Never Call Me 'Spineless'
Wow. January is already done and gone?
And you my frequent readers knows what that means ... Interesting Posts from the second half of January time! But as THAT'S too long to say without taking a breath or two ... actually, I don't have a good title for these days that come every few weeks. Anyway, here you are in my semi-monthly Odyssey where, as I once read regarding the poem by Homer, it's better to skim until you find something you like.
Enjoy!
David
1. I heard somewhere, sometime ago that the average person has had 17 jobs over a lifetime. Quick Google search, just reading the first page of summaries, 10-15. I just recalled 10 in my past 10 years. Sad and true. I think of all the jobs I have done, I used to say that School Bus Driver was the worst, you could pay me a million dollars an hour and I'd turn it down. (and Mom, I love you and I know future employers might see this, but I gotta vent this.)
I would gladly drive kids to school as often as they wanted to go, if it meant I never have to be a gas station cashier again. No offense to those fellow/past cashiers that are currently my good friends. At gas stations/convenience stores, lots of things are going on: coffee needs filled, cooler needs stocked, restrooms need cleaning, fountain pop needs refilled, Frito guy needs checked in, shelves need filled and faced, and customers need check out. All of these things kinda are happening all at the same time, by the time I have the old coffee drained and the trying to open the bags of grounds to brew a fresh pot a customer is ready to check out, so i stop the coffee mid task. Serve the customer who has alerted me I have no more Milwaukee's Best tall boy with the red line at the top of the can in the cooler vs the yellow lined topped can. (and this red can MB is the only beer this man can drink, I guess) So, I run back to the cooler to get the beer, I come out and I have a guy waiting for the coffee that of course is the one that is still needing the damn grounds in the filter and brewed, (there are 5 other coffee options). Also, 3 new customers are now in line to checkout. Okay, I get it, we like what we like. At the same time my store offers a WIDE variety of other options, it may not be exactly what you planned on, but we are humans, adaptable, no? This could just be a Kimme thing or the universe telling me to not settle for anything less than the exact thing I want in that moment. "It has to be Newport 100's in a box, it has to be, shorts won't do!" Yes, it is failure on the company that we do not have enough to supply the demand, this (along with the lack of beer) is not the fault of the cashier. Business is lost and I, as a person feel like I am not delivering the best customer service experience, not only am I frustrated that I still haven't had the chance to get back to that damn coffee, you the customer has walked out mad. So, I do what I can do, my best. I try not to let you see my frustration (those who know me best, know doing this is my weakness). Since I have started at this gas station, I have tried to be a "company girl", not having working gas pumps or screen readers, constantly being out of product/stock, physically watching a woman load her huge purse with soft drinks and sandwiches (and she is still allowed to "shop" there until we can get her license plate info to call the cops with so that they can stop her and ask her to open her purse down the street... she drives a green Saturn front plate is conveniently off of the front bumper), not being able to start a task and follow it to completion, our pumps being found with 70% water in them, and last nights cake taker of the grown man who comes running into my store holding his stomach, in the direction of the restroom to vomit everywhere in the men's room except the toilet, later to find out he "accidentally drank bleach" when the ambulance arrived and they did not take him to the hospital, not to mention the "no breaks, working lunch behind the register, so you can still ring customers" rules... I am not proud to be an employee there. That is the bummer, because of this I am not excited to go in, in fact I dread it. I am always drained after work, when we went for karaoke the other night, I was glad it was later, my feet and legs needed the lazy girl chair. I also know that people have jobs and those professions are harder and even more stressful than my little rant about gas station cashier. I mean no undermining or lessening of those individuals. My whole point is just that I want to love my job, or at least like it a lot, I want to be glad to wake up and have a job to go to, I want to be proud of the work I do, I want my employer to care about and be proud of what they do. Vent over.
[I worked at a convenience years for several years, so I SO empathize with most of this! - D.]
2. Learning to write tight and eliminate my jumble of rabbit trails -I think undergoing heart surgery would be less painful. Ending up with a plot that I am pleased with and anxious to make revisions? PURE GOLD!
Now let's see if my mentor agrees.
3. A smile can hide so many feelings, fear, sadness, heartbreak. But it also shows one other thing, Strength.
4. Again, everyone thinks [the next Star Wars film, whose title The Last Jedi was released that same morning] about Luke. Just like Return of the Jedi was not about Luke bringing the Jedi back, it was about Vader becoming Anakin again thus The Return of the Jedi (anakin). Luke is not the Last Jedi the title refers to nor is Rey. It's about Snoke, who I am beginning to believe despite statements to the contrary that Snoke is Mace Windu. The last of the true Jedi., or at the very least he was another Jedi from the old Republic. Everything he's done with Kylo might just be a backhanded, posthumous revenge on Anakin. Who he can't hurt now, so he hurts the family of Anakin.
5. It's difficult to judge the edamame spitting contest when the dogs eat them as they hit the ground?
6. Last night was a busy night, I'm learning new stuff each day.
One you guy came in last night, who was a nice young black man, had said the other guy who worked there had been rude to him, he started to describe him, but hesitated. So I finished for him I said "A older white guy?"
He said "Yes." I said it's OK your just trying to be descriptive, and even though some might not think it is PC to do so I don't have a problem with it
I have heard in some places that some don't wan...t the cops to do that even when it comes to looking for suspects in regards to crimes.
Which of course is stupid! I mean how are other cops, or the public at large supposed to be on the out look for say a dangerous criminal, if they have no description to go on?
Being descriptive shouldn't automatically be considered racist!
7. Currently sicker than your favorite album. Universe give me the strength to get through this week
8. We were never a democracy, but I think this is a pretty good description..people didn't vote for him because they love him, they voted for him as a collective middle finger against the gop..and once Hillary cheated her way into being the opponent, he was the middle finger to the whole establishment..democrats need to tap into that if they want to gain any ground..
9. spend more time on your strengths, your strengths need to be great, you're weaknesses can be average
10. All of a sudden the TV comes on and it's on the cooking channel. the remote is on the coffee table out of animal reach. At least its on the cooking channel and not that stuff the hubby would be watching...I do wish it wasn't so loud.
11. Related : " I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.” JRR Tolkein
12. As an author, I tend to ride the roller coaster of highs and lows frequently.
Last fall one author that I respected told me I write too slow because I don't have more books released. I let that get to me for a good amount of time before I stepped back and evaluated. I have written volumes and volumes, but as I have learned more I want my work to be polished. That author was wrong - I write fast, but my rewrites and edits take me twice as long.
Then today I get the most amazing message from a reader with sincere heartfelt encouragement that reminds me why I take my time in revisions.
Thank you [the Author this Poster respects]! I may have to print this and frame it!
13. Mornings are gold in reason with these two girls here
[translated on Facebook from Norwegian - D.]
14. Bad writing will kill a book much faster than bad art. Extremely good writing can keep a book going that otherwise would be gone.
15. As long as you keep putting books on the shelves, no one can ever call you 'spineless.'
16. You keep your dreams alive by what you do after the alarm clock goes off
17. Lord we simply want to say thank you. Thank you for being the God that you are. A loving, forgiving, merciful, gracious God. It is a fact that we do not deserve any of what you give to us in love and forgiveness but that is what makes you the God that we serve instead of the small gods that are trying to steal us away. Help us to always seek after YOU. In Jesus' Name. Amen
And you my frequent readers knows what that means ... Interesting Posts from the second half of January time! But as THAT'S too long to say without taking a breath or two ... actually, I don't have a good title for these days that come every few weeks. Anyway, here you are in my semi-monthly Odyssey where, as I once read regarding the poem by Homer, it's better to skim until you find something you like.
Enjoy!
David
1. I heard somewhere, sometime ago that the average person has had 17 jobs over a lifetime. Quick Google search, just reading the first page of summaries, 10-15. I just recalled 10 in my past 10 years. Sad and true. I think of all the jobs I have done, I used to say that School Bus Driver was the worst, you could pay me a million dollars an hour and I'd turn it down. (and Mom, I love you and I know future employers might see this, but I gotta vent this.)
I would gladly drive kids to school as often as they wanted to go, if it meant I never have to be a gas station cashier again. No offense to those fellow/past cashiers that are currently my good friends. At gas stations/convenience stores, lots of things are going on: coffee needs filled, cooler needs stocked, restrooms need cleaning, fountain pop needs refilled, Frito guy needs checked in, shelves need filled and faced, and customers need check out. All of these things kinda are happening all at the same time, by the time I have the old coffee drained and the trying to open the bags of grounds to brew a fresh pot a customer is ready to check out, so i stop the coffee mid task. Serve the customer who has alerted me I have no more Milwaukee's Best tall boy with the red line at the top of the can in the cooler vs the yellow lined topped can. (and this red can MB is the only beer this man can drink, I guess) So, I run back to the cooler to get the beer, I come out and I have a guy waiting for the coffee that of course is the one that is still needing the damn grounds in the filter and brewed, (there are 5 other coffee options). Also, 3 new customers are now in line to checkout. Okay, I get it, we like what we like. At the same time my store offers a WIDE variety of other options, it may not be exactly what you planned on, but we are humans, adaptable, no? This could just be a Kimme thing or the universe telling me to not settle for anything less than the exact thing I want in that moment. "It has to be Newport 100's in a box, it has to be, shorts won't do!" Yes, it is failure on the company that we do not have enough to supply the demand, this (along with the lack of beer) is not the fault of the cashier. Business is lost and I, as a person feel like I am not delivering the best customer service experience, not only am I frustrated that I still haven't had the chance to get back to that damn coffee, you the customer has walked out mad. So, I do what I can do, my best. I try not to let you see my frustration (those who know me best, know doing this is my weakness). Since I have started at this gas station, I have tried to be a "company girl", not having working gas pumps or screen readers, constantly being out of product/stock, physically watching a woman load her huge purse with soft drinks and sandwiches (and she is still allowed to "shop" there until we can get her license plate info to call the cops with so that they can stop her and ask her to open her purse down the street... she drives a green Saturn front plate is conveniently off of the front bumper), not being able to start a task and follow it to completion, our pumps being found with 70% water in them, and last nights cake taker of the grown man who comes running into my store holding his stomach, in the direction of the restroom to vomit everywhere in the men's room except the toilet, later to find out he "accidentally drank bleach" when the ambulance arrived and they did not take him to the hospital, not to mention the "no breaks, working lunch behind the register, so you can still ring customers" rules... I am not proud to be an employee there. That is the bummer, because of this I am not excited to go in, in fact I dread it. I am always drained after work, when we went for karaoke the other night, I was glad it was later, my feet and legs needed the lazy girl chair. I also know that people have jobs and those professions are harder and even more stressful than my little rant about gas station cashier. I mean no undermining or lessening of those individuals. My whole point is just that I want to love my job, or at least like it a lot, I want to be glad to wake up and have a job to go to, I want to be proud of the work I do, I want my employer to care about and be proud of what they do. Vent over.
[I worked at a convenience years for several years, so I SO empathize with most of this! - D.]
2. Learning to write tight and eliminate my jumble of rabbit trails -I think undergoing heart surgery would be less painful. Ending up with a plot that I am pleased with and anxious to make revisions? PURE GOLD!
Now let's see if my mentor agrees.
3. A smile can hide so many feelings, fear, sadness, heartbreak. But it also shows one other thing, Strength.
4. Again, everyone thinks [the next Star Wars film, whose title The Last Jedi was released that same morning] about Luke. Just like Return of the Jedi was not about Luke bringing the Jedi back, it was about Vader becoming Anakin again thus The Return of the Jedi (anakin). Luke is not the Last Jedi the title refers to nor is Rey. It's about Snoke, who I am beginning to believe despite statements to the contrary that Snoke is Mace Windu. The last of the true Jedi., or at the very least he was another Jedi from the old Republic. Everything he's done with Kylo might just be a backhanded, posthumous revenge on Anakin. Who he can't hurt now, so he hurts the family of Anakin.
5. It's difficult to judge the edamame spitting contest when the dogs eat them as they hit the ground?
6. Last night was a busy night, I'm learning new stuff each day.
One you guy came in last night, who was a nice young black man, had said the other guy who worked there had been rude to him, he started to describe him, but hesitated. So I finished for him I said "A older white guy?"
He said "Yes." I said it's OK your just trying to be descriptive, and even though some might not think it is PC to do so I don't have a problem with it
I have heard in some places that some don't wan...t the cops to do that even when it comes to looking for suspects in regards to crimes.
Which of course is stupid! I mean how are other cops, or the public at large supposed to be on the out look for say a dangerous criminal, if they have no description to go on?
Being descriptive shouldn't automatically be considered racist!
7. Currently sicker than your favorite album. Universe give me the strength to get through this week
8. We were never a democracy, but I think this is a pretty good description..people didn't vote for him because they love him, they voted for him as a collective middle finger against the gop..and once Hillary cheated her way into being the opponent, he was the middle finger to the whole establishment..democrats need to tap into that if they want to gain any ground..
9. spend more time on your strengths, your strengths need to be great, you're weaknesses can be average
10. All of a sudden the TV comes on and it's on the cooking channel. the remote is on the coffee table out of animal reach. At least its on the cooking channel and not that stuff the hubby would be watching...I do wish it wasn't so loud.
11. Related : " I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.” JRR Tolkein
12. As an author, I tend to ride the roller coaster of highs and lows frequently.
Last fall one author that I respected told me I write too slow because I don't have more books released. I let that get to me for a good amount of time before I stepped back and evaluated. I have written volumes and volumes, but as I have learned more I want my work to be polished. That author was wrong - I write fast, but my rewrites and edits take me twice as long.
Then today I get the most amazing message from a reader with sincere heartfelt encouragement that reminds me why I take my time in revisions.
Thank you [the Author this Poster respects]! I may have to print this and frame it!
13. Mornings are gold in reason with these two girls here
[translated on Facebook from Norwegian - D.]
14. Bad writing will kill a book much faster than bad art. Extremely good writing can keep a book going that otherwise would be gone.
15. As long as you keep putting books on the shelves, no one can ever call you 'spineless.'
16. You keep your dreams alive by what you do after the alarm clock goes off
17. Lord we simply want to say thank you. Thank you for being the God that you are. A loving, forgiving, merciful, gracious God. It is a fact that we do not deserve any of what you give to us in love and forgiveness but that is what makes you the God that we serve instead of the small gods that are trying to steal us away. Help us to always seek after YOU. In Jesus' Name. Amen
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