What Do I See?

It's hard to talk to people on the phone. *exhales*

Because like...you have no buffer time to think things through when you're talking.

And like....you don't have the opportunity to see the person's face so when you're hearing their words you're not quite sure what their face is saying as to what their words are saying.

But mostly it's just....feeling tongue tied.

So if I end up having to call people....you know, outside of work, that aren't family/friends...

I usually try to limit these types of calls to like one a day or something. 

It didn't work out that way today lol. 

So.

I had just gotten off the phone after making one of those calls.

You know figuring out an issue I had and such. 

Which took time and energy and thinking and *exhales8  

And I was relieved to end the call...

But then like two minutes after I hung up the phone....

My eye doctor called. 

Which I was surprised they called me, as I was planning to call them...like tomorrow lol.

Because I'm still trying to figure out what prescription strength of contacts my eyes want to wear.

I mean, I'd narrowed it down to the fact that my right eye actually likes the new prescription and it isn't causing me headaches any more.

But I can't decide if my left eye is fine staying as it is....or if I need to increase the strength on that one too as it was leaning towards increasing it but it didn't necessarily need it. 

So I was going to give it another day....

But then the eye doctor called.

Which put me on the spot.

Because like...I need to order contacts because I kinda need them to see.

But.....my left eye....

Well both eyes are weird.

Because when I'm not thinking about it I can see pretty well.

It's only when I start comparing my eyes that things go weird and I can't decide if my eyes are working together or if one is taking on more work than the other.

But it's not like a consistent thing.

No my eyes take turns.

So one time I'd cover the left eye then the right and find that the right is clear and the left is blurry....only to do it again and have the right blurry and the left clear. 

*shakes heads*

I mean. I guess it's good if that means my eyes are taking turns on which one is seeing more clearly than the other.

But it does make it difficult to decide what sort of contacts I want to get.

So the end result is....

I'm going to swing by later in the week and grab a strong prescription for the left eye to try it out. 

And then decide if I like weaker or stronger with the left. 

*shakes head*

Dear eyes.

Why do you need to be so difficult??

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Odd Injured Circumstances

So earlier this month we had a guinea pig that was returned to us because the front leg was swollen and the guinea pig wasn't using it. He was just holding it up against his chest and such.

Which with how it wasn't really moving and reacting....
We kinda figured that it was broken (but hoped that it wasn't) 

The Vet confirmed that it was after some x-rays. 
And unfortunately it was bad enough that amputation was necessary. 

The odd thing was....
Was that the customer had returned the guinea pig stating that it had been that way since they'd bought him.

Which. O.o
I would have hoped that my coworkers would have noticed such a thing...
Because we actively avoid selling sick or injured creatures. 

So I kinda leaned towards something having happened at home, and the customer didn't want to admit to it. 

Until I came into work this morning.
Because as I was filling up the food and water dishes I noticed that one of the guinea pigs on the floor had crammed himself inside of one of our hayballs that we put...well hay into and was hanging out.
Which I couldn't let him stay there because a) I needed to fill up that hayball and b) customers would be concerned he was stuck. (he wasn't) 

But when I dumped him out of the hayball….

I noticed he wasn't moving quite right.
So I pulled him closer to be able to see his legs and such.
And saw that the guinea pig was holding one of his legs close to his chest...and wasn't using it.

-It was a front leg, but the right instead of the left this time.

But I'm like. O.o 

What are the odds?
What are the odds of having two guinea pigs within the space of a month end up with basically the same injury?

Like....had a coworker or a customer dropped this guinea pig and injured it?
Like...it's possible, but seems weird to have someone make the same mistake twice.

Which then leaves the question of....
Is there something in the cage causing the injury?

Or someone? 
Like is it another guinea pig injuring his buddies? Because I think there were one or two guinea pigs still in the cage that had been there when the first one had been sold.
But it's such a weird injury. 
Like at the elbow of the guinea pig.

With no visible wounds or scabbing.
Which...if it was another guinea pig breaking the legs...I would think there would be missing fur or bite marks or something.

*exhales*
In any case....
Hopefully the vet comes back with better news this time on the leg, so that this one too doesn't need to end up amputated. :S 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Pointed Down

It's one of those low days.

Where....I guess I'm not feeling the love.

Where I feel like everyone is expecting to me to give and give to them....

Yet I'm not getting anything given in return. 

Shunted.
Ignored.
Forgotten.

I know it's not the case. 
But it sure feels like it.

And it's leaving me wondering.

What did I do wrong?

And my creative brain is all too quick to come with answers. 
To come up with criticisms of exactly why I'm not feeling loved currently.
To tear myself down further. Because really....what positive attributes are there to me that people want to see, interact with, enjoy being around? 

*exhales*
It's a vicious cycle really. 

One that gets worse some days...like today.
And better others.

It's just hard....
To stay upbeat and positive when you feel like you're making others unhappy.

So for tonight....
It's a low day. 

Hopefully tomorrow will be brighter.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Clipping

It's always slightly terrifying to have a customer return to the store with one of our animal boxes in tow.

Because most of the time...a dead pet resides within.

So my thoughts upon seeing a Grandmother walk into the store with an animal box were definitely "Oh No." 

Because I had sold this grandmother and her grandson a parakeet like...three days ago? 

And I couldn't help but think. "They killed it." 

My thoughts must have shown on my face because the grandmother was quick to say "Oh! The bird is fine! He's alive!" 

Well, that was a definite relief to hear, but now I was wondering if she was wanting to return the bird.

Nope.

Apparently the parakeet is a rather determined flier, and despite clipping the wings the first time...could still fly around the house.
So she'd come in to see if we could clip them a bit more to prevent him from flying.

Which was an easy enough thing to do.
I took the parakeet into a smaller space where he wouldn't get loose and did just that.

Hopefully he can't fly as well now. 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Glofish Acquisition

I ended up with some new fish today.

Some glofish.

Because my manager was taking down a tank that he'd set up a bit ago for his mother--as she's moving and didn't want it anymore. Which meant he needed to find a place for the fish within it.

Coincidentally....I was looking to get some glofish. 
As I was down to just one lonely blue one in my tank.

Only, I was waiting for a sale on the glofish as those fish are on the more pricey side and I wanted to save a little money.

*exhales* Go figure that when I actually want them to go on sale....they don't. It's been months and months and here I am still waiting.

And here were these glofish. 
Needing a home.
At a better discount than any I would have found within the store. ^^;;

So today I went and picked up 11 glofish.
3 danios and 8 tetras.

So far they seem pretty happy.
And my lonely blue has found her new buddies.
While my danios already established in the tank have taken to chasing the new ones around. *shakes head* Hopefully they work things out. 

But it certainly is nice to add a bit more color to my tank again lol.
Most of the fish in my tank were of the white and black shades. So adding in some more reds, blues, greens, and oranges certainly helped. ^^;; Yay color. 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Discovering a Movie

So there I was.
Scrolling through Netflix.
Looking for something to watch.

When I paused on this semi interesting looking show called the Guardian Brothers.

Which from what I could gather was a show about two spirit guardians who come into the real world to help a soup shop that is being threatened by competition. 

So like...it was a random enough concept that I wanted to check it out.

But I figured...why just 'enjoy' this potential disaster movie by myself?

So I darted up the stairs to find my roomies and ask them if they wanted to watch "a potentially stupid movie." 

Because I'd never seen the movie before...I had no idea if it would be good or bad.
But the movie art looked a like a style that my roomies had enjoyed watching in other Asian anime/cartoon films.

So I figured why not invite them. 

The Result?

The movie is very difficult to watch in English. 
Mostly because a) the mouth movements weren't matching the words (which is understandable with a dubbing) but b) There was so much Talking!!

Seriously.
So much chatter. The characters were constantly making noise of some sort. And they were basically 'telling' the watcher the story. Being over wordy. And making it difficult to enjoy the beauty of the movie itself. Enjoy the music.

Because they were talking through the entire thing. *shakes head*
It was too much.

Like it felt like whoever dubbed it, thought that the viewer wouldn't understand anything. In the movie and so felt the need to explain everything and add in unnecessary exposition. 

Basically. It was painful to watch.

So.
We stopped the movie.
Went online.
And found the original Chinese version with English Subs to watch.

It was so. much. better.

Like a lot of missing elements in the story became clear, scenes that had been cut out in the English version helped to guide the story so it flowed. 
And the talking?
There was hardly any of that. 
The Dialogue had been cut by like 95% it felt like. -which is why the mouth movements didn't match up. Because a) they were trying to have the characters say a lot and b) were constantly having them talk when their faces weren't shown on the screen. *shakes head* 
And it made the movie better. We could enjoy the beautiful imagery, listen to the music and gain details of the story from what little dialogue there still was. 

Basically the overall consensus was....
That whoever decided to dub the movie was fearful that the audience wouldn't get the story. Would be bored with the parts that were just music. That they'd fail to understand the cultural significances of certain events if they weren't explained.

*shakes head*
The Dubber really should have just let the movie be. 
Because so much of the story was lost in the barrage of speak that was easily explained in some meaningful music, a couple of gestures and a word or two. 

Basically.
Give the viewer credit.
Let them figure things out on their own. They can infer a lot without needing to be told. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

SILVER!?

I was in the middle of helping one of our regular customers.

A woman and her grandson, that I've seen off and on constantly over the year(s) because she would often come in to buy her grandson more goldfish because the ones they'd been keeping had once again died. 
-I tried to convince them to do betta fish...but the success rate for them wasn't much better.

However, like a year and a halfish ago -as she brought it up to me- she said that she'd gotten a hamster and it had just died.

So now they were going to try a parakeet. 

O.o 
Like....I admire the woman's persistence in giving her grandson a pet but like....idk how well a bird would do for them in their house.

Still. I helped her out, grabbed the bird her grandson had picked out.
And even offered to put the cage together for her.

But as I was walking up to the register, this man approaches me, looking lost.

So I asked him if I could help him find something.

"Lint rollers" came his breathless reply. He gave off the energy of being in a hurry so I gave him a quick directional response of "Aisle 10 left side" To which he thanked me and rushed over that way.

However, I know customers....and they can't always find the thing they're looking for if they don't know what they're looking for.

So I took the regular customer to the register. Told her that I was just going to check on that other customer and I'd be right back to help her put her box together.

I was right to go check on the guy.
He was waaaayyy over towards the end of the aisle on the far side when I rounded the corner.
The lint rollers had only been within the first few feet of entering the aisle.

So I pointed them out to him, let him pick out which one he wanted, and then turned to him and asked "Anything else I can help you with?" 

And I was confronted with him just standing there.
Staring at me. 

O.o

My first thought was he was trying to think of what else he was needing.
But as I realized that his eyes were looking at my head...he spoke. "You're hair is SILVER!" he exclaimed. 

*shakes heads* lol. 
"Yah, it's natural" I told him, expecting the question of "is it dyed" to be next.
"NATURAL!?" He asked, sounding like he couldn't believe it.

Which makes sense lol. I have a young face. To have grey hair and a young face? Its not normal lol. 
"Yep! I have a gene that causes my hair to go grey early." I told him as I walked him up to the front to the register.

-Which was awkward by the way. Because he kept staring at me/my hair with this starstruck look that made it difficult to keep a conversation going with him.

Lol it basically ended with him saying. "I wish I had grey hair!" as I broke away help the regular customer put her bird cage together.

Though I get the impression he was watching me while I did it. As when I got the cage together and in the cart for the customer -timing it well so that I got it done basically at the same time she finished paying-
The guy was still looking in my direction. So  I gave him a polite smile said "Have a good day!" and went back to my department. 

*shakes head* lol. 
Definitely an interesting way to start my morning for sure lol. 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

What to Bring

It's hard to bring things to work parties.
Mostly because I work the morning shift.
And a lot of the things I want to make....are best when they're hot and fresh.
Like my Tacozanga --though honestly I don't know how well that dish would work out in a work setting because like....it's huge and messy. *exhales* 

In any case. A lot of things I want to bring would be best if made fresh.
And like going into work in the early am....
Would mean if I wanted a fresh dish...it would need to be made even earlier in the AM....
Which....considering most food things don't start until noon....
Would make it all a moot point really.

But it's hard to think of dishes that are good cold.
Hence why I don't often bring food in to these work parties.
Because by the time I think of something...someone else has already volunteered to bring the dish.

This time though.
I decided to try it. 
Try to bring something.

Figured a veggie tray would work out and maybe some cookies.

And you know what I did this morning?

*exhales*

I forgot the food at home. Y_Y;;  

Totally spaced it this morning as I was getting ready.
Because I rarely bring food in in the morning. *shakes head* 

Thankfully.
My roomie was amazing and brought the food in so I wasn't empty handed when other people brought in food. ^^;; 
Yay. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi 

Morning Woes

Sometimes I feel like Sundays  at work are like....the days for things to go weird and/or wrong. 

Like. There are times I dread coming into work Monday because I don't know what I'll find from Sunday.

Today was one of those 'uhoh' days when I came in.

The first thing I noticed....
Was that we had a fishbowl on our cricket podium.
Filled with water and a betta fish within. 

O.o
Which upon closer inspection, it was a different betta fish than the one in the bowl on Saturday.
As Saturday we had a fish event and as part of the decorations we placed a betta in a bowl and decorated the bowl with sticker clings that we were giving away to kids. 

But I'd thought they would have taken the tank down...
And my opening coworker told me that they had taken it down. 
Yet for whatever reason....someone had set it back up and put in a new betta fish. 

*shakes head*

Turns out the VP Manager had given permission to have a bowl display set up.
And had even named the betta fish July. 

However.
It was against policy.
We're not allowed to have any tank set ups -for any live creature- that aren't 'official' cages for the critters.
So we can't set up extra hamster cages, bird cages, fish/reptile tanks to house live animals in as a display. 

Meaning. 
I took down the bowl. 
Put the betta in our 36 gallon tank -as at the time I had no idea which betta it was. 

And yah. Called it good.

But the other thing of today...
Was our Feeder Goldfish. *exhales* It's always the feeders.

I came into work this morning and noticed that the water in one of tanks was much higher than the other seven. 

And upon closer inspection.
The water level was literally at the lip of the tank. :S 
Like..."I could overflow at any moment" full. :S :S 

And it was because almost all the other locklines on that row had clogged up.
Putting more water through the remaining tanks faster than it could drain back out. 

Thankfully, spending a few minutes clearing out all the other locklines resulted in the waterlevel of the overfull tank naturally lowering itself back down.
Disaster averted! Woot. ^^;;

But yah. 
>.>
I do have to wonder what happens in our store on Sundays....

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Moving In

It never really gets easier to have new roommates move in. 
You'd think after going through like seven sets of roommates in one year back in the last apartment complex I lived in...I would get used to it.

But it's not easy to. 
After all. Every person is different. 
While there are similar types of roommates. They all have their unique quirks. 

And it always takes some time to get used to those quirks and figure out how to live with this new person.

So, a year ago, when we were looking for a new roommate then.
We had two girls interested in the room at about the same time.

The first to see the room ended up getting it because well....she had dibs.
The second was an alternate in case the first ended up not working out. 

But instead of never seeing the second person again.
We actually ended up seeing her quite often because she moved into our ward. So we saw her all the time during church and ended up establishing a friendship with her. ^^;;

Coincidentally, she ended up needing a new place to live...at the same time our roomie was moving her stuff out.

So in like a week...
She's going to be moving in.

Which is semi exciting....but still nerve wracking.
Because while we know her, and we've hung out, had movie nights and grabbed slushies and such....
It's a bit different to live with a friend.

I know. I've done it. Before.

So *fingers crossed* that it all works out for our benefit. ^^;; 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Sudden NO.

*exhales*

I'm not very good with change.

Which...like I want to be. Because there are loads of time that change is good.

But it's kinda…hard for me to want change.
Especially when it's just kinda thrown at me. 

If I'm expecting something to happen, or at least I'm given time to get used to the concept, then at least I handle it better. I know what to expect.

But being suddenly confronted with something new and I'm not expecting it....

Yah. I don't handle it well.
Often my knee-jerk reaction is to say: NO!!!

I dig my heels in. I hold my ground. I don't budge.

So...I end up not doing a lot of things....

Because I wasn't 'ready' for it when it popped up.

*exhales*

It's frustrating being me sometimes.

And this tendency to not accept change....

Has resulted in many a night where I'm left wondering just how my life would be different....

If I had been more willing to take that risk. Take that chance.
And just do something. 

But with how much some changes freak me out.... *exhales*

Who knows how well I'll ever be able to cope with being confronted with the unexpected. 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

To Build?

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be in charge of building my own house.

I've been watching a series on Netflix recently Grand Designs -both the British and Australian versions. 
And like.
It's crazy amazing how differently people can go about building houses.
Some rely entirely on contractors to realize their visions.
Others take a hands on approach and try and do almost all the work on their own.

It's crazy too. 
To think that the building of a home can take years.
Like some shows there are people who've been building their homes for like 3 or 4 years. 
O.o
Like what home takes that long to build?

*shakes head*
Really. Six months to a Year would be my thought process.
But I suppose, most homes that people build on the show aren't....typical designs.
There's unseen issues, changes of hearts, plan changes, money woes....

It's heady.

It's crazy to see these people on the show be like "Oh yah, we're guessing it will take $$$ to build the house only for them to be like. O.o Yah. We had to spend $$$$ to realize our vision. 

It's...weird.
So weird. 

I wonder what would happen if I were to try and build a house.
Like what plot of land would I choose?
How big of a house would I build?
Where would I design each room to be?
How much time would it take to build the design I ended up with? 

Who knows.
It's a concept that I honestly wouldn't know.
Because there's so many unknown factors involved.

But watching this show...
It's definitely giving me ideas for the future if I ever have the opportunity (and money) to build my own place.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

MultiTasking Takes Practice

My Head Manager has an interesting philosophy.
Which basically goes like "If you can't do it right the first time....don't do it at all." 

*shakes head* 

While my philosophy is "practice makes perfect."
Because like...you can't get good at something if you don't well....keep doing it. 

So. 
Back on Tuesday....
I had a rough day.
Didn't have a second opener in until Noon.
Got taken away from the bedding change for an entire hour while the managers were in a meeting which meant I got further delayed in opening...
And then I was off an hour earlier than normal. 

Meaning....that the bedding change and our fish cleaning tasks hadn't been completed when I left. 

But I was like.
No big deal.
Just have my second opener finish it all up. 
After all, they're working the midday shift.
They have plenty of time.

*shakes head*

Well....they did basically get everything done.
Just managed to flood the department in the process as there was an issue with gravel vacuuming and having an improperly connected line and such.

It happens.

But like the head manager today was like: 
"So you remember a couple of days ago how we screwed you over in the schedule and you were taken away from the department and then you left and then your coworkers flooded the department not once but twice?" 
(because a second coworker also ended up flooding the back area that same night too) 

And I was like... "Yah?"
And the manager was like: "Yah, well next time. If something doesn't get done....we're just going to call it for the day and put those lost hours towards tomorrow."

Which.
Ha.
Ha ha. 
No. 
That won't work. 
You know what happens to things that aren't completed today and left for 'tomorrow?'

They.
Don't.
Get.
Done.
Unless. I'm. The. One. Who. Does. It. 

But now it kinda makes sense.
Because Head Manager unrealistically is like "We shouldn't be tasking after 11!!"

And I'm like. Falsehood.
Because the new stupid opening schedule that has us doing things in a particular order which requires us to do the bedding change basically last and the fish tank tasks after that....no longer specifies what time we need to be done by.

Before the policy change? Yah. We had to be done by 11. 
But now?
Nope we're allowed to task throughout the day so long as we're helping customers at the same time.

Which again....that's....annoying. Multitasking is hard. And trying to clean cages and help customers at the same time only delays the cleaning process longer.

*shakes head*
Really I feel like my head manager is trying to merge 3 different policies into one.
Three different policies that we've had over the years.
And like....all three together don't work.

But the kicker of the "We need to be done by 11" 
Was that on Tuesday. 
My coworker didn't come in until NOON.
which is AFTER 11.
SO like he was basically saying he was expecting me to do the work and be done by 11 when he's aware there weren't enough hours to do so.

*exhales*
Or not quite.

His words were "Don't let your coworkers task after 11 because they get so focused on completing the tasks you leave for them because they want to please you that they totally ignore the customers!" 

Basically he was saying "Your coworkers can't multitask"
He did say "You're amazing at multitasking, but your coworkers aren't." 

And I'm like. 
O.o 

So....you're basically saying that.....
I can multitask things.
And my coworkers can't. Not unless I'm there. Present.
Once I'm gone. 
Tasks should stop. And their focus should be customer service only.

Which.....
*shakes heads*
How do you expect my coworkers to LEARN how to MULTITASK if you NEVER let them HAVE the OPPORTUNITY?! 

Do you think I was amazing at multitasking when I first started my here six years ago?
NO.

I distinctly remember being put on cashiering (which was terrifying at that moment) by my first VP manager. But then having him also tell me to go check the dates on the mini fridge of sodas we had on like...register two or three -because we had that for like a year until they got rid of it- and double check the dates on the sodas to make sure none of them were expired.

and I got focused on checking the sodas....
and forgot to watch register.
Because I didn't realize that I was required to do both.
I thought it was "watch register. oh now check the sodas."
Did I realize I was supposed to multitask then?
Nope. 

Now do I?
Of course.

But it took practice.
It took my first PetCare manager saying "Keep your head on a swivel" several times a day to be semi good at tasking and helping customers at the same time. 
And I still have those days where I just get focused on the task at hand and ignore the store in general. 

So like.
Not giving my coworkers the opportunity to work on their multitasking skills....
Seems counterproductive.
Like...If you want to have more coworkers like myself in the store.
You gotta give them the chance to learn and grow.

Because I was shy. I was quiet. I was insecure. I was very needy. I was slow. I was super focused on tasks.

But I grew out of it. With time. With practice. With constant reminders. 

So like....am I going to pay attention to this rule of "don't assign coworkers things after I leave?"
Nope.

Because before Tuesday....
It hadn't been an issue.
And only became an issue because of a messed up schedule that I had no control over.
So like....
Sure. I may keep it in mind should the schedule have me opening by myself again.

But overall.
I'm going to give my coworkers their practice in multitasking. 
After all...I'm constantly working with them. I see their improvements and their flaws.

My manager doesn't. Really....it feels like he only notices the department when something goes wrong. And then takes 'corrective' steps to 'fix' the perceived problem....
When he should be looking at the overall issue.
And not making my life more difficult.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Little Fume

It was one of those days where I....I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed? 
Because I think the irritations from the past couple days at work carried over to today's shift.
Because I was just....fuming? 
Ready to pick a fight even though a fight didn't need to be picked. (Don't worry I didn't start a fight) 

I mean, I've gone through work weeks that have been difficult.
Have had shifts where I've been the only one in the department and expected to get everything done.
I've done that multiple times.
But some weeks,
Like this week.
It just hits harder than others.
Where you kinda just wish that you had backup.
That someone was there to support you, so you could have someone to rely on to help out when things get busy and it's not all expected to fall on just your shoulders alone.

*exhales*
Yah.
It's been a rough week.
Hopefully the end of it ends on a higher note than the beginning of it did. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Goal 1: Plan Better

I don't understand my managers.

I really don't.

They're constantly harping on doing customer service and making customers the priority....

And then they turn around and completely screw over the store in regards to helping the customers. 

Why?

Because time and time again.

The managers have decided to have a 'meeting' at like the worst possible times really.

Like....you'd think if you were going to have a meeting. You would want there to be enough coverage on the floor while you're in said meeting to ensure that you have all your bases covered and then some.

But nope.

Time and time again.

They hold the meeting when there's only the cashier and myself as 'non managers' in the store. 

Which considering the cashier can't leave the front of the store as they need to check people out....

Ends up leaving me running around with my head cut off trying to help everyone everywhere in the store.

and it sucks.

It's stupid.

Like dear managers.

Get your act together and either a) hold shorter meetings -as their meetings are always like 2-3 hours it feels like. 

Or b) hold the stupid meetings when we actually have COVERAGE!

Like if they'd kept their meeting to just an hour we would have been fine.

But it was when things went into the second hour mark that things when awry because half of my coworkers were off then.

Leaving just me and the cashier in the store.

To make matters worse. 

The managers wanted me to be the 'sales coach'

Which is basically a glorified greeter.

And the glorified greeter should be at the front of the store helping to direct customers to where they need to find things.

ONLY.

I was the only one in  Petcare at that point in time.

AND I was trying to get the bedding change done.

Guess what didn't get done?

The bedding change because I got like maybe five of 18 cages done in that hour period because I had to keep pausing to take phone calls, help people in my department, do carry outs, help people in other sections of the store, and you know keep an eye on our online orders.

Which....gah.

It was frustrating.

I was already scheduled to open BY MYSELF again today.

So like I was already shortchanged in getting opening done in any timely manner.

This just made it all worse. 

*shakes head* 

I didn't end up finishing the bedding change. 

And had to leave it and the other handful of opening tasks I couldn't finish to my coworker who came in to replace me.

*exhales*

The managers need to work out a better system for those stupid meetings. Because I hate it when I can't get my own tasks done and end up feeling like I've run around the store with my head cut off the entire time they're sitting there chatting about who knows what.

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Thunder Woes

Gotta love it when plans go awry. 
I was just finishing up on my timeline of writing for the night and was about to go head and take a shower before bed....
When the power went out. 
The house. Left in darkness. 

We're not sure what caused the outage...possibly the wind.....as that was blowing rather strongly.
Because a quick moving storm hit us like thirty minutes later unleashing a deluge of rain and a lot of lightning and thunder. 

^^;; It was AWESOME!!
I love lightning storms and I don't get to see them often. ^^;; 
Thankfully, because it was quick moving, we didn't have it upon us for longer than an hourish. 

And before the two hours were up....our power came back on!
Woot!
So I was able to take that shower!
Woot!
Though semi bad luck on my part was that just as I was stepping out of the tub....the power went out again.
So that was fun navigating in the darkness. *shakes head* 

But the other notable thing....was that our next door neighbor.
The same neighbor with the friends who fixed my car.
Sent us a text after the power went out the first time, stating that he would hang out outside until the power came back on to 'keep an eye on things'
-They ended up taking shelter during the rain storm, him and his friend. 

But like. It was rather sweet of him to look out for us like that. 
Because like....a year ago....Or even a couple of months ago before our houses nearly caught fire...I doubt he would have cared or even thought about it. 

^^;; It's rather nice really...to have gotten on better terms and be on better ground with each other. ^^;;

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

A Vision Shift

So I went to the eye doctor the other day.
For a check up really before I received another supply of contacts. 

And for the first time since well...I basically switched to contacts....
We are considering changing the prescription in my right eye.
Possibly the left as well.
It's just a slight change.
To see if my right eye will balance a little bit better with my left, as I've felt a bit like one eye is doing more work than the other in the past couple of months.

So for now...we're trying just an adjustment for the right eye.

*exhales*
Right now it doesn't seem to be working though.
The prescription is causing a bit of an ache behind my eye.
Which probably means that my right eye is working harder....
While not really making much of a difference I feel like.
I still have that same slight problem with the eyes feeling like they're at war with each other.

Which I think means either I need to increase the prescription in the left eye....as we were possibly going to do anyways....
Or forgo increasing the prescription in my right eye and going back to the original.....

I'll have to get in contact with the eye doctor again to see what he wants to do. 

For now though....time to rest the eyes. ;) 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Rattle Be Gone

So during this most recent winter, a rattle started up in my car.

I didn't think much of it really. As in the years before my car would occasionally get more noisy during the cold months. Probably because the metal parts were cold lol. As the noise usually vanishes again when things warm up. 

I thought that was what would happen this time around. My car would be noisy with this rattling sound until it got warm enough for it to stop.

It didn't stop.

Which...halfway concerning.
But I kinda just....wrote it off as nothing really.

Though when I finally got around to getting an oil change (which I had procrastinated a bit) 
I asked the people there what that rattling noise was.

And they were like "Oh, its your heat shield. It's loose. We can probably take it off for you next time you come in." But like....it could cost $$ if the labor took too long sooo I figured I'd wait a bit for that.

-Okay I was mostly hoping the thing would just fall off on it's own. *exhales* 

Cue a month or so ago?
Coming home one day, our next door neighbors were sitting outside.
-As they're prone to doing when it gets warm outside.

And one of the guys was like "Your car is making a rattling noise!" 
And I was like "Yah, it's the heat shield, I've been told."
To which they agreed -cus these guys living next to us are car guys. Constantly spending their weekends and occasionally weeknights tweaking and fixing up a merry-go-round of different cars. 
So I was pretty sure they knew what they were talking about lol. 

In any case. The conversation didn't really progress much beyond that. 

Until tonight.
When Kikay and I ventured outside -to go catch a rarer pokemon-
And the guys were out there working on their cars again.
One dude was like "Where's your green car?" 

*laughs* Which is funny because it was in the driveway behind him if he'd just turned around in his chair. 

I pointed it out and he was like "Bring it over! We'll take that shield off for you." 

^^;; 
Apparently the rattling of my car was getting on their nerves. ^^;; Heh.
I suppose it was offensive to their senses to have such a racket when they knew how to fix it and....probably were frustrated that I hadn't done anything to fix it  yet. ^^;; oops. lol. 

We ended up leaving my car in the driveway as that was easier.
And they took the jack and lifted my car up so they could get underneath and see what was going on.

lol the entire time I was paranoid that they were going to notice something majorly wrong with my car. Or you know....accidentally break it. 

In any case.
The heat shield apparently had its two front bolts rusted in place...while the back ones had rusted out?
But the overall problem was....the two front bolts were doing too good of a job lol.
They couldn't just pull the heat shield off and call it a day.
Nope. Stubborn thing refused. 

So they ended up taking an old metal coat hanger and used that wire to tie the heat shield back in place instead of taking it off. 

The result?

My car isn't noisy anymore!!! HUZZAH!! lol 

We'll see if it stays quiet in the coming days as I drive it around.

But yay for neighbors who are willing to fix things! ^^;; Woot!

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

To Surprise Or Not Surprise...That Is The Question

I can be quite the ditherer some days. 
Like I walk into a place and can spend an hour or so trying to decide and pick the best thing or the best course of action.
Sometimes it results in me just leaving the place, deciding it wasn't worth it in the first place. 

*shakes head*

lol. 
In any case.
Today I had the opportunity to surprise my Mom.
As I was up north for an eye appointment and she didn't know I was coming up.
So I figured.
Why not drop by the house while she was out?
And leave her a little surprise.

My first thought, of course, was to bring her up a couple new fish for her empty fishtank. 

The problem...was that my eye appointment was early in the morning.
Meaning I couldn't just drop by work and buy the fish before driving up...as we wouldn't be open yet lol. 
-And I hadn't bought fish yesterday because I wasn't satisfied with our selection in the store. As today is when we get in our fish. 

So I had the thought to drop by the Starsmet up by my parents and see if they had any fish there that I could pick out for her....after my appointment of course.

I went there.
Looked at the fish.

….and walked out without buying anything.
Deciding...nah....I didn't need to do that. I could do something else. Maybe....I didn't even need to do anything at all.

Yet I had the opportunity though! 
lol I made it back to the parents home.
Grabbed a drink. Played with the kitties outside. Stared at my Mom's empty fish tank.
And was like...well Cosmet's was closer to our house than the Starsmet.

I could just go to the local grocery store, grab mom a bag of BBQ chips, maybe a giftcard, and then drop by the Cosmet to see if they had any cool fish.

But like...they're the competition.
And I get a discount if I shop at Starsmet since I work for them.
So like....why not shop at the Starsmet?
Why not go pick up the fish I had almost picked out the first time before changing my mind? 

I made my decision in the middle of the grocery store. lol.
I walked out without buying anything.
And as I hit the turn off to go to the Cosmet….I ended up going straight instead.
Straight to Starsmet where I got the fish! 
lol and confused the poor Cashier while I was there, as he'd seen me come in like an hour or so earlier...but hadn't apparently seen me leave and enter again.
He was like "....have you been here the entire time or did you leave and come back?"
lol. The latter was my response and he was quite relieved. lol. 

In any case.
Fish in hand, I got in the car....
And had the thought.
That it was quite hot outside. :S 
And I'm like my mother dearest in not liking the heat.
So I was like How can I provide her cool refreshment?
*ding ding ding* 
An idea sprung into my head!
I could get her a shake and leave it for her in the freezer at home!!

Done and done. 

lol. So shake and fish in hand I returned to the parents.
Deposited the shake in the freezer, and placed the fish in their tank and made sure to watch them for a bit to make sure they'd get along.

Before I left a note for mother dearest to find.
And drove back down to college town. 

^^;;; 
Lol she was quite surprised and happy when she found her presents when she got home. ^^;;

Yay for surprising people. ^^;; 

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Pay Off

There is really something thrilling about a reader's reaction to a story you've written.

It's just...awesome. 
Especially when you write something that just makes a person react so strongly to the story given, to the details provided, to the story told. 

I just love it.

I love including little details and nods to things and waiting to see if anyone notices.
I love writing a tiny moment that later comes into play in a huge way.
I love building the world and seeing the readers fall in love with said world.

It's just....ah.
I love writing guys.
I love it. I love it. I love it!! 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Tip

I never wanted to be a waitress. 

It seems like a hard thankless job really.

My one attempt at it in a Jr. High Home Economics class quickly convinced me that I probably wouldn't be the best at it....at least for the first week or so lol. 

Because like...that one experience I forgot to ask drinks and details on what people wanted on their food etc.

So like...I never wanted to be one. 

Especially with the knowledge that a lot of your income is (was?) reliant on tip money.

And it would probably be extremely frustrating to work hard to please a customer...only to find no tip at the end of their stay. 

*shakes head*

In any case...

The waiter in this particular experience....seemed to be having a rough day. He just didn't seem present at the job really. After ordering our food....we barely saw him.

It was someone else who came and brought out the meal when it was ready. 

It was someone else who checked in to make sure we were doing alright and enjoying the food.

I feel like we didn't see the waiter for like...twenty minutes? Which is rather long when the place wasn't that busy. 

So I had to wonder....if there was something going on with him. 

It seemed like an off day for sure.

Though the food itself and the company was great. 

Yet.

When it came time to pay....

The dude forgot to give us the coin part of the change when he handed back the difference in what the bill said and what cash was given to him.  

Which it literally was pocket change, and a very easy mistake to make if one isn't totally focused on the job. 

But it was enough that some of the company was like "Why should we leave him a tip? He already took the change, therefore that can be his tip." 

Yet...I couldn't....leave it like that.

Because seriously. The dude hadn't done the best job in the world by any means. But he'd been friendly when we'd seen him, got our orders right. And hadn't constantly interrupted us. So like...why not give him a tip?

So I ended up leaving him one on the table. Taking initiative. 

Because if I can help brighten a bad day just a little bit....why not do it? 

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Working the System

It was the end of my shift.
I was technically off, but hadn't clocked out yet because I was waiting for a coworker to get back from their break first before I left so that work would have the optimal coverage....even though the store was like....completely dead at that point. 

But I was standing near the front, when a woman walked into the store. 

And she makes a beeline straight for me and holds out a leash in her hands.
It's one of those retractable leashes. Pink in color. With part of the retractable leash wrapped around the handle/holder part. 

And the thing looked ancient.
Like it was worn, beat up, dirty and the pink was definitely very faded. 
It looked like crap really. It had had a hard life.

The woman? 
She was like "I've had this under a year and it's no longer working!" 

O.o
Lady....that thing does not look like it's under a year old, more like two or three, soo like...unless you've used it hard and left it out in the yard in harsh weather for days on end.....*shakes head* It was hard to believe that it was 'under a year' but...whatever.

But the woman...she didn't really give me more than that. "This is no longer working and I've had it under a year." 

I could guess she wanted to return it.
Though I was hoping she wanted to just buy a new one. 

Yet she hadn't clarified. So I was like... "Sooo what do you want me to do to help you?" 

"I want you to take care of it!" Was her response. 
*mentally rolls eyes* 

"Well. We only have a 60 day guarantee/return policy in the store." I told her. And she'd told me it was nearly a year old. Therefore, outside of the policy. But I told her "Maybe the manufacturer has a longer guarantee on your product." 

Obviously she was less than pleased.
"Last time you guys just took care of it! This has been an ongoing problem you know!" 

O.o 
Ongoing?
Like you've had multiple occurrences of the leash failing in under a year? 

-Honestly I was thinking she was crazy for wanting us to return a product that was so beat up/worn/and obviously used. I mean....it's not like the old days when things were made to last. There are a ton of products that aren't designed to last forever. And retractable leashes? I could totally see that being one. I could see the gizmo that retracts the leash breaking easily if a) too much strain is put on it or b) you use it hard. Like constantly having the dog on the leash or something.

But like...if this is an ongoing issue...why not buy a different leash? A different brand, or maybe a non retractable one? 

Still.
Trying to be helpful I was like "Okay....so do you have the receipt?" 
Negative.
"Well...we need the receipt to have proof of purchase." 
-Like we can look them up, but after a certain time frame....we can no longer access old receipts. 
So I was like "How old is the leash? You said under a year but is that like six months, nine months, or three months?" 
She wasn't sure.
Which again...makes it difficult to help her.
So I ended up with "Well, let me go check in with the manager and see what they say."

But yah.
She wasn't happy. 
I told the manager the situation and he was like. O.o "If it was in new condition and broken, possibly, but with it so old/beatup/worn....I can't return it." 

He ended up going over to talk to her so that I could clock out.
So I don't know the end result...if the woman got the exchange she wanted, or if she had to buy a new leash or what.

I'm hoping she had to buy it.
Because it's just stupid to expect a store to replace a product that's obviously been well used. Like within two months? I could totally see it being fine to return something if it broke.
But after almost a year?
Ha. No, you got your money's worth out of it. The style of retractable leash she had wasn't that expensive, and she's obviously used it a lot. So like....bite the bullet lady. You used the leash and it broke. Go buy a new one. Things don't last as long as they used to. 

*shakes head* 
Maybe next time at least she'll keep the receipt...
Because I get that our store wants to make the customer happy and they've been working hard to try and keep customers happy....like us having to help customers when they wander into our store even when we're not yet open.
But there are limits to how much we can help someone out.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi