Take this job and shove it!

I went into work Friday morning hoping that we would at least get off by 5pm, but I thought it was going to be a long day since I was bugging my boss all week for the sales goals for all the stores, so I could do the associate quotas. I went in to my office set down my stuff, opened my email and started working some other stuff. Then I hear Larry ask his admin to take him to the airport. I run out and say "what about quotas" he says "it will be done, I will email you" So I go back to my desk. Then another VP comes over and gets the other admin that sits in my area and says they have a meeting and take off. So there I am all alone. I go off to get more coffee to help me through this day and when I return my voice mail light is flashing. I check the message and it is the HR manager. She says "hey Tiffany, I am working on commissions, can you come down to my office?" So I head down there. She says "have a seat".

So I sit down. She says "we have decided to eliminate your position" I totally didn't see this coming, first thing I thought was "WHAT?!!?!" Then she said "it isn't you, but they weren't strategic in hiring for this position. They don't know what they want, and it has been a frustrating couple of months." Including that they can't give very good direction and that they didn't really know what they wanted out of the position. Of course, it was 'no reflection on me' and I have 'great potential'. I say "you know what, you couldn't have said it more perfect. This has been frustrating. And when I was hired, I told all of you that I was not qualified for this job, yet you all said "we want someone with potential" which I mistakenly thought meant you were willing to train me. I haven't had a single ounce of training since I started." She informs me that of course I am eligible for unemployment, which pays a whopping $377 a week!! And hands me my last check.

So then I am escorted to my desk by the HR lady and she lets me get a few personal things off my computer, asks for my black berry and laptop back. Of course I don't have my laptop, so she asks that I be back within the hour to return it.

As I pack up my sad little office, a few pictures of my bf, a few personal trinkets and load them into a box, I am just sort of stunned. What just happened? Did I just loose my job? I am pretty proud of myself that I kept my composure and didn't cry. So I took my box and was escorted to my car. Once in the car my cell phone rang and it was my friend Jenny who had just walked out of this same office the day before. She asked what happened and I told her, so she of course said "let's have lunch" so we met for lunch. While I was driving up to my own house, because I still had to bring that damn laptop all the way back, I called my parents. They were of course supportive and 'look at the bright side but I was just pissed. Pissed that I left a great job, and a great severance package to take this opportunity and then I was just let go and given my check through today. What the hell????

Now, as stated before I hated my job and was looking for other employment, but now I was being pushed out! So this little weenie of a boss I had couldn't even fire me himself, and I was lied to about why I was going to the HR office, do I really care? I don't think I do. So as I head to lunch, I decide I will not be upset about it, look at it as a blessing and move on. I meet up with Jenny and Heather (who plans on resigning on Monday) and we had a great Mexican lunch at Chuy's and I had a few beers.

So now what??? I don't know. I guess I start looking for work since to get my unemployment, I have to apply for 5 jobs a week. :)

The Notebook

It is obvious the Olympics are dominating the airwaves, so some of the other stations are showing the same things over and over all weekend, as was with ABC Family. They must have shown The Notebook about 10 times between Friday and Sunday. So I watched it. Why do I do that to myself? It is the saddest movie of all time! I was freaking balling my eyes out! I was a sniffling, snotty mess! I started to watch it Saturday night while I was waiting for my bf to get home from work, but was smart enough to turn it off, since we were going to meet up with friends and didn't want to be a red nosed, blurry eyed sniffling idiot in front of them. I actually changed the channel and watched Just Friends with Ryan Reynolds. In that movie he takes the girl he loves (and his mom and best friend) to see The Notebook! And that made me cry! So then I had to change the channel again. This movie is so well acted and the story is well told! I love it, even if it makes me a big ball of snot! Every time I see it, even as I write this post, or when I just saw a snippet of the movie inside another movie, I tear up! Why do we do this to ourselves girls?? Now if you haven't seen this movie, don't read this post...I will spoil it for you. Go rent the movie, grab a HUGE box of Kleenex and then come back after you watched it.

The first time I saw this movie in 2005, my bf, who wasn't yet my boyfriend, brought it over and watched it with me, my best friend Heather and our neighbor, Sarah. All of us girls were sitting on the couch, huddled together, balling our eyes out. I am not really sure what it is about this movie that moves me so much, but I can only guess that it is because we all hope that we are loved that much by someone. I want someone to love me so much that when I can't even remember who they are, but they come read the story of our lives to me just to have even 5 minutes of the person they love come back. I of course asked my bf this through all my tears, and he as the perfect man he is, answered 'of course!'. He also told me as I was sniffling, snorting and do that hyperventilating this girls do when we are really crying, that I was beautiful! I am not sure what is wrong with him, but hell if he thinks that when I am sure to look like a mess, I guess I can't complain.

So I stayed up till 11:30 to watch the final scene where James Garner's character, Noah, sneaks into his wife's room at the nursing home, climbs into bed with her, as she has a moment of clarity and remembers him. She says that she is afraid he will leave her, but he of course reassures her that he will never leave her. She then asks if he thinks they will ever be together again, and if they can leave this world together! OMG!!! So sad! Then they say 'good night' and drift off to sleep holding each other. The next shot you see the nurse coming down the hall, whistling, and she enters the room, sees them laying in the bed, holding hands, and she goes over to touch them. She then realizes they are dead. They left the world together, to be together again. OMG!! So there I am sitting on the couch, curled up, sniffling, hugging a pillow and my bf is just got his arms around me and I can't help but wonder "why don't guys get choked up about this stuff???" I makes me crazy...why don't they have the same reaction. So I asked him "doesn't it make you sad" and he said "yes" That was it, 'yes', no tears, nothing!! BOYS!

So if you want a good cry and a good movie...The Notebook is my pick!

There is no crying in the Olympics....oh wait, I mean there is LOTS of crying

I have been following the Olympics very closely this year. Not sure if it was that damn commercial about the track guy not being able to finish the race so his dad comes out and helps him or if it was just the idea of the US banding together for one common purpose. I am not really sure. Unlike 90% of the world, while I am excited that Michael Phelps is the human rocket, I am getting bored watching him just clean people's clocks. I did find tonight's race interesting, since he took that last 1/2 stroke to win by 1/100th of a second and looked like the other guy was going to win.

This is all pretty cool, but I personally thought the men's gymnastics team was much better to watch. It is like the difference between watching pro sports and college. In college you have hero stories, but in the pros, you usually know how it goes. I feel that way about Michael Phelps. He is a total pro...were we really wondering if he was going to be the most metaled Olympian of all time? I sorta figured that is the way it was going to be...so no serious surprise. But watching the men's gymnasts on Wednesday night at the team finals was amazing. Brought me to tears. I enjoyed how hyped they got and cheered each other on. Also, I appreciated that they didn't celebrate till AFTER all the other gymnasts went. I heard Johnathan Horton state "hey there are still people on the floor" after they figured out there was no way the German's could take them on the pummel horse. It was a great show of sportsmanship. They also were a team that totally came from behind and won a metal beyond all their troubles...like loosing both the Hamm brothers, the only ones on the team who had been to an Olympics. Then they were just SO EXCITED to win a bronze metal, which is a great accomplishment! I appreciated that they came to win....something.

But back to my title, the damn crying! Every time I hear the National Anthem, it makes me tear up damn it! Doesn't matter who won or what event, but I am teary eyed! It is like one giant American Hallmark commercial! My bf and I have ATT U-verse, so we have been DVRing the Olympics all week. Tonight we watched the ladies gymnastics. I watched a Russian Texan and a little girl from Iowa walk away with a 1-2 win! It was amazing. They were both crying, which of course made me cry! My bf was like 'why are you crying' and just sort of laughs at me, but I can't help it. It makes me proud to be an American. And Naz sang some of the words of the anthem. She has been the first athlete (from America) I have seen actually sing it!

One thing I have noticed is that the American athletes don't SING the National Anthem...what is with that?? The bf says it is b/c not everyone knows it. While I believe, unfortunately that he is correct, if I were planning to win 8 gold metals, damn sure I would learn the words! If I though, there is a chance I might stand on a podium in front of the WORLD, I would learn the damn words! So, note to all you athletes out there....learn the words to your National Anthem!

It is now late and I am still watching the Olympics...this has been my whole week! I need to go to bed, but I can't stop watching! So while this might not be totally coherent, it is my thoughts on the Olympics...and crying....and America.

Good night for now!

My Job

First off I should state that I hate my job. Hate is a strong word, but in this case warranted. There isn't anything particularly horrible about it, I just don't like it. I left a great company, who unfortunately couldn't keep my division open and had to lay everyone off. I started the job hunt and found what seemed like the same job I was doing, but for a growing and expanding global company. So I packed my desk and left my severance package for what I thought might be a better opportunity. They said they wanted someone with potential, which I mistakenly took as they wanted to train me, which they don't! I did point out that I was not qualified for the position in both my interviews, which I can only assume at this point, they never heard! And yet they continue to expect me to understand things in which I don't have any experience. I think I pick things up pretty quickly when they are explained to me, so I have to believe that it is the lack of training making my job so hard. They are really unorganized and my boss can barely use a computer! It makes it difficult to train me when he has no idea what I am supposed to be doing. Also they have, to this point, refused to outline my job expectations, which makes doing my job effectively impossible! Okay there is one horrible part...my office backs up to the Executive Men's bathroom. Yes the execs...they same one that can't save a file to his desktop without his admin asst helping him, get his own freaking bathroom! And they go in there and talk on the damn phones! It is gross! The final straw....they have HORRIBLE coffee (Folgers)!

As you will find out, I love coffee! I love good coffee. I can't however function without a good solid latte in the morning and a great not too fizzy diet coke in the afternoon. I spent 3 wonderful years of my life working for a franchise of Seattle's Best Coffee here in Austin. I think I might even still regret leaving, although it was ultimately better for my friendship with Ben and for mental health! I worked like a dog, and finally lost the drive to keep performing.

Seattle's Best is now a division of Starbucks, which is ok since they have held the intergry of the coffee and the roasting styles of the original SBC. They didn't sell out, but yet made a great decision to enter into a relationship with their biggest competition. It makes sense. SBC customers are a different segment of the coffee drinking populus, so now Starbucks owns two instead of one segment of their target market.

My First Time

I am new to this whole world, but thought it was time that I put some of the thoughts of mine down on virtual 'paper'. I am not sure if people will find my thoughts interesting, but I think this could be a cool journal for the way I view life and how I go along in mine. So join me on my little journey! Welcome aboard!

Here are my latest thoughts on who I am. I am not a writer, nor do I really care about grammer or spelling, so don't judge me. I write pretty much exactly like I speak, but sometimes dumb it down b/c I can't spell the word I really want to use! LOL

I don't know how to write a 'description' of myself. I am multi-faceted and complicated. I always start with what I do, while that isn't "who" I am, it gives insight into my brain I think. I am an operations analyst. I crunch data into information. I think doing it. It is a problem solving job. I think I am good at it. I also am 1/2 the Resident Team for my apartment complex. I plan the social and functional events for the residents. I love it! And it gets me a great discount on rent! I think I mostly forced my boyfriend to do it, but he was a good sport.

I love to read fiction! It is a serious escape from life for me. I like to watch TV, it is rather an obsession. Yes, I like reality TV. The Bachelor, Project Runway, Big Brother, any Real World/Road Rules challenge...I love it! I get sucked in and just can't get out. I also love all the CSIs, pretty much anything on Food Network (especially The Next Food Network Star, to be referred to as NFNS), Bones, Sarah Conner Chronicles, oh the list goes on and on and on.

I get excited about stupid stuff and am somewhat of an exaggerator when I get excited...I know it, I accept it. You should too.

I have a pretty good business mind, although it always seems to go against the people who are in charge of businesses. I think it is a lot simpler than people make it. I think business is just the art of making your customers happy and continuing to turn a profit. Along with numerous other reasons, that is one reason I will never be a CEO.

I am in a very serious relationship with a great man. He is everything I always wanted for a partner, and even things I didn't know I wanted! He tolerates my excited states, he knows when I am exaggerating and constantly points it out to me and others. He makes me more level headed than I would be otherwise. And he is my hero! I love him so much that it hurts sometimes. I want him to succeed in life and be really happy. I will do anything to make that happen, which is why I know he is the one that I am supposed to be with forever.

I love my friends and I love being busy. I am constantly filling up our social calendar, again something my bf hates. Sometimes I need to escape and hermit up for a bit to explore my own mind and thoughts, but usually I like to stay busy and have a ton of people around me. I belong to a group who watches Project Runway, another who watches Grey's Anatomy. Mostly it is a good excuse for us to all meet up once a week, have dinner and conversation and watch a show we all like. I love hosting and cooking for everyone.

That leads conveniently to another part of me...I like to cook. Actually I am a good cook, not a chef. I can't just go into the kitchen and throw stuff together and have a meal, unless it is spaghetti. I like to make my own spaghetti sauce and it is never the same and always seasoned to taste. Anyway, I like to cook. My bf is a chef. He love to create things in the kitchen. And he is good at it. Which explains why I currently am 20lbs heavier than when we met. I LOVE to bake, although you need a lot more counter space than I have to really get into it.

So that is just some of my facets...more to come!