Auld Lange Syne

2006 was a year of epic change, exhausting on many levels and if there's one thing I learned to appreciate it was in fact the process of change, because it is the very essence of the human condition and that of the earths.

In the past month alone, change bitch slapped us daily; snow, monumental wind storms, knocking out power for days and for some weeks at a time, and some still don't have their cable back. Employees continued to quit at my new job in droves and finally..."the other manager" snapped completely and walked out the door two days before Christmas, interestingly enough, the employees who quit, left because they were treated like shit by "the other manager" and finally, when I wouldn't respond to her chronic verbal slams against myself, she snapped. When I got the call from my boss, I was told a story that blew my mind, basically, she was threatened by my very existence and felt I was given preferential treatment, mmmmhmmm, if working excessive hours and 6 days a week is preferential treatment somebody shoot me. Whatever, she's history and won't be missed. There is a level of optimism in that store that they haven't felt in a couple of years and I'm not saying that is due to me at all, sure I was an instigator for change, but all I did was act like a compassionate, albeit extraordinarily fallible person - in other words, I was myself and relied heavily on my own belief system of compassion, encouragement and education. I've still got a lot to learn, but it will be much easier without someone constantly slamming me. Asta la vista little miss angry pants. Best wishes to you and remember, there is one constant in life - change.

Yesterday, I lost my voice due to exhaustion which brought on a bout of bronchitis topped off with a sinus infection, gosh golly...my puffy eyes and scratchy voice make me feel sexy. I put the telly on cspan and watched for hours as a procession of mourners walked past President Fords casket, it helped me to sleep and relax, thanks Gerry! The night before, it was the hanging of that tyrant Saddam Hussein that put me to sleep and earlier in the week it was the news the James Brown had past that I reflected on as I slept. Hell, who needs Excedrin P.M. when you have death to rock you to sleep.

Today I go looking for a new abode, with what little energy I can muster. There will be no partying for this girl tonight, I will be resting, blowing my nose, coughing and eating vitamin C like m & m's. 2007 is going to be a great year of change, like every year before it and I look forward to it. I've got a terrific and supportive family and an amazing group of helpful and supportive friends, I couldn't ask for anything more, because I know I need them and they need me throughout the changes that life brings. Best wishes to you all and Happy New Year!!!!

Meme it forward!

* Rules for this tag game are:
-Grab the closest book to you
-Open Page 123
-Scroll down to the 5th sentence
-Post the next 3 sentences on your blog
-Name the book and author
-Tag 3 people

"Atoms had been found to contain light negative electrons and, later, were found to contain a positively charged nucleus. This suggested that they might be tiny versions of the solar system, with planetary electrons in orbit around a nuclear sun. The notion gave rise to fantasises in which the electrons were indeed miniature planets."

The book: Alice in Quantumland

I know about as much about quantum physics as I do about birthin' babies, little to nothing...but I'm always willing to learn and the whole wonderland concept pulled me in like a black hole named...um...Bessie, I guess. ;) Cheers!

This meme has been around the block and back again, so I tag anyone who wants to play! Just leave me a comment and I'll read your efforts.;) Thanks and have a super night and a brilliant tomorrow.

Last Minute Christmas Shopping Tips

Leave me alone. I jest. Kind of.

The storm contributed to mass drama today and the events following the storm lead to some angry mofo's shopping. But damn it all, you're not going to bring me down. Weather happens. Every damn day, Sometimes it's uneventful, others times it's monumental. Christmas happens every year on the same date - THE SAME DATE. So, when you get in your cars to go to the mall, relax and breathe, please don't get pissed at the customer service if they don't have what you want. It's the week before the holiday and if they don't have it, chances are they won't. But then again you know what day Christmas is, don't you?

If you have a coupon, read that sucker....READ IT!!!! It's all there in the print. Don't look for loopholes so you can take advantage that's tacky and gauche, so stop. If there's a limit, don't try to work you way around it. That would blow the mind of any seasonal or seasoned cashier. READ YOUR COUPONS, flyers and whatnots before you shop, it makes everything easier on everyone. Relax...breathe.

I won't talk down to you, if you don't talk down to me.

Smile. We're all in this together. Do you think the Wise Men went ballistic on the shopkeepers? "Give me some incense and myrrh, bitch. Now! I've been in this line for over twenty damn minutes and we've got this messiah to buy for, hurry or else!! Can we speak with a manager?"

"Sure, if you think the manager can pull some incense and myrrh out of their ass on demand, I will call the manager, just have some Purell handy, mmkay?"

Not wise, I'd say.

Tip: Calling for a manager just clogs the pipes, people. Careful what you wish for...muhahahah!

Kindness and patience wins out every time.

You're tired, I'm tired and it's all in the spirit of Christmas, which falls on December 25th every god blessed year. So relax. Honking your horn in heavy traffic rarely (if ever) gets you anywhere quicker than if you suck it up and roll with it. Don't be an annoying fucktard, just drive....relax, breathe. Stop with the honking, twitlips.

Watch out for pedestrians, you'll get where your going a lot quicker then they will, every time. One ton of inert metal vs. flesh and fucking blood. Gosh, who's gonna win out there? Remove thy head from thy ass when you are driving. It saves lives and that precious thing called time and we're all in a race against time and guess who always wins? Time goes on, we die, it's a fact of life, so relax...breathe and focus on what's going on around you.

Be kind and courteous and it comes back two-fold. If it doesn't, reflect on that shit, take two aspirin and call someone who gives shit and that knows you don't give a shit. Boohoo, suck it up, life goes on....Christmas or not.

Make the best of every situation, don't be an asshole, because I've got a can of asshole repellent with your name on it and an itchy trigger finger to boot.

Relax, breathe.

Oh yeah, Christmas falls on December 25th. That's a heads up for next year and most will ignore it and come and demand things that were available a month ago, but others have snatched it up and are relaxing with family and friends as we speak. THINK. Plan. THINK.

Relax, breathe.

Karma, baby! Karma.

/ spew

Peter Boyle

A great actor, but it's all about Young Frankenstein for moi, trust me, I've been singing "Putting on the Ritz" in "Abby Normal" monster style for days now. Enjoy your rest Peter, you earned it.

[Tube via Side Salad and thanks fer thinking this bitch is funny, despite what that pompous load of shit Christopher Hitchens says. ;) Peace to you and yours from me and mine.

Love,

Sybil xoxo Muahaha!

Lick it Hitchens, lick it. :D (Btw, loved the Jefferson book, bitch.) :D

After the storm

The effects of the wind are spread all around, I faired well, had my power back the next day, although the store was down for 2 days. Cell service seems to be back, craziness indeed. Needless to say I got some much needed rest, rehung my Christmas lights and removed the "No Lifeguard On Duty Sign" from my patio plants. Hohoho, Merry Christmas. Others in the area are still without power and to add to their misery, it's currently 30 degrees outside. That sucker was a DOOOZY! Woo!

Storm stories @ Google News. DOOOOZY!

Boom, boom! Out go the lights!

Holy Shit! It's fucking scary windy out tonight, very scary. Power outages abound, earlier thunder and lightening smacked their shit up in every one's face. Damn. We've had power surges, outages and just fucking weird ass weather for the past 24 hours. All this adds to the joy at work; one more quit today, never to return and leaving me standing 3 hours straight ringing people up. This experience is going to melt my frickin' mind for sure. *twitch* :P~

On a lighter note, one of my customers showed me the proper way to pin curl my hair, hers are always lovely, even when she was on Dateline. Weird ass day. Oh. My. Gust! Well, I meant to say God, but a gust got in the way....gah....glurp.

"Success is the quality of your journey" - Jennifer James

*twitch*

LOL!

Help.

LOL!

Mmmmkay.

Wind gust-very scary. Have a loverly evening, tomorrow and etc.

Really. :)

Soup For Everyone

The Christmas Trees are back at the Airport. The Rabbi was threatened with death a gazillion times which is about as shameful and pathetic as the decision to take the trees down. Sure, it was a secular display of lighted trees, but with the whole "Christ" part in the namesake for the holiday, there is bound to be someone who wants to balance it out for everyone. An "unfortunate situation" for all involved indeed. The Rabbi never asked for the trees to be taken down, he just wanted some Jewish inclusion in the displays. Severe over reaction is so Bush Adminstration. Chill mofo's, enjoy the sparkly lights or you'll have a 32% approval and who needs that?

Grinch Award Of The Day

Mid-winter and evergreens are covered in lights, except at Seattle International Airport. They took the Christmas trees down in lieu of litigation. Why? Because some dude wants a frickin' menorah put in the displays. Because, according to the dude, when one walk through a winter wonderland, they want to see a menorahs. Shame on everyone involved! This is just pathetic and embarrassing for all involved, what would it have hurt to throw a frickin' candle holder into the mix? It's a huge "You don't like the soup? Well, no soup for you!" Bullshit.

Working for a livin'

"Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel, that you, too can become great!" ~Mark Twain

Christmas in retail can be overwhelming. Christmas in retail at a new job, exhausting to the point of delirium. So far, I've managed to stay relatively sane despite the fact I take verbal swipes from "the other manager", who is obviously threatened by my very existence. What little authority I have is constantly questioned or ignored by the "other manager's" team of not so loyal, terribly bitter and sad people. This store has some seriously fucked up and angry karma going on and um...I don't do that. I don't do drama, won't, can't, not gonna do it. You've got issues, well lose them or leave them at home, but don't and I repeat, do NOT, hang your shit on me moth-er-fuck-ers. :)

She: [broadcast over our radio earpieces] "Of course I work Sundays, one day I'll be special enough to not have to work them, but until then I'm here at 7:30"

Me: "No comment. And hey, thanks for your comment!" :D

This is just one in a series of verbal swipes directed at me by the "other manager". I'm not working Sundays because the commute is close to non-existent. The commute on weekdays is nothing; bus, train, bus, but on weekends it's a series of buses that for whatever reason, never connect to the next destination without an thirty minute wait or more, this despite the fact that the store, located a half mile south of the largest mall in the Seattle area (and soon to be relocated to the mall), go, Sound Transit, stellar job! But that's neither here nor there, my schedule isn't this woman's business and it would be wise that she shut her ignorant bitter mouth before I tape that evil orifice up with duct tape retrieved from some hairy fuckers ass. I wasn't hired to be this person's verbal punching bag and she better step off or I'll get so fucking professional on her sorry ass she'll have paper cuts from the mountain of complaints I will lodge at her like a fucking Human Resources canon ball.

She: "Ha ha, did you say "no comment""?

Me: "Yes I did, mam"

She: "Aw, don't worry, your time will come." (perhaps meaning there will come a time that I'll get to take verbal swipes at her - don't know, don't care - I'm playing my cards close.)

Me: (with customers in tow) "Girl, my time HAS come!" followed by a "Z" shaped snap.

This customers giggled and asked what that was all about and I just said "she's a worry wort, nothing to be concerned with, she'll be okay."

I knew there would be issues from day one when I entered the office and our General Manager introduced us. She gets up from her desk and comes at me with open arms and a hug. "Welcome to our family." [Tip of the day: Don't hug newcomers it stinks of desperation, this isn't AA or group therapy, it's a fucking business. Hugs come later, when you know the bitches.]

"Um, okay, thank you?"

"Ha Ha, she's a funny gal. Isn't she?"

The GM says something to the effect of "she always has been." The GM and I have known each other professionally for 18 years and at one time was my District Manager, yet another reason this "other manager" feels threatened.

The "other manager" tells me she was supposed to have my job come January, oops. Honestly, if she was supposed to have the job, I suspect she would have gotten the position and they would have hired me as the Merchandising manager, but alas, they wanted me as Inventory manager and that's how it is.

This store is so dysfunctional I have to work six days a week for the next two weeks, because no one wants to work there. People keep quitting and I understand why, negative energy is all around, it's not good. Direction is barked over the radio like threats. No please, no thank you. Nothing positive is said about the booksellers, criticism is all around.

My goal, along with making sure with have want people want to buy, is to spread sunshine all over the place until the bitch super nova's and everyone is walking around with god damned smile, until then, I won't let my former employees, who want to work with me again, apply to the many positions that need to filled. I'm not going to let good people be treated like shit for any reason. However, I am recruiting my former assistant, because she's got balls of steel and can hold her own against bitter nastiness and I need an ally in my quest to get these folks to lighten the fuck up. Life is short, very fucking short and there is no reason to walk around acting like a bunch of bitter martyrs.

For the most part, I know I'm going to love this job and I expected a certain amount of resentment from the "other manager" and supervisors, so I'm not going to sweat the bullshit, I'm there do a job I'm fucking terrific at and I'm not going to play in their little reindeer games. I'm an optimistic misfit of sorts, I want to encourage people to be the best at whatever they choose to do in this life, but in my own quirky, albeit professional, way. I'm not intimidated by much, people, technology, I say..."bring it on" and if I fail at least I know I gave it my all and if I succeed, I'll celebrate with those who played a part in my success and then move on to the next challenge. The bottom line in life is to treat people as you would want to be treated and you'll win every time. See, I fight with love baby, so take some time to smell the flowers or I'll plant said flowers in your ass. :D

Hahaha!

So your saying Ruby was eating the artificial tree? Hahahahahhahaha
Well, listen up BOF (bringer of food), I'm gonna eat this formly live, now decorative wreath you spent your hard earned money on...hahahaa.....I swear, that Ruby cracks my ass up.

Caught!

The tree, artifical. The cat, in denial.