Goings On...

Well, we've been battling a snow shower or two here and there the last week but no accumulation so far. Tonight has been the coldest it's been in a long time-putting on as many layers as I can find acceptable since I'm always cold.

Also, we have been battling ants. Yes, ants. Are you crazy! One thing after another in this joint. First, our shower clogs after a week of showering which we've had maintenance come and "fix" three times in three months. This latest time Katy happened to be home to which led to a conversation about the garbage disposal. The garbage disposal you say? Yeah, same thing I said. Apparently, it is so weak and ineffective that the food we had been "disposing of" wasn't really going anywhere. So-in essence that was clogging our drain. Sick and wrong. How that makes any sense is beyond me. I hereby declare that people should install garbage disposals that work longer than 5 years! Or at least kindly replace them. Or at least inform their residents that they will not work or might not work.

So, we have about 4 locations of ants pouring-maybe marching-in this joint. It was previously nasty. They've slowed down lately but we're not sure if they've been frozen out because of the cold weather or because the ant traps we put down ran out of their poisonous food. Ants are nasty when they come in packs of billions!

We'll have to update you on when that mess gets fixed.

What else is going on?

Katy's back to work this week-Tuesday through Friday! Hopefully more after that.

I get to work 3:30 am until 2pm on the day after Thanksgiving! What a blast! Are you kidding me? That is why I will keep looking for something that suits me better. I might be good working with people, merchandising, directing, and all that but at times-lots of the time-retail is a very unforgiving and inconsiderate profession because someone thought it'd be a great idea not to make money before Thanksgiving.

Let me ask Dad this question. Teach me some things about business.

Why in a tough economy when retailers are very very quiet during the week to stores open earlier and stay open later with less staff on. Why not cut actual store operations hours and have a slightly smaller staff on? Last year-we had a one day Senior Day sale pretty much each Wednesday where we were open 8am to 9pm. Why then-in a tougher economy-do we now do a Tuesday and Wednesday Senior Day sale? Full staff in both mornings-totaling about 4 hours for those two days that is wasted payroll. We are not busy whatsoever until 10 or 11 am anyway. Two days in a row of 8am to 9pm of no merchandise flying out the door. But seemingly the CEO's, VP's and others say-I know a great way to make more money! Let's be open longer hours! Let's make our employees work 10 hours the day after Thanksgiving! Let's be open at 6am or earlier from November 15th through the last week in December! That's bound to bring people in because people are just salivating at the thought of shopping at 4,5,6 am! Aren't they?!!

Not that I can tell.

I guess we (well few people) are productive with finding yellow dot clearance, markdowns, re-merchandising, cleaning up after the inconsiderate sloppy shopper, filling in old and new product. But still-does that make financial cents? Haha-sense. I don't know, that's why I'm asking the question.

I talked to an assistant manager at the Puma store in Albertville. He said they were opening at 10pm on Thanksgiving, closing for 30 minutes at midnight!, and opening up again for a full day-until 9-10pm close that day! Insane! Honestly, CEO's-what is the point of that? I hope no one comes to prove sometimes your antics are insanely stupid and you can't always make money and be right. I want retail to do okay this Christmas (but it won't) only because people in the retail world are less stressed when they're doing better; but at the same time I hope it bombs so bad that the morons who think they have great ideas realize that sometimes they are not and retail employees are still people after all.

Anyway, he was going to have to work 15 hours that day. It's so pointless to open at 10pm on Thanksgiving. He said they had to close at midnight to get sales numbers to Puma Corp I guess. Then why open for 2 hours? That's why I hope no one shops at that time! Doesn't make sense to open for two hours, have to close and disrupt the "conviencnce" of your shopppers to reopen once your system restarts.

Katy and I went to the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, Friday morning for the $5 showing. It was an entertaining movie but it is still a Bond movie with some unrealistic lengthy scenes in it. (see-boat chase, car chase-too much crashing and not enough damage) But in the end it is still a very entertaining series and a money maker so why dull it up with reality? Right?

Someday I'm going to post a video on youtube to show you our apartment and the things Katy has decorated us with. I think our place has very nice things going on in here!

I'm still looking for a job. Know of anything for me?

I want to do something in professional track and field. Is it PR, marketing with it promoting the sport? Is it running a meet? Is it admin of the sport? Is it being an agent? Is it being an athletic director or a sports information director? Is it a freelance media guy-taping and interviewing and writing? Hhmm, that would be fantastic! I don't know.

All for now. Over and out.