The Domain

So I was supposed to be going to the Domain to work at the new store when it opens. Then, last week, because it was “drastic Thursday,” Josh, the manager who was supposed to take over the Barton Creek store decidedto quit. After that, even though he put in his 2 weeks he didn’t really work another shift. Because of this, we had to cover all his shifts and rearrange our schedules. Then the other MIT was told she’d be taking over our store. When she was she told our district manager that she wanted to keep me because I’m better than the other key holder and she didn’t think she’d be as good at training as the manager going to the Domain. She is the one who has been responsible for training all of management and most of the part time employees for the new store and the team taking over the old store. When she told the DM that she wants to keep me, the DM said ok and told me that I was going to be staying at Barton Creek.

I was really excited about going to the Domain, it’s a nicer mall and it’s so much closer to home…much better drive. There’s nothing I can say, I don’t have much of a choice, so Barton Creek is where I’ll be staying.

None of this stopped me from having to sit in our unfinished store for six and a half hours today waiting on someone to come install the computer. He never came. Tomorrow I have to be back at 8:30 again. I wish I was going to be working there.

Freaking Grey’s

Ok, I love Grey’s Anatomy, I have the first 2 seasons on DVD, but they’re gonna lose me really fast with all this drama crap. Every week there’s some new huge drama. There aren’t any episodes with just witty banter in them anymore. What happened to the fun, care free, funny intern dialogue? I miss it! They can’t kill Meredith Grey, the show is about her, what are they going to call it? Anatomy? Can we please quit trying to be Days of Our lives and get back on with the show? I realize it’s sweeps, but who really needs a 3 part series? They’re getting on my nerves.

Things to do in Austin, Texas:

-2 for 1 burger night at Hut’s (Wednesday)
-$.99 margerita happy hour at El Arroyo (Thursday afternoons)
-Mexican martinis and stuffed avacados at Trudy’s
-Watch a game at Pluckers
-Eat at the Oasis on Lake Travis
-Eat at Hula Hut on Lake Austin
-Watch the bats at the south congress bridge (sunset in the summer)
-Check out the view from Mt. Bonnell
-Tour the state capitol
-Float the Guadalupe and then eat at the Gristmill (summer)
-Canoe/walk/run/celebrity watch at townlake (it’s really a river)
-Swim at Barton Springs (summer)
-Play volleyball at Zilker Park
-See a midnight movie at the Alamo Drafthouse
-Eat breakfast hung over at Juan in a Million
-Have BBQ at the original County Line (Off Bee Caves past 360)
-Walk around 1st Thursday on south Congress (1st Thursday of every month)
-Eat lunch on the balcony at (the original) Whole Foods; great MoPac Sandwich!
-Eat Crawfish off the table at the Boiling Pot
-Pete’s Piano Bar on 6th
-Get dessert at the Melting Pot (Fondue)
-6th Street (some bars include: Soho, Blind Pig, Aquarium, The Library, Logan’s, Mooseknuckle, Dizzy Rooster, Chuggin Monkey, Spy Bar [for dancing])
-4th and 5th Streets (Cuba Libre, Six Lounge, Foundation, Gruv, Glass, Prague, Speakeasy, Red Fez, Lucky Lounge)
-Union Park and Belmont (bars on 6th Street but in a different area than the others…these bars are nicer like 4th and 5th Streets)
-Copa (salsa dancing)
-Swim at spring fed Hamilton Pool (summer)
-Sing along with the Spazmatics at Cedar St. (Wednesday night)
-Midnight Mag Mud at Magnolias after the bar
-Get ice cream at Amy’s

Feel free to contribute any other suggestions!

The prof

So there’s this prof who comes into our store fairly regularly and all the girls swoon over him. Well, one day we were talking about how I’m getting my masters and what in and blah. blah. blah. Turns out one of my favorite profs is on his PhD board (he is working on it and teaching at UT), so last week I said something to her about him and how we all think he’s pretty. She told me his name and, not even gonna lie, I checked myspace to see if he was on there. He was, but his profile was set to private…dammit…no stalking for me. He was, however, online…so I sent him the message. What the hell…I sent him a message?? Who am I?!? He messaged me back and came into the store not long after. He said something to the girls about having me myspace him during class. Watch me feel stupid.

So Friday night I was at Prague with the girls and I went outside to make a phone call. Who comes walking by but the prof and some douchy friend. They came in with me and wanted to meet my friends. The prof ignored one of my best friends…probably because of her physical appearance…nevermind that she is beautiful. No more points for him. Strike one, he’s out. You ignore her and I ignore you. He later left without saying goodbye. I was done.

Then, yesterday I checked my myspace and he sent me a message when he got home telling me we should hang out and he sent me his phone number. Boooo. No, I think I’m good.

This weekend

Chontae dragging me away from short Mexican guy trying to hit on me in the street…
Him: What? I can’t tell your friend she’s hot?
Tash: We’ve already heard that tonight and I don’t think her boyfriend would appreciate it.
Haha, nice Tash…just one question…what boyfriend? :-D

Guy trying to hit on my by talking to me about my fake engagement ring that he thought was real…
Him: So, where’s your fiance?
Me: Um, he doesn’t live in Austin.
Sharen’s friend walks up…
Friend: I’m her fiance, so maybe you should go.
Haha, oops!

Lots of brown people standing nearby looking at Sharen and not Aarti because they saw her “engagement” ring…
Aarti to Sharen: Look, it’s like a whole village
They move closer to Sharen and Aarti drags us away…
Aarti: We had to move, all the brown people were congregating around Sharen.

Discussing how both of them can pass for things other than Indian:
Sharen: Well, you don’t look like an Indian girl, you’re pretty.

Feb. 14th

Please don’t assume that I hate Valentine’s Day and that I’m a ridiculous cynic, neither are true. With that I will say, I’m not sure how Valentine’s Day was made so successfully commercial. It seems like on this one random day of the year men MUST show their love or they are in the dog house or on the couch. How did this happen? Why is it that a man must show his lone specifically on this day? Why can it not be done on any or every day through the year? Why is it that women must be showered with wonderful treatment? Women don’t get in trouble if they don’t plan something wonderful for the guy in their life, he doesn’t really care. Think about all the pressure and expectations guys have to deal with and live up to. I simply don’t understand it.

I am in no way opposed to being given flowers, taken to dinner, given a gift to express sentiment, and romanced, but why today? Why only today? It’s much less expected on another random day of the year and thus sweeter because it does not feel forced, it feels like something he wanted to do. I want him to want to do these things for me, not do them because today he has to or only because I expect it. And if I expect him to do something to prove his love for me, what kind of a person am I? I shouldn’t expect anything; what entitled me to expectations of being spoiled? I am happy with what I get.

So, on Valentine’s Day, I feel bad for American men. I don’t like the way this holiday functions or what it has evolved into. But, again I will say, I am certainly not opposed to the nice things that come with it. Oh, and I recieved some gorgeous tulips today…thanks Mom! :-D

My second Saturday

Today I sold over $1800. I worked from 1:30 to close. We left about 10:20. The store was a mess and it took us a while to close. I remember the store being “slow” for a total of about 3 minutes the whole time I was there until the last hour when it kind of dropped off. I got there and the next thing I knew it was 6:30. Craziness. I took about 10 minutes to get food and eat. Then all of the sudden it was 9. Crazy. Today went fast. People were sick, so there weren’t enough people there and we were crazy busy. All is good though, my feet just hurt.

Even more

Today I sold $1400 in my 8 hours! Today beats yesterday!! :-D

$1200 in 8 hours

Today Ashley pulled me aside to talk to me about how I’m liking the change in my job and everything that has happened with it. I enjoy it, the store is better, the people are better, it’s more lively, there’s more going on, etc. I asked her though, what she’d like to see me inprove on. She said I’ve done a good job and gotten a lot better since I first came here, but that she wants me to transition from the part timer to the manager.

Tonight when we were closing Josh asked me what she’d talked to me about. I told him, but before I got to the last part about what I can do better he told me there’s one thing I could do better and he wasn’t telling me to be a jerk or whatever, but because he wants to see me get better…and I want to, that’s why I asked Ashley. He said I need to make the transition in mindset from part timer to manager. I laughed and told him Ashley has said I need to do the same thing. Then, he told me I’d done a really good job doing that tonight. He said he’d dragged ass and I picked up the slack. He told me the store was successful tonight because of me, I worked the floor and made the sales. That showed, at the end of my 8 hours I’d sold $1200. We got there at the same time today. His sales were under $300. He said tonight I had transitioned. Yay, go me! I don’t do it when Ashley is around because she has that mindset enough for everyone, I can’t be like that when she’s being like that…I can’t explain why, but it just wouldn’t work…it would be like I didn’t know my place, I don’t know.

Anyway, tonight I am proud of myself. I did well and I am happy. My job makes me happy. Now if only I could make time for school.

Shoe laces and an old lady

This morning the first woman in the store tried on some “sport” shoes. She decided the laces were too long and she had too much left over when she tied them. Rather than tie a double bow or something she asked me if we had shorter laces. I went to the back and brought her the shortest pack we had. They were 30″ long; about the same length as the ones in the shoes. She didn’t believe my assumption, however, that they were the same length and proceeded to unlace the shoe and ask me to measure the laces. I had nothing to measure them with. The guy working with me told her they were going to be about the same length. She said ok and she would take the shoes, a little exasperated. Usually I would attempt to be polite and relace the shoes for her. I walked away. She was ridiculous, she could relace them on her own.

Later an old woman came in. I said hello, she didn’t even look at me. The guy working with me said hi, she didn’t look at him. I walked over to her and said, loudly, hi. She looked at me for a minute then asked me if I worked there. No one else was in the store. Yes, bitch. She asked me for a boot in a 7 1/2 or something. The boot said “LP” on the bottom, meaning last pair. I told her that and she took it back, walked back to where it was on the table, dropped it down, looked back at it when it fell and walked out. No, I will not say goodbye to you.

When you shop retail, please be nice to the people working in the store. Don’t act like you’re better than them, be polite, say hello, say thank you, be understanding. You’re in no way better than them, they are probably just as educated as you and in some cases more. Just don’t be a bitch. Put things back where they were, how they were. Don’t tear tables apart, don’t move things around, they are people too.