now I have to go to work. Which is going to be INSANITY since everyone is going to be buying booze for Thanksgiving. I also work tomorrow, though only from 9-2 so that's not too bad. Still though....oh well. Nothing's going to get me down :D
The other day I came into possession of a fancy dancy leather-bound journal that's pretty much exactly the sort of thing I've been looking for for a very long time. Now that I have it I am wondering how I should use it. I have written in a physical pen-and-paper diary twice: once for about a week in 7th grade (which is hilarious to read back on, by the way) and then while I was living in Spain for 8ish months a few years ago and didn't have a computer.
Other than that my journal-keeping has been all online. The first sort of blogging I did was on the Gamer Advisory Panel on the PlayStation.com forums in either late 2002 or early 2003. The only reason I remember it was around this time was because I remember blogging about how the release date for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix had JUST been announced that day, and I remember that news was announced in January of 2003 (because I'm clearly a nerd.) In March of 2003 I started my LiveJournal, which I still sort of maintain though I haven't posted there for a while (it's friends-only so if you're not my friend and click that you'll basically get my only non-friends-only post saying "fuck off pls" :P) Then I got my Vox like...I dunno, 2005? 2006? I beta'd it, but I don't remember when that was and I'm too lazy to look into it.
So, my "journaling" has evolved in a few ways over the years, from "this is what I did today" sorts of crap to whining and emoting and general rambling (often while intoxicated to some degree.) I think it's time to keep on evolving and change things up, and maybe my new physical journal will help. I'll still use my Vox and, to a lesser extent, my LJ, but I think I'll mainly just continue to use those to follow other people and less to post shit for people to follow me.
Also, wtf, blogging about blogging. I am lame.
This afternoon I am going to go to Vitamin Cottage and restock my vitamin supply and get the various things needed for the 30-day cleanse that I'm going to start with Mark. I poured out any remaining booze and am going to put my foot down and not drink anything other than an occasional glass of wine. Also after today I am not going to eat any more Chipotle (which I eat a lot of lol.) I'm not "fat" but I weigh a bit more than I should and need to just get rid of some extra flabbiness. Hopefully with the cleanse, no beer or Chipotle and a more regular exercise schedule I will get fit. I also need to be in a better place mentally since I need to really hardcore start job searching soon (now?) and this should improve that as well.
Wish me luck!
Holy guacamole, where did November go? It..it just came, and now it's almost gone...:(
My parents are currently on a cruise in the Caribbean. They left last Friday and get back this coming Saturday, so it's been kind of like a mini-vacation for me too. PARTY AT KATIE'S HOUSE!
Um so I've been playing entirely too many video games lately. First it was Metroid, then Uncharted 2, then Dragon Age, then Modern Warfare 2 and NOW Assassin's Creed 2 comes out today. I get why they always want to release games around this time of year, but SERIOUSLY. This year is crazy. And I'm sure there's some other games out there that I really would like to play but I'm ignoring them for now (like New Super Mario Bros for the Wii. EFF YOU MARIO, I AM IGNORING YOU UNTIL I HAVE MORE TIME AND MONEY TO PLAY WITH YOU.)
I started watching the Vampire Diaries which I have to say is actually really good, for what it is. It's your average CW dramafest with lots of really beautiful people and blood and death and crows. It's neat! And addicting!
Question though: Why do most vampire movies/tv shows/etc revolve around a male vampire and his female human love interest? Angel/Buffy. Bill/Sookie. Stefan/Elena. The only one that I can think of where it's the opposite is Underworld, with Selena the hot pleather vampire chick and Michael.
And why haven't there been any super awesome vampire video games? Or have there been, and I've just missed out? Ok ok, Castlevania. I need to check those games out.
What’s on your “to-do” list to prepare for the holidays? How will you use technology to help you get everything done?
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Pre-production on THE MOST AWESOMEST CHRISTMAS MUSIC PLAYLIST IN THE HISTORY OF AWESOMENESS has already begun.
I got an iPhone today, after wanting one for a very, very long time.
I've had it for little over 12 hours and am already wondering how I functioned without one. My last phone was horribly out of date (it was 2 and a half years old) and didn't really...well....do much. Texting tweets to Twitter was about the highest of tech that it could do.
So, anyway, now I have an iPhone and have joined the tech elite.
As someone who holds a minor in Philosophy, the fact that I am basically expanding my memory and productivity via an external device is a bit scary and disconcerting (I'm thinking that calling myself "Kwad-Kore Katie" might be going a bit overboard.) I hope I will learn from the information provided by my iPhone, and that I won't become dumb and complacent, knowing that it will do whatever work needs to be done for me.
I find the whole thing rather easy to use. The touch keyboard is not bad at all, hell I probably make fewer typos on that than I do on a normal computer keyboard. I have been using Macs and iPods for several years so I'm used to the whole Appley interface.
Anyway, any tips and recommendations on apps and the like are most certainly welcome!
I'm pretty sure I'm getting an iPhone tomorrow. Like, I will get one, barring any unexpected meteors that might hit me on the way to get it.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and this is quite possibly my favorite time of the year in general. Though I enjoy the overall spirit of the "holiday season" more than the actual holidays themselves, I think. Christmas especially seems kind of disappointing after the HUGE INSANE BUILDUP OF AWESOMENESS. Not to say that I don't enjoy Christmas - I love Christmas - but I love the Christmas season even more, so Christmas itself is kind of an anticlimax.
Not to mention that Christmas inevitably brings up weird jealousy issues between my sister and me. I don't want to go into gory details, but I also don't want to sound like an ungrateful brat, so I'll just say that it's not "oh she got more than me," but a bit more complicated and...weird. Very weird. I STILL LOVE CHRISTMAS. it just opens some old wounds, is all. [this is foreshadowing to a future Vox entry where I am drunk on eggnog and emoting about sibling jealousy.]
While I'm sounding like an ungrateful little shit, I might as well get this out of the way: Am I the only one who gets kind of annoyed when people ask what you want for Christmas (or any other present-giving holiday), and you tell them something specific...let's say, a specific book. And then they get you a different book that's more or less the same price? Like, ok, why ask if you're just going to get a similar yet different thing? And it's not like, "oh I couldn't make it to the bookstore, enjoy this delightful [something else]" but like, "I know you wanted that book, and I wanted to get you a book, so I got you THIS TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND RANDOM BOOK."
Anyway, I don't really care about "getting stuff" nearly as much as I did when I was a kid...usually I ask for a video game, a movie, etc, and maybe one "big" thing that is maybe $100ish. I am excited for this Christmas especially since it's Alison's (my sister's daughter) first Christmas, so that's going to be a lot of fun. She won't remember it, but it will be awesome!
Nervous breakdown: averted.
Today was pretty fantastic, which is weird since I have been at work all day. But, still, the restaurant that I had gone to like a thousand times since losing my wallet, begging them to look further, etc, called around 11 and they had found my wallet. Unsure where the hell it was the aforementioned thousand times I asked them about it, but whatever. Point is: I have my wallet, with everything intact. Which means that I can now proceed to spend money I don't have! Oh, credit cards, I love you.
Anyway, I had way too much coffee today, as well as lots of Twizzlers and Pixie Stix that one of my co-cashiers brought in. SO I AM BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS. Despite getting reprimanded by one of the owners for complaining about customers a bit loudly, it was a "fun" day at work, I suppose.
I am still undecided on the Droid or the iPhone. I think I'm going to wait and make a decision when I talk to Verizon and see what it's going to cost me on a monthly basis. Both phones look fantastic, and both have things that I want that the other doesn't, so I really don't know. I'm not sure just how integrated all of Google's shit is with the Droid (i.e., Google Calendar, Reader, etc). I don't use Mail or iCal on my Mac, but I suppose getting an iPhone might encourage me to do so. I DON'T KNOW. Fellow nerds: Opinions?
