Retail Rant

So I've been working retail for 8 months now for (1)to make some dough to get by living in the city until I find a real job, and (2)to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to working retail. Seeing that I'm still working there past 6 months, I think I have an idea of what the retail business is about. I'm not sure about other retail stores, but our store is, in a sense, "competitive" amongst other stores under the same name. Our manager is always feeding us numbers telling us "We're #-- in the district and we need to be #1 cause that's what we used to be.. blah blah" kinda stuff. We are updated during each segment [a segment is 2hrs or work ie. 2-4p] on how we are doing on our sales, customer ratio to sales, and more numbers to boost us to work harder. Anyways, bottom line, maybe its just this store, but compared to other stores I've walked through recently, we work suprisingly hard.

Before I thought of the idea of working retail, I went to my friends who have worked retail to see what I would get myself into and it came down to these few Cons:
- Customers can be really rude
- Pay isn't that good
- Hours can suck
- On-calls aren't cool

So I STILL tried out to retail job, and found these things to be true, BUT those things were the least of my problem.
1) Customers can be really rude
.. I'd say I'm a people person, meaning I can deal with rude customers. I'll say my remarks after they leave, but other than that I'll just move on with my life.
2) Pay isn't good
.. DUH. its retail. I LITERALLY stop myself throughout the day from working real hard to make customers happy, work hard to keep numbers up, and keep the store up to par [unless I'm closing], and remind myself "calm down. you are making barely over minimum wage. you are BARELY getting by."
3) Hours can suck
.. Yeah. They say they give us hours depending on the kind of numbers we are getting during our shift but I'm going to ahead and call "B.S." I mean I'm sure there's a little part that depends on it, but when it comes down to it, I'm pretty sure whomever schedules us doesn't sit down, look at our individual numbers and divvy up our hours accordingly. Or else I'd be getting more hours.
4) On-calls suck
.. I can't plan ahead on days when I have an on-call but I'm sure nurses and doctors have that same problem so its not really a big deal.

The one thing that really gets me the most.
Coworkers.
You don't get the pick of the pod, or the sharpest tool in the shed, but you do get the good with the bad. I work along with some cool cats, but there are those that just grind my gears [Peter Griffin (c)].

We have CSL's which are out Sales Leads who give us updates on our numbers over our walkies and walk the floor to make sure everything is going OK. One thing that gets me though is that some CSL's find it hard to pick something up, and fold it, rather than throw it on my table and expect me to fold it. Yeah, its my job, but I'm 99% sure that it's part of their job to do something other than walk around and twiddle your damn thumbs. Don't tell me our numbers are down and work harder.. I'll work harder when you do your job.

Second is my other sales associates. Typically complaining about customers being rude to them, sharing info I don't really wanna hear over the walkie.. blah blah. It doesn't really bother me, but when they decide to not work, I am free to rant. I can recall one time I was working, about 5 minutes to closing, and I look over to see what my coworker is doing, and they're writing something down on a piece of paper. I don't think anything of it at the time. 3 minutes to closing [yes, when it comes to closing, every minute is noted], they're still doing the same thing.. 1 minute to go, I look over, he/she takes that small piece of paper, crumples it up, throws it away and says over the walkie "Can I clock out now?".. WTF. are you serious?! Im cleaning up the store and your over there doodling penises or whatever you fancy?! Cmon now. Oh, also when I come in to take over someone's section cause it's time for them to go home, and they have a pile of clothes that STILL need to be folded. It's not that hard to do your job and get it done before you have to bounce out.

Overall.. Work retail if you have time for a part-time job, and I mean PART-TIME. A plus having this part time? the extra % off you get on the goods they sell. BUT! when you take the bad, you get some good. So of course there are times when things are good at work, but if I go on about those, it would defeat the purpose of my rant.

The Watchmen premiere

Saw the 12:01am showing of the Watchmen. It was great. Go see it.

Hah! you missed, Asteroid!

Sydney Morning Herald reported that we came THIS* close to putting a dent in our life. A large asteroid about 30-50m wide, came about 7 times closer than the moon! But if you think about it, getting hit with an asteroid would be kinda cool. Something a little more exciting than Chris Brown and Rihanna getting married, or Blackberry finally getting a cool Apps store TONIGHT at 10PM ET. After watching a video on an asteroid colliding with the Earth, kinda seems cool. Maybe it was just the Pink Floyd music that made it so mesmerizing..



*Video that requires download.

Re: 50 things.. um, what?

props to STEPH for posting this up first of all. I took a look at her post about "100 things we ALL should know" and thought to myself, "What do I not know already.. teach me!" so I glanced at the links, mainly the "50 things men want from women," because being the ladies man I am already [haha!], I already know 50+ things women want. But I wanted to see how close Men's Health was to my reality..

4. If you think I’m speeding now, you should see me drive when you're not in the car.
..can a man's ego get any bigger? really? dumb.

6. Shopping is a chore, not an activity.
.. I like to look good, that doesn't make shopping a chore to me.

12. Leave the eyebrows alone. Plucked ain't pretty.
.. Liars. pluck away.

32. We don't mind being told we look good. Just don't call it a "cute outfit."
.. No disagreement here. Just an "AMEN!"

41. Do not expect to have a conversation via text message unless you use the words "naked" and "waiting."
.. Not true. Is it weird such a "manly" rule comes right before the next one?

42. Sometimes we wonder why any woman would want to be with us, much less someone as amazing as you. So, thanks.
.. I swear a woman is typing some of these things up. Wipe your lips, man who "thought" this one up, you got some poop on it.

Sorry Men's Health, but I have to beg to differ on a few of these occasions. I didn't want to touch on all the points, so I picked just a few. No comment on the 50 things for women, cause that's just info I already know. Seriously, I didn't read it. HAH.

porn for the creative mind

Things I've been bookmarking lately but haven't had the chance to post 'em up [see: procrastinate], so I'll put some of them all in one post..

Cool wallet, almost as cool as my rubberband wallet

Source: Dosh Wallets

i have a hard enough time playing guitar, this just makes it worse.. or does it?

Source: Reverse Guitar

Fan mockup of the future release of the PSP. Me likey.

Source: Gizmodo

Architecture saving the world, one oil rig at a time..

Source: BLDGBLOG

WTF? not cool.

Source: N.Y. Post

What the heck is that supposed to mean?! Not Cool AT ALL.

2 for 1 when you bring an empty bottle!

Snowboarding is an expensive sport, but then again, just about all outdoor sports are just about out of my wallets price limit, and this is probably the most comfortable outdoor sport I can think of that I'm close to being considered an "amateur." I've invested a considerable amount already so there's really no turning back, not that I want to [haha! me?! turn away from snowboarding?! silly.] ANYWAYS, with that being said, I'm sure many of you have heard or seen this already through newspapers, radio, and fliers but I just wanted to help out as well, 'cause I would love to see my friends on the mountain as well as encourage recycling :)

Vitamin Water and 107.7 The End have joined together to bring us a deal for Steven's Pass. All the somewhat technical crap is found HERE or HERE, but to sum it all up..

WHEN: THIS Friday Feb 20, 2009
WHAT: Recycle a 20oz. Vitamin Water bottle, receive a 2-for-1 lift ticket
WHERE: Stevens Pass Ski Resort
HOW: Friday from 9a-5p, purchase a full price lift ticket [thats where they getcha! tricky tricky], drink down that Vitamin Water, give 'em the empty bottle, THEN get a 2-for-1 lift ticket for your next visit!

I'm not sure how that works out for those that already have an Advantage Card or an RFID card already, but I'm sure all the questions can be answered when you get there.

My sister just bought a box of Vitamin Water 'cause I've been hooked on that stuff for awhile now, so if you don't drink it, or just need to save a few bucks, I've got some empty bottles here! My sister had the idea of even bringing up all our empty bottles to pass out to people who dont have one already, but that's too nice and too much work for me :)

CHECK IT OUT! oh and by the way, JUST NOW I have decided to go snowboarding. I wasn't going to go at first but I just couldn't turn it down. GAAH! It's an addiction I tell yah..

dirty music remade into.. dirty music. wait, what?

I was going to blog about SNOWBOARDING because I've been thinking about it a lot lately, going up to the mountain lately, and working just to make that paper to get me up there lately. but I'm too lazy to go into it right now so I'll post about other things I found amusing.

Awhile back I was driving and heard this song. When I heard it, I thought it was pretty snazzy, and then I noticed something familiar. It's a remade classic!


Then earlier today while cleaning [not cleaning], I had the tv tuned into the music channel that plays non-stop music and heard another song. Same concept, different song. Snazzy as well..


I think its rad when rock bands cover music from different genre as well as vice verssa. Especially when not-so-popular bands do it live, example being when I checked out LUDO at El Corazon, Eye Alaska covered Kanye's "Love Lockdown," which was pretty sick I must say [there's some decent videos on youtube of them performing it if you wanna check it out] and then Ludo covered the Ghostbuster song for fun which was awesome. Which reminds me, I need to visit El Corazon soon.

I wish I had time to join this..

Unfortunately I am not a proud owner of a Sonics jersey [don't hate! GP #20 FTW!], but I was upset as many of the fans were, and still are, when it was said that we lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City. Just not mad as these people are though..


SONICS BACKLASH
"When the Thunder plays at Portland next week, some Seattle fans, miffed that their NBA team moved to Oklahoma City, plan to attend the Feb. 11 game at the Rose Garden.

The vocal Save Our Sonics group said it has secured blocks of tickets so members "can boo both teams” at a discounted price. The group has rented shuttle buses for the 170-mile trip. Save Our Sonics leaders are planning an even bigger trip when the Thunder returns to Portland on April 13."
via The Oklahoman


Maybe if I can find me a throwback jersey for a fair price, I'll buy a ticket for the April game.

This weekend in sports

Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2 after 4 HOURS AND 23 MINUTES! I can't even imagine playing that long in Australia's 100+ weather. Let alone, just be outside that long. I'm sure it wasn't that hot during that match but it did get to those temperatures during some of the matches. Nadal sets history as becoming the first Spaniard to win, and hes only 22! I think the only thing I accomplished at 22 was passing calculus. Where's my damn trophy?!














The awaited bout during UFC94 between George St. Pierre and BJ Penn came to a halt during the 4th round [TKO]. I was torn in during this fight because I'm a fan of both of them. GSP has great technique and has shown it in many fights already, as does BJ. My heart followed BJ, but my brain knew GSP is pound-for-pound one of the toughest guys out there. Some say GSP's cornermen cheated by rubbing extra vaseline on his shoulders and back, making it difficult for Penn to get a good hold. BJ commented on this during the fight but no actions were taken. Some say BJ's corner are being sore losers, others say its legit. All I can say is that rubbing vaseline all over my body just sounds gross. looks like I won't be able to fight in the octagon anytime soon. Plus, my package would not be flattering at all in those tight shorts.




The one bout I watched. Arizona played hard, but the Pittsburgh Steelers overcome defeat with 2 minutes left, winning Super Bowl XLIII 27-23. Being a fan of Ben [he was my first pick during Fantasy Football too!], I knew the Cardinals had it coming, but I went for the underdogs because [1]Steelers cheated us [Seattle Seahawks, SuperBowl XL] out of a win, [2] it was the Cards' first appearance in a SB, [3] Kurt Warner is a religious man
. The Steelers lead the Cardinals until the 4th quarter where Fizgerald catches a 64-yard scoring pass to hold the Steelers behind until Santonio Holmes pulls out an amazing catch, beating three defenders to the corner of the end zone. It was ridiculous, I tell ya. What good came out of this? well.. Arizona fans did get to see a good 30 seconds of porn during the game after Larry Fitzgerald makes his one touchdown. Comcast customers are being offered $10 as an apology for seeing the 30 seconds. If I was paid $10 for every 30-seconds of porn I watched, do you know how much money that is?! lets do some quick math here..
$10 x (30sec. x my-entire-life) = CHA-CHING! Ima make it rain, baby!


Oh yeah, and of course, the commercials during Super Bowl. Here's a LINK to all the commercials played in order of quarter. You're welcome.


In other non-related news. I'm an Uncle! My sister gave birth to a 4lb 12oz baby girl earlier today. To all you babies and toddlers out there now, you better stay the hell away from my niece! You know how much I'd love to just shake a baby :D
Cheers everyone!

Calculus break > Calculus

[1/15]
I think it was earlier last night when I was shuffling through my things looking for what notes I needed to do homework, and I found the transfer catalog for UW: Architecture, and the sheet that came along with it. Looking over it I notice that Calculus II is not needed to enter the Architecture program..... .. .. .*!#@GAAH&%$!!!11. So I'm putting myself through hell, sort of for nothing. I told myself (1)there wasn't any other good choices of classes to take for now, (2)you need to freshen up on your math skills anyways, (3)you need to be in school right now.

After going through 3 sections straight, I needed a break. So what else do I do?
Find more of these!


[1/28]
Looking FORWARD to..
+ 1/30-2/1: Snowboarding @ Silver Mtn., Idaho
+ 2/14: Steven's Pass snowboarding
+ 2/15-16: Surprise trip???
+ Spring Break!
+ No more calculus please..

Cadbury commercials FTW

HAD to post this up because [1]it's funny, [2]the music brings back some memories (lol to myself), [3] it's genius.


Cadbury - Eyebrow Dance from Kobe Derie on Vimeo.

Awhile back, Cadbury came up with this commercial as well. Kinda makes me think of that toy monkey living its dream. Maybe thats what they're trying to get at.. If it is, then I'm a genius and I get the commercial! Plus, Phil Collins can make some badass songs.


Cadbury - Drumming Gorilla from Stepa Mitaki on Vimeo.

Oh yeah.. 4yrs for the 44th president. Obama-fied!

If you don't know, then you're dumb, because we [yes WE!] made history today when Barack Obama was sworn into the presidential seat for the United States. I woke up at 8:57am to a voice telling me "It's almost 9.. do you wanna watch the inauguration?" and I jumped up, yawned, put on my glasses and sweats, and turned the tube on to see Joe Biden being sworn into the vice presidential seat. Later down the line, Obama steps up and makes history.


Some of you may have seen the presidents new ride while watching him get ready for the parade, but have you seen what else is tagging along?!

That thing is AWESOME. This is what follows the presidential car. Gotta get me one of these.

PLUS: More cool things to Obama-fy your gear!
Wallpaper for iPhone, Blackberry, Treo and Centro

Fanboys make a date. Not with women still

The movie "Fanboys" finally gets a date set in stone. And it's soon, too!

The date way back when was initially set for September 19, 2008. Then on September 4, it was moved once again to November 6th. Now it is finally set for February 6th, 2009. So mark your calendars, you nerds. 'Cause I did.

pwn3d by the weather.. FAIL?

In the past 2 weeks, mother nature has taken the NW into her hands, squeezed the fun and sunshine out of it, then put it in her pocket and reintroduced us to rain+snow+wind+greyskies+floods+avalanches+sadface+butthurt. The weather wo/men say itll be a light wind chill with a chance of rain.. it snows that day. Then they say "grey skies".. and rain pours down. "chance of snow"... 4 inches [pause]. WTF! I think anyone can be a weather person now, cause all you have to do is PREDICT ANY WEATHER situation within the weather pattern of the year before, and BAM, your Steve Pool, or whoever you wanna be [Id be steve pool, cause he's black, so i have a chance at another job, like rapping, or any sport that doesnt include swimming.]

Lately I've been given the opportunity to go snowboarding, and so far I had to cancel TWICE because of crappy weather [avalanche, floods, blah blah..]. So I'm pretty upset. It doesn't help that winter quarter has started and Im finishing up Calculus after a 2 quarter break, which is a VERY BAD idea, let me tell you. I have so much catching up to do. I mean seriously, how do they expect me to keep up with snowboarding, LOST, and, underwater basketweaving if I have to over-study calculus all over again. ZOMG. So I'm sorta stuck indoors and can only resort to YouTube videos of snowboarding, or crying about it here.

Oh yeah! After class one day, I was walking home and decided to total up the amount I spent on all my snowboarding gear, not including the spare things I have. After estimating everything I wear on the mountain, not including the clothes under, I found that I snowboard with $750 on! good gawwwd, AND almost everything I bought was on sale. SO, if you decide on making snowboarding a habit, that's the smallest amount you MIGHT be able to pull off.

Before I go any further into my blabbling.. let's do a quick recap of what I forgot to mention..
+ Merry Christmas!..family+relatives+friends dinner. Bacas' House. presents! insert xbox 360 here. back to seattle at midnight.
+ Happy New Year!..can't afford to go out. 3 person party = drunk fun. clean up crew next morning. NY resolution: play guitar/ukulele more.
+ School starts.. ZOMG too many variables and symbols. must resort to snowboarding.. FAIL.

On the up side though, I did manage to upload all my pictures from my camera to my hard drive. Now a few more months and they should be on my Facebook or Myspace. I've also been working on my cooking. Im pretty good so far, meaning I haven't killed myself or anyone, and I'm expanding my horizon on different cooking techniques. So on my off time from going out [see: BROKE], my plan is to get back into a routine.
8am: workout
10am: homework
1pm: class
3: work/study/homework
1030:LOST/sleep

I've been on the bad habit of sleeping late and have been paying for it. Slowly but surely though I should be getting my internal clock back in working order. I feel the beginning of this year, everyone's plan is to get back into "shape", but not always literally. Some will cut down on the drinking, and pick up a weight instead. or turn off the TV and turn up the healthy foods. Stop going out, and begin a book. So I don't feel so bad as to missing out on many things, but like everyone else, I gotta do whats important first, and thats to focus on what I need to do to succeed.

*random thought bubble* Once I get my fisheye lens for my camera, im gonna start making my own snowboarding videos/clips. So everyone can see how AWESOME I am! Rawr! Deng, I need money. Deng, the weather sucks. *random thought bubble* /end

Recent video I found while pondering of snowboarding..

Travis Parker is rad. Plus, he's part of the DC crew. woot woot.

Also, i think ill add a song shall be added to my playlist on the mountain. video on THIS LINK. good workout song maybe? for the ladies, yes :) teehehehehe..

Today was the last day of class for this week. I'm about to go out and relax with PJ and her sister who decided that I should go with them to "R Place"... .. . .If you don't know where that is, then the rest of this entry should give you an idea. I figured 'what the heck. im never gonna be going in here, i might as well see what im missing out on. another story to write in my book.' As I left my place for PJ's apartment, my sister texted me "Amateur strip show at RPlace tonight :)" so that should be interesting...? I don't plan on drinking very much cause I can't afford it. Im really hoping the the hotdog stand is out on thursday nights and the weather holds up so I can get myself a creamcheese hotdog. YUMMY YUM YUM.