Thursday, September 24, 2009
Chick Flicks
Today I watched the movie "Ever After" and realized, chick flicks are not the same as they used to be. Before I got married watched them alone, or with one to a few of my good friends. Now I usually just watch them alone on my days off. The weirdest part is how I think about them now though. Watching them with my friends we would always talk about how we wanted a quality from one of the princes, or amazing characters the writers came up with. We would say how we wanted the way he looked, the way he was so smart, how he was so kind, the way he sang, or played guitar...etc etc...taking pieces of them to create in our minds our "ideal guy", our "prince charming" And now, I watch them alone most days, with completely different thoughts. I find myself thinking "haha, i have that, and that, and that." It's odd how after all those years of compiling a perfect man from movies and books, that I no longer watch and want what the girl in the movie has. Who I have is so insanely perfect for me, there's no fantasy I can find that's better. And... occasionally he'll watch them with me too...Life is good.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Treasure Valley and Their Love for Boise State
Boise State's football team was about as popular as Duke University's (Duke doesnt win games. ever.) before the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. That year, BSU was undefeated, but a small-town, low-class, no-name enough school to not get a playoff with the no. 1 team in the nation or anything like that. they beat the Sooners in their Bowl game, everyone was shocked, amazed, happy, woo. The next year - last year - Boise State finished their season 12-1. they werent undefeated like the year before, but still, that's pretty good. that's one team with talented players who all play well together.
But as the first game of BSU's 2009 season approaches, against a well-ranked Oregon Ducks... Boise is going psycho. I counted in the car. 3 radio stations: 100.3, 101.1, 103.3 - for every commercial break, there's about 7 to ten commercials. for every commercial break, there's at least one BSU/DUCKS ad about "winning tickets," "it's duck season," or some other pathetic attempt to publicize and capitalize on their sudden burst of talent, and at least one more ad about "catching bsu fever" in general. that's a fifth of the commercial airtime (not to mention the dj's talking about it over and over and over and over) committed to Boise's biggest "hit" since potatoes or the worlds first chair-lift ever. woo.
But I dont care. I dont get the hype (well, kinda, but this is way too much.) Let me explain. I grew up in North Carolina. The heart of high school and college sports. as for college ball, I lived in the center of Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest. even Appalachian State wasnt too far and they've made the news recently too. But for all these sports teams surrounding me, I knew it was game DAY when car flags were up and shirts were worn, and less people came to Chick Fil A because they were all out at the game... there was no game WEEK. No radio announcemnets or stupid tv commercials were the mosquitoes have some teams' colors for blood... The NCAA basketball tournament was played in my highschool in every locker bay and all around the commons area. And (as usually occured) Duke or UNC would make the Final Four, and ONLY THEN would everyone would begin to sensationalize the radio and tv ads, give away tickets, and have raffles and parties and all this CRAP idaho is doing for BSU's FIRST game of the 2009 season...
But here is were all this BSU hype crap seems familiar to me. My high school foot ball team was TERRIBLE until my sophomore year. They got a great team together and had some luck, and made it pretty darn close to the playoffs. then my junior year they did make it, and lost. (but the other school had a rule you could come there just to play football, as long as you got a ride yourself. so there were kids from all over the state that would go to Independence, just to play football. so it wasnt surprising we lost to them.) BUT... it didnt last. as everyone graduated, and moved on, the JV team took over the varsity team, and we went 1-11. the only win was due to a forfeit...
So BSU won a bowl. they went undefeated. they had a great team. whoopdy-freakin-do. I understand enjoying it while it lasts, and good for them if they win and can keep winning. But seriously, all you BSU fans are in for a HUGE "i told you so" when they start to suck again. not if, but when. and I'm guessing within three years. So I may be sick to death of your ads and your hype and your shirts and colors and even wal-mart hanging up squeaky-dog-toy ducks on a BSU-themed display... But now that I've complained, I'll sit back and swallow my words for now. We'll see how game ONE, and the rest of the 2009 season pans out...
but i'll still be sitting on my 'i told you so.' just waiting for the day I can listen to the radio and watch TV.
or i'll just move somewhere else and leave you guys to your Bronco Nation bs.
But as the first game of BSU's 2009 season approaches, against a well-ranked Oregon Ducks... Boise is going psycho. I counted in the car. 3 radio stations: 100.3, 101.1, 103.3 - for every commercial break, there's about 7 to ten commercials. for every commercial break, there's at least one BSU/DUCKS ad about "winning tickets," "it's duck season," or some other pathetic attempt to publicize and capitalize on their sudden burst of talent, and at least one more ad about "catching bsu fever" in general. that's a fifth of the commercial airtime (not to mention the dj's talking about it over and over and over and over) committed to Boise's biggest "hit" since potatoes or the worlds first chair-lift ever. woo.
But I dont care. I dont get the hype (well, kinda, but this is way too much.) Let me explain. I grew up in North Carolina. The heart of high school and college sports. as for college ball, I lived in the center of Duke, UNC, NC State, Wake Forest. even Appalachian State wasnt too far and they've made the news recently too. But for all these sports teams surrounding me, I knew it was game DAY when car flags were up and shirts were worn, and less people came to Chick Fil A because they were all out at the game... there was no game WEEK. No radio announcemnets or stupid tv commercials were the mosquitoes have some teams' colors for blood... The NCAA basketball tournament was played in my highschool in every locker bay and all around the commons area. And (as usually occured) Duke or UNC would make the Final Four, and ONLY THEN would everyone would begin to sensationalize the radio and tv ads, give away tickets, and have raffles and parties and all this CRAP idaho is doing for BSU's FIRST game of the 2009 season...
But here is were all this BSU hype crap seems familiar to me. My high school foot ball team was TERRIBLE until my sophomore year. They got a great team together and had some luck, and made it pretty darn close to the playoffs. then my junior year they did make it, and lost. (but the other school had a rule you could come there just to play football, as long as you got a ride yourself. so there were kids from all over the state that would go to Independence, just to play football. so it wasnt surprising we lost to them.) BUT... it didnt last. as everyone graduated, and moved on, the JV team took over the varsity team, and we went 1-11. the only win was due to a forfeit...
So BSU won a bowl. they went undefeated. they had a great team. whoopdy-freakin-do. I understand enjoying it while it lasts, and good for them if they win and can keep winning. But seriously, all you BSU fans are in for a HUGE "i told you so" when they start to suck again. not if, but when. and I'm guessing within three years. So I may be sick to death of your ads and your hype and your shirts and colors and even wal-mart hanging up squeaky-dog-toy ducks on a BSU-themed display... But now that I've complained, I'll sit back and swallow my words for now. We'll see how game ONE, and the rest of the 2009 season pans out...
but i'll still be sitting on my 'i told you so.' just waiting for the day I can listen to the radio and watch TV.
or i'll just move somewhere else and leave you guys to your Bronco Nation bs.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Closed Captions are funny
So, I was watching TV today with subtitles on... i saw a few typos
"somebodyce" - somebody's
"hoo-rah" - the marine yell, oorah.
"evaculation" - evacuation
"absoultly" - absolutely
"swhoosh" - it put that up every time the display on 24.7 news channel changed. they subtitle every little sound. they even subtitle the timer for when the audio and stuff should be played. (which is probably the worst news reporting i've ever seen)
Maybe i'll post about that later: Idaho's really crappy local news and 24/hr newschannel reporting.
"somebodyce" - somebody's
"hoo-rah" - the marine yell, oorah.
"evaculation" - evacuation
"absoultly" - absolutely
"swhoosh" - it put that up every time the display on 24.7 news channel changed. they subtitle every little sound. they even subtitle the timer for when the audio and stuff should be played. (which is probably the worst news reporting i've ever seen)
Maybe i'll post about that later: Idaho's really crappy local news and 24/hr newschannel reporting.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
alcohol makes people stupid - by PJ
You may have been at wal-mart at some point and picked up an item that doesnt have a barcode on it. for some, the experience is unbearable and is just terribly time consuming. i think the longest price check i've ever had was under 5 minutes. maybe 7? but anyway... anything over a few minutes and people start to get antsy - some people decide against the item, some wait, and some complain ever 10 seconds to themselves til the price check comes back.
but the one thing people FREAK out most about when something goes wrong is Alcohol. no matter if it's 10 am or 7 pm, people just want their alcohol. since alcohol has quite a few laws about it - and a lot of people dont know the laws, i'll list most of them for you.
in idaho:
1. alcohol is not sold between 1 am and 7 am.
2. you have to be 19 to sell it, 21 to buy it
3. ID must be state or government issued with a birthdate and photo.
4. even if they're related to you, if they're under 21, they cannot touch the alcohol.
5. to prevent third-party purchases, if you come to the register in a group, all of you will be carded - if one doesnt have ID, or if one is underage - the alcohol is denied to the buyer.
6. we card if the customer looks to be "under 40."
and so on.
SO - today i worked a 5 hr shift which is one of the shortest wal-mart scheduals for. i figured it would be an easy shift. ha.
first, a lady and her young daughter came up to the register with about 70 or so items - a full cart. six of which were 12-pack of soda, and one 30-can box of beer. i set the beer off to the side first and didnt card the mother because she looked WELL over 40... i then piled the sodas and a pillow around the beer can and began bagging the smaller items. the daughter then started to load their crap into their cart. now, most parents say "dont touch the alcohol," because they know the laws and store policies. most kids know the rules and dont touch it. i assumed. oops. i turned my back to scan some more stuff, and turned back and poof. the kid put the alcohol in the cart.
"are you 21?" i asked her
"uhh... nope..." she backed away from the alcohol putting her hands up.
"oh, i'm sorry. i cant sell it anymore. it's the law, i'm sorry. it's nothing personal."
the mom then asked "what's going on?"
so i explained it again. "it's the law. nothing against you. store policy and state and federal law says who can touch it..." etc.
old little fat mommy wasnt happy. not one bit.
"well, of COURSE she's under age - all she's doing is loading the freaking cart. this is bullshi..."
so i checked out her stuff, she told her daughter to take her cart to the car while she paid. she paid and left. i figured shew as going to complain...
about an hour or so later, four guys came up. one guy in a blue Duke hat was the buyer, but they were all together. they were buying an assortment of chicken, sauces, ribs, charcoal, typical cookout stuffs, and beer. as i was getting close to the beer, i asked "so, are ya'll together? gonna have a cookout or somethin big?"
one of the others says "yeah, we're grillin and swimming at his house," pointing to the blue hat bro.
so there was my proof. they acknowledged they were all together. i rang up the beer and requested ID from everyone. another guy said "wait, but he's buying and we havent touched it?" (ok, so he knew the touching thing law .)
i said, "yes, but if you're all together, our store policy is that we have to ID everyone."
the buyer had it. a guy to the left had it. the girl had it. so i asked the kid lingering in the back.
"do you have id?"
"no... not with me."
"i'm sorry then. store policy is, i cant sell it."
the main guy nearly cut me off mid-sentence with profanities.
"well, what the eff. eff this, stupid ... you - nah, just eff it all." and they walked off mad, leaving all their food, and their beer - everything.
i canceled the order, explained the story to the confused-as-mess guy in line behind them - he hadn't been paying attention. but i got off 30 minutes later and clocked out. i came back up front with a few items i was gonna buy and my CSM (customer service manager - they tell the cashiers were to go and deal with the customers who get really mad) called me over. he said "you had a couple complaints tonight. one from a short, blond, bigger lady, and another from four REALLY pissed off guys. both about alcohol?"
i looked at him and said "yeah..." and my face must have been a look of shock because he followed up his comment.
"dont worry about it tho. you followed the law and did the right thing. i tried to explain that to them, but they were all pretty mad so they didnt want to hear it. we'll always back up a cashier when it comes to alcohol sales."
sooo yeah. i mean, seriously. it's just alcohol. go to a gas station on your way home??? or here's a theory. DONT DRINK??
but the one thing people FREAK out most about when something goes wrong is Alcohol. no matter if it's 10 am or 7 pm, people just want their alcohol. since alcohol has quite a few laws about it - and a lot of people dont know the laws, i'll list most of them for you.
in idaho:
1. alcohol is not sold between 1 am and 7 am.
2. you have to be 19 to sell it, 21 to buy it
3. ID must be state or government issued with a birthdate and photo.
4. even if they're related to you, if they're under 21, they cannot touch the alcohol.
5. to prevent third-party purchases, if you come to the register in a group, all of you will be carded - if one doesnt have ID, or if one is underage - the alcohol is denied to the buyer.
6. we card if the customer looks to be "under 40."
and so on.
SO - today i worked a 5 hr shift which is one of the shortest wal-mart scheduals for. i figured it would be an easy shift. ha.
first, a lady and her young daughter came up to the register with about 70 or so items - a full cart. six of which were 12-pack of soda, and one 30-can box of beer. i set the beer off to the side first and didnt card the mother because she looked WELL over 40... i then piled the sodas and a pillow around the beer can and began bagging the smaller items. the daughter then started to load their crap into their cart. now, most parents say "dont touch the alcohol," because they know the laws and store policies. most kids know the rules and dont touch it. i assumed. oops. i turned my back to scan some more stuff, and turned back and poof. the kid put the alcohol in the cart.
"are you 21?" i asked her
"uhh... nope..." she backed away from the alcohol putting her hands up.
"oh, i'm sorry. i cant sell it anymore. it's the law, i'm sorry. it's nothing personal."
the mom then asked "what's going on?"
so i explained it again. "it's the law. nothing against you. store policy and state and federal law says who can touch it..." etc.
old little fat mommy wasnt happy. not one bit.
"well, of COURSE she's under age - all she's doing is loading the freaking cart. this is bullshi..."
so i checked out her stuff, she told her daughter to take her cart to the car while she paid. she paid and left. i figured shew as going to complain...
about an hour or so later, four guys came up. one guy in a blue Duke hat was the buyer, but they were all together. they were buying an assortment of chicken, sauces, ribs, charcoal, typical cookout stuffs, and beer. as i was getting close to the beer, i asked "so, are ya'll together? gonna have a cookout or somethin big?"
one of the others says "yeah, we're grillin and swimming at his house," pointing to the blue hat bro.
so there was my proof. they acknowledged they were all together. i rang up the beer and requested ID from everyone. another guy said "wait, but he's buying and we havent touched it?" (ok, so he knew the touching thing law .)
i said, "yes, but if you're all together, our store policy is that we have to ID everyone."
the buyer had it. a guy to the left had it. the girl had it. so i asked the kid lingering in the back.
"do you have id?"
"no... not with me."
"i'm sorry then. store policy is, i cant sell it."
the main guy nearly cut me off mid-sentence with profanities.
"well, what the eff. eff this, stupid ... you - nah, just eff it all." and they walked off mad, leaving all their food, and their beer - everything.
i canceled the order, explained the story to the confused-as-mess guy in line behind them - he hadn't been paying attention. but i got off 30 minutes later and clocked out. i came back up front with a few items i was gonna buy and my CSM (customer service manager - they tell the cashiers were to go and deal with the customers who get really mad) called me over. he said "you had a couple complaints tonight. one from a short, blond, bigger lady, and another from four REALLY pissed off guys. both about alcohol?"
i looked at him and said "yeah..." and my face must have been a look of shock because he followed up his comment.
"dont worry about it tho. you followed the law and did the right thing. i tried to explain that to them, but they were all pretty mad so they didnt want to hear it. we'll always back up a cashier when it comes to alcohol sales."
sooo yeah. i mean, seriously. it's just alcohol. go to a gas station on your way home??? or here's a theory. DONT DRINK??
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
PJ gots a new toy...
I like to look at random stuff for sale; Ebay, Craigslist, and the ever-growing popular ZIdaho.com (for those of you who live in ID, at least.) I find it kinda fun and interesting to see what people will price a table or an 80's transformers toy in the shape of a cassette tape. or to see what a 1976's toilet looks like and why it's worth 120 dollars.
Zidaho, however, is unique in the aspect that it follows only IDAHO's laws. Craigslist follows californian law, becuase that's where it's baised. ebay follows... Planet Ebay laws? i dunno. but anyway, Zidaho allows the posting of ammo, guns, and stuff of that nature. and Idaho law allows private sale of a firearm to anyone 18 years and older. So I was looking over it the other day, and saw a VERY good deal on a Springfield XD SC .40 cal handgun. aaaand i took the guy up on the offer.
I'm the proud new owner of exactly that. :D
Saturday, July 18, 2009
"Thank you for calling Bed Bath and Beyond. This is Rachel, how may I help you?"
Most days I love my job. Some days, I want to just scream at all the customers. I swear we get the worst people in there because of our policy of the customer ALWAYS being right. Here are some things that make me hate my job:
1. Cell Phones. GET OFF OF THEM! when you come up to check out, dont be talking on your cell phone! it soooo insanely annoying, and rude.
2.Trying to barter down the "As Is" merchandise or complaining when something is wrong with it. First of all, its AS IS. There is a reason it's been marked down to less, and its labeled clearly on the bright red As Is sticker on the product. The other day this lady came in and when she brought everything up to me i rang up the comforter set that was marked as is. It was already down 50%, and she goes "can you possibly mark that down more, its an As Is product, i feel like there should be more off it." so I explained that it was marked down for missing an item, and showed her the tag, which stated that it was missing the sheets. and she gets this shocked look on her face and goes " but, but i want the sheets, thats the whole reason I'm getting this set and not just the comforter....since it doesnt have what i want, it really should get marked down some more..." oh my gosh, i wanted to shoot her. that's the reason its ALREADY marked down!
3. People that come in looking for the same product that they've had for 20 yrs. Theirs just broke and they want a new one, exactly like the old one. I have some really hard news for ya, they just dont make things like they used to, there's no way we'll find the exact same thing.
4. Our return policy. This guy came in the other day wanting to return 2 plate sets. when we asked him what was wrong, he simply explained that he wanted to exchange them for new ones because he has had them for 2 yrs now, and after putting them in the dishwasher for 2 yrs, it was allll the dishwashers fault he said, they are beginning to crack, and he would like some new ones in place of the old ones, free of charge. We said okay. lame.
5. We are no longer allowed to make a closing announcement. can you say aggravating?? if people are still walking around at 10:30 (we're supposed to be closed at 9:00) we cannot kick them out, we have to let them stay.
6. when people say "It doesn't matter" when i ask if they would like to run it as debit or as credit and then get mad if i pick the one they didnt want. well yes it does matter actually, for one you need to have valid ID, and for the other you need a pin number....and then when i ask you to sign and i need ID they say" well, hello? what about my pin number???" like I'm an idiot. yeahhh....don't do that.
7. Trying to look up Bridal Registries when they dont know the name. "i'd like to look up a registry for a bride." they say "ok, whats the first and last name of either the bride or the groom?" i ask, then they go "uhh... well....it starts with a D and ends with Smith, or Johnson, or... something...?" we keep registries for 2 yrs...that little information, makes it impossible to find who you want.
Just because the customer is always right, doesnt mean you're allowed to be stupid.
1. Cell Phones. GET OFF OF THEM! when you come up to check out, dont be talking on your cell phone! it soooo insanely annoying, and rude.
2.Trying to barter down the "As Is" merchandise or complaining when something is wrong with it. First of all, its AS IS. There is a reason it's been marked down to less, and its labeled clearly on the bright red As Is sticker on the product. The other day this lady came in and when she brought everything up to me i rang up the comforter set that was marked as is. It was already down 50%, and she goes "can you possibly mark that down more, its an As Is product, i feel like there should be more off it." so I explained that it was marked down for missing an item, and showed her the tag, which stated that it was missing the sheets. and she gets this shocked look on her face and goes " but, but i want the sheets, thats the whole reason I'm getting this set and not just the comforter....since it doesnt have what i want, it really should get marked down some more..." oh my gosh, i wanted to shoot her. that's the reason its ALREADY marked down!
3. People that come in looking for the same product that they've had for 20 yrs. Theirs just broke and they want a new one, exactly like the old one. I have some really hard news for ya, they just dont make things like they used to, there's no way we'll find the exact same thing.
4. Our return policy. This guy came in the other day wanting to return 2 plate sets. when we asked him what was wrong, he simply explained that he wanted to exchange them for new ones because he has had them for 2 yrs now, and after putting them in the dishwasher for 2 yrs, it was allll the dishwashers fault he said, they are beginning to crack, and he would like some new ones in place of the old ones, free of charge. We said okay. lame.
5. We are no longer allowed to make a closing announcement. can you say aggravating?? if people are still walking around at 10:30 (we're supposed to be closed at 9:00) we cannot kick them out, we have to let them stay.
6. when people say "It doesn't matter" when i ask if they would like to run it as debit or as credit and then get mad if i pick the one they didnt want. well yes it does matter actually, for one you need to have valid ID, and for the other you need a pin number....and then when i ask you to sign and i need ID they say" well, hello? what about my pin number???" like I'm an idiot. yeahhh....don't do that.
7. Trying to look up Bridal Registries when they dont know the name. "i'd like to look up a registry for a bride." they say "ok, whats the first and last name of either the bride or the groom?" i ask, then they go "uhh... well....it starts with a D and ends with Smith, or Johnson, or... something...?" we keep registries for 2 yrs...that little information, makes it impossible to find who you want.
Just because the customer is always right, doesnt mean you're allowed to be stupid.
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