new project

I have a new project to work on, which I'm very excited about. My new boss asked me to put together a manual for the New Store Team to have all of our info in one place. Our team is pretty scattered, and a lot of our responsibilities overlap or work in tandem, but for someone who hasn't done the job before, it's pretty confusing. There are a lot of things happening at one time when opening a grocery store, and our schedule goes as far as 20 weeks prior to Grand Opening Day. So, it's my job to make sense of what everyone is doing and when they're doing it so that the boss (which changes every 2 years or so, due to burnout and other opportunities in the company) can keep tabs and do a good job managing the team.

I spent a lot of 2008 moaning about how much I hate my job because it's brainless work that a monkey can do, so I'm bored a lot of the time. This project has given me new hope for a lot of reasons. For starters, it's right up my alley. It's a writing project and also a design project. One of my undergraduate English concentrations was in professional writing, which was the dummy version of what graduate programs refer to as Rhetoric and Composition. It's the element of design, keeping in mind author, audience, and text and how they all relate to each other. Secondly, this project uses brain cells and keeps me from boredom. I get to interview people and organize and condense their information articulately. And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I have an opportunity. I can show my boss and my team that I'm capable of initiative, that I have background skills that can be put to use for the team, and that I enjoy my work. This one project has potential to lead to other opportunities and advancement in the company where maybe, just maybe, I won't be doing monkey work and making peanuts. This project gives me purpose.

And because it's been so long since I've updated my blog, let me fill you in on how I've been spending my time and using my brain cells lately. I still work the 8-5 corporate job at the grocery company. On Tuesday nights and Saturday days I work at a big-box bookstore, which I absolutely love. The books and perks are great, but I really like working with customers in this environment and actually being a salesperson. When baseball season starts up next month, I'll be working at the local ballpark again, but only on Monday and Thursday nights. And naturally, that'll be limited to home games only. And most recently, I've begun the process for tutoring with a local nonprofit that focuses on adult literacy. The students are people who either dropped or failed out of school, have language barriers, or any other circumstances that prevented them from achieving basic literacy. I will either be tutoring one-on-one or have a small group. Each volunteer commits to 6 months and 90 minutes a week. I'll be doing this on Wednesdays. That leaves Friday night, Saturday night, and all day Sunday free for myself. I'm really excited about the volunteer project because I enjoyed tutoring a lot more than teaching at FSU. You can see more tangible results because you have a better read on where a student begins and how much progress they've made. You can also personalize the experience.

And that is the long and short of it. I'm also re-reading the Harry Potter series for the millionth time (ps: can't wait for the Half Blood Prince to come out in theaters July 17!) and am watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time ever. I'm newly initiated to Netflix, and it is some of the best money I've ever spent.

musings on milkshakes

While it is widely acknowledged in North Carolina that Cookout shakes are far superior than any others (yes, even better than Steak 'n' Shake), I must give the nod to Coldstone in coffee-flavored milkshake department. For those of you who are unaware, Cookout is a Greensboro-based drive-through place with backyard-style burgers and extraordinarily thick and creamy milkshakes that are served with both a straw and a spoon. During college, the Burlington Cookout would stay open until 3:03 AM for those late-night treats that cost only $2.01. What a bargain! And considering that coffee ice cream is my favorite flavor, I decided to branch out from my usual pineapple shake and try the cappucino variety of Cookout shake, which sadly, does not hold a candle to Coldstone's. I think the inherent difference is that Cookout starts with a vanilla base and adds cappucino to it, while Coldstone simply uses the coffee-flavored ice cream without any further additions.

Sampling works.

I went into the new Williams-Sonoma during my lunch break to see if there was anything new since I worked there two Christmases ago. While there wasn't much new merchandise, they were sampling some of their usual holiday fare, including the pecan pumpkin dessert squares, which are utterly divine. Perhaps because I went shopping before I grabbed lunch, I dove right into the impulse buy and have absolutely no regrets. So, if you like pumpkin and dessert, I will make a shameless plug for you to buy the pumpkin butter that goes into the recipe and have yourself a happy little fall treat.

the odd couple

When I was at lunch today, there was a married couple sitting next to my friend and me. The man really intrigued me, as he was sporting a Marlboro Man "lite" look - rumpled plaid flannel shirt with a pack of cigarettes in the pocket, old jeans, boots, huge scruffy beard and '80s style glasses with plastic covers on the corners. And throughout my lunch hour, this man sat with lady-like posture, with one leg crossed over the other, and he was knitting what appeared to be a dainty white mitten. His work was beautiful, and he knitted diligently while his wife talked to every other table around. Perhaps I'm too stuck in gender roles, but this whole scenario just seemed entirely out of place.

The end.

eccentricity and predictability

Coffee shops are good places for people watching. I've been haunting one such shop for a few months now because of its proximity to my apartment and the free wifi. Their chocolate croissants aren't bad, either. Ever since I've been coming, there's been another regular person. In fact, I've never been here without seeing her. She is such an odd-looking bird altogether that I haven't the cajones to actually talk to her. Then again, she also gives off the vibe that she just wants to be alone.

The apron that she always wears indicates that she works at the grocery store close by. I don't know if she drives or not. She always wears tennis shoes and stockings, but sometimes the rest of her uniform varies. She has mousy grey hair with bangs and long, chunky strands loose over her ears. The rest is pulled up in a bun, and it is this, which draws my attention today. The bun looks like it might be in three parts, at least one of which is braided. And I think she's put every hair decoration in it that she could get her hands on. I see a pen right through the middle, a pink bow that would look appropriate on an infant, and a black velvety "thing," that has strings attached to it, with yellow, blue, and pink beads attached to the ends of the strings. She also wears pink tinted glasses, and today, she is sporting a long-sleeve pink shirt.

Every time I've seen her, she sits in the same chair watching tv without sound - always the news. She always buys food, but never coffee or coffee shop-type products. Until today, I've always seen her eating a salad and drinking ice water. Today, she has a bowl of ice cream and what appears to be a banana nut muffin. A moment ago, she got up and came back to her seat with what I thought was a pepper shaker, sprinkling liberal amounts on her ice cream. I then remembered that we are, in fact, in a coffee shop and that the shaker probably had cinnamon instead of pepper. Then again, you can't be too sure. Occasionally she'll doze a bit, but mostly just sits there watching tv. Nobody talks to her except the staff, who bring her food.

I've often wondered what her story is, but I think I'd be wholly disappointed if I ever found out what it truly is. Something tells me she's probably just a lonely old woman of the crazy-cat-lady variety with no fashion sense and who can't be trusted with her own stove for fear of burning the house down. She obviously a creature of habit. But what if there's more? Perhaps this is just a really good facade, and she's spying on the coffee shop for signs of communist activity? Maybe she's escaped an asylum and is keeping a low profile? Maybe she's the pink bunny reincarnated? Or maybe she's a martian. It's so hard to tell.

In any case, I can't imagine life at the coffee shop without her. I shall continue to keep an eye on her and ponder her history.

outstanding customer service

I am compelled to write about an experience I just had at Wachovia because their service was so outstanding. During my lunch hour, I went through the drive-through to cash a check. I proceeded as normal and even honked as I was leaving because there was a sign in the window that says "Honk for good service," and, well, who doesn't love a good honk? So, I've been back from lunch for over an hour now, and I just got a phone call from a customer service rep at the bank. Apparently, the teller who cashed my check told the rep that she had made me wait a little too long for service, and they were calling to apologize and to invite me to let them know if I had any more issues. I'm completely baffled because, if anything, I was the one holding up the process because my car decided to eat the pen I was using to endorse the check.

Question of the day: Are we really so used to apathy that we're surprised when we meet people who are exceptionally dedicated to customer service?

Spread the good word, all, that there is a bank out there that will hunt you down and apologize for making you wait in a line that doesn't exist.

book club

I've started a book club at work. I'm so proud! It started when I had a discussion with a co-worker about the not-so-literary books we like to read, so I handed her my vampire series to see what she thought. After passing books back and forth for months, I got another person involved. So we've been talking a little here and there and decided to make it an actual event. There are about 6 people on board right now, which I think is a good number to start with - lots of ideas floating around, but not too clamorous. I feel like I'm back in a seminar class in grad school. I chose the first book, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. We'll swap off choosing a title each month, so everyone feels she has a stake in the club. Will update after our first meeting!