Some of you may have heard the news that Osama bin Laden is dead. I heard it on the radio, and maybe it was because I was still waking up, but I didn't react strongly, one way or the other. To be honest, I thought we had forgotten about him. After all, it's been nearly ten years since 9/11 (and yes, I STILL remember where I was at the time), and if I recall correctly, the amount of talk there was about him eventually went on the decline.
I don't know what his death is going to mean for us or Al-Qeada. One of my thrift store colleagues thinks that there will be retaliation on the terrorists' end, and it'll be World War III for us. We'll just have to wait and see.
So, for those of you who heard about the death, how did you react? Did you have strong feelings either way, or did you, like me, pretty much forget about him?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
It's Good To Be Home
I'm finally home from helping out with a family situation. Though it took a while to be resolved, it has been resolved nonetheless, and I can finally resume my regular routines as well as go in and out of the house on my terms. (The nature of what I had to do outside of my hometown limited when and under what circumstances I was out of the house I was staying in.) What's more, it's in time for Easter, so I'll get to go to church tomorrow. Yay!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Something I Might Have To Try This Summer
For roughly two months, I've been at my sister's house. One of the things I've done recently was help my nephew pick dandelions to give to the family rabbit and guinea pig. (We ended up picking more than was actually needed though, so some are currently on reserve.)
The only pet at my house is a dog named Layla, and I'm not sure how receptive she would be of dandelions. However, the dandelion picking got me thinking about what I could do with dandelions in my own hometown in case I don't have anything else to do this summer and decide go pick dandelions (at my own home or at a local park).
So, I looked on the Internet for some things to try. Some of the ideas were cooking-related, but I don't have that much experience with cooking, at least not from scratch anyway. However, something that I did find was a recipe for dandelion lemonade. It doesn't look very hard to make. I'd simply need 2 quarts worth of dandelions, certain containers (a one gallon jar and something that will help me measure out the right amount of dandelions), some lemons, and to make sure there's enough space in the fridge for a one gallon jar (not to meniton permission from my mom and/or stepdad). The recipe mentioned "add[ing] fresh honey to taste", but I think that part's optional.
I will likely be in my hometown this summer, and I plan on filling most of my week up with the job search, volunteer work at a local thrift store three times a week, and church on Sunday. However, I might have a day or two when I could take a go at gathering dandelions for lemonade. It'll be a new thing for me and give me an excuse to be outside for a while.
The only pet at my house is a dog named Layla, and I'm not sure how receptive she would be of dandelions. However, the dandelion picking got me thinking about what I could do with dandelions in my own hometown in case I don't have anything else to do this summer and decide go pick dandelions (at my own home or at a local park).
So, I looked on the Internet for some things to try. Some of the ideas were cooking-related, but I don't have that much experience with cooking, at least not from scratch anyway. However, something that I did find was a recipe for dandelion lemonade. It doesn't look very hard to make. I'd simply need 2 quarts worth of dandelions, certain containers (a one gallon jar and something that will help me measure out the right amount of dandelions), some lemons, and to make sure there's enough space in the fridge for a one gallon jar (not to meniton permission from my mom and/or stepdad). The recipe mentioned "add[ing] fresh honey to taste", but I think that part's optional.
I will likely be in my hometown this summer, and I plan on filling most of my week up with the job search, volunteer work at a local thrift store three times a week, and church on Sunday. However, I might have a day or two when I could take a go at gathering dandelions for lemonade. It'll be a new thing for me and give me an excuse to be outside for a while.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Snow We've Been Getting
We had snow since the beginning of the month. It has been last Monday since I had consistent access to a sidewalk. Not only are the sidewalks covered to where I can't find them, but the piles are too high for me to walk through them without getting more than a minimal amount of pant leg wet. Needless to say, a lot of commutes I have had to make had me walking on the street but as close to the curb as possible.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the office where my mom works was closed. My stepdad had to work Tuesday, but the store ended up closing early, and he had the day off on Wednesday anyway. Wednesday is also one of the days when I do my volunteer work at a local thrift store, but last Wednesday it was closed and today, the weather was too risky for me to go over there without at least arranging a ride.
Things that were supposed to happen this month ended up not happening because of the weather. The fashion show that my mom and I were supposed to participate in this past Sunday had been postponed by a month. The work night that the aforementioned thrift store (for anyone, staff member or not, to come in if they wished in order to help further things along) that was scheduled for tomorrow ended up getting cancelled because of the weather.
Then, there's my job search. I have not been able to turn in a single job application last week because of the snow and the very bitter cold. I have one filled out that I hope to turn in tomorrow, and I'm hoping to seek out more. (Unfortunately, I will have to walk on the street for longer distances than what it takes to get to my volunteer work.) The snow does not change the fact that I've got student loans to pay off and not to mention I want to minimize my dependency on either of my parents (in addition to not wanting to let them down).
As a kid, I enjoyed the snow, especially if I got a chance to play in it. I remember various times when I've even built snowmen. As an adult, I've found it hard to enjoy. For one thing, it's keeping me from doing things I need to go out and do or at least making it difficult. Another is that I feel I have to much "indoor stuff" to do that I don't feel right about going outside without having any business calling me there. Also, while it'd be one thing to be out playing in the snow if my nephew 8-year-old were around, it seems silly for me to be playing in it by myself at 25 (especially given, again, the "indoor stuff" there is for me to do; but if I run out of it, MAYBE I'll consider going outside).
I will say though, it is pretty to look at. I'll sometimes look out the window at it. (And to think in the last couple of months it didn't look like we'd get any.) Being out in it is just a different matter. I'm hoping it doesn't become too much of a problem for me this month.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the office where my mom works was closed. My stepdad had to work Tuesday, but the store ended up closing early, and he had the day off on Wednesday anyway. Wednesday is also one of the days when I do my volunteer work at a local thrift store, but last Wednesday it was closed and today, the weather was too risky for me to go over there without at least arranging a ride.
Things that were supposed to happen this month ended up not happening because of the weather. The fashion show that my mom and I were supposed to participate in this past Sunday had been postponed by a month. The work night that the aforementioned thrift store (for anyone, staff member or not, to come in if they wished in order to help further things along) that was scheduled for tomorrow ended up getting cancelled because of the weather.
Then, there's my job search. I have not been able to turn in a single job application last week because of the snow and the very bitter cold. I have one filled out that I hope to turn in tomorrow, and I'm hoping to seek out more. (Unfortunately, I will have to walk on the street for longer distances than what it takes to get to my volunteer work.) The snow does not change the fact that I've got student loans to pay off and not to mention I want to minimize my dependency on either of my parents (in addition to not wanting to let them down).
As a kid, I enjoyed the snow, especially if I got a chance to play in it. I remember various times when I've even built snowmen. As an adult, I've found it hard to enjoy. For one thing, it's keeping me from doing things I need to go out and do or at least making it difficult. Another is that I feel I have to much "indoor stuff" to do that I don't feel right about going outside without having any business calling me there. Also, while it'd be one thing to be out playing in the snow if my nephew 8-year-old were around, it seems silly for me to be playing in it by myself at 25 (especially given, again, the "indoor stuff" there is for me to do; but if I run out of it, MAYBE I'll consider going outside).
I will say though, it is pretty to look at. I'll sometimes look out the window at it. (And to think in the last couple of months it didn't look like we'd get any.) Being out in it is just a different matter. I'm hoping it doesn't become too much of a problem for me this month.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
The Empty Seat
Since October of 2009, when I had returned to my mom after nine-and-a-half months of living with my dad when he had to have surgery and go somewhere to recover from said surgery, I had been attending a Baptist church in my current hometown. There was an elderly whom I would often sit next to. She and I would talk a bit before the service. One of the things that would come up was my job search. She'd ask how it was going, and I'd admit that it wasn't going so well. She was sympathetic of this. (She knew the economy was making it hard to get a job.)
Last week, I had heard that she was in the hospital. I think it had something to do with a hip injury. If the weather had allowed, I maybe would've gone to see her. I found out today that she died on Thursday, and her funeral was this afternoon. After church, I went home basically just long enough to eat some lunch and then headed over to the funeral home where said funeral was taking place. (The burial is set to be a private family one to take place on another date.) I was hoping that today, I'd maybe get some clarification from the pastor as to the details of her condition and maybe find out what part of the hospital she was in so that I could perhaps go see her. But obviously, it was too late. She lived to be 79.
We could all be confident that we'll see someone again or that we'll get to do xyz only for death to change all that. Will I live as long as my friend did? I don't know at this point. On the one hand, I regret not seeing her one last time before her passing. If I knew earlier specifically which part of the hospital she was in, I would've maybe toughed out the weather we had been having to go see her.
Church won't be the same anymore without her to talk to before service. Perhaps the empty seat next to me is symbolic of the void that her passing has left. Will someone else fill the seat next to me? Who knows? All I know is that I should never take for granted the people in my life (in my family, at church, or anywhere else). After all, one day they could be gone for good.
Last week, I had heard that she was in the hospital. I think it had something to do with a hip injury. If the weather had allowed, I maybe would've gone to see her. I found out today that she died on Thursday, and her funeral was this afternoon. After church, I went home basically just long enough to eat some lunch and then headed over to the funeral home where said funeral was taking place. (The burial is set to be a private family one to take place on another date.) I was hoping that today, I'd maybe get some clarification from the pastor as to the details of her condition and maybe find out what part of the hospital she was in so that I could perhaps go see her. But obviously, it was too late. She lived to be 79.
We could all be confident that we'll see someone again or that we'll get to do xyz only for death to change all that. Will I live as long as my friend did? I don't know at this point. On the one hand, I regret not seeing her one last time before her passing. If I knew earlier specifically which part of the hospital she was in, I would've maybe toughed out the weather we had been having to go see her.
Church won't be the same anymore without her to talk to before service. Perhaps the empty seat next to me is symbolic of the void that her passing has left. Will someone else fill the seat next to me? Who knows? All I know is that I should never take for granted the people in my life (in my family, at church, or anywhere else). After all, one day they could be gone for good.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A Research Project Of Sorts
I had a professor in college who once said, "Sometimes you have to do homework in order to do your homework." This was in reference to an assignment in that class that was set up in which answering certain questions required more research than the format and instructions suggested. I have not been in school since December 2008. However, even in "real" life I have found truth in that statement.
Take for instance my volunteer position at a thrift store in my hometown. For a while, our manager wanted to be the only one to price clothing. However, it became necessary for her to authorize someone else to do it. When things at the store became such that said person could not take care of the pricing either, the manager delegated the task to me.
One of the factors I have been taught to take into account when pricing something is brand. For instance, a blouse of a brand that could be found at JCPenny would be worth more than one of a brand found at Wal-Mart. It's easy to price an item with the brand in mind when I have seen/heard of the brand but not so easy when I haven't. (Being the kind of business that we are, there's no telling what will come in on any given day, so there's always the chance of coming across an item of a brand that neither I nor the manager has ever heard of. In a case like that, I'll go by other factors, such as condition of the item, design, and/or what comparable items that have been priced are going for.)
The way it is at this point, I'll generally price one or two items at a time and then put them out. While stuff is at least getting out, I feel bad that it's not getting out as quickly as it normally does when I'm merely putting stuff out that someone else has priced. So, in an attempt to be more efficient, I have decided to look up some brands to see which ones are expensive and which ones aren't so expensive. (So far, I've done most of my research on the respective sites of JCPenney and Wal-Mart. I might look up comparable stores as well.) I've made lists of both. I may study them a bit so that I won't have to look at them a lot and I can get stuff priced faster.
I never thought I would ever need to do research for a position like this. But if that is what is in the best interest of the business, so be it, especially if it pertains to a responsibility that I have in it. Hopefully, my "aim" for the right price will get better as I go along.
Take for instance my volunteer position at a thrift store in my hometown. For a while, our manager wanted to be the only one to price clothing. However, it became necessary for her to authorize someone else to do it. When things at the store became such that said person could not take care of the pricing either, the manager delegated the task to me.
One of the factors I have been taught to take into account when pricing something is brand. For instance, a blouse of a brand that could be found at JCPenny would be worth more than one of a brand found at Wal-Mart. It's easy to price an item with the brand in mind when I have seen/heard of the brand but not so easy when I haven't. (Being the kind of business that we are, there's no telling what will come in on any given day, so there's always the chance of coming across an item of a brand that neither I nor the manager has ever heard of. In a case like that, I'll go by other factors, such as condition of the item, design, and/or what comparable items that have been priced are going for.)
The way it is at this point, I'll generally price one or two items at a time and then put them out. While stuff is at least getting out, I feel bad that it's not getting out as quickly as it normally does when I'm merely putting stuff out that someone else has priced. So, in an attempt to be more efficient, I have decided to look up some brands to see which ones are expensive and which ones aren't so expensive. (So far, I've done most of my research on the respective sites of JCPenney and Wal-Mart. I might look up comparable stores as well.) I've made lists of both. I may study them a bit so that I won't have to look at them a lot and I can get stuff priced faster.
I never thought I would ever need to do research for a position like this. But if that is what is in the best interest of the business, so be it, especially if it pertains to a responsibility that I have in it. Hopefully, my "aim" for the right price will get better as I go along.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Turning Down Time Into "Do" Time At Home
First off, I'm sorry I haven't been in here lately. I don't know if it's that I haven't had much to say here or what.
Second, I have a confession to make. You've heard the saying, "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" or something along those lines, right? Basically it means that if you don't have something to do, you'll cause trouble or something. In my case, if I'm not engaged in something and I'm bored, I'll do something dumb, like pace around my room or (if no one is home) the house. I don't know where I get that habit from. All I know is that it's a wasteful habit and not to mention annoying to those around me if I get caught. This is not a habit I want to pass down to my future children. It's also a behavior that would not fly at any job,including my volunteer work at a local thrift store; then again, there's almost always something for me to take care of there, even if it's simply wiping something down or reorganizing a display to make it more presentable. (And I can't speak for everybody, but in my case, if there's nothing to do whatsoever, and I'm not the one running the register, I could always just leave.)
Anyway, I've made a post-New Year's resolution to have something planned for when I'm going to be home to help lessen the temptation for aimless roaming. For instance, last night, I determined that, when I got home from church, I would spend this afternoon reading a book of which I had gotten through the prologue so far. I would spend however much time I needed to get the book finished (barring any calls I needed to take or any requests to help with something of course). That ended up knocking roughly four to five hours out of my day, I believe. Even if my mind started to wander (and my body did once or twice), I made sure to get right back to the reading.
Tomorrow night, I think I'll plan on reading two books still on my reading list (The Little Book of Stress and The Little Book of Crap). After that, I'll grab one of my sudoku books (which has white rings) and finish the puzzles in that. If I finish that book before the evening's up, I'll grab the other book and finish the puzzles in that. If I finish that book, I'll do more of the puzzles in one of the calendar sets. (I have a black one and a red one. They're the "tear the page off" type of calendars.) If I have time after that, I'll take surveys that have been emailed to me and clean out my inbox.
I don't expect myself to get all of these done tomorrow night per se. However, maybe if I know I have an agenda for the evening, I won't feel so bored, and I won't be as tempted to move about needlessly. I think I'll try to do this every night and on the weekends (unless of course I do end up with a night or a weekend day where I need to be somewhere). I'll let you know how that turns out.
Second, I have a confession to make. You've heard the saying, "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" or something along those lines, right? Basically it means that if you don't have something to do, you'll cause trouble or something. In my case, if I'm not engaged in something and I'm bored, I'll do something dumb, like pace around my room or (if no one is home) the house. I don't know where I get that habit from. All I know is that it's a wasteful habit and not to mention annoying to those around me if I get caught. This is not a habit I want to pass down to my future children. It's also a behavior that would not fly at any job,including my volunteer work at a local thrift store; then again, there's almost always something for me to take care of there, even if it's simply wiping something down or reorganizing a display to make it more presentable. (And I can't speak for everybody, but in my case, if there's nothing to do whatsoever, and I'm not the one running the register, I could always just leave.)
Anyway, I've made a post-New Year's resolution to have something planned for when I'm going to be home to help lessen the temptation for aimless roaming. For instance, last night, I determined that, when I got home from church, I would spend this afternoon reading a book of which I had gotten through the prologue so far. I would spend however much time I needed to get the book finished (barring any calls I needed to take or any requests to help with something of course). That ended up knocking roughly four to five hours out of my day, I believe. Even if my mind started to wander (and my body did once or twice), I made sure to get right back to the reading.
Tomorrow night, I think I'll plan on reading two books still on my reading list (The Little Book of Stress and The Little Book of Crap). After that, I'll grab one of my sudoku books (which has white rings) and finish the puzzles in that. If I finish that book before the evening's up, I'll grab the other book and finish the puzzles in that. If I finish that book, I'll do more of the puzzles in one of the calendar sets. (I have a black one and a red one. They're the "tear the page off" type of calendars.) If I have time after that, I'll take surveys that have been emailed to me and clean out my inbox.
I don't expect myself to get all of these done tomorrow night per se. However, maybe if I know I have an agenda for the evening, I won't feel so bored, and I won't be as tempted to move about needlessly. I think I'll try to do this every night and on the weekends (unless of course I do end up with a night or a weekend day where I need to be somewhere). I'll let you know how that turns out.
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