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I really hate walmart. There is no Target near where I work (nor a Walgreens for that matter). The only nearby store is walmart. So I am forced to go there to run errands during lunch more often than I can stand. Today I had to return something. Here’s how it went:
I pull into the cluster fuck of a parking lot
*I hate walmart*
The store is oozing ghetto
*I hate walmart*
I see someone I work with who I don’t recognize at first because he’s not in uniform…I’m ghetto’d out myself in running pants, ribbed tank and flipflops
*I hate walmart*
I head towards the customer service area and I can’t see any sort of order - people standing around everywhere
*I hate walmart*
So I stand behind a woman standing behind a red line…she takes her return item to the next open register, turns out it’s an exchange so she’s off to find her exchanged item - then evidently I’m up next. OK - I’m confused, quick service at a walmart customer service desk. I begin to worry. The lady at the register asks what I’m returning - I had her the receipt and item (still with tag and on hanger). I reach for the CC on which I purchased it, she tells me it’s not necessary and quite pleasantly explains how their return process works. She’s too friendly. Paranoia is starting to kick in.
*I hate walmart*
Well this isn’t so bad, I think to myself. Now I need to go find a 3-pack of my favorite gum to buy so I can get some cash back while I’m here. I wander around a bit….wander some more…Where is the goddamn candy/gum aisle!?!?!? They’re moving stuff around, the pharmacy area is gone, there’s bicycles next to baskets and salad dressing next to bubbles. There is no candy/gum aisle in site.
*I hate walmart*
I do notice that the cosmetics aisle is completely locked up - you cannot buy cosmetics at this walmart without finding someone who works there.
*I hate walmart*
Not that I was buying cosmetics. So I give up, and move on to the “impulse buy” aisles near the check out stand to find a single pack of my gum. No sign of the flavor of gum I’m looking for - I grab some mentos gum instead.
*I hate walmart*
Then I check one more aisle. OOOOH! They now have my fave gum flavor in nifty little plastic cup containers, just like the icebreakers raspberry ice gum that tastes good but lasts 10 seconds. I pick up one of those too. Uh oh - I’m feeling a tinge of joy in a walmart store.
*I hate walmart*
Time to find a register. Stupid long lines everywhere on this end - but I’d seen short lines on the other end, so I trek the 1/2 mile to the other end of the line of registers. Lines are just as long there.
*I hate walmart*
I find a line slightly less long than the other - then find the pepsi fridge, and grab one since I’ll need a a drink where I’m going. The lady cashier greets me in a friendly manner and swiftly rings up my items…more confusion. So instead of getting a 3 pack of my fave gum for $3 to get cash back, I spend $6 on fave gum, mentos gum, and a pepsi. And the employees I interact with are not unpleasant. Stupid walmart messing with my head.
*I hate walmart*

So the dead cat count is up to 4 now. This is the first since Toby has entered the fold. Not sure that it was Luna who killed the cat, but she sure guarded it like it was. Didn’t even really want Phlome disposing of it. Though I wouldn’t put it past her claiming Barley’s kill - can’t imagine Barley would care too much. Anyway - so Toby witnessed the art of the kill. Yesterday he proved himself. Brought us a dead baby bird. I’m a little proud of him. Less than 6 months old, and already mastering his hunting skills.

So starting this week I am officially administrator for two new online applications at work.
These are applications I’ve been either working on or hoping for pretty much since I started here.
I feel like I will finally be a productive employee - a real value-add as they say.
But the real bonus is that I think I’ll really enjoy what I’m doing.

I’m actually looking forward to working - even if it means overtime.
Fortunately my boss is really cool about ensuring I take comp time for any over time I work

So in short I may have to work my ass off here but it will be worth it.

I try not to talk too much about work for fear of the dreaded “dooce” but I can be vague enough here and still get my story across.  Some genralities you may need to know about where I work.  The physical layout is large - probably 12 - 16 square miles.  There’s a lot of construction.  Safety and security are big issues here.  Almost all of our construction is contracted out.  It’s in Texas…stereotypes prevail.

Last week we were undergoing a secruity review.  So we had representatives of Homeland Security onsite.  Sometime Thursday afternoon a co-worker was talking with one of our employees who works with the construction crew.  All of a sudden they looked around and no one was around.  All the construction contractors had vanished like so much ice on a Texas summer sidewalk.  Then a little murmur came across the nextel phone…”INS is here!”

The construction crews scrambled.  I later heard stories of people hiding in ditches and leaping over under and through our fences.  I heard of one guy who gashed his arm pretty well trying to get over a fence. 

Evidently one of the Homeland Security reps works for the US Border Patrol.  When he came through security he was announced as “Joe from Border Patrol” and a few of the construction crew personel heard it, spread the word, and they all went flying.  He was also in full Border Patrol uniform…didn’t help the matter.

Take it as you will…but sometimes seeing stereotypes in actions is just amusing.

Am I better off lowering my standards in
hopes of actually attaining them or should I
keep aiming high hoping that I’ll better myself.

I can’t seem to keep up with the blogging. I have
No good reason.

Good news on the work front - finally getting the
LMS approved. Just have to work out some details.
Phlomes blog is a far better update of things going on.

Other news : we have a new puppy, Toby.
I’ve registered and been accepted to UTA.
I start on my BS in biology August 24th.

Phlome reminded me today that I haven’t yet logged this week. This is my first official blog post from my blackberry.

I got my weekly allergy shots last night. New nurse the old nurse is moving on to bigger and better things.
Everything was fine until about an hour after my shots. I got home and my nose was all runny like I’d just eaten one of
Phlome’s armadillo eggs. Then I started coughing…both kept getting worse until I decided to look up possible symptoms of
Systemic Allergic Reactions. Yup coughing and shortness of breath are both symptoms
So I called the doc. She asked if I could come back into the office, but when she learned how far away I was, she recommended
I take a Benadryl and call back in 15mins. The benadryl helped. It also made me sleepy. I fell asleep about 8 las night.

So yeah last night was fun. And my allergist now thinks I may have mild asthma.

I’m not generally too much of a grammar nazi, but sometimes stuff just jumps out at you. (Though you are best warned not to bring up peanuts around me or to accidentally refer to a chimpanzee as a monkey).

I was reading this article on slate. On the second page towards the top is a sentence that I couldn’t read past:

“There is something inherently radical about hip-hop, period,a genre in which the historically voiceless command the microphone and, from the repurposed DJ equipment of hip-hop’s South Bronx infancy to the artist-owned labels of today, the means of production.”

My own emphasis added there. See there, the author uses the word period as if to emphasize the inherent radicalness of hip-hop. Ok, if you’re going to type the word period in your sentence for emphasis - USE A FRIGGIN PERIOD!!!!

On Facebook there was a Note thread thing about “firsts” while reading through it I was reminded of my first best friend (being that it was one of the questions on the list).  I was thinking how I knew her for such a short time, and it’s too bad I can never get in touch with her again, since we live in different countries, and haven’t spoken since we both lived overseas as children.  So, on a lark I typed her name in the search field on FB.  There were several folks with her name.  There was one person with her name listed as living in her native country.  The photo didn’t trigger any memories, but she looked to be about the right age.  I figured “what the hell” worst case I get ignored.  Best case she writes back and says “sorry I’m not her, but good luck.”

It’s her.  Now I feel like a stalker.  I honestly did not expect it to be her.  I don’t know what to say to her.  She says my name seems familiar.  I’ve remembered her all these 25+ years as my first best friend, and she barely recognizes my name.  She responded back with a statement about where we both lived overseas, so I know it’s her.  I don’t know what to say back to her.  I don’t know why I’m so…I don’t know…affected.

In other news, I dreamt about my one of my exboyfriends last night.  It was really weird.  For some reason I had an obligation to visit him.  When I got to his place, is very pleasant wife met me at the door, and I discovered that his entire family was living in his house with his wife and kid(s) - parents and siblings w/ their spouses.  It was one of those houses that can only exist in dreams.  It was a very normal one story apparently 3 bedroom home, but once inside it was expansive, yet crowded.  Then for some reason I had to stay the night, so he (we’ll call him Xavier) said I’d sleep on the floor in the room with him and his wife.  His dad suggested that I sleep in the living room on the couch - I concurred.  Then I discovered that Xavier was terrified of the living room for some reason.  Turns out it was haunted, and I was there to help.

So - I’m in the living room with him, and I can see the “demon” that no one else can see but Xavier can sense.  Evidently this demon fed off of Xavier’s fears - not fears of the demon, but general life stresses fears.  Like worrying about paying the bills, and evidently Xavier was worried that we had a bad break-up and it was never resolved.  Next thing you know we’re all sitting around while he expresses all his fears and concerns in a very Psychotherapeutic kind of way.  All the venting weakened the demon until I presume it went away.  I woke up before we really reached a conclusion.

Ok.  So I’m a training coordinator/developer/trainer.  I have been working at my current employer for just over a year.  I have spent most of that year working on, proposing, and researching a Learning Management System that will streamline the training record keeping process as well as make more training more easily available to more employees.  It was not approved the first time - not rejected, just not approved pending futher questions.  Well finally the questions have come.  I have provided documentation and answers to everything they have asked - well in advance.  I, however, am not allowed to talk to the “deciders.”  The person who is speaking to them, does not know the system or it’s capabilities like I do.  Which is why it was not approved the first time.  So now that they’re asking questions through her to me, I’m providing the answers to the best of my ability - most of the time trying to figure out exactly what they’re asking.  At one point, I mentioned that in addition to all of the safety/compliance related trainng we will have access to, there is also Management, Communicatins, Computer, and HR skills training (including Sexual Harassment and Diversity training).  Her response to that was “They don’t care about that.”  I was just told by a representative of our HR department that they do not care about training that is not specifically required by law.  The HR lady just told the training lady - we don’t care about training.

How the f’ am I supposed to stay on with an organization that doesn’t care about training, when my career choice has been training.  How the hell am I supposed to find another job in an economy like this!?

I went to the allergist last night.  Maybe I should back up a bit, Nov. 6 I woke up with a puffy face.  My allergies had been bothering me for a few weeks, and Thursday was the worst.  I went to the doc and got antibiotics for my sinus infection.  And while it stopped the swelling, the congestion, post-nasal drip, and raw throat remained. While talking with Phlome I realized how bad my allergies had been this year.  I’ve pretty much had a runny nose all year, with varying degrees of congestion.  A week later I called to make an appointment with the allergist.  So last night I got poked and pricked and got a nice case of the hives all over my back, so that the allergist could determine that I am indeed allergic to year round allergens: Mold, and some grasses.  I’m also potentially allergic to some other stuff, but those results were inconclusive.  I get to go back next Thursday and get injections of those allergens to determine if I am a candidate for allergy shots.  I hope I am.  I want to work on a cure, not just management.  In the meantime I have Nasonex to spray up my nose in the evenings.  I’m assuming Nasonex is a process that takes some time since I didn’t’ get any relieve last night.  Wed night I only got about 3 hour of sleep because I couldn’t breathe through my nose.  Last night I got a little more sleep, but I’m still very very tired.

I also still have red itchy bumps all over my back.  Phlome spread Calamine lotion on my back this morning, but I don’t think it’s helping much.