Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has never been a good day for me in the past, I've either been single on the day, or I was even dumped on the day once, many years ago. So I sort of make it a point to not even try and recognize the day. But now I have Phil, and the day isn't as bad as it used to be.

For him, I bought him a fishing pole this year, and yes, as silly of a Valentine's Day present as it seems, it is what he really wanted. The funny thing was trying to roll around Wal-Mart with this fishing pole, which I was able to pull apart, but it was still tall, and having all my co-workers laughing at me, making jokes about my "big catch". That day was also extremely windy and stormy, so trying to make it home across the parking lot, in 20mph winds, holding onto a fishing pole for dear life, was quite a sight too.

Phil got me a big box of chocolate's, the one thing about Valentine's Day I love, because I love the chocolate assortment, and he got me a beautiful card. He went to work that morning, I went to work at night, but my real present was when I got home, for he had cooked me a big dinner, and it was so good! It was nice to be pampered like that, especially after a long night at work.

Now I am enjoying two days off, after working five days in a row, and I am definitely needing the relaxation. I was able to finish the book, Twilight, and I have to say I am totally hooked, and can't wait to start in on the next book in the series. I can't believe it has taken me this long to finally get to reading these books, and now I am looking forward to seeing the movie, which I am sure Mindy and I will end up going, because I don't see it as Phil's type of movie, and she is in love with it too, and has already seen it like two or three times. I am sure I can convince her to see it one more! Haha

Today is President's Day, and something strange I found out, is that Obama is going to be visiting my old high school on Wednesday, Dobson High. As my friend Tori says, he just wants to close to where Kimbo has been Hahaha!!

Well, nothing else to really report. We were thinking of heading out to the park tomorrow and letting Brandi run around and explore, and have a picnic, but rain is coming in again tonight, so I think we'll just spend another quiet day at home together before our work week begins again.

20 yrs of Walmart and Bobo

I went to work last night and noticed we had a new greeter, which at first took me by surprise because they have been cutting hours and have put a freeze on hiring, but it turns out she is a transfer from the store in Albuquerque. I am going to say that she is probably in her 80's, very sweet women with a soft southern accent. She told me that as of June she will be with Walmart for 20 years! I think my jaw hit the floor when she said that, and she said that in all that time she has never been late, and has never missed a day, she is just totally dedicated her to job. I just can't imagine working there for 20 years! Yes, I am grateful in these hard times to have a job, but we are talking about a company that has a blantant disregard for it's associates and where people just thinking they can enforce new rules all the time, no matter how silly. Plus, just dealing with some of these customers, getting yelled at for silly things like not being able to take an electric cart outside, is tiresome and feels not worth it for the minimum wage your being paid. On the 25th I'll be there for 5 months, and already I am sick of the place....can you imagine 20 yrs!! Geesh!!

Speaking of which, I guess it is getting about that time for me start getting ready for work myself. Phil is out right now doing a measurement on a security door for my friend and fellow greeter Lela. She was looking for someone to install one for her and I offered Phil's services. He is so happy to be able to do some carpentry again. He really misses it and went off happily with all his tools.

Oh..and on a cute Brandi dog note...last night after work I was getting the birdies some food and Brandi some of her wet dog food she likes, when I came across a Valentine's Day Bobo (for those that don't know, those dog toys called Loofah Dogs, they are long and squeak, we call them her BoBo), and it is red and it is holding a pink heart that says, "I Wuff You". How could I resist that!!?? He thought I was silly, but her halloween bobo that looks like Frankenstein has about had its day. And she has been loving on it ever since, in fact she just brought it to me to play. $4 toy and your dog loves you forever, how could I pass that up!

Still sicky...

I am still sick with this cold/allergies/whatever the hell it is that is making me not breathe. Work the past two days has been murder almost, last night I could barely keep my eyes open because of the sinus pressure in my head, and I haven't been able to really sleep in the past three days. Either I wake up coughing or sneezing like every 5 mins when I try to lay down. Poor Phil went to sleep on the couch at 2am because I was keeping him up and I felt so bad, but he said he wanted me to have the bed so I could get rest. Too bad rest never happened. Today was payday though, and I was able to get some Tylenol Severe Sinus Congestion pills, which has always helped me when I am really sick like this, and already the pressue in my head is getting better, and my sinus's are slowly clearing. I am hoping that by this time tomorrow I feel a lot better, and work will be more tolerable. I also hope I can get some real sleep tonight. I also have my appetite back some, in the past 3 days all I've had to eat was a bagel last night, and 2 popsicles before work today. I didn't feel like grocery shopping tonight, and pizza sounded so good since we haven't had it in so long, so right now we are waiting for the Papa John's guy. I love their Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch pizza, and I get it with ham also.

Achooo...

It has been a long time since I've had a cold this nasty, and this thing is really wiping me out! I thought at first I just had bad allergies because they have been planting a lot of flowers around here the past week, and both our allergies started acting up. But he started feeling better, and I just kept getting worse. Yesterday I thought I was bad, but today I am worse. I've almost lost my voice, which is going to make work fun tonight, seeing as the whole point of being a greeter is to actually talk and greet people. My glands are swollen and are very tender, and my throat feels like it is on fire, and my nose is either stuffed up, or can't stop running. I just really feel miserable, and I haven't had a cold this bad in a long time. But I guess it was inevitable, the weather has been warming up, yet as soon as I get into work it is freezing, and customers are coming in sick with their returns, and associates are sick too. So right now I am trying to get as much rest as possible, but I work the next 6 days in a row. I am actually grateful that I am only working 4 hours a day these next 6 days, because it means I can rest more before going to work, and then can come home and go right to bed. Right now I am trying to eat a little something, but I have no appetite and it hurts so much to swallow. Ugh, I hate being sick....

Rawr!

So it turns out the guy at work didn't get laid off due to economic reasons, he was laid off because he was tardy 11 times during his 90-day probation. A lot of people were really angry at him because he went around saying it was due to the economy and frankly, with how bad things are, you hear that and it does put fear in people. Not to say they aren't doing layoff's right now, I believe it has been 6 people that have been let go so far, but they are doing it to basically the dead weight, people who aren't doing their job rights, people who they can tell just don't appreciate having a job in the first place by their attitude. So was I worried, damn right! Anything can happen. But if they are going to lay people off based on job performance, then I know I am ok because I do the best job I can, and my manager has even given me compliments on how I do my job, which is a big thing. And we do need greeters, it really is a job no one wants, so they would be stupid to get rid of someone who actually does the job and does it well.

In other news, I've been really frustrated with Brandi lately because she won't poop for me. I know, this sounds silly, but she used to wake up in the morning and I could take her out after Phil left for school and she'd go and things would be fine. The past two weeks though, I've been taking her out, and she sniffs everything, plays in the grass, everything but do what she is supposed to. Of course, take her home, and 5 mins later she is whining and pawing to go back out. It would be like an all day production to get her to poop, and then he'd get home and take her out and she'd do it right away. So this morning when we all work up I said "Ok Brandi, today we are going to poop and that's final". Maybe she understood because she went right away! Yes, it is silly to get frustrated with a dog not pooping, but when you have places to go and things to do, it is just annoying to take her out for her to just play. Plus, I was also worried something might be wrong because she wasn't going. But I think the culprit was that she was getting way too many treats at my parents house, and not eating her dinner at night. So I've cut her back from that, so maybe that has helped.

Speaking of Brandi, she is laying on my bed under the covers and keeps looking at me like, "Are you coming to take a nap with me Mom?". We've been up since 6a, and we didn't go to bed until really late, so I think a little nap before I have to get up and get ready for work sounds really nice right now.

Possible Layoff's??

Yesterday morning I was reading about what they are calling "Bloody Monday", where tons of companies are letting go of thousands of their staff and closing stores and offices. It really is scary to see what is happening to our economy, and I am hoping the current administration can really change things around like they say they are. I started to worry that maybe MY job could be in jeopardy, but then I thought, well, it's Walmart, they are the only company doing well right now, so I should be safe.Fast-forward to last night, when a cashier, who has been with Walmart as long as I have (4 months), was leaving for the night and stopped to tell me he was just laid off. The reason? ""Economic conditions", the manager told him, and that since they have already cut hours, and the store is still very slow, and not making much money, this is the next step, and they are going to have to start with the newest associates. But after 4 months, you aren't new, we've passed our 90-day probation period, and there are several other people who have started within the last few weeks. So in an instant I went from feeling lucky to be working for a company that wasn't going to be in any need to do layoff's, to feeling scared for my job. Luckily, greeters are needed, and I am doing a good job for them, but when it comes to layoff's, no one is safe. You could be absolutely needed and be the best employee a company has, but if they can't afford to pay you, then that's life. I have already gone from working 28-30 hours a week, down to now 20 hours for the next 3 weeks. That is a huge hour cut, and even though working only 4 hours a day is nice, it is going to hurt in the paycheck, and we are going to struggle. Only thing I can hope for is that we are able to get a large tax refund so we can get current on some bills, and start up a savings account, so if I am laid off, we at least have something to fall back on until I am able to get something else.

What I find really upsetting though, is that no one is really taking about the layoff's that could happen, it is sort of we know it is happening, but management just isn't going to confirm it. Instead of being honest and upfront and saying that yes, we are probably going to layoff some associates, so be prepared kinda thing, it is just you go to work, do your whole shift, and then when you clock out for the day, you are told by they way, we have to let you go. I can only pray that they feel, as a greeter, I am really needed and it would hurt them to let me go, and all I can do is keep doing the best job for them that I can.

I think my dog is racist

This is something I think I have always known for awhile, but it is time to come out with it....

Brandi is racist...

When we first adopted her and brought her home, we started noticing that she would bark and growl nonstop at any of our India neighbors. At the time we lived near Intel in Chandler, AZ, so there was many families living in the complex who were from India, and she would just get this bark and growl like she wanted to eat one.

Now that we are in our new apartment, she's taken to barking and growling every time she sees someone who is Mexican or who is Black. She will sit at the living room window and will just be relentless in her barking and growling.

A white guy just walked by though, and she just stopped and looked at him, and her tail started wagging.

I'm so ashamed....

Anywho..hahaha...tonight after work I am meeting up with Mindy for dinner and I swear I haven't seen her since July! It has been a long time since I have been able to go out on a Friday night, even though I have to work it is just for four hours until 7p tonight, so I can actually enjoy myself for once and go out at night!