Dec. 26 should also be called "Black Friday," or, whatever day it falls on.

The day after Thanksgiving is typically called Black Friday because that's when everyone goes into full gear with their Christmas shopping and that alone is supposed to help the Retailers get into the Black so to speak with profits. Luckily, with the convenience of the internet, people like myself enjoy either VERY early shopping (like in October), or shoppping on the internet to avoid pushy sales people or rude customers who can't even change lanes with their shopping carts in places like Target or Costco.

Yesterday, I made a trip to our local Target to simply buy some main essentials, not really thinking about "after Christmas sales." But once I was there, the parking lot was full. People were backing out of their parking spaces without looking, some were practically running pedestrians over with their vehicles as they would come out of the store pushing a cart full of sales items. When I walked in, there were carts literally in every aisle and section of the store. But the one place I went to almost immediately was most likely the worst - the Christmas aisle. Everything was 50% off or more. I couldn't get passed people's parked carts or their parked asses. They would stand there and pretend they don't even see that someone is trying to get by them. Then they would have a hissy fit and bitch left and right just because you finally have the balls to say, "Excuse me!" because it's such a chore for them to move a couple of inches to make room for you.

The funniest part of that visit to Target was listening to an older couple, husband and wife, trying to pick and choose which greeting cards set they wanted. The wife had picked one kind while the husband picked another kind. The husband had exclaimed to the wife, in what sounded like a crappy British accent, "I really don't care for that one... I'm not interested in charity." I have NO idea why he said that since the card set she was holding up had nothing to do with charity. Then she showed him a set that had a picture of Times Square on it, which provoked him to say, "What does that have to do with me?" She finally gave up after he picked a set feeling like she wasn't going to win. The whole time they stood there in debate, I felt like telling the husband, "Will you just shut up!? You're giving off a smell like you've been in a jar of pickled pig's feet!"

Black Friday's reputation has indeed befallen the day after Christmas, not because of profits and numbers, but because of how quickly the spirit of Christmas has left people's minds and hearts. They only come for a quick bargain.

There is a reason for a 15-day absence

It's called vacation! Duh people, get with the program!

No really... it's been all work, work, work up until last Friday. What made things worse was that I was totally trying to fight the flu bug that had been floating around and people in the office were still making me go out in the pouring rain to buy them goodies for the last get-together before the office was shut down for the Holidays. I wasn't even going to stick around for it but they wanted me to buy them shit anyway. They saw and heard how sick I was but they didn't care. They just wanted their damn beer and chips. Instead I managed to coax one of my co-workers into getting the stuff since she had her heart set on having wine. After Friday, I was free of misery! Well, for the most part. I still had to deal with the Holiday shoppers. Even with great sales and deals, people were still bitchy as ever.

Putting aside that I was visited by a friend who is also a celebrity, I was still, quite frankly, very annoyed that I didn't get to see my parents for the Holidays. It did, on the upside, snow on Christmas Day. It wasn't even half an inch, but it was enough to make up for all the bullshit I had to go through leading up to the day.

I'm one of Santa's elves, stuck babysitting for an office of 20

We had our office party last night. After a week of hell, it's finally over with. This week has been the worst week I've ever had at the office. I had people coming at me left and right expecting me to make their priorities my own. Being the only administrative person around, I feel like their pulling me in all directions and they're not hearing me when I say "it has to wait" because they continue to pull. I swear, if they keep this up, they will soon have to learn to fend for themselves because I won't put up with it much longer.

Our Nation's Veterans have no place in the working world

Recently, a friend of my partner's was venting about applying for work at placed like Fred Meyer's, Albertson's, etc. These people tell him that they won't hire him because he has no work experience. What the fuck people! The man fought for our country in Iraq because of our brainless president! How can you sit there and say he has no work experience! It takes a big set of balls and the guts to joing the military and be sent off to another country and engage the enemy in combat for something they may or may not believe in. One thing's for sure: he fought that we may continue to have the freedom we bask in day in and day out and take for granted. It's idiots like the hiring people who don't put this into consideration. I bet if the roles were reversed they'd think twice. I just pray that he can find a job sooner or later. The same happened to my dad when he retired from the Air Force. After serving his country for over 25 years, no one in San Francisco wanted to hire him. He finally landed a security job because the security and public safety industries like people with military and law enforcement background. The downfall however is the same as the military - you gain health issues and aren't taken care of properly.

"We're going out because I said so..."

I've never really been big on socializing. I'm a very private person. I enjoy time to myself, but if I were to be around people, I prefer that it's with a small group, which to me is no more than 10 people. I have a strange phobia of crowds. It was especially tough when I worked in malls. Christmas season was the worse. I think, for the most part, that as long as I'm in good company or with people I love being around with, I can be myself openly and feel quite comfortable. When it comes to meeting new people, I feel like I'm at work. I'm "forced" to be a certain way until I feel ready to let them get to know the real me. But more than half the time, I'm not even motivated to do this. Like cravings for certain foods, my "want" to meet new people comes when it wants to. Yes, it's a very rare occasion, but it does happy. I've fallen into a comfort zone after relocating from California and I've grown to embrace it, enjoy it and very unwilling to let it change. My partner has been making friends at school so I've been feeling a lesser of a need to fulfill that end of the bargain of meeting new people for her since she's done that very well for herself. I may be somewhat of a hermit and have the tendency to ostracize myself, but I have yet to ascertain the reasoning behind this. It could be perhaps because I've been hurt one too many times in the past that I've just thrown the towel in and feel my efforts will be a waste of energy and time.

So when I'm told I have to go somewhere and it runs outside the perimeter of my personal plans/ wishes, naturally I'm going become bitchy and sound like a cry-baby, because I'm not getting my way. But it also doesn't mean I won't end up enjoying myself.

Why my last two employers can't keep good employees

They are full of Performace Inhibitors (mostly the head managers at the property I worked at in Palo Alto, CA):

1.) Culture is non-commercial, non-competitive, and non-profit oriented
2.) The urge to achieve outstanding results is not great and people seldom persist in the face of difficulties.
3.)there is little opportunity for taking on leadership responsibilities or directing other people.
4.) Self-Confidence is equated with arrogance and denigrated, and people are discouraged from taking control of their own workload.
5.) There are few opportunities for analyzing and solving problems.
6.) Conventional attitudes prevail, traditional approaches are preferred and people are discouraged from generating new ideas.
7.) The focus is short rather than longer term, tactical rather than strategic.
8.) Influence is by means of command and control rather than by persuasion and negotiation.

If only I could tell you which companies these are, I would because I would never want to wish this on anyone. It really is hell on Earth.

Hollywood celebs rack up DUI'S!!!

Is it just me, or do celebrities feel that in order to get more attention, they have to be stopped and jailed for DUI? Recently there was Kiefer Sutherland, then Vivica Fox, of course Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, and the notorious Nicole Ritchie. Does that mean if I get paid millions on top of millions and drive a nice car, I can go out and drive drunk or high? Today's society is just not fair!

Rain = puddles as Car = wet pants

We got hit with two storms back to back over this past weekend in Portland, OR and surrounding areas. When Monday morning came along, I walked to my bus stop as usual. The rain and wind was still kickin' good. When I reached the corner that I normally cross to get to my bus stop, it was flooded - the rain reached my ankles. When I looked at the other corners to see if I could cross elsewhere to avoid treading through waters, it was no use. The worse part was in fact at my actual bus stop. The water reached 2 inches above my ankles because the storm drain was backed up. On top of that, every car that drove by saw the water and still drove through it like maniacs, causing my pants to become soaked up to my knees. I yelled and cussed out at several drivers because there was nothing else better for me to do. Why drive through thick, raging puddles knowing someone is standing right there and there's nowhere else for them to go? Think you're cute? Fuckers...

Deadbeat employer feels need to protect themselves from what they lost

So one of my best friends quit her job today. It's something that's been on her mind for quite a while for similar reasons why I left the same company. The most pathetic thing they could do (and they did do this) was escort her off property. It's like implying that she's a threat to the place. For God's sakes, the woman is leaving because your company is pathetic. There's nothing more precious to this company except their money. They care more about what they consider to be a threat to their name than someone who was worked to the bone, gave a crap about their job and did their damndest to make it into a better place. This large, worldwide property company has got to be the worst company I ever worked for. You bring up a situation that pertains to slander and heresay, they immediately dismiss it. But once you get an audit and you fuck up on it, EVERYONE'S heads roll. It doesn't matter if just one person is at fault.

My friend gets escorted off the property (she didn't break any laws, didn't steal or anything); within 10 minutes of submitting her resignation, her phone was disconnected. Talk about not wasting time!!! Don't these people have anything else better to do?!?