Early holiday

I worked in close proximity to our seasonal department today.  I died inside a little bit today because of it.  Christmas spluged all over. (if you don't understand that statement, just move on).  I enjoy the Christmas holiday, it's just that it starts so damn early in the retail world that by the time the end of December comes around, when you should be really excited for it, you just want it to be over.

Everyone has their favorite holiday.  Whether it's the fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Columbus Day (let's not kid ourselves on that one, not even Italians like Columbus Day) or another holiday all together.  Christmas is my favorite.  And I'm not even talking about it from a kid's stand point, because what kid doesn't like Christmas morning?  As an adult, it's always just been fun because it's about family.  We've been lucky enough to have my in-laws come visit us down in Kansas the past four years because they are retired and my brother-in-law even came over from Colorado.  It's just been nice to have some family there.  The second year we lived in Wichita, we didn't get to go home and no one came to visit.  It was depressing because we didn't have family around and it didn't help that there was no snow on the ground.  Luckily, we don't have to worry about the no snow thing anymore.

This year, I planned on not letting the early Christmas set at work get to me.  And that lasted all of a week. 





Dammit. 

It's too far......

As I was helping someone at work today, the object that they were looking for we were out of.  The nice thing about our system is that we can look at other stores in the area and see if they have any of something that anyone is looking for.  Granted, the other stores have to be called and the item that someone is looking for can be put on hold, so the process takes a little longer than some may like.  If you really need or want an item, it would be best to take the time to find out if another store has it. 

So I helped this person look for an item and we didn't have it and I offered to call the closest store to ours, about six miles (at the most).  This person didn't want to drive there.  It was too far.  Oh yes, six miles is too far nowadays.  When did this happen?  Did I miss that memo? 

It's offical

I am old.  It is ten to nine at night and I am ready for bed.  And not the 'ready for bed' meaning going and reading for an hour.  I could go lie in bed and fall asleep.   

Work definitely took it's toll on me this week.  It was one of those weeks when everything seemed to go wrong.  I fixed what I could and was asked why I didn't fix what I didn't have time to fix.  Assholes.  

I think I'm gonna finish watching this inning of baseball and I am calling it a night.  

about work

Black Mountain Side is playing right now.  It is by Zeppelin.

The main thing that I can't stand about work is that it is on the same level as high school.  Rumors, cliques, etc.  You are either in or you are out, I guess.  Which is fine with me.  I will continue to punch in, work, and punch out.  As long as the pay checks keep coming I suppose.  At the store right now it is ridiculously juvenile.  It comes to situations where if you here one thing about a person, you think 'I can see that person saying that or acting that way.'.  And you don't think much of it after that.  

Lo and behold it can come back to bite you in the ass.  It makes me want to work in a cubicle at times, but then I think about what that would be like and shudder at the thought.  And then I think about going back to school.  But that would be a bit of a hassle.  The income flow would be disrupted, and I don't really want that.  In the long run, I am happy with my job, it is just getting past all the bullshit that comes with it.  

*on a complete side note*  'How Many More Times' (by zeppelin) just started.  I love this song.  It is hard rock and bluesy at the same time.  Eight and a half minutes of greatness.  

Work yes men

Are you in? by incubus is playing.  It makes me think of college.

Just recently, there have been three new department managers hired at the store.  It's good and all, it takes the stress off of some of us.  However, they can't think for themselves.  They take the word of the executives as gospel, and that is scary.  It turns them into yes men, but they don't know any better.  They will learn.  

Going toe to toe with your boss, and coming out on top, is a great feeling.  Especially when you were right all along.  Sure, they make the salary, but that doesn't always make them right.  Challenge upwards is a phrase that is used at work in the leadership development of the department managers.  It is good, when you use it with the right people.  That is the one thing I like about my immediate boss.  He'll allow me to bounce ideas off of him, even if he doesn't like them.  We don't always see the same picture, but we get there.  I do come home at times just steaming at the ears because he pisses me off some days, but he will also listen to me.  Occasionally.  

There are a few executives that see challenging upwards as a type of ignorance.  They see it as someone not liking their job, or them, but they don't get it.  Those of us who do question them know what we are doing and know what works in the areas where we are.  That is why we are there.  

Some executives look to these new yes men as 'model managers'.  wrong.