I know I've been neglecting my poor little blog, but lately all I've been doing is working and frankly, it's nothing too interesting. I'll tell you about it anyways though.
My internship officially ended last friday, but I decided to stay on a few extra weeks before school starts to make some extra money. it's just baaaarely worth it. this last week I've been filling in for our head photo person, who is taking a 10 day vacation. before this week I liked working in photo, but now I abhor it. pushy people who want their orders filled instantly, machines that jam and beep, foul-smelling chemicals that I was told are not that dangerous... not really worth the occasional gawk-worthy photo (like this shot of a guy frolicking in a river naked). on top of that, I still have to do all the normal managerish stuff that I normally do and do the book keeping that our photo guru also does. I can't wait until Kristine comes back. I never thought this job would stress me out, but I'm sad to say that I'm ready to quit. 3 more weeks to go.
Along with all that goodness, I just got home from my first day working as hostess/cashier at tea palace (gigantic chinese restaurant in renton). it's only been open for 2 days, so it's not too hectic yet, but I don't know if I'd prefer that to the boredom that I'm going through now. my hours are 10am - 10pm, but I'd say I did about 5 hours of actual work today. the rest of the time is spent sitting around waiting for people to finish eating. it's not a tiring job, which I'm thankful for, but I didn't know boredom could be so draining. we're short-staffed, so it looks like I'll be spending every free mealtime hour I have there from now on. I will say though, that the food there is absolutely delicious. my meal at the end of the day at least lets me leave fat and happy. thank you chef jackie!
ok, it's off to bed now. gotta get ready for the dim sum rush tomorrow morning.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
highlight of the olympics closing ceremony
seeing beibei, jingjing, huanhuan, yingying, and nini run around the memory tower. I'm sad it's all over. zaijian beijing!
Monday, August 4, 2008
ay bay bay
Today at work we had a customer call in and ask if we had the newest issue of People magazine. The one with the very first picture of the wonder twins on the cover (that'd be Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, for shame if you don't know that!).
I could get into the whole debate going on about if it's right to sell your baby's pictures or not (I don't really see anything wrong it it personally), but what I really want to know is: why does anyone care that much? Sure, curiosity is one thing, but are you seriously calling a store to see if they have the pictures? Heck, go online and look for free. Here, I did the hard work for you.
These magazine bidding wars are insane. People paid $14 million for the first pictures of the twins. And that's for the US only. It really boggles my mind how obsessive people get with the celebrity babies. Come on, they're babies! All newborn babies look the same anyways! Look at the picture, I bet you can't even tell which is the boy and which is the girl. Those might not even be their real babies...
On the celebrity offspring note, I will say that Shiloh is adorable. Not as cute as Suri though, even if she might not be real.
I could get into the whole debate going on about if it's right to sell your baby's pictures or not (I don't really see anything wrong it it personally), but what I really want to know is: why does anyone care that much? Sure, curiosity is one thing, but are you seriously calling a store to see if they have the pictures? Heck, go online and look for free. Here, I did the hard work for you.
These magazine bidding wars are insane. People paid $14 million for the first pictures of the twins. And that's for the US only. It really boggles my mind how obsessive people get with the celebrity babies. Come on, they're babies! All newborn babies look the same anyways! Look at the picture, I bet you can't even tell which is the boy and which is the girl. Those might not even be their real babies...
On the celebrity offspring note, I will say that Shiloh is adorable. Not as cute as Suri though, even if she might not be real.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
I'm starting a movement
hats need to make a comeback. let's start something, people. they are fantastic accessories, and very functional when you need to keep your head warm, get some shade, or if you're simply having a bad hair day. I think most people just don't wear them because nobody else does, so when you do you tend to stick out (unless you're wearing a baseball cap I suppose). and I guess some people don't like that. I personally love them though. I think at some point in middle school some girl told me I was "the girl with the hats," which I found weird at the time but whatever. bring em back! hats for everyone! just please find one that's flattering for you.
I took a trip to the newly remodeled southcenter mall today and it freaking huge! I got lost inside, I barely even recognized it anymore. we only got through 1/4 of the mall in about 3 hours, and after that we got tired and decided to head home. but I did find this store there that I love now, metro park. and yes, I did get a hat there!
I took a trip to the newly remodeled southcenter mall today and it freaking huge! I got lost inside, I barely even recognized it anymore. we only got through 1/4 of the mall in about 3 hours, and after that we got tired and decided to head home. but I did find this store there that I love now, metro park. and yes, I did get a hat there!
Friday, July 25, 2008
thank you, come again
I'm now a bit more than halfway through my summer internship, and although no 2 days at work have been the same, I've found myself falling into a routine in terms of how I interact with customers. I guess there is some sort of script that we're supposed to loosely follow, but it's gotten to the point where I can spout off my spiel to customers so effortlessly that I don't even think about what I'm saying anymore. And when someone does/says something out of the ordinary, I'll start my automated response before catching myself mid-word and sound all kinds of dumb.
Maybe I need to change up the routine a bit. Though there are only so many ways you can ask a customer if they're having a good day and finding everything alright. I really like my job for the most part, but I can't imagine doing this for months and months (even years for some people). I think I just get bored too easily though. Things that are too routine, while they're comforting, just can't keep my interest for very long. I hope my fickle attitude isn't too much of a detriment. Having a 3 month long job is a sweet deal because I'll be done right around the time when I'll be getting restless and bored (and I think after I've learned the most important take-aways I've needed to learn), but in the real world I guess that's not too practical. If I could have a new job every couple months though, that would be awesome. I wouldn't get bored and I'd learn all kinds of potentially useful things.
I've never been one to be an expert on anything anyways. Though I do really admire people who can dedicate themselves completely to mastering one thing, I don't think I have that kind of discipline. I'd rather learn a little bit of everything and know a lot of different things than concentrate on one single thing. Like that stupid phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none" (I've always hated the way that sounds for some reason).
I still have a month left of my internship, and after that the manager decides if she wants me to stick around afterward. I'm still on the fence about staying with them longer or not. I like what I'm doing now, but I'm not sure how much longer I will still be interested in doing it. There's still a month left though, who knows what will happen in that time! (I'm making it sound suspenseful, but really probably nothing new will pop up. sigh.)
oh, and PS- that customer that I helped the other week with the bleeding finger? He came in a few days ago to thank me for helping him. He even offered to buy me a gift card for something in appreciation, which was very sweet of him (I didn't accept, of course). That really made my day, I was so happy that he cared enough to come back and thank me! What a very nice man. I was glad to help. It's things like that that make me like my job even more. =)
Maybe I need to change up the routine a bit. Though there are only so many ways you can ask a customer if they're having a good day and finding everything alright. I really like my job for the most part, but I can't imagine doing this for months and months (even years for some people). I think I just get bored too easily though. Things that are too routine, while they're comforting, just can't keep my interest for very long. I hope my fickle attitude isn't too much of a detriment. Having a 3 month long job is a sweet deal because I'll be done right around the time when I'll be getting restless and bored (and I think after I've learned the most important take-aways I've needed to learn), but in the real world I guess that's not too practical. If I could have a new job every couple months though, that would be awesome. I wouldn't get bored and I'd learn all kinds of potentially useful things.
I've never been one to be an expert on anything anyways. Though I do really admire people who can dedicate themselves completely to mastering one thing, I don't think I have that kind of discipline. I'd rather learn a little bit of everything and know a lot of different things than concentrate on one single thing. Like that stupid phrase, "jack of all trades, master of none" (I've always hated the way that sounds for some reason).
I still have a month left of my internship, and after that the manager decides if she wants me to stick around afterward. I'm still on the fence about staying with them longer or not. I like what I'm doing now, but I'm not sure how much longer I will still be interested in doing it. There's still a month left though, who knows what will happen in that time! (I'm making it sound suspenseful, but really probably nothing new will pop up. sigh.)
oh, and PS- that customer that I helped the other week with the bleeding finger? He came in a few days ago to thank me for helping him. He even offered to buy me a gift card for something in appreciation, which was very sweet of him (I didn't accept, of course). That really made my day, I was so happy that he cared enough to come back and thank me! What a very nice man. I was glad to help. It's things like that that make me like my job even more. =)
Saturday, July 19, 2008
I've never really had a problem with Hayden Panettiere, aka Claire Bennett on Heroes. I mean yea, the whole dating a guy 13 years older than you thing is kinda creepy, even if he is the delicious Milo Ventimiglia (aka Peter Petrelli. he's 31 and she's 18), but I can look past that. She's lost it for me now though. Claire Bear has fallen into that dreadful celebrity pitfall and is trying to sing. There's even a music video. It's painful to watch and hear and fantastically boring, but I'll share it with you anyways because I might have piqued your curiosity.
I don't understand why people embarass themselves like that. I mean, she's a pretty decent actress and Heroes is a fantastic show. I guess when you consider the competition though, anyone can feel like they have a shot at a music career.
I don't understand why people embarass themselves like that. I mean, she's a pretty decent actress and Heroes is a fantastic show. I guess when you consider the competition though, anyone can feel like they have a shot at a music career.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
work it
hi all! it's been a while since the last post, mostly because nothing very blog-worthy has been going on. though I'm not really sure what makes something blog-worthy. people can write about whatever minute crappy detail of life they want.
anyways! since you've last heard from me, work has basically consumed my life. I kind of like it though, and I definitely like it more than being in school. going back this sept. is really going to suck.
I'd been meaning to blog a bit every week about all the funny little incidents that happen during my days at the store (it is capitol hill after all, you inevitably run into a few characters everyday), but I just plum forgot. but here are a few highlights that I do remember:
- our shipments mostly come in these blue containers (totes, we call them) and while most of the time they are organized by their contents, we occasionally come across one that is mysterious labeled "mixed." ok, so it's not that mysterious because you just open it up to see what's inside, but it's annoying to run around the whole store stocking things from one tote. well the other day I got a mixed tote and it was mostly filled with lube. yup! that kind of lube. but since it was mixed, there was something else in there, and this just happened to be lip gloss. now normally this wouldn't matter, but this tote also happened to have a spill in it. not a huge one, but enough to get all over the lip glosses. but since there really wasn't anything wrong, I just wiped it off and stuck it on the shelf. happy puckering!
- my favorite department in the store is photo. there's just something I like about going through the motions of the developing process. that, and it's fun to look at people's pictures and judge them. my first day in the photo lab, the supervisor went on break and left me to fend for myself for 15 minutes. while she was gone, a girl came in with 7 disposable cameras and 3 memory cards. she wanted prints of EVERYTHING. and she asked if we could have them done in an hour. ha. well we spent the rest of the day finishing up her stuff. she had over 1,000 prints and it cost nearly $300. she still hasn't come in to pick them up though, almost a month later.
- a man came in today and asked where the first aid things were. I instinctively walked him over to aisle 6D to show him and he said I'd probably have to grab things off the shelf for him. I looked over at him and just then realized that he was pinching his finger with a blood-soaked napkin around it. I asked him how deep the cut was so we could figure out what he needed, and he didn't hesitate to remove the napkin and show me this gouge in his left index finger. I could barely see it with all the blood pooling around it. so I grabbed him gauze and tape, walked with him to the cash register, had to take his wallet out of his pocket to get him credit card, walked him to the men's room, held the door open with my foot while unwrapping his gauze and ripping some tape and helped him fix his owie. I would call that good customer service to say the least. and good thing blood does not freak me out, because my goodness there was a lot of it!
Tomorrow will be slightly boring. a half day in the morning and then a managers' meeting at the district office in the afternoon. blah. but I still get a kick out of seeing so many of those blue shirts in one room. I am still wearing mine right now actually. it's been a long day.
I'll try to update more often!
anyways! since you've last heard from me, work has basically consumed my life. I kind of like it though, and I definitely like it more than being in school. going back this sept. is really going to suck.
I'd been meaning to blog a bit every week about all the funny little incidents that happen during my days at the store (it is capitol hill after all, you inevitably run into a few characters everyday), but I just plum forgot. but here are a few highlights that I do remember:
- our shipments mostly come in these blue containers (totes, we call them) and while most of the time they are organized by their contents, we occasionally come across one that is mysterious labeled "mixed." ok, so it's not that mysterious because you just open it up to see what's inside, but it's annoying to run around the whole store stocking things from one tote. well the other day I got a mixed tote and it was mostly filled with lube. yup! that kind of lube. but since it was mixed, there was something else in there, and this just happened to be lip gloss. now normally this wouldn't matter, but this tote also happened to have a spill in it. not a huge one, but enough to get all over the lip glosses. but since there really wasn't anything wrong, I just wiped it off and stuck it on the shelf. happy puckering!
- my favorite department in the store is photo. there's just something I like about going through the motions of the developing process. that, and it's fun to look at people's pictures and judge them. my first day in the photo lab, the supervisor went on break and left me to fend for myself for 15 minutes. while she was gone, a girl came in with 7 disposable cameras and 3 memory cards. she wanted prints of EVERYTHING. and she asked if we could have them done in an hour. ha. well we spent the rest of the day finishing up her stuff. she had over 1,000 prints and it cost nearly $300. she still hasn't come in to pick them up though, almost a month later.
- a man came in today and asked where the first aid things were. I instinctively walked him over to aisle 6D to show him and he said I'd probably have to grab things off the shelf for him. I looked over at him and just then realized that he was pinching his finger with a blood-soaked napkin around it. I asked him how deep the cut was so we could figure out what he needed, and he didn't hesitate to remove the napkin and show me this gouge in his left index finger. I could barely see it with all the blood pooling around it. so I grabbed him gauze and tape, walked with him to the cash register, had to take his wallet out of his pocket to get him credit card, walked him to the men's room, held the door open with my foot while unwrapping his gauze and ripping some tape and helped him fix his owie. I would call that good customer service to say the least. and good thing blood does not freak me out, because my goodness there was a lot of it!
Tomorrow will be slightly boring. a half day in the morning and then a managers' meeting at the district office in the afternoon. blah. but I still get a kick out of seeing so many of those blue shirts in one room. I am still wearing mine right now actually. it's been a long day.
I'll try to update more often!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)