Yep, you read it correctly. I am the only "geek-peat" winner of MSNBC Science Editor Alan Boyle's Geek Gifts contest. Mr. Boyle announced my winning suggestion - the Calabi-Yau Manifold Crystal - on his science blog the Cosmic Log (yes, I did set that up to rhyme) through MSNBC this evening.
Thanks to my family and friends, I garnered the most votes (comments to the geek gift blog post) and won a copy of Mr. Boyle's newly published book The Case for Pluto, which I am looking forward to reading. I'll post a book review for y'all when I'm done.
Check out the Cosmic Log blog daily for the latest in science updates, like the UFO-slash-malfunctioning Russian missile, SpaceShipTwo's debut for the space tourism industry, and daily/weekly science roundups from around the web.
11 December 2009
10 December 2009
Is It Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas?
Sure doesn't feel like it is to me. Yes, the temperatures are a bit colder, we've put up our Christmas tree and lights, and KEZ 99.9 FM is playing their traditional Christmas music from Thanksgiving to December 25th. Even so, something is missing, and I can't put my finger on it.
Everyone still seems to be nonplussed about the Christmas season this year. The snowbirds aren't full-force, I'm not having to wait in long lines to buy groceries or gifts, and there really aren't a multitude of holiday celebrations out there right now. It's kind of depressing to realize that we're merely 15 days away from Christmas, one of the best days of the year, and have it not feel that way.
Maybe it's because I haven't been able to do much of anything lately. Borders had a mix-up with my paycheck and direct deposit information, so whereas I was supposed to get paid last Friday so I could pay my cell phone bill and do a little Christmas shopping, I am actually still waiting on a paper check to be FedEx'd to my house. What that means is that my extremely (I mean this literally) low checking account balance isn't letting me experience the holidays as I normally would. I like to donate a little money to charitable organizations this time of year, but I cannot. I like to send out Christmas cards, but I cannot. I like to buy a few gifts for my friends, but I can't do that yet.
I hope it starts to feel more Christmas-y soon... I don't think I can take yet another year of going 12 months without a real holiday.
Everyone still seems to be nonplussed about the Christmas season this year. The snowbirds aren't full-force, I'm not having to wait in long lines to buy groceries or gifts, and there really aren't a multitude of holiday celebrations out there right now. It's kind of depressing to realize that we're merely 15 days away from Christmas, one of the best days of the year, and have it not feel that way.
Maybe it's because I haven't been able to do much of anything lately. Borders had a mix-up with my paycheck and direct deposit information, so whereas I was supposed to get paid last Friday so I could pay my cell phone bill and do a little Christmas shopping, I am actually still waiting on a paper check to be FedEx'd to my house. What that means is that my extremely (I mean this literally) low checking account balance isn't letting me experience the holidays as I normally would. I like to donate a little money to charitable organizations this time of year, but I cannot. I like to send out Christmas cards, but I cannot. I like to buy a few gifts for my friends, but I can't do that yet.
I hope it starts to feel more Christmas-y soon... I don't think I can take yet another year of going 12 months without a real holiday.
02 December 2009
MSNBC Geek Gift Contest 2009
As some of you may remember, last year I won the MSNBC "Geek Gift" contest with my suggestion of XKCD.com apparel, thanks to the support and votes of you all. This year, I am once more a finalist in the contest, and I need everyone's help again to repeat my victory from last year!
My Geek Gift suggestion this year is the Calabi-Yau Manifold Crystal, which is a 3D representation of 6 of the 10 dimensions in basic string theory from quantum mechanics encased in crystal, just like the ones of the Eiffel Tower or DNA strands. Check it out here: http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp?pn=3151544&bhcd2=1259795585.
Voting is very simple. Go to the web page link for MSNBC's Cosmic Log at this link: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/02/2140001.aspx and post a comment on the page with your vote. It can be as simple as "Calabi-Yau Manifold Crystal." I would really appreciate the opportunity to be the first and ONLY multiple winner of this contest!
Thank you!!!
My Geek Gift suggestion this year is the Calabi-Yau Manifold Crystal, which is a 3D representation of 6 of the 10 dimensions in basic string theory from quantum mechanics encased in crystal, just like the ones of the Eiffel Tower or DNA strands. Check it out here: http://scientificsonline.com/product.asp?pn=3151544&bhcd2=1259795585.
Voting is very simple. Go to the web page link for MSNBC's Cosmic Log at this link: http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/02/2140001.aspx and post a comment on the page with your vote. It can be as simple as "Calabi-Yau Manifold Crystal." I would really appreciate the opportunity to be the first and ONLY multiple winner of this contest!
Thank you!!!
24, et al
Sunday was my 24th cycle of the Earth around the Sun, and sadly, I was really not feeling well enough to party or do much in the way of celebrating. I took the day off of work at the bookstore/kiosk because of my car crash, and relaxed most of the day. My singular indulgence, my family took me out for dinner at the Olive Garden, which I really love to do annually. It's kind of my personal birthday tradition. My mom also made me a delicious white peppermint cake with minty frosting and crushed peppermint. Yum!
The following day, I was scheduled to work, until I got a call from my boss telling me I wasn't scheduled to work, but could I come in anyway because another employee was having car trouble (I resisted the strong urge to say 'Worse car trouble than mine?'). So I went in with the understanding that I would not be doing any heavy lifting during the shift. Once there, I was bounced around between the kiosk and department all day, and my shift-that-wasn't-really-a-shift was cut from 9:30-3:30 to 9:30-2:00. My neck was aching, and I was starting to get frustrated. (Them: "Andrew, go work the cash register." Me: "Okay, sure. Are you going to train me to work the cash register?" Them: "Um... never mind. Go help this lady with the online ordering system." Me: "Okay, sure. Are you going to show me how that works or give me a password to log in to the system?" Them: "Um....")
So after that lovely day of disaster, I talked with my folks and made the determination that I no longer wanted to work for a company that was going to treat me unfairly. Mom and Dad concurred, and they want me to go back to school and take some online classes in something so I can get a second degree. I don't really want to do that right now, especially since I'm already in debt by about $50,000 for the first degree and have no idea how I would pay for, or pay off, a second degree. I would love to just find a decent job in my field that is going to last more than 2 months, but that still seems unlikely. So I'm basically back to where I was a month ago.
Yesterday, I found out that my manager at Borders flew out to Washington for management training (WTF?) and wouldn't be back until Saturday. I got kind of fed up with this whole "waiting" thing, and told the supervisor on duty (who has no power for anything hiring-firing related) that I was making Thursday my last day, and that I needed her to pass the message along to whomever needed to know. When asked why, I said I had found a job in my field for better pay and I was taking it. A lie, I know, but I didn't think it appropriate to tell this supervisor what I was really thinking, since it wasn't her problem to begin with. That, and I don't like to cause unnecessary drama if I don't have to.
So, yeah. Now I'm out of work again, this time by choice, and looking for a better employer. I'm trying to avoid medical bills (which I can't pay and have no insurance to cover) by doping myself up on Advil until my neck gets better, and it's the Christmas season and I have no ability to go out and find gifts for the few friends I still have left after this Hell of a year in which I've been kind of a cynical asshole. Still, I suppose things could be worse. I'm not sure how, but they could be.
I'm still trying to bug Jeff Flake's office into giving me a job, but it seems very much like that's not going to happen. The guy does very few events around the district because he's going to win any election he's in here in CD-6 by double digits, which means he doesn't have to do much in the way of campaigning, which only means there are few opportunities for people like me to get involved. I need to start going to more LD meetings again to see what opportunities are out there, so I suppose that's the next order of business.
The following day, I was scheduled to work, until I got a call from my boss telling me I wasn't scheduled to work, but could I come in anyway because another employee was having car trouble (I resisted the strong urge to say 'Worse car trouble than mine?'). So I went in with the understanding that I would not be doing any heavy lifting during the shift. Once there, I was bounced around between the kiosk and department all day, and my shift-that-wasn't-really-a-shift was cut from 9:30-3:30 to 9:30-2:00. My neck was aching, and I was starting to get frustrated. (Them: "Andrew, go work the cash register." Me: "Okay, sure. Are you going to train me to work the cash register?" Them: "Um... never mind. Go help this lady with the online ordering system." Me: "Okay, sure. Are you going to show me how that works or give me a password to log in to the system?" Them: "Um....")
So after that lovely day of disaster, I talked with my folks and made the determination that I no longer wanted to work for a company that was going to treat me unfairly. Mom and Dad concurred, and they want me to go back to school and take some online classes in something so I can get a second degree. I don't really want to do that right now, especially since I'm already in debt by about $50,000 for the first degree and have no idea how I would pay for, or pay off, a second degree. I would love to just find a decent job in my field that is going to last more than 2 months, but that still seems unlikely. So I'm basically back to where I was a month ago.
Yesterday, I found out that my manager at Borders flew out to Washington for management training (WTF?) and wouldn't be back until Saturday. I got kind of fed up with this whole "waiting" thing, and told the supervisor on duty (who has no power for anything hiring-firing related) that I was making Thursday my last day, and that I needed her to pass the message along to whomever needed to know. When asked why, I said I had found a job in my field for better pay and I was taking it. A lie, I know, but I didn't think it appropriate to tell this supervisor what I was really thinking, since it wasn't her problem to begin with. That, and I don't like to cause unnecessary drama if I don't have to.
So, yeah. Now I'm out of work again, this time by choice, and looking for a better employer. I'm trying to avoid medical bills (which I can't pay and have no insurance to cover) by doping myself up on Advil until my neck gets better, and it's the Christmas season and I have no ability to go out and find gifts for the few friends I still have left after this Hell of a year in which I've been kind of a cynical asshole. Still, I suppose things could be worse. I'm not sure how, but they could be.
I'm still trying to bug Jeff Flake's office into giving me a job, but it seems very much like that's not going to happen. The guy does very few events around the district because he's going to win any election he's in here in CD-6 by double digits, which means he doesn't have to do much in the way of campaigning, which only means there are few opportunities for people like me to get involved. I need to start going to more LD meetings again to see what opportunities are out there, so I suppose that's the next order of business.
28 November 2009
My Headache
On my way to work this morning, I was involved in a car crash. And when I say this, I mean I was in a parking lot and hit a light pole head on while trying to leave the lot. It was fantastically and epically a "FAIL" moment if ever I've heard of one.
Basically, I was cutting across a row of empty parking spaces, glanced over at a silver car to make sure it wasn't going to hit me, and missed a light pole in the car's big blind spot between the driver's side window and the windshield. I hit the concrete base of the pole going about 16 miles per hour, and crumpled the front end of the car, damaged the radiator, and caused the airbag to deploy. The airbag whacked me really good in the face, and the exploding gas burned my arm pretty good - like a rug burn, only with the airbag fabric instead of carpet.
I wasn't out for more than a split second, and my only injuries are a nasty headache from the airbag and a stiff neck from the whiplash effect. I got out of the car on my own accord, and a couple nice ladies shopping in the area came to see if I was okay, and waited with me until a fire truck showed up (they weren't called to the scene, just doing some grocery shopping) and they stayed with me until Dad arrived. We made the decision not to go to the hospital (I don't have health insurance and couldn't possibly afford the medical expenses) and instead came home and took some Advil.
My neck's still stiff, and my head still hurts, but I think I'll probably live. What a nice way to celebrate my birthday tomorrow....
Basically, I was cutting across a row of empty parking spaces, glanced over at a silver car to make sure it wasn't going to hit me, and missed a light pole in the car's big blind spot between the driver's side window and the windshield. I hit the concrete base of the pole going about 16 miles per hour, and crumpled the front end of the car, damaged the radiator, and caused the airbag to deploy. The airbag whacked me really good in the face, and the exploding gas burned my arm pretty good - like a rug burn, only with the airbag fabric instead of carpet.
I wasn't out for more than a split second, and my only injuries are a nasty headache from the airbag and a stiff neck from the whiplash effect. I got out of the car on my own accord, and a couple nice ladies shopping in the area came to see if I was okay, and waited with me until a fire truck showed up (they weren't called to the scene, just doing some grocery shopping) and they stayed with me until Dad arrived. We made the decision not to go to the hospital (I don't have health insurance and couldn't possibly afford the medical expenses) and instead came home and took some Advil.
My neck's still stiff, and my head still hurts, but I think I'll probably live. What a nice way to celebrate my birthday tomorrow....
Turkey Day to Black Friday
Thanksgiving was nice around my place this year. I got to relax, watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, catch the Packers-Lions football game, and eat a bunch of great food Mom prepared. We had turkey (of course), stuffing, mashed potatoes, au gratin potatoes, banana bread, pumpkin bread, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole with French fried onions, jello and marshmallows, and pumpkin pie and apple pie. Delicious!
Hopefully, my readers all had a nice Thanksgiving with their families too.
Yesterday was Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. And after all that relaxing and turkey-eating I did, I had to work. I was scheduled to work the calendar kiosk from 8am to 5pm with a one hour break for lunch in between. I was also scheduled to have a partner to help me out during that time from 1pm-5pm. Both aspects didn't really materialize nicely though. My break was only scheduled from 2-3pm, after 6 hours of work, and since my partner didn't come down to the kiosk to help me and instead stayed on the book floor, 2:30-3:30pm was the ONLY relief I got all day. No water breaks, no bathroom breaks, no get-away-from-the-annoying-shoppers-and-clear-your-head-for-five-minutes breaks. It was frustrating to say the least.
But, on the whole, besides being completely drained and exhausted when I got home, I got through it okay. I am really glad that only comes once a year, and truth be told, it went better than I expected. The Black Friday shoppers really were not bad at all to deal with, save for one or two. One older gentleman came in to look at the Maxim and Playboy calendars we sell and I asked him if I could help him find anything. His reply: "Yeah, how 'bout $50 million so I can pay off my mortgage and shit?" My immediate reply without missing a beat: "Sure, sir. It's in center court right next to Santa's Workshop." I still don't know what that means, but that guy gave me a grunt and left - quickly. (This was at the very end of my nine-hour shift, and I was kind of done dealing with morons at that point.)
My fabulous schedule now allows me to work today for seven hours, tomorrow on my birthday for 4 1/2, Monday, and Tuesday before I get a day off. I'm getting almost 30 hours a week the last two weeks though, so I am hesitant to complain about hours and days off at this point. It would have been nice not to have to work on my birthday, though.
If you're by the mall, come feel free to stop by my calendar kiosk and say hello!
Hopefully, my readers all had a nice Thanksgiving with their families too.
Yesterday was Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. And after all that relaxing and turkey-eating I did, I had to work. I was scheduled to work the calendar kiosk from 8am to 5pm with a one hour break for lunch in between. I was also scheduled to have a partner to help me out during that time from 1pm-5pm. Both aspects didn't really materialize nicely though. My break was only scheduled from 2-3pm, after 6 hours of work, and since my partner didn't come down to the kiosk to help me and instead stayed on the book floor, 2:30-3:30pm was the ONLY relief I got all day. No water breaks, no bathroom breaks, no get-away-from-the-annoying-shoppers-and-clear-your-head-for-five-minutes breaks. It was frustrating to say the least.
But, on the whole, besides being completely drained and exhausted when I got home, I got through it okay. I am really glad that only comes once a year, and truth be told, it went better than I expected. The Black Friday shoppers really were not bad at all to deal with, save for one or two. One older gentleman came in to look at the Maxim and Playboy calendars we sell and I asked him if I could help him find anything. His reply: "Yeah, how 'bout $50 million so I can pay off my mortgage and shit?" My immediate reply without missing a beat: "Sure, sir. It's in center court right next to Santa's Workshop." I still don't know what that means, but that guy gave me a grunt and left - quickly. (This was at the very end of my nine-hour shift, and I was kind of done dealing with morons at that point.)
My fabulous schedule now allows me to work today for seven hours, tomorrow on my birthday for 4 1/2, Monday, and Tuesday before I get a day off. I'm getting almost 30 hours a week the last two weeks though, so I am hesitant to complain about hours and days off at this point. It would have been nice not to have to work on my birthday, though.
If you're by the mall, come feel free to stop by my calendar kiosk and say hello!
25 November 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
I know I've been neglecting to post as often as I usually do on here, but getting settled into the work routine is taking some time. I went from about 16 hours of work per month as a substitute teacher to about 25-30 hours per week at Borders starting just two short weeks ago.
At least work is improving for me. As I mentioned in my last post, the employees and managers are all very nice people, if a bit disorganized in the run up to the holidays. I am slowly but surely getting my training in on the various aspects of the store, though to be honest, I still spend most of my time out at the calendar kiosk, so I don't need to utilize that training much yet.
Earlier in the week, I also got my first "free" book from the store. Like I would imagine many large booksellers do, some publishers send out advance "press" manuscripts which are unedited or uncorrected for people to read and prepare themselves to sell or to write reviews on. Borders allows employees to read these advance copies, and once the book has been released and upon approval from management, we can take the copies to keep. Well, I got a manuscript of Anthony Zuiker's (the creator of the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" TV phenomenon) new novel Level 26: Dark Origins. I finished it earlier this evening, and found it to be pretty good. There were some things I wish had been explained further, and some parts of the storyline were left as dramatic cliffhangers that I didn't feel were adequately resolved in further chapters, but all-in-all, it was a satisfying read.
The novel follows protagonists Steve Dark and FBI Agent Riggins in their search to catch the serial killer known as "Sqweegel." This sadist is an entirely new breed of serial killer, off the charts of the FBI's scale of "evil" which runs from 1 (justifiable homicide) to 25. Ted Bundy and Charles Manson didn't even crack the 20th level, whereas a new level had to be created for Sqweegel, a brutal homicidal maniac with a narcisistic complex so deep he actual believes he is a God among men, and has the skills and talents to make it seem almost plausible. That's where the book gets its "Level 26" title. Sqweegel has been maiming, torturing, and killing people for over two decades, and the only member of law enforcement to come even remotely close to catching him is Dark. However, after Dark's near apprehension of Sqweegel, the serial killer brutally murdered Dark's entire foster family, causing Dark to suffer an extreme breakdown and retire from the Special Circs Division of the FBI. The story begins here, with Riggins sent to bring Dark back into the hunt.
I won't give away any more details here, but I will mention that I am looking forward to the next Level 26 book, coming out in 2010. Aside from a good plot and writing, Level 26 is also the world's first "Digi-Book." At the end of every few chapters (about every 40 pages), readers are given a code which they can punch into a website (Level26.com) and watch the "Director's Cut" of what happened in that set of chapters. It's a way for the reader to really envision - quite literally - what the author was thinking without resorting to guessing on some details through one's mind's eye. Sadly, my press copy did not have the codes available to access the site's videos, but I plan on writing them down next time I can take a few minutes to go through a regular copy.
Anyway, enough blathering. If you're in the area, come stop by and say hello at the mall sometime. I'll be there for Uber-exciting Black Friday all-day goodness. I just hope I don't go completely crazy with how busy I'm imagining it will be. Apparently my little calendar kiosk will also be having a special sale: buy three calendars, get one free. Good gifts and all that.
Otherwise, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving with your families, friends, or absent anyone else, the peace and goodwill of the country for a day. Enjoy the food, the floats, and the football... all the staples of a festive holiday!
At least work is improving for me. As I mentioned in my last post, the employees and managers are all very nice people, if a bit disorganized in the run up to the holidays. I am slowly but surely getting my training in on the various aspects of the store, though to be honest, I still spend most of my time out at the calendar kiosk, so I don't need to utilize that training much yet.
Earlier in the week, I also got my first "free" book from the store. Like I would imagine many large booksellers do, some publishers send out advance "press" manuscripts which are unedited or uncorrected for people to read and prepare themselves to sell or to write reviews on. Borders allows employees to read these advance copies, and once the book has been released and upon approval from management, we can take the copies to keep. Well, I got a manuscript of Anthony Zuiker's (the creator of the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" TV phenomenon) new novel Level 26: Dark Origins. I finished it earlier this evening, and found it to be pretty good. There were some things I wish had been explained further, and some parts of the storyline were left as dramatic cliffhangers that I didn't feel were adequately resolved in further chapters, but all-in-all, it was a satisfying read.
The novel follows protagonists Steve Dark and FBI Agent Riggins in their search to catch the serial killer known as "Sqweegel." This sadist is an entirely new breed of serial killer, off the charts of the FBI's scale of "evil" which runs from 1 (justifiable homicide) to 25. Ted Bundy and Charles Manson didn't even crack the 20th level, whereas a new level had to be created for Sqweegel, a brutal homicidal maniac with a narcisistic complex so deep he actual believes he is a God among men, and has the skills and talents to make it seem almost plausible. That's where the book gets its "Level 26" title. Sqweegel has been maiming, torturing, and killing people for over two decades, and the only member of law enforcement to come even remotely close to catching him is Dark. However, after Dark's near apprehension of Sqweegel, the serial killer brutally murdered Dark's entire foster family, causing Dark to suffer an extreme breakdown and retire from the Special Circs Division of the FBI. The story begins here, with Riggins sent to bring Dark back into the hunt.
I won't give away any more details here, but I will mention that I am looking forward to the next Level 26 book, coming out in 2010. Aside from a good plot and writing, Level 26 is also the world's first "Digi-Book." At the end of every few chapters (about every 40 pages), readers are given a code which they can punch into a website (Level26.com) and watch the "Director's Cut" of what happened in that set of chapters. It's a way for the reader to really envision - quite literally - what the author was thinking without resorting to guessing on some details through one's mind's eye. Sadly, my press copy did not have the codes available to access the site's videos, but I plan on writing them down next time I can take a few minutes to go through a regular copy.
Anyway, enough blathering. If you're in the area, come stop by and say hello at the mall sometime. I'll be there for Uber-exciting Black Friday all-day goodness. I just hope I don't go completely crazy with how busy I'm imagining it will be. Apparently my little calendar kiosk will also be having a special sale: buy three calendars, get one free. Good gifts and all that.
Otherwise, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving with your families, friends, or absent anyone else, the peace and goodwill of the country for a day. Enjoy the food, the floats, and the football... all the staples of a festive holiday!
18 November 2009
NOT Bookselling
I got home this afternoon from my fifth day working for Borders (notice the operative word "for" and not the word "at") and as promised on Facebook, I am writing a post here about how it's going.
To begin, I am not really working with books as I was told I would be. It's kind of a long story. My second day was Sunday, and I had called in to the store Friday morning asking what my next work day was, since my manager had not been able to post the schedule until Thursday night. I was told I worked 12:30pm-4:30pm. A short shift, to be sure, but I was also told that hours were tight, so I didn't think about it. Well, at 11:30am Sunday, I get a call asking me where the heck I am, since I was supposed to be there at 10:30am-4:30pm. Uh-huh....
I got there as soon as I could, explained my situation, and asked where they wanted me to work (I hadn't been trained on anything yet, so I was waiting for training). I was told to work at the information desk. Um, okay. I did that for an hour, then got moved to work at the kiosk. Ah, the kiosk. If you ever go to the mall during the holidays, you will see the stand set up in the middle of the walkway for the mall stuffed to the gills with calendars, and probably a bored-looking teenage kid sitting there waiting for someone to come by. Well, that's now me. All week. I am now Calendar Kiosk Boy.
Instead of my job involving shelving books, making recommendations of titles for literate academics, and cashiering, I now stand (by myself) in the middle of the mall for my entire shift trying to actively sell multiple calendars to snowbirds (they make a great gift!) who barely need one calendar to remind them of their ever-advancing years. To say nothing of the people who come by and ask, very specifically, if we have calendars of tap dancing polar bears or manhole covers from New York City (not LA or Tulsa, but NYC specifically).
At the interview, my manager very straightforwardly mentioned to me that I would be taking turns operating the kiosk around four-ish hours a week while it was open during the holidays. I come in on Sunday to find out that four people quit the store over the two nights I was off work and now I am scheduled to open this kiosk - alone and as a brand new employee - Monday through Thursday this week. Needless to say, I was frustrated with the obvious lack of communication. I kind of felt like I was lied to.
Now, it's not all as horrible as my hyperbole is making it sound. I mean, yeah, I open the kiosk alone, I don't see any other Borders employees all day until my shift ends, and since I work a mere 5 hours a day, I don't get a break (not that any of the other employees are "trained" to work my kiosk register - a 1985 MS DOS computer hooked up to a printer that still uses a ribbon to print on the register tape), and if I need to use the facilities or get a drink, then I have to call the store up and wait for someone to come and relieve me for ten minutes (the only time I tried this, it took 40 minutes). I mean, I do enjoy a level of independence (did I mention that my first day at the kiosk the loss prevention guy stalked me from the upper level of the mall for at least an hour to make sure I was doing what I was supposed to be doing?) that I wouldn't get in the main store, and I get a 33% discount on books (but no discount on calendars, strangely enough).
The one true positive out of all this is that the people I work with - the loss prevention guy, my managers, and the few other booksellers I've actually met ARE actually nice people. I just think there are some problems with the infrastructure and the policies set therein. I imagine that working this kiosk won't be too bad either the closer we get to the new year, as it ought to be quite busy after Thanksgiving. Then I will have something to focus on besides how many times I can "straighten" shelves which haven't been touched before the next customer comes along.
I have never liked retail work. I just need a job with a paycheck to last me a little while before I start looking again for something that doesn't involve me trying to push people to buy a product. I always feel dirty trying to make someone shell out money for something they don't need and could probably get way, way, WAY cheaper after January 1st.
To begin, I am not really working with books as I was told I would be. It's kind of a long story. My second day was Sunday, and I had called in to the store Friday morning asking what my next work day was, since my manager had not been able to post the schedule until Thursday night. I was told I worked 12:30pm-4:30pm. A short shift, to be sure, but I was also told that hours were tight, so I didn't think about it. Well, at 11:30am Sunday, I get a call asking me where the heck I am, since I was supposed to be there at 10:30am-4:30pm. Uh-huh....
I got there as soon as I could, explained my situation, and asked where they wanted me to work (I hadn't been trained on anything yet, so I was waiting for training). I was told to work at the information desk. Um, okay. I did that for an hour, then got moved to work at the kiosk. Ah, the kiosk. If you ever go to the mall during the holidays, you will see the stand set up in the middle of the walkway for the mall stuffed to the gills with calendars, and probably a bored-looking teenage kid sitting there waiting for someone to come by. Well, that's now me. All week. I am now Calendar Kiosk Boy.
Instead of my job involving shelving books, making recommendations of titles for literate academics, and cashiering, I now stand (by myself) in the middle of the mall for my entire shift trying to actively sell multiple calendars to snowbirds (they make a great gift!) who barely need one calendar to remind them of their ever-advancing years. To say nothing of the people who come by and ask, very specifically, if we have calendars of tap dancing polar bears or manhole covers from New York City (not LA or Tulsa, but NYC specifically).
At the interview, my manager very straightforwardly mentioned to me that I would be taking turns operating the kiosk around four-ish hours a week while it was open during the holidays. I come in on Sunday to find out that four people quit the store over the two nights I was off work and now I am scheduled to open this kiosk - alone and as a brand new employee - Monday through Thursday this week. Needless to say, I was frustrated with the obvious lack of communication. I kind of felt like I was lied to.
Now, it's not all as horrible as my hyperbole is making it sound. I mean, yeah, I open the kiosk alone, I don't see any other Borders employees all day until my shift ends, and since I work a mere 5 hours a day, I don't get a break (not that any of the other employees are "trained" to work my kiosk register - a 1985 MS DOS computer hooked up to a printer that still uses a ribbon to print on the register tape), and if I need to use the facilities or get a drink, then I have to call the store up and wait for someone to come and relieve me for ten minutes (the only time I tried this, it took 40 minutes). I mean, I do enjoy a level of independence (did I mention that my first day at the kiosk the loss prevention guy stalked me from the upper level of the mall for at least an hour to make sure I was doing what I was supposed to be doing?) that I wouldn't get in the main store, and I get a 33% discount on books (but no discount on calendars, strangely enough).
The one true positive out of all this is that the people I work with - the loss prevention guy, my managers, and the few other booksellers I've actually met ARE actually nice people. I just think there are some problems with the infrastructure and the policies set therein. I imagine that working this kiosk won't be too bad either the closer we get to the new year, as it ought to be quite busy after Thanksgiving. Then I will have something to focus on besides how many times I can "straighten" shelves which haven't been touched before the next customer comes along.
I have never liked retail work. I just need a job with a paycheck to last me a little while before I start looking again for something that doesn't involve me trying to push people to buy a product. I always feel dirty trying to make someone shell out money for something they don't need and could probably get way, way, WAY cheaper after January 1st.
10 November 2009
Bookselling
After more than 18 months of resume-sending, odd-job-doing, waiting and waiting, I am now the official owner of a part-time permanent retail job selling books at Borders Bookstore at the store here in Mesa. In the Kids Books Dept. no less.
I am also proud to say that I owned my interview. I wasn't worried about it (I usually don't interview very well), and I think partly because I really was at that point where I didn't want to care too much about it (though I did care a lot if I got the job) or about how I was being perceived. I had quick, detailed answers to all the interview questions, including the tricky "if you had a team member who was slacking, and you had to do groupwork together, how would you handle that person not pulling their weight?" I called upon my experience selling books at University Text and Tools, my customer service experience from Bashas, and my "dealing with problems" experience from being a resident assistant from Mountain View. And I frickin' ACED the interview. If you can't tell, this is me feeling good about it.
Anyway, I was offered a job pretty much on the spot, accepted it, and I get to start tomorrow with paperwork and cashier training. Then it's floor training, Kids Dept. training, and then crosstraining in other departments over the next couple weeks. Then the holidays hit, it'll be crazy... CRAZY... for a bit, and then in January I'll take stock, see where I am, and maintain the job while I continue my search for something more in my field. Mercifully, I will get to do that at a more relaxed clip knowing that I will have a job until I get laid off or fired or decide to leave, which I don't plan on doing until I have something else to leave for. So yay!
Okay, enough elated babbling... I normally don't yammer on like this unless I'm really excited, which I am now. So look for more fun posts about how things are going in the near future. Apparently as an employee at Borders, I get a couple fun perks!
I am also proud to say that I owned my interview. I wasn't worried about it (I usually don't interview very well), and I think partly because I really was at that point where I didn't want to care too much about it (though I did care a lot if I got the job) or about how I was being perceived. I had quick, detailed answers to all the interview questions, including the tricky "if you had a team member who was slacking, and you had to do groupwork together, how would you handle that person not pulling their weight?" I called upon my experience selling books at University Text and Tools, my customer service experience from Bashas, and my "dealing with problems" experience from being a resident assistant from Mountain View. And I frickin' ACED the interview. If you can't tell, this is me feeling good about it.
Anyway, I was offered a job pretty much on the spot, accepted it, and I get to start tomorrow with paperwork and cashier training. Then it's floor training, Kids Dept. training, and then crosstraining in other departments over the next couple weeks. Then the holidays hit, it'll be crazy... CRAZY... for a bit, and then in January I'll take stock, see where I am, and maintain the job while I continue my search for something more in my field. Mercifully, I will get to do that at a more relaxed clip knowing that I will have a job until I get laid off or fired or decide to leave, which I don't plan on doing until I have something else to leave for. So yay!
Okay, enough elated babbling... I normally don't yammer on like this unless I'm really excited, which I am now. So look for more fun posts about how things are going in the near future. Apparently as an employee at Borders, I get a couple fun perks!
Update on S.A. 2631
I know there were a couple of my longtime dedicated readers who expressed an interest in my quest to have Senate Amendment 2631 by Sen. Tom Coburn fail on the appropriations bill for the Justice, Commerce, and Science. I am pleased to announce that the amendment did indeed fail 36-62 with 2 not voting.
As you can see, both my Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl voted to pass the amendment, so I'm not exactly pleased with them right now - and with McCain up for re-election this next year, I'll be seeing what other candidates there are running against him more closely now. 31 Republicans voted for the bill along with 5 Democrats, and 9 Republicans, one Independent, and 52 Democrats helped vote it down. The two who did not vote were Sens. Byrd and Landrieu, both Democrats.
Congrats and thank you to those who helped my "crusade" out by calling your Senators!
As you can see, both my Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl voted to pass the amendment, so I'm not exactly pleased with them right now - and with McCain up for re-election this next year, I'll be seeing what other candidates there are running against him more closely now. 31 Republicans voted for the bill along with 5 Democrats, and 9 Republicans, one Independent, and 52 Democrats helped vote it down. The two who did not vote were Sens. Byrd and Landrieu, both Democrats.
Congrats and thank you to those who helped my "crusade" out by calling your Senators!
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