When I look back at when I started to work in retail, one of the things I remember was thinking that it was not going to be a permanent profession. Who grows up wanting to do this for a career? This was back in 2006. Fresh out of college and newly implanted in Wichita, Kansas I just needed money and a job. Yes, my wife was working but I did not want to just sit around all day. I went from October (2005) to February (2006) without work. I was applying for jobs in the field I went to school for, history and museum studies, but could not find a job. I couldn't even get a call back. After the new year, I just wanted to find work. So I did. The rest, as they say, is (work) history.
I received a promotion earlier this week to a position World Market calls Lead Supervisor. This is one step below store manager and for the most part is the person in charge of running the show on a day to day basis. This is something that I have been working towards for the past year and a half. The ultimate goal is to take that one last step and become a General Manager, but that is still several years down the road and honestly, I don't even want to think about that right now. That is a large looming idea that will only distract from the now. I have my annual hunting trip planned at the end of October, so this promotion is not going to happen until I get back from that.
My wife and I joke quite a bit about how there are two of me. One is the goofy, lackadaisical person that just kind of goes with the flow with whatever is happening. The other is the professional me. Whenever she comes in to shop around the store, the employees tell her how much they enjoy working with me and that I am constantly working on something or helping someone out with a project. It is humorous. I usually get the 'who are you?!' look from her. She knows though. All kidding aside, I do my best to keep everything professional at work but still have some fun. The results are paying off.
The position will be at another store here in the Twin Cities. It would have been great to stay where I am at now as this is the only store I have worked in, but that presents it's own challenges. In order to develop myself into a more well rounded manager, I need to get somewhere new and different. Is it optimal? No. I really enjoy working with the people I work with now, but it is time to move somewhere else outside of my comfort zone and familiarity and develop new traits and aspects of being a manager.
28 September 2018
02 July 2018
Twelve is Enough
It is very common to have a conversation with someone about television shows. It is even more common to discuss how quickly you finish a season of a show, especially with streaming options. 'I finished watching the latest season in a day and a half.' is a sentence that I'm sure most people have said. The question I have is how long are these seasons that people are watching? Is it a twenty four episode season that they are watching in one day? How long are the episodes? Because if you are watching a forty five minute long episode and if a season you are watching is twenty four episodes, damn that's a lot to take in during a short stretch of time. Don't get me wrong, I binge watch here and there, but it's three or four episodes and I am done. My brain reaches capacity for information.
And there are exceptions. I binged my way through the first three season of 'Fear the Walking Dead' at a rapid rate. Mainly to get caught up because the most recent season is airing. Well, right now they're on a mid-season break (which is dumb, why does that exist?), but I am all caught up.
I am currently watching season two of 'Jessica Jones' on Netflix. It is thirteen episodes long. A season you could watch in an entire weekend if you chose to. I'm watching a two or three episodes at a time for a couple of reasons. I enjoy the show so I want to stretch out the experience as long as possible. I also want to ensure that I don't get to a boredom moment where I mentally check out on an episode and then miss something that is happening. Streaming services make it too easy to watch the next and the next and the next episode. It takes control to turn the t.v. off.
Another show that I watched is 'Arrow'. It has been a while since I watched it after I finished the second season. I like to jump around after I finish a season of something just to watch a new show and keep it fresh. The problem with 'Arrow' is that the seasons are twenty some episodes long. It is very daunting when you are starting off a season, especially when the episodes are forty five minutes long. I like to finish watching a season of whatever it is that I am watching before moving on to the next show, so I have been very hesitant in starting the next season.
A third example of a show I have watched is 'Frontier' (another Netflix original). Two seasons have been released and each season is six episodes long. That is almost too short of a season. The nice thing about such a short season is that there are no throw away episodes. No episodes that are around just to make sure that the season quota is met. Each of the six episodes is carefully laid out and builds up the next one. The problem is that you want the season to keep going. You want to find out what happens next.
Three different shows, three different season lengths. So which one is right? They're all right in their own way. The main difference between the shows is that one (Arrow) is on t.v. while the others are exclusively on a streaming service. With 'Arrow' the season is as long as it is, I'm assuming, because it is needed to fill the time slot and to earn money for the t.v. channel. That is the nice thing about the streaming shows, it can be as long or short as the creators want. The better the show, the longer the next season could be or the more seasons there can be. I think that twelve episodes per season is just the right amount. It gives time to develop both characters and story line without having to have an episode or two where you're wondering why it is even in the season. Most shows have an episode like that. You finish watching it and are left wondering why you even spent the time watching it.
And there are exceptions. I binged my way through the first three season of 'Fear the Walking Dead' at a rapid rate. Mainly to get caught up because the most recent season is airing. Well, right now they're on a mid-season break (which is dumb, why does that exist?), but I am all caught up.
I am currently watching season two of 'Jessica Jones' on Netflix. It is thirteen episodes long. A season you could watch in an entire weekend if you chose to. I'm watching a two or three episodes at a time for a couple of reasons. I enjoy the show so I want to stretch out the experience as long as possible. I also want to ensure that I don't get to a boredom moment where I mentally check out on an episode and then miss something that is happening. Streaming services make it too easy to watch the next and the next and the next episode. It takes control to turn the t.v. off.
Another show that I watched is 'Arrow'. It has been a while since I watched it after I finished the second season. I like to jump around after I finish a season of something just to watch a new show and keep it fresh. The problem with 'Arrow' is that the seasons are twenty some episodes long. It is very daunting when you are starting off a season, especially when the episodes are forty five minutes long. I like to finish watching a season of whatever it is that I am watching before moving on to the next show, so I have been very hesitant in starting the next season.
A third example of a show I have watched is 'Frontier' (another Netflix original). Two seasons have been released and each season is six episodes long. That is almost too short of a season. The nice thing about such a short season is that there are no throw away episodes. No episodes that are around just to make sure that the season quota is met. Each of the six episodes is carefully laid out and builds up the next one. The problem is that you want the season to keep going. You want to find out what happens next.
Three different shows, three different season lengths. So which one is right? They're all right in their own way. The main difference between the shows is that one (Arrow) is on t.v. while the others are exclusively on a streaming service. With 'Arrow' the season is as long as it is, I'm assuming, because it is needed to fill the time slot and to earn money for the t.v. channel. That is the nice thing about the streaming shows, it can be as long or short as the creators want. The better the show, the longer the next season could be or the more seasons there can be. I think that twelve episodes per season is just the right amount. It gives time to develop both characters and story line without having to have an episode or two where you're wondering why it is even in the season. Most shows have an episode like that. You finish watching it and are left wondering why you even spent the time watching it.
20 June 2018
Slow Burn
I just recently finished watching 'The Terror' from AMC. It was a ten part mini-series about an English expedition to find the Northwest Passage. It was really well done. The acting, the sets, the writing, everything. As I was making my way through it there was something about it that kept me from getting really into it. About half way through the series it dawned on me. Nothing was really happening. I mean, there was stuff going on, but it wasn't engaging. It's like a movie that people say is almost perfect in every movie making technical way, but it's boring. Like a Stanley Kubrick film. Not the good ones. Like Barry Lydon.
The show did not pick up steam as far as plot points and action until episode eight. The last two and a half episodes were amazing too. By that point you're invested in the show, but you start to wonder why. I almost gave up on the show. I was giving it to the halfway point before making my decision as to whether or not to keep watching. And then they threw in a huge plot point and hooked me. All I kept thinking was 'why wait this long?'. I understand that they need to have some episodes to set up character dynamics and story line, but it just felt like it took too long. Is this just part of the new television and movie watching era? If we do not have something resembling instant gratification in something we are watching, do we just give up on it?
I don't think that this is a new phenomenon. How many times have we heard people talk about shows where you need to get past the first season before the show starts to get better? Or the first movie in a trilogy isn't that great, but the second and third ones are higher quality. I've had that problem with books too. 'Oh, just get past the first one hundred pages, it gets better.' WHAT?! You need to hook the audience not make them wonder if they should be flossing their teeth instead.
The show did not pick up steam as far as plot points and action until episode eight. The last two and a half episodes were amazing too. By that point you're invested in the show, but you start to wonder why. I almost gave up on the show. I was giving it to the halfway point before making my decision as to whether or not to keep watching. And then they threw in a huge plot point and hooked me. All I kept thinking was 'why wait this long?'. I understand that they need to have some episodes to set up character dynamics and story line, but it just felt like it took too long. Is this just part of the new television and movie watching era? If we do not have something resembling instant gratification in something we are watching, do we just give up on it?
I don't think that this is a new phenomenon. How many times have we heard people talk about shows where you need to get past the first season before the show starts to get better? Or the first movie in a trilogy isn't that great, but the second and third ones are higher quality. I've had that problem with books too. 'Oh, just get past the first one hundred pages, it gets better.' WHAT?! You need to hook the audience not make them wonder if they should be flossing their teeth instead.
13 June 2018
Deck Work
We have moved to the exterior of our house for our next house project. When we first bought our house, we knew that the back deck was something that was eventually going to need attention. Not structurally, but aesthetically. The paint and stain was starting to peel within the first year, and it just got a little worse over the past winter. Both sets of our parents, along with my sister and her kids, came out for a visit and helped with the project. While the project is not one hundred percent done, the heavy lifting has been completed. All that remains is the painting which can be done over the course of a weekend.
The first steps were taken at the beginning of the month. We stripped away all the old paint from the planks, but struggled to decide what to do with the spindles that lined the deck. We eventually determined that it was going to be much easier to remove the spindles, there were only two screws per, and sand the paint away. Over Memorial Day weekend, my in-laws came into town. We had plans to make some decent progress, but Mother Nature had other ideas. The entire time that they were here we were in the midst of a mini heat wave. It was topping out in the mid to high 90s, with heat index topping 100. Because this project is something that we can take our time on, we did not feel rushed to work on it. We got everything removed and stripped a good number of spindles, but it was just too hot to do anything. I mean, why would you exert yourself on a project that does not need to be completed quickly?
This past weekend, my parents and sister came out and we finished the most difficult part of the project. We built a privacy fence on one side of the deck. We are extremely close to our neighbor's house. In fact, their driveway butts right up to our property. So it will be nice to be able to sit on the deck and not look into their living room or back den. It ended up running the length of the deck (about eight feet) and is about seven feet tall. We also replaced the lattice work that was on the bottom of the deck. The previous owners just placed cheap white plastic lattice work around the edge and it looked terrible. Over the course of time, the white plastic took on a green hue from all the grass being cut. With the paint, we hope to avoid that.
The last things that we have to do are reattach the spindles and paint the deck. We bought it at the start of the project and that is what got the ball rolling. It needs two coats and needs to be painted when there is no rain in the forecast for two or three days. This is the most difficult part because not only do we have to work around the weather, we have to work around our work schedules. Not having every weekend off will make this last part very difficult. The nice thing is that all the hard work is done and we can still use the deck. It'll just look incomplete until we have time to paint it all.
The first steps were taken at the beginning of the month. We stripped away all the old paint from the planks, but struggled to decide what to do with the spindles that lined the deck. We eventually determined that it was going to be much easier to remove the spindles, there were only two screws per, and sand the paint away. Over Memorial Day weekend, my in-laws came into town. We had plans to make some decent progress, but Mother Nature had other ideas. The entire time that they were here we were in the midst of a mini heat wave. It was topping out in the mid to high 90s, with heat index topping 100. Because this project is something that we can take our time on, we did not feel rushed to work on it. We got everything removed and stripped a good number of spindles, but it was just too hot to do anything. I mean, why would you exert yourself on a project that does not need to be completed quickly?
This past weekend, my parents and sister came out and we finished the most difficult part of the project. We built a privacy fence on one side of the deck. We are extremely close to our neighbor's house. In fact, their driveway butts right up to our property. So it will be nice to be able to sit on the deck and not look into their living room or back den. It ended up running the length of the deck (about eight feet) and is about seven feet tall. We also replaced the lattice work that was on the bottom of the deck. The previous owners just placed cheap white plastic lattice work around the edge and it looked terrible. Over the course of time, the white plastic took on a green hue from all the grass being cut. With the paint, we hope to avoid that.
The last things that we have to do are reattach the spindles and paint the deck. We bought it at the start of the project and that is what got the ball rolling. It needs two coats and needs to be painted when there is no rain in the forecast for two or three days. This is the most difficult part because not only do we have to work around the weather, we have to work around our work schedules. Not having every weekend off will make this last part very difficult. The nice thing is that all the hard work is done and we can still use the deck. It'll just look incomplete until we have time to paint it all.
08 May 2018
New Closet
We have finally tackled another house project. This time it was the closet in our main bedroom. Not all home improvement projects are awe inspiring. They aren't all new kitchens or living rooms. Sometimes they are just boring small corners in a room.
Here's the before:
There was a lot of wasted space. The shelves on the left side of the closet were pretty useless mainly because they were so small. You could put just a handful of folded up shirts or pants on them. And it wasn't exactly installed well. One support bracket in the middle of the shelf across the back. The back shelf also consisted of two cut shelves with a joiner bracket. The shelves on the left were also supported with what can only be described as a cheap stripper pole. So....just not good. It's like they threw it together quickly as a fix for something.
And now the after.
Same type of shelving as before, but we wrapped the shelves around the top. It utilizes what little space the closet offers. We also added a second horizontal bar on the left side of the space. A fresh coat of white paint made the closet brighter as well. This could have been done over the fall or winter, but we were just too busy. Plus, spring time kind of feels like the right time to do home improvement things for some reason.
Here's the before:
There was a lot of wasted space. The shelves on the left side of the closet were pretty useless mainly because they were so small. You could put just a handful of folded up shirts or pants on them. And it wasn't exactly installed well. One support bracket in the middle of the shelf across the back. The back shelf also consisted of two cut shelves with a joiner bracket. The shelves on the left were also supported with what can only be described as a cheap stripper pole. So....just not good. It's like they threw it together quickly as a fix for something.
And now the after.
Same type of shelving as before, but we wrapped the shelves around the top. It utilizes what little space the closet offers. We also added a second horizontal bar on the left side of the space. A fresh coat of white paint made the closet brighter as well. This could have been done over the fall or winter, but we were just too busy. Plus, spring time kind of feels like the right time to do home improvement things for some reason.
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