Put Into Her Place

I had a small, emotional fight with a co-worker on Thursday all over her lack of trust in me trying new things. She thought that I needed someone watching over me before being allowed to process some transactions. I went home pissed off, and I woke up Friday morning still pissed off.

I confronted her on Friday and let her know that I don't appreciate getting told how I'm going to learn something and that I will be processing those transactions ASAP.

She apologized, and I felt increasingly better.

Pay Cuts Are Over --For Now

After just 1 week of mandatory day offs, our company is flipping back into full pay weeks for all employees. I didn't receive a cut in pay because I had pre-scheduled training all week long.

This week was Hell for stress. It's Halloween, but we aren't doing anything special as a couple at home. Trick or Treater's don't come to our doorstep, so we'll at least have some peace and quiet tonight.

20% Cut in Pay

Starting this week, every employee, save a few key important ones, has been scheduled to take 1 Mandatory Day Off (MDO) each week until our sales improve. 20% of everyone's pay has been dropped. Sure, having a free day off once in a while seems like a great idea, but we aren't allowed to use any of our accrued sick or vacation time.

This MDO program was created by our owners in order to lower payroll without firing 15 people. Instead of 15 bad apples going onto Unemployment, now even the good ones get to feel the pain. I hope this doesn't last too much longer, or I'll be out of a job. The owners hope that the election will save our sales.

Speaking of this shitty economy, the morale at work almost makes me want to walk off a cliff. 3 people were laid off on Friday. Another is being let go on Tuesday. Good employees are hinting at possibly finding new jobs. Everyone is afraid to smile or accidentally laugh. We don't want to be seen trying to enjoy life because we don't want to end up on the layoff list.

How much longer is this going to last and how much worse will it get?

Cold October Skies

The weather is absolutely crazy out here today. Wind is ripping through the alleys and trees like it's trying to escape something much worse. There's rumor of freezing rain tonight. I still don't feel like Mother Nature gave Summer any justice. How could we possibly be entering into Winter so quickly?

Bored With This Election

2008 election? I'm over it already. I think most of the nation knows that Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. I'm tired of all the CNN coverage of the he said/she said slander and jabs. I can't wait for the day when I can turn on a news program and NOT hear what dumb slipup Palin said the day before. I've already cast my vote, now I just want to see some action. Let's fix this economy!

I Voted Today

My state allows early voting, and my mind was made up months ago.

WHAT CHU KNOW BOUT DAT?

Are You Serious?

http://view.break.com/580075 - Watch more free videos

Watch the video above in its entirety. I can not believe people like this actually exist in America. I know it's a stereotype, but I had absolutely no clue that redneck white people could be so redneck. People like this make our citizens look bad.

What are your thoughts?

Changing Negative Thoughts

I have a form of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). I don't have heart palpitations. I don't get sweaty. I'm not even a shy person. I also have very little problem giving speeches in front of small or large groups of people.

What bothers me most is trying to impress a room full of strangers. The thought of attending a family reunion or high-school graduation just makes me flighty. I want to avoid social gatherings and stay home. I don't really even go out to parties with friends. I can't stand the thought of feeling alone in a room full of people. If I go to a family party with my bf, I can't help but feel left out. I sit alone by myself wondering how everyone else must view me.

This happened over the weekend during a wedding. I fled the party around 8:00pm because I didn't want to feel the pressure and stress any longer. I didn't want anyone asking me to get up and dance. I didn't want to be a part of any bouquet throwing ceremony. I just wanted to disappear. There was an open bar, but I'm too picky with my drinks. As I've read more into SAD, I realize that many people with this disorder have a tendency to hide it with alcohol. This eventually leads to alcohol dependency problems. During this entire wedding weekend, I didn't drink a drop of alcohol. While family members were drinking and laughing, I was attempting to fit in.

I effectively failed at breaking free of my anxiety. I know my negative thoughts bring me to a very dark and lonely place. I kept clinging to strangers that had no idea who I was. I would talk to waiters and random hotel guests. I couldn't handle talking to my bf or his very large extended family. I couldn't wait to return home and feel safe again.

That's where am I now while writing this blog. I don't want to go through that type of stress again, but there will always be a family party lurking around the corner. I need to get my negative thoughts in check. Now is as good a time as ever.

In Bed, Could You Be a Little More Like Obama and a Little Less Like McCain?

My bf and I gathered 'round the T.V. to watch the first installment of the SNL Weekend Update on Thursday night. I was hoping for a Tina Fey guest spot, but it was still funny none the less. The most recent presidential debates were on Tuesday night, and I really enjoyed some of the spoofs during Weekend Update.

Both Weekend Update and John Stewart's Daily Show poked fun at McCain walking around in circles throughout each of Obama's answers. I'm loving the fact that politics are finding a way into mediums that younger audiences watch.  I love that these spoofs are all over YouTube and Comedy Central.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I saw a clip on YouTube of a Sarah Palin speech.  She got heckled mid-sentence and took control of the situation quite well.  Check it out below:

Effects of the US Economy

Over the weekend, my workplace removed over 150 flourescent light bulbs from the office area.  We showed up this morning wondering if we were running on generator power.  Yet, even with such extreme cost-cutting, we still have employees talking about things like sports and their hobbies.  These people don't understand that our lights have been removed because we can't afford the electric bill.  Business is very slow right now.  Go hard or go home!

Tina Fey Does It Again!

I actually missed the airing of SNL's most recent, October 4th, episode featuring Tina Fey with another guest spot as Sarah Palin. Luckily, NBC showcased the skit almost immediately afterward. I watched the real debate last Thursday, and I thought that SNL really topped themselves this time. I wish Sarah Palin would respond to some of these SNL spoofs of herself. If you haven't already seen this clip, I've embedded it. It's definitely something you can't miss out on.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on Sarah Palin as a running mate. Do you think she's unprepared? Do you think she's just what this country has been missing? Is she unfairly criticized by the media? Let me know!

We Picked Up A Stray Dog

After breakfast, my boyfriend and I were headed to the local oil-change place when we happened upon a Bichon Frise dodging cars. It was dark, cold, and raining. We immediately stopped the car in the road with our hazard lights blinking to prevent any other cars from blindly hitting the poor little guy.

We followed him into someone's fenced in backyard. It was surprisingly cornered by a Rotweiller anxiously wagging its stumpy tail. The owner of the Rot came outside and helped us gather up this poor stray. This no-name dog was missing a collar and had leaves stuck in its matted fur. No-Name smelled terrible and had black, muddy paws. I wrapped him up with a blanket from the trunk, and we headed to the local no-kill animal shelter.

They were able to find a micro-chip in the dog's skin. They checked their system and found that the dog had originally been adopted from their shelter. We were thanked for bringing in the dog and told they would contact the owners to reunite with No-Name.

We already have our dog micro-chipped. This was my first encounter picking up a stray dog, and I'm happy to see that No-Name had a micro-chip.

Popping the Cherry (so to speak)

This is my first entry on my very newest blog. I used to blog on Xanga.com for quite some time. It followed me through relationship ups and downs and other life altering things in between. I've also kept busy adding myself to other social networking sites.

I started this blog to be able to bring an honest voice to the public without my personal friends and co-workers gaining access to it. At work, I'm moving up the ladder faster than I can spell my next title. I'm gaining knowledge and respect, and I don't want to jeopardize that by connecting my online blog to my actual identity.

I hope this blog gives me a chance to talk about issues and topics that not only interest me but hopefully pick up some readers along the way.