I'm baaack....

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted on here and my whole life is so different now than it was almost five years ago.

First of, I managed to lose a bunch of weight and am down to about 152, eight pounds less than my goal weight of 160.  I look pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I also got divorced in May of this year.  Kenin and I had a lot of good years but we also had a number of not great years so we separated in April, 2017.  Please don't shed any tears...  I didn't.  I'm very happy being on my own and have been enjoying the single life.

I've been dating a lot and have decided that I don't know that I'll ever be monogamous again.  I believe in love, but not necessarily that I'll find it again.  I don't mean that in a bad way, either.  On the plus side, I've been seeing someone for almost year now and I waffle back and forth between trying to decide if it's love (or could be at some point) but as of right now, it's just whatever it is.

I was fired from Dish earlier this year, but that was definitely a blessing in disguise because I never knew how miserable I was there until I left.  The said that I was termed due to poor performance but it was awfully suspicious when they didn't even tell my manager they were firing me and waited until a day he was off to do the deed.  I felt pretty vindicated when they appealed my unemployment and they lost.  It was particularly gratifying to hear my old manager say that when I was fired that I was meeting expectations.

Ashlyn and boyfriend are now Ashlyn and husband, which is pretty awesome.  It's been almost 9 years for them and while they haven't given me a grandchild yet, I do have a granddog, which is pretty cool.  But make no mistake, I'm still holding out for a human.

Jena is in the process of getting divorced and in addition to my three amazing grandsons, she's finally giving me a GRANDDAUGHTER in December.  All I have to say is that it's about damn time.

Patrick is living in Texas with his bio mom and is doing really well from what I hear.

Hunter has his own place here in Denver and is struggling with addiction, so please send him some good thoughts, light and love, especially since we just found out some life changing news.

Now that I'm back into this, I imagine it's going to go more in the direction of kind of a diary, so folks, it's no holds barred.  I didn't really hold back before, but now I'm REALLY not going to hold back.

whoa... watch out now....

The sale price on this sofa might be putting too big a dent in their profit margin...

 

Murphy Olive Sofa

Compare At:$399.00

Standard Price:$299.00

Sale Price:$298.00

seriously?

I don't care how many Playboy decals you put on your minivan, it will not make you cool.

customer service, or the lack thereof

I'm a big believer in good customer service.  Wait.  Big really doesn't even begin to cover it.  Huge?  Well, that one might work.  I expect good service, and so should you. 

I never really thought too much about it, but then I began to work in customer service.  The company I work for may not have a sterling reputation among it's workers (let's face it, sometimes they ask a lot of you), but I'm very proud to say that I am part of the reason that the Better Business Bureau ranks my (yes, I know I don't own it) company as having an A- customer satisfaction rating.  That's REALLY good, especially when you consider our main competitor is ranked as having a D- rating. 

I work very hard to make sure that every customer I speak with has a good experience.  And I'm good at it, too;  out of my last 9 QA's, all but 1 of them was scored as a 100, so I know what I'm talking about.  Now, to most people, having a good experience is equal to getting what you want.  Unfortunately, that's not always a reasonable expectation.  There have been many times when I've offered to assist a customer but what they want is just not reasonable for me to provide.  For example, I won't waive your early termination fee 9 months into your 2 year contract just because all of the sudden you don't like the equipment that we provide.  I'm more than happy to work with you to get you different equipment that may work better for you, but if you've let 9 months go by without saying anything, clearly it has not been a big deal.  Just as I strive to give the best service I can, so should everyone else who comes in contact with the public.  You should give me good customer service, just as I would give good service to you if you were to call the company I work for. 

I don't go and do much and am happiest as a homebody, but I do enjoy going out to eat.  This past Saturday morning, my son and I went to IHOP for breakfast.  We have a waitress, Christie, that we love to have serve us - and ask for by name - because she does an excellent job.  She gets our order correct, proactively offers ketchup, hot sauce, hot syrup, etc., and knows when we need a refill without hovering.  She is very AWARE of us as customers.  But, unfortunately, she was ill and not at work on Saturday.  (sigh)  As soon as I discovered that, I should have turned around and left.  But I didn't and we got a waiter by the name of Johnny.

Poor Johnny was not a good waiter.  He was quick enough to come take our order, but had to be asked to bring us our drinks.  That wouldn't have been too bad, but he spent about 5 minutes chatting up one of the waitresses before doing it.  Then, less than 5 minutes after he took our order (but before he brought the drinks), he brought us food that belonged to a different table.  When I told him it wasn't ours, I got told, "I know that!" in a snooty way.  I'm a bit anal about my food, so when I ordered, I made sure to ask for sour cream.  When we got our food, I did not have sour cream and I didn't have the salsa that was supposed to come with the meal.  I had to ask 3 times before I got it.  In addition, we were never offered refills on our drinks.

So, just a little background on how I am...  One of my very first jobs was working as a waitress at Waffle House, a fixture on just about every interstate off ramp in the south.  I worked 3rd shift and dealt with some serious drunks.  But I tried to do a good job under sometimes less than wonderful circumstances.  The point is, I know what it's like to work for tips, and it's not easy, so I will tip you a minimum of 20% if you just do a decent job.  And if you do a really outstanding job, I've been known to tip much more.  I believe in paying for good service and am more than happy to do it.  I want the person who has done a good job for me to know that I appreciate them.  Johnny only got a 15 per cent tip.

Of course, I'll go back to IHOP and have Christie as my waitress and IHOP won't lose me as a customer, but if it were to happen again, I doubt I'd be as forgiving.  Customer service is important.  If you deal with the public, please treat them as you would like to be treated.  That can make all the difference in how you and your company are perceived.

the Chinese scare me

According to this CNN article, in China there are 6,000 dead pigs in the river that runs through Shanghai.  But the Chinese authorities say "the water is fine."   Whut????????  I don't care what they say. I'd dehydrate on purpose rather than drink dead pig water.

do not drink while reading this

I beg of you, if you are drinking something while checking out the link posted below, STOP.  I promise, if you happen to be enjoying a beverage, it will shoot out through your nose when you burst out laughing.  And that hurts.  I know.  I've done it.

dooce

if only i could...

I'd like to do this to my 16 year old son, a good 75% of the people I have to speak with on the phone at work, and 2 agents I am currently supervising and training. 

seen and heard

So, living downtown has been interesting so far.  It rocks that there's so much to do and a lot of it is so close that you can walk to just about everything.  Last weekend, Kenin and I decided to go to a Rockies game and we were able to walk there in 15 minutes, which I must say was pretty awesome.  When we were in the burbs, it was a 40 minute train ride, plus the 15 or so minutes it took us to get to the station, so it's a definite upgrade.

And yeah, the people here are a bit different, too.  For instance, a couple of weeks ago, I was stopped at a stop sign, and there was a guy on a bicycle next to me.  He looked to be 35-40 and was clearly uncomfortable, which I'm guessing had something to do with him getting cat calls from a guy on the corner dressed like the biker from the Village People.

I laughed so hard I almost wet myself

I meant to post this last year, but you know how distracted I can... ooh, I see something shiney...  ;)

From CNN.com:

A recent college graduate is suing her alma mater for $72,000 -- the full cost of her tuition and then some -- because she cannot find a job.

In her complaint, Thompson says she seeks $70,000 in reimbursement for her tuition and $2,000 to compensate for the stress of her three-month job search.

As Thompson sees it, any reasonable employer would pounce on an applicant with her academic credentials, which include a 2.7 grade-point average and a solid attendance record.

I don't know what planet this girl's from, but it ain't this one.

get your own

Hunter, proudly displaying his new Michigan State t-shirt he received from his grandfather:  Isn't it awesome?  I love it!  Thank you, Pawpaw!

Kenin:  Hey, Hunter, that IS an awesome shirt.  Are you going to let me wear it?

Hunter:  No.  Get your OWN grandpa!

scary

I'm on the phone on hold about a doctor bill and do you know what I'm hearing? TLC's Waterfalls on MUZAK!!

how to spread swine flu

from the peanut gallery...

Kenin: Yeah, I stopped by the grocery store today and got some chicken gizzards for lunch.

Hunter: Uh, Dad? Um, isn't that chicken groin?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's the scariest thing I've heard lately?

After seeing the trailer for the upcoming Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus movie, the following words were uttered by my dear husband (who I'm positive was at the time possessed by no less than Lucifer himself):

"That movie looks pretty cute."

doozies

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Precipitation: (as defined by dictionary.com) falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, such as rain, snow, or hail

From the intercom: "Good morning, students. If you have already arrived, you may come to the office to wait until the bell rings."

And a few minutes later: "Due to the wetness of this morning's precipitation, you may wait in the office until the bell rings."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teacher: "Why can't owls eat bones?"

Student: "Because they don't have forks."

bless her heart

Teacher: This is the book we're going to read this week. It's called The Littles Go On A Hike.

Boy: It's a fiction book.

Teacher: Yes, it is a fiction book. Can you tell me why it's fiction?

Girl: Because they don't really go on a hike.

I swear this actually happened. I know it did because I heard it with my own ears. And then I walked out of the room and giggled for a full 2 minutes.

say what?

On the way to Waffle House this morning:

Hunter: I'm so hungry I could drink a whole cow.

are you pimped out?

Kenin: Hey Hunter, do you see what I'm wearing? My new carpenter jeans?

Hunter: Cool! Now my dad's all pimped out!

(I'm not real sure Hunter has discovered this yet, but he's actually a white boy who lives in the 'burbs.)

And To Accomplish That Goal...

Ashlyn was filling out a job application that asked that she tell a little more about herself. After deciding what she wanted to say, she spoke aloud as she wrote, "My long term goal is to attend culinary school or work with children." Kenin, in the background, was heard to say, "And to accomplish that goal, I plan on working as a cook in an elementary school." I think she may have been a little offended by that comment, but I was laughing too hard to be sure.