So Tuesday is a day we get our cricket shipments into the store.
Though with the fact that our shipments are constantly shorted, we basically get crickets nearly every single day right now.
But overall our main cricket shipments have been Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Today though was different.
In that we got in two boxes of crickets...but there was no invoice attached to said box.
Which meant that I had to go into the computer to look up the PO to see what we were supposed to get in.
And what we were supposed to get was two boxes of Large Crickets and One box of Small Crickets.
One of the boxes hadn't made it to us though.
We only got in one box of large and one box of small.
And it's not...uncommon to occasionally have half our shipment missing.
Like I'm sure with all the bumps and turns and stops the delivery guys make it's quite possible for boxes to just get lost and separated from each other.
But who knows where or when those boxes get lost.
Like were they never packed in the first place?
Did they get lost in the facility?
In the plane or first truck?
In the main delivery facility?
So many places the bugs can vanish in.
Which makes me wonder just how many random boxes of bugs have been discovered that are 'homeless' and what people --like the drivers--do with those boxes at the end of the day.
In any case.
We were short like 1000 large crickets because this box didn't come in.
And I just assumed that the facility had forgotten to pack it -as that does happen-
Only...
I later received a phone call from one of our sister stores in the next valley over.
And they were like "Hey...are you missing a box of crickets? Because we got an extra box of crickets here and an invoice for your store."
And I was like "Is it a 1,000 large crickets and the invoice is ####?"
They were like "Yep! That's it! Uhm...do you want them back? As we know we're kinda far away from you guys."
-It was like a 30 minute drive if traffic was good.
And I was like "Huh. One sec let me check with a manager."
Because like...we've haven't really had that situation happen before with our crickets.
(It's happened with our fish shipment before though)
And so I asked the manager if they wanted to go get our missing box of crickets.
And after some dithering...cus the manager couldn't go get them until tomorrow if they did go get them and me explaining that more than likely it was only 500 crickets in the box anyways because that's how much the company has been shorting us recently....they decided that it wasn't worth the effort to go get the bugs.
So I came back on the phone to say "Nah you can keep them, we'll just write them off as short here."
And the manager on the other side of the phone was like "Oh good. Because we'd already dumped them into our bin before we realized they weren't our crickets."
*shakes head* lol. Well....that would have been tricky for them if we had said yes then.
Though I do wonder why they didn't say that in the first place.
As they had made it sound like the box hadn't yet been opened. *shake head*
But yah.
Good to know that that box of crickets made it to a store...even if it wasn't the correct store lol.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Monday, June 29, 2020
So It Burns
Whelp.
My sister's family had quite the scare yesterday.
As in the afternoon a brush fire started up in the wilderness to the south of their neighborhood.
(cause not yet identified though fireworks/shooting is a high possibility though lightning was originally stated as the original cause than retracted)
And a fire isn't a major thing if it's away from houses.
However.
The winds had shifted.
Sending the fire burning directly towards the south end of the city where my sister now resides.
And it was moving quick enough that it was basically a "grab and go!" sort of thing.
Where they had to evacuate.
Where they didn't know if their house would still be standing at the end of the day.
Which has to be stressful as Kikay and Husband had just purchased that house in February. Like you don't want to lose your home, especially if you just bought it.
I was hopeful that their house would remain intact.
As it wasn't directly against the wilderness.
But was a few houses in from the edge of the city.
But like...the fire was crazy.
Covered the entire valley in a thick haze of smoke where you couldn't see the mountains at all.
And 31,000 homes had to evacuate because the fire was threatening them.
That was like a third of the city that my sister lives in. :S
And it was hard because I felt so helpless living on the otherside of the lake from her.
Because I was close but not near enough to help really.
She and family made it safely out though.
And headed up to Husband's family to stay until they got word on when they could return to their home.
And since the extended family is a couple of valleys away.
I was the only one left with direct eyes on the fire.
(or the smoke because whew it was smokey)
So I spent the evening yesterday keeping up with social media coverage on the fire and updating family as I got news.
I also drove up to the top of my street where I had a clearer view across the lake so I could see how the fire--smoke clouds-- were moving and such.
So yah.
Stressful day.
But the good news is that only one home was lost outside of the city limits.
Within the city itself only around 12 homes were damaged along the fireline.
While 19 or so experienced property damage (melted fences, destroyed sheds)
But with a miraculous change of the winds, the fire burned away from homes at the last minute and headed up the mountain instead.
But it was also the work of one of my sister's neighbors who helped to save their neighborhood.
As this neighbor knew how to work construction equipment and there happened to be such equipment nearby and so he hopped onto a small bulldozer and plowed a five acre barrier between the houses and the fire creating a firebreak that allowed the houses in her area to remain safe and let firefighters focus more of their attention on the west side where more houses were threatened.
Thankfully Kikay was able to return home this evening.
And her house is untouched. Doesn't even smell like smoke inside.
Which is great!!
I was confident her house would be safe since it wasn't directly along the edge of the city, but I'm sure seeing for yourself that the fire hadn't touched it is definitely helpful.
But it's crazy to see her pictures of just how close the fire got. Just how much was burned.
Like the fire is at 13,000 acres currently and only like 30% contained. :S :S :S Soooo yah.
Craziness.
I'm thankful she was able to return home though to a house without any damage.
Even if the air outside is gonna smell like smoke/campfire for a while.
Of course. It's not an unfamiliar smell to her.
Since we had a close scare...what three years ago now? Where the house we were staying at nearly caught fire when the hill behind the house caught fire.
So Kikay was able to use experiences from that day to help yesterday when she had to quickly evacuate.
Like close all the windows and doors and turn on the sprinklers to get the lawn wet and such.
But yah.
Scary times.
I'm grateful it turned out alright.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
My sister's family had quite the scare yesterday.
As in the afternoon a brush fire started up in the wilderness to the south of their neighborhood.
(cause not yet identified though fireworks/shooting is a high possibility though lightning was originally stated as the original cause than retracted)
And a fire isn't a major thing if it's away from houses.
However.
The winds had shifted.
Sending the fire burning directly towards the south end of the city where my sister now resides.
And it was moving quick enough that it was basically a "grab and go!" sort of thing.
Where they had to evacuate.
Where they didn't know if their house would still be standing at the end of the day.
Which has to be stressful as Kikay and Husband had just purchased that house in February. Like you don't want to lose your home, especially if you just bought it.
I was hopeful that their house would remain intact.
As it wasn't directly against the wilderness.
But was a few houses in from the edge of the city.
But like...the fire was crazy.
Covered the entire valley in a thick haze of smoke where you couldn't see the mountains at all.
And 31,000 homes had to evacuate because the fire was threatening them.
That was like a third of the city that my sister lives in. :S
And it was hard because I felt so helpless living on the otherside of the lake from her.
Because I was close but not near enough to help really.
She and family made it safely out though.
And headed up to Husband's family to stay until they got word on when they could return to their home.
And since the extended family is a couple of valleys away.
I was the only one left with direct eyes on the fire.
(or the smoke because whew it was smokey)
So I spent the evening yesterday keeping up with social media coverage on the fire and updating family as I got news.
I also drove up to the top of my street where I had a clearer view across the lake so I could see how the fire--smoke clouds-- were moving and such.
So yah.
Stressful day.
But the good news is that only one home was lost outside of the city limits.
Within the city itself only around 12 homes were damaged along the fireline.
While 19 or so experienced property damage (melted fences, destroyed sheds)
But with a miraculous change of the winds, the fire burned away from homes at the last minute and headed up the mountain instead.
But it was also the work of one of my sister's neighbors who helped to save their neighborhood.
As this neighbor knew how to work construction equipment and there happened to be such equipment nearby and so he hopped onto a small bulldozer and plowed a five acre barrier between the houses and the fire creating a firebreak that allowed the houses in her area to remain safe and let firefighters focus more of their attention on the west side where more houses were threatened.
Thankfully Kikay was able to return home this evening.
And her house is untouched. Doesn't even smell like smoke inside.
Which is great!!
I was confident her house would be safe since it wasn't directly along the edge of the city, but I'm sure seeing for yourself that the fire hadn't touched it is definitely helpful.
But it's crazy to see her pictures of just how close the fire got. Just how much was burned.
Like the fire is at 13,000 acres currently and only like 30% contained. :S :S :S Soooo yah.
Craziness.
I'm thankful she was able to return home though to a house without any damage.
Even if the air outside is gonna smell like smoke/campfire for a while.
Of course. It's not an unfamiliar smell to her.
Since we had a close scare...what three years ago now? Where the house we were staying at nearly caught fire when the hill behind the house caught fire.
So Kikay was able to use experiences from that day to help yesterday when she had to quickly evacuate.
Like close all the windows and doors and turn on the sprinklers to get the lawn wet and such.
But yah.
Scary times.
I'm grateful it turned out alright.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Sunday, June 28, 2020
A New Phone!
It's kind of a bittersweet moment.
As I got a new phone yesterday!
Woot!
Which is something I desperately have needed for like the past three or four months.
Because my current phone is like...nearly four nears old?
Which is pretty ancient for most phones.
And it's recently taken to not holding a charge for as long.
Like. My phone can die before my shift is over.
Which considering I've been keeping it plugged in until I leave for work...and have it already down to like 90% fifteen minutes later...isn't a good thing at all.
Like if I barely use my phone and still have to charge it halfway through my shift to make sure I still have enough battery with the lit usage I've been forced to use it with....it's not a good sign.
Especially with how much I use my phone.
It's been crippling.
And stressful. Because I've been worrying that my phone will die just when someone needs me and I won't know if something goes wrong.
So I've been needing a new phone.
And this past week just cemented it.
As I was trying to hold out to see how the Google Pixel 4a would do.
But with the constant delays and uncertain release date...
I couldn't afford to wait any longer.
So I went with a Samsung Galaxy s10e
As it had a ton of good reviews and didn't have that 'infinity' glass which I did not like on the other galaxy 10 phones.
It's definitely a bit of a learning curve figuring out the new phone as there are things that are similar and things that are different and it's just a matter of adjusting to those minute differences.
Overall though.
I am enjoying the new phone!
Like. Having the battery last alllllll day has been great!! XD I'm like giddy with joy that I can heavily use my phone again. Like text nonstop play games surf the internet for a couple of hours straight and still have more than half my battery at the end of it.
On my old phone I probably would have ended up with a dead phone within those two hours if I'd stuck to just texting and taking pictures.
So it's been amazing! I'm loving my phone and it's longer battery life!
The bitterpart of that bittersweet though comes just from like....nostalgia?
Mostly because the Google Pixel is a phone that Mother Dearest helped me to buy. Where she offered to pay for half of it and I pay for the other half.
So it's kinda hard giving it up in that retrospect because it's like one of the last electronics that she helped me get.
And I miss how giving she was. How quick Mother Dearest was to offer assistance whether physical/emotional/mental/monetary support to her kids in the blink of an eye.
It was how she showed her love I'm sure. With giving gifts as she was always getting us things on trips and there to talk to and always willing to help us out as we were figuring out how to handle finances and payments and such.
So yah.
Just kinda...bittersweet in that I won't have that constant reminder around that mother dearest helped me get the google pixel.
But I guess that's a part of life...
Sometimes things just need to be laid to the side and remembered in memories only.
*exhales* Doesn't always make it easy....
Though I am grateful for the new phone and that I had the ability to purchase it.
As the longer battery life is something I desperately needed for sure.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
As I got a new phone yesterday!
Woot!
Which is something I desperately have needed for like the past three or four months.
Because my current phone is like...nearly four nears old?
Which is pretty ancient for most phones.
And it's recently taken to not holding a charge for as long.
Like. My phone can die before my shift is over.
Which considering I've been keeping it plugged in until I leave for work...and have it already down to like 90% fifteen minutes later...isn't a good thing at all.
Like if I barely use my phone and still have to charge it halfway through my shift to make sure I still have enough battery with the lit usage I've been forced to use it with....it's not a good sign.
Especially with how much I use my phone.
It's been crippling.
And stressful. Because I've been worrying that my phone will die just when someone needs me and I won't know if something goes wrong.
So I've been needing a new phone.
And this past week just cemented it.
As I was trying to hold out to see how the Google Pixel 4a would do.
But with the constant delays and uncertain release date...
I couldn't afford to wait any longer.
So I went with a Samsung Galaxy s10e
As it had a ton of good reviews and didn't have that 'infinity' glass which I did not like on the other galaxy 10 phones.
It's definitely a bit of a learning curve figuring out the new phone as there are things that are similar and things that are different and it's just a matter of adjusting to those minute differences.
Overall though.
I am enjoying the new phone!
Like. Having the battery last alllllll day has been great!! XD I'm like giddy with joy that I can heavily use my phone again. Like text nonstop play games surf the internet for a couple of hours straight and still have more than half my battery at the end of it.
On my old phone I probably would have ended up with a dead phone within those two hours if I'd stuck to just texting and taking pictures.
So it's been amazing! I'm loving my phone and it's longer battery life!
The bitterpart of that bittersweet though comes just from like....nostalgia?
Mostly because the Google Pixel is a phone that Mother Dearest helped me to buy. Where she offered to pay for half of it and I pay for the other half.
So it's kinda hard giving it up in that retrospect because it's like one of the last electronics that she helped me get.
And I miss how giving she was. How quick Mother Dearest was to offer assistance whether physical/emotional/mental/monetary support to her kids in the blink of an eye.
It was how she showed her love I'm sure. With giving gifts as she was always getting us things on trips and there to talk to and always willing to help us out as we were figuring out how to handle finances and payments and such.
So yah.
Just kinda...bittersweet in that I won't have that constant reminder around that mother dearest helped me get the google pixel.
But I guess that's a part of life...
Sometimes things just need to be laid to the side and remembered in memories only.
*exhales* Doesn't always make it easy....
Though I am grateful for the new phone and that I had the ability to purchase it.
As the longer battery life is something I desperately needed for sure.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, June 27, 2020
Bang Bang in the Morning
You know...I was told we were going to have construction people come to the house to take down our deck at 7 in the morning.
But I really wasn't expecting them to be on time.
They were though.
Which is impressive....with the exception that it was seven in the morning and therefore they woke up the entire house because of the noise they were making.
*shakes head*
It makes sense why they'd come at such an unholy hour, because they wanted to get done before it got too hot.
But still.
I would have liked to sleep in a little later on a Saturday.
Especially when I had a long evening shift in front of me.
In any case.
We had people come to the house today to take down our deck.
As the thing was ancient. -probably as old as the house- and hadn't been well maintained by at least the last set of previous renters/owners, and so therefore was falling apart.
Like the railing was wobbly--and not set up to today's standard code.
The stairs were barely connected to the deck.
Like there were a lot of potential 'this could go wrong' to it.
To the point where really we'd only go out for a few minutes to see if we could see sources of noises or smoke or for me to take pictures.
And it's kinda sad to have a deck and not be able to use it.
Originally the plan was to just do a bit of touch up work.
But when we had a surveyor come out to look at the deck and give his opinion...it was decided that it would just be best to take the whole thing down and start from basically scratch.
-They left four poles standing with a wood beam across two poles each.
As the longer the surveyor looked the more issues he found with the deck.
Like the fact it was slopping downwards and wasn't evenly set (possibly due to settling)
And that the railing was too low for today's standards.
And wood was rotting and falling apart.
And that the deck hadn't been properly installed against the house.
-The brackets and nails and such holding the deck to the house...weren't good. Like...installed wrong. idk how. But yah. Basically there was a risk of the deck just pulling away from the house and taking half the siding with it.
So.
The deck needed to come down.
Which it did after a couple of hours.
And a ton of banging and hammering and sawing and laughter/chatter from the crew outside my window.
As my room was right by the deck.
It's no wonder I ended up with another headache that lasted all day. *exhales*
But hey!
We got the deck down woot!
....Now we'll have to see how long it takes before the new deck is built back up.
For now it's just weird being able to see the backyard without the deck blocking the way.
Hopefully the new one is built soon though.
It's kinda stressful having sliding glass doors that lead out to open air.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
But I really wasn't expecting them to be on time.
They were though.
Which is impressive....with the exception that it was seven in the morning and therefore they woke up the entire house because of the noise they were making.
*shakes head*
It makes sense why they'd come at such an unholy hour, because they wanted to get done before it got too hot.
But still.
I would have liked to sleep in a little later on a Saturday.
Especially when I had a long evening shift in front of me.
In any case.
We had people come to the house today to take down our deck.
As the thing was ancient. -probably as old as the house- and hadn't been well maintained by at least the last set of previous renters/owners, and so therefore was falling apart.
Like the railing was wobbly--and not set up to today's standard code.
The stairs were barely connected to the deck.
Like there were a lot of potential 'this could go wrong' to it.
To the point where really we'd only go out for a few minutes to see if we could see sources of noises or smoke or for me to take pictures.
And it's kinda sad to have a deck and not be able to use it.
Originally the plan was to just do a bit of touch up work.
But when we had a surveyor come out to look at the deck and give his opinion...it was decided that it would just be best to take the whole thing down and start from basically scratch.
-They left four poles standing with a wood beam across two poles each.
As the longer the surveyor looked the more issues he found with the deck.
Like the fact it was slopping downwards and wasn't evenly set (possibly due to settling)
And that the railing was too low for today's standards.
And wood was rotting and falling apart.
And that the deck hadn't been properly installed against the house.
-The brackets and nails and such holding the deck to the house...weren't good. Like...installed wrong. idk how. But yah. Basically there was a risk of the deck just pulling away from the house and taking half the siding with it.
So.
The deck needed to come down.
Which it did after a couple of hours.
And a ton of banging and hammering and sawing and laughter/chatter from the crew outside my window.
As my room was right by the deck.
It's no wonder I ended up with another headache that lasted all day. *exhales*
But hey!
We got the deck down woot!
....Now we'll have to see how long it takes before the new deck is built back up.
For now it's just weird being able to see the backyard without the deck blocking the way.
Hopefully the new one is built soon though.
It's kinda stressful having sliding glass doors that lead out to open air.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, June 26, 2020
Headache Woes
Migraines are never fun, especially the ones that are bad enough that they make it difficult to stay asleep because my head's aching hard enough to keep waking me up.
Last night was one of those nuclear migraines.
The one where I can't decide if my stomach is nauseous or hungry.
The one were showers don't help to ease the pain.
The one where I''m breathing fast and shallow because it's hard to think about breathing slowly and evenly when your head is pounding away.
I ended up switching between sleeping on the couch downstairs, to the couch upstairs, before ending up in my bed towards the early morning hours so that my roomie leaving for work wouldn't see me dying on the couch.
Thankfully.
The migraine was fading towards the time the sun began to rise.
Though it did try to come back right before I came into work.
Which thankfully. Work didn't make it get worse.
Usually getting to work with a migraine...most of the time I can work my muscles out with opening tasks enough to relax them so the migraine fades as most of them are caused by tense muscles.
But also getting distracted with tasks or helping customers can help it to fade most of the time.
Which thankfully was the case today.
However, my manager wasn't soo...lucky today?
I'm not sure if they were suffering from a migraine too though they did state that they get migraines a lot as well.
But no. My manager was experiencing dizziness? To the point of fainting/blacking out.
Like it got to the point where my manager was lying in the dark on the floor in the manager's office because they didn't feel well. :(
Which sucks.
Like I haven't been there with the dizziness.
but I have been there with the needing to lie down and to be in the dark.
I did what I could to help ease their discomfort, got some ice cold water from the vet's water machine thingy and putting it in an unused water bottle I had handy in my locker so my manager could put the cold water on their forehead or under their neck.
I also grabbed a couple of small blankets left over from corporate's gift from Christmas last year so that my manager could rest their head on something softer than the hard concrete floor.
I don't know when they ended up leaving.
but they had someone come pick them up so that they could go see the doctor as the dizziness wasn't a good sign for them.
(Manager didn't have a temperature, the vet checked that.)
But yah.
Seems like a rough day overall for a bunch of people.
Thankfully my own migraine has come and gone.
I can only hope that my manager is feeling better too.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Last night was one of those nuclear migraines.
The one where I can't decide if my stomach is nauseous or hungry.
The one were showers don't help to ease the pain.
The one where I''m breathing fast and shallow because it's hard to think about breathing slowly and evenly when your head is pounding away.
I ended up switching between sleeping on the couch downstairs, to the couch upstairs, before ending up in my bed towards the early morning hours so that my roomie leaving for work wouldn't see me dying on the couch.
Thankfully.
The migraine was fading towards the time the sun began to rise.
Though it did try to come back right before I came into work.
Which thankfully. Work didn't make it get worse.
Usually getting to work with a migraine...most of the time I can work my muscles out with opening tasks enough to relax them so the migraine fades as most of them are caused by tense muscles.
But also getting distracted with tasks or helping customers can help it to fade most of the time.
Which thankfully was the case today.
However, my manager wasn't soo...lucky today?
I'm not sure if they were suffering from a migraine too though they did state that they get migraines a lot as well.
But no. My manager was experiencing dizziness? To the point of fainting/blacking out.
Like it got to the point where my manager was lying in the dark on the floor in the manager's office because they didn't feel well. :(
Which sucks.
Like I haven't been there with the dizziness.
but I have been there with the needing to lie down and to be in the dark.
I did what I could to help ease their discomfort, got some ice cold water from the vet's water machine thingy and putting it in an unused water bottle I had handy in my locker so my manager could put the cold water on their forehead or under their neck.
I also grabbed a couple of small blankets left over from corporate's gift from Christmas last year so that my manager could rest their head on something softer than the hard concrete floor.
I don't know when they ended up leaving.
but they had someone come pick them up so that they could go see the doctor as the dizziness wasn't a good sign for them.
(Manager didn't have a temperature, the vet checked that.)
But yah.
Seems like a rough day overall for a bunch of people.
Thankfully my own migraine has come and gone.
I can only hope that my manager is feeling better too.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Security Blanket
So my manager pointed out earlier this week that most of our snakes --3 ball pythons and 1 kingsnake- hadn't eaten in like...three weeks.
Which isn't good for our baby snakes.
Especially for the kingsnake.
But this particular kingsnake that isn't eating was the one that wandered around loose in our store for like a month before we found it.
So who knows what it was eating during that time...if anything.
The Ball Pythons...it's not so surprising that they haven't eaten.
Though...thinking on it now...I do wonder if the ball pythons listed on the feeding charts were the same ones in the cages.
Because I feel like our ball pythons have been selling so quickly...that it doesn't seem likely that they haven't eaten in three weeks.
As I feel like we just got them in like....a week ago.
Hmmmm.
So I do wonder if the charts were for the current set of ball pythons.
In any case.
I do know that they were attempted to be fed on Sunday.
And they hadn't eaten.
And the managers had noticed that on the charts that they hadn't eaten in like three weeks.
Which again was concerning.
So the manager tasked me with the job of attempting to feed all four snakes today as usually Thursdays are slower with the bedding changes being quicker, so I should have plenty of time to make sure the snakes ate.
Bad news...I didn't get the kingsnake to eat.
I may have to try again on Saturday and see if I can get the stubborn creature to go after the pinkie mouse.
As I am wondering if perhaps I hadn't warmed the dead mouse up enough for him to want to eat it...we'll see.
But I got all three ball pythons to eat! HA!
Which knowing how stubborn they can be with food. Especially dead mice....
Is an accomplishment in of itself. lol.
Which again leaves me wondering if we actually have only had them for a week or so.
Like I know I didn't get any in on our last two shipments.
So I guess it's been two weeks....
But yah!
I got the ball pythons to eat! Woot!!
The remarkable moment was with the first ball python.
As I'd been trying to get him to eat.
And he wasn't showing any interest in the mouse.
And I was questioning if the fuzzy I was attempting to feed him was actually a fuzzy or if it actually was a small mouse because it seemed too big for the snake and was wondering if I should try a pinkie instead....as the fuzzy wouldn't go into the snakes mouth even when I tried to force it into the snake's mouse.
So I was gonna just...give up for the day for that particular ball python.
Because he'd shown no interest in the mouse and I still had two other snakes to feed.
So I had him in my hand.
And had the mouse held via tongs in the other.
And he seemed semi interested so on a whim I placed the mouse closer to him.
And the little ball python went straight for the mouse.
O_o
Like...don't try that at home. As I'm pretty sure you don't want to try and 'hand feed' a snake (even if I was using tongs)
But the little guy apparently needed my hand as a security blanket because he curled his tail tight around my finger and did not want to let go.
(I did slip him off after a couple of minutes to eat by himself in the critter tote we have to feed the snakes in)
But it was just like endearing. That he was holding on so tightly to me as he was trying to eat the mouse.
I'm just grateful he decided to eat.
Woot!!
Yay for getting three of the four snakes to eat today! Woot!
Hopefully I can be more successful with the kingsnake come Saturday.
Otherwise we'll need to look into getting him to the vet to make sure he's okay.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Which isn't good for our baby snakes.
Especially for the kingsnake.
But this particular kingsnake that isn't eating was the one that wandered around loose in our store for like a month before we found it.
So who knows what it was eating during that time...if anything.
The Ball Pythons...it's not so surprising that they haven't eaten.
Though...thinking on it now...I do wonder if the ball pythons listed on the feeding charts were the same ones in the cages.
Because I feel like our ball pythons have been selling so quickly...that it doesn't seem likely that they haven't eaten in three weeks.
As I feel like we just got them in like....a week ago.
Hmmmm.
So I do wonder if the charts were for the current set of ball pythons.
In any case.
I do know that they were attempted to be fed on Sunday.
And they hadn't eaten.
And the managers had noticed that on the charts that they hadn't eaten in like three weeks.
Which again was concerning.
So the manager tasked me with the job of attempting to feed all four snakes today as usually Thursdays are slower with the bedding changes being quicker, so I should have plenty of time to make sure the snakes ate.
Bad news...I didn't get the kingsnake to eat.
I may have to try again on Saturday and see if I can get the stubborn creature to go after the pinkie mouse.
As I am wondering if perhaps I hadn't warmed the dead mouse up enough for him to want to eat it...we'll see.
But I got all three ball pythons to eat! HA!
Which knowing how stubborn they can be with food. Especially dead mice....
Is an accomplishment in of itself. lol.
Which again leaves me wondering if we actually have only had them for a week or so.
Like I know I didn't get any in on our last two shipments.
So I guess it's been two weeks....
But yah!
I got the ball pythons to eat! Woot!!
The remarkable moment was with the first ball python.
As I'd been trying to get him to eat.
And he wasn't showing any interest in the mouse.
And I was questioning if the fuzzy I was attempting to feed him was actually a fuzzy or if it actually was a small mouse because it seemed too big for the snake and was wondering if I should try a pinkie instead....as the fuzzy wouldn't go into the snakes mouth even when I tried to force it into the snake's mouse.
So I was gonna just...give up for the day for that particular ball python.
Because he'd shown no interest in the mouse and I still had two other snakes to feed.
So I had him in my hand.
And had the mouse held via tongs in the other.
And he seemed semi interested so on a whim I placed the mouse closer to him.
And the little ball python went straight for the mouse.
O_o
Like...don't try that at home. As I'm pretty sure you don't want to try and 'hand feed' a snake (even if I was using tongs)
But the little guy apparently needed my hand as a security blanket because he curled his tail tight around my finger and did not want to let go.
(I did slip him off after a couple of minutes to eat by himself in the critter tote we have to feed the snakes in)
But it was just like endearing. That he was holding on so tightly to me as he was trying to eat the mouse.
I'm just grateful he decided to eat.
Woot!!
Yay for getting three of the four snakes to eat today! Woot!
Hopefully I can be more successful with the kingsnake come Saturday.
Otherwise we'll need to look into getting him to the vet to make sure he's okay.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
A New Phone
It's been something I've been thinking about doing for months now.
Like, with the stimulus check that came in.
I totally planned to use it to buy a new phone.
As my current one...I'd noticed that it's battery life had become severely diminished.
Like...use it too much and my phone is dead before I get off my work shift.
And considering at that point that my shifts were ending around 4pm...
It wasn't good.
But I decided that it was tolerable.
and I didn't quite need a new phone just yet.
Because about the point I got the stimulus check...was the point at work where my job could no longer guarantee that I would get full time hours every week.
Like corporate gave our store (and basically every single store they own) so few hours, that they could no longer guarantee everyone who was full time (which was like the remaining skeleton crew corporate left us with) would get their full time hours. The only thing they still guaranteed us was our benefits.
So if we wanted to use vacation time or sick time to make up the hours....we could.
And it was at that point where I decided that I should probably hold off on buying a new phone.
Because who knew how long we'd be on limited hours.
And I wanted to make sure I had enough money to pay the bills and you know...buy food and such.
So that was one reason why I put it off for a bit longer.
But another was that I currently have the Google Pixel.
Yes first generation.
And I wanted to stick with the Pixels because I've loved them.
But.
The current generation 4 version?
I've heard is crappy when it comes to battery life.
Like...
Who knows how true that is.
But considering that I use my phone alot for texting and pictures and online surfing....
I'm pretty sure my 'heavy' usage of it....would get me back to having the same problem I'm currently facing with the 1st gen Pixel.
The phone dying waaaaay too quickly.
So I was trying to hold out for the Pixel 4a. Or even the 5.
As the 4a was rumored to come out anytime.
But that's been a couple months now.
And it will probably come out in July...but who knows.
With the crazy going on in the world.
Who knows.
And who knows if the problems in the 4th gen would be fixed in the 4a.
Soooooo
After doing a bit of research, and playing with my siblings phones....
And seeing my battery seeming to dream even faster.
Like...I don't even touch it and it can drain from 100% to 95% in 15 minutes.
(Not good. Like if I'm not using it the battery shouldn't be draining that quick!)
I chose to bite the bullet.
And buy a new phone.
That isn't a Pixel.
Like I've only had one other smartphone before my Pixel.
It was some sort of Android.
And like.
I'm kinda leery.
Because I've only seen pictures and videos of the phone I chose.
So I'm hoping it's a good fit.
Because the local phone stores haven't really been open for visitors who just want to play with phones.
Sooooo
This is a bit daunting.
Hopefully in a couple of days when the phone shows up I'll love it!
Right now....I'm just kinda....trying to keep up a positive attitude.
And not worry I bought a crappy phone.
The reviews seem pretty good.
So *fingers crossed*
We'll see how it goes when it shows up!
But I am looking forward to having my phone's battery last longer than six hours.
Hopefully.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Like, with the stimulus check that came in.
I totally planned to use it to buy a new phone.
As my current one...I'd noticed that it's battery life had become severely diminished.
Like...use it too much and my phone is dead before I get off my work shift.
And considering at that point that my shifts were ending around 4pm...
It wasn't good.
But I decided that it was tolerable.
and I didn't quite need a new phone just yet.
Because about the point I got the stimulus check...was the point at work where my job could no longer guarantee that I would get full time hours every week.
Like corporate gave our store (and basically every single store they own) so few hours, that they could no longer guarantee everyone who was full time (which was like the remaining skeleton crew corporate left us with) would get their full time hours. The only thing they still guaranteed us was our benefits.
So if we wanted to use vacation time or sick time to make up the hours....we could.
And it was at that point where I decided that I should probably hold off on buying a new phone.
Because who knew how long we'd be on limited hours.
And I wanted to make sure I had enough money to pay the bills and you know...buy food and such.
So that was one reason why I put it off for a bit longer.
But another was that I currently have the Google Pixel.
Yes first generation.
And I wanted to stick with the Pixels because I've loved them.
But.
The current generation 4 version?
I've heard is crappy when it comes to battery life.
Like...
Who knows how true that is.
But considering that I use my phone alot for texting and pictures and online surfing....
I'm pretty sure my 'heavy' usage of it....would get me back to having the same problem I'm currently facing with the 1st gen Pixel.
The phone dying waaaaay too quickly.
So I was trying to hold out for the Pixel 4a. Or even the 5.
As the 4a was rumored to come out anytime.
But that's been a couple months now.
And it will probably come out in July...but who knows.
With the crazy going on in the world.
Who knows.
And who knows if the problems in the 4th gen would be fixed in the 4a.
Soooooo
After doing a bit of research, and playing with my siblings phones....
And seeing my battery seeming to dream even faster.
Like...I don't even touch it and it can drain from 100% to 95% in 15 minutes.
(Not good. Like if I'm not using it the battery shouldn't be draining that quick!)
I chose to bite the bullet.
And buy a new phone.
That isn't a Pixel.
Like I've only had one other smartphone before my Pixel.
It was some sort of Android.
And like.
I'm kinda leery.
Because I've only seen pictures and videos of the phone I chose.
So I'm hoping it's a good fit.
Because the local phone stores haven't really been open for visitors who just want to play with phones.
Sooooo
This is a bit daunting.
Hopefully in a couple of days when the phone shows up I'll love it!
Right now....I'm just kinda....trying to keep up a positive attitude.
And not worry I bought a crappy phone.
The reviews seem pretty good.
So *fingers crossed*
We'll see how it goes when it shows up!
But I am looking forward to having my phone's battery last longer than six hours.
Hopefully.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
"Excuses?!"
I had a grandfather and his granddaughter come into the store today.
To get the child her first pet hamster.
Which apparently they'd been all up and down the valley searching for hamsters and our store was the only one who still had some. (we had 4 available at that time, but sold all the rest before I was even halfway through my shift)
And the customer wanted to be able to hold the hamsters.
Which, since they were planning to purchase one, I could have let the girl hold one.
However. I had literally just taken everything out of the cages to clean them. Leaving just hamster and bedding inside. So there were no convenient houses for me to use as scoops to scoop the hamster out so that the customer could see it closer.
Plus. Policy does state that we aren't allowing the handling of pets at this time due to the pandemic.
The customer wasn't put too much out by the fact that he or his grandkid couldn't hold the hamster.
Because apparently he expected me to be able to do that for them.
Nope.
I had nothing to put the hamster in at that moment (though I could have gone and grab something I admit, but the guy didn't really give me a chance to break away to do so) so I told him I could show them the hamsters in their cages.
Which was a slight obstacle.
Because one of the lightbulbs that lit up the middle row of hamster cages.
Had burned out.
So that cage was dark and it was difficult to see the hamsters on that row because they were in the darkest corners.
But the guy was like "Well you gotta switch on the lights so we can see the hamsters!"
To which I responded "That light is broken and we haven't yet been able to replace it--"
I don't think he even let me finish the sentence before he interrupted asking:
"Are you gonna keep making excuses or are you gonna make a sale?"
Which...I'm paid by the hour dude. I don't care if you buy or don't buy something here. I still get paid regardless.
But like. Rude much? Entitled much?
Oh. It was so hard to not snap at him then and there.
Like. I'm NOT making EXCUSES. I'm telling you our policies and telling you why I can't just snap my fingers and turn on a light because it's BROKEN.
There's only so. much. I. can. do.
And the dude was like "I just come in expecting good customer service and you're not giving it to me."
Just like *eye twitch*
if I could breath fire he wouldn't be standing there so smugly really.
But his confrontational attitude shifted as I turned to the cages and pulled one open so that the customer could see it.
"That's more like it!"
Like dude.
If you'd been just a tad bit nicer and given me a tad bit more time to answer your questions then I would have happily helped you sooner with the hamster. *shakes head*
Honestly. I wasn't in the mood.
I'm burned out with work. Burned out with entitled customers who come in without their freaking masks on expecting me to have what they want in stock the second they ask for it.
*exhales*
The dude was quite charming and nice after I got him his paperwork and picked out the hamster his grandchild wanted.
but honestly...I hope the hamster bites him.
"You gonna keep making excuses or you gonna make a sale?" Like geez dude. That's just asking to get kicked out of the store. XP Take your business elsewhere. At this point I wouldn't have cared. One less customer coming to the store is one less person risking my life during this pandemic.
Just.
Gah.
I don't like them.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
To get the child her first pet hamster.
Which apparently they'd been all up and down the valley searching for hamsters and our store was the only one who still had some. (we had 4 available at that time, but sold all the rest before I was even halfway through my shift)
And the customer wanted to be able to hold the hamsters.
Which, since they were planning to purchase one, I could have let the girl hold one.
However. I had literally just taken everything out of the cages to clean them. Leaving just hamster and bedding inside. So there were no convenient houses for me to use as scoops to scoop the hamster out so that the customer could see it closer.
Plus. Policy does state that we aren't allowing the handling of pets at this time due to the pandemic.
The customer wasn't put too much out by the fact that he or his grandkid couldn't hold the hamster.
Because apparently he expected me to be able to do that for them.
Nope.
I had nothing to put the hamster in at that moment (though I could have gone and grab something I admit, but the guy didn't really give me a chance to break away to do so) so I told him I could show them the hamsters in their cages.
Which was a slight obstacle.
Because one of the lightbulbs that lit up the middle row of hamster cages.
Had burned out.
So that cage was dark and it was difficult to see the hamsters on that row because they were in the darkest corners.
But the guy was like "Well you gotta switch on the lights so we can see the hamsters!"
To which I responded "That light is broken and we haven't yet been able to replace it--"
I don't think he even let me finish the sentence before he interrupted asking:
"Are you gonna keep making excuses or are you gonna make a sale?"
Which...I'm paid by the hour dude. I don't care if you buy or don't buy something here. I still get paid regardless.
But like. Rude much? Entitled much?
Oh. It was so hard to not snap at him then and there.
Like. I'm NOT making EXCUSES. I'm telling you our policies and telling you why I can't just snap my fingers and turn on a light because it's BROKEN.
There's only so. much. I. can. do.
And the dude was like "I just come in expecting good customer service and you're not giving it to me."
Just like *eye twitch*
if I could breath fire he wouldn't be standing there so smugly really.
But his confrontational attitude shifted as I turned to the cages and pulled one open so that the customer could see it.
"That's more like it!"
Like dude.
If you'd been just a tad bit nicer and given me a tad bit more time to answer your questions then I would have happily helped you sooner with the hamster. *shakes head*
Honestly. I wasn't in the mood.
I'm burned out with work. Burned out with entitled customers who come in without their freaking masks on expecting me to have what they want in stock the second they ask for it.
*exhales*
The dude was quite charming and nice after I got him his paperwork and picked out the hamster his grandchild wanted.
but honestly...I hope the hamster bites him.
"You gonna keep making excuses or you gonna make a sale?" Like geez dude. That's just asking to get kicked out of the store. XP Take your business elsewhere. At this point I wouldn't have cared. One less customer coming to the store is one less person risking my life during this pandemic.
Just.
Gah.
I don't like them.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, June 22, 2020
To the Races
I've been spending more time than usual watching youtube videos.
As I get to the point in the day where I crave for stimulation and apparently watching youtube videos on random things is what entertains me when I don't want to think to write anymore.
That's kinda how I got into watching mountain biking videos. Just saw one one day and decided to watch it and I'm hooked!!
Another type of video I've gotten into though is marble racing.
Like it was the most random thing that I hit for funsies and I'm actually really intrigued by it.
There's differing youtube channels where they use marbles in like an Olympic style competition of like racing and jumping and balancing and the like.
But then there's also like 'car racing' style of marble races where the marbles are placed on a track --either a plastic or a dirt created one and are sent to race around it within a certain amount of time or for a certain amount of laps.
And it's like crazy.
I'm fascinated by the racing ones.
Because there's often a narrator that narrates like you'd see in the Nascar races.
And like even though it's just marbles racing around a track.
It's crazy to see how...idk realistic it is?
Like you know there's no people driving in a marble. But the marbles can speed up and pass other marbles, they can crash into each other, they can hit a curve wrong and suddenly end up in last place.
Like it's basically just a race of chance to the best marble. But it's so interesting that marbles aren't all equal. That some can roll faster, jump further, spin longer....it's just...a concept that I hadn't ever consciously thought about (except maybe waaay back as a kid when I built marble tracks) and it's just so cool to watch.
Watch and see if your favorite marble will win or if it will come in last place.
It's definitely something that captivates the mind when my brain is tired but still wants to be 'doing' something.
So yah. Mountain Biking and Marble Racing is what I currently watch on Youtube when I want to 'do' something but I'm too tired to think after work.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
As I get to the point in the day where I crave for stimulation and apparently watching youtube videos on random things is what entertains me when I don't want to think to write anymore.
That's kinda how I got into watching mountain biking videos. Just saw one one day and decided to watch it and I'm hooked!!
Another type of video I've gotten into though is marble racing.
Like it was the most random thing that I hit for funsies and I'm actually really intrigued by it.
There's differing youtube channels where they use marbles in like an Olympic style competition of like racing and jumping and balancing and the like.
But then there's also like 'car racing' style of marble races where the marbles are placed on a track --either a plastic or a dirt created one and are sent to race around it within a certain amount of time or for a certain amount of laps.
And it's like crazy.
I'm fascinated by the racing ones.
Because there's often a narrator that narrates like you'd see in the Nascar races.
And like even though it's just marbles racing around a track.
It's crazy to see how...idk realistic it is?
Like you know there's no people driving in a marble. But the marbles can speed up and pass other marbles, they can crash into each other, they can hit a curve wrong and suddenly end up in last place.
Like it's basically just a race of chance to the best marble. But it's so interesting that marbles aren't all equal. That some can roll faster, jump further, spin longer....it's just...a concept that I hadn't ever consciously thought about (except maybe waaay back as a kid when I built marble tracks) and it's just so cool to watch.
Watch and see if your favorite marble will win or if it will come in last place.
It's definitely something that captivates the mind when my brain is tired but still wants to be 'doing' something.
So yah. Mountain Biking and Marble Racing is what I currently watch on Youtube when I want to 'do' something but I'm too tired to think after work.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Fresh from the Garden
One of my favorite things about going to Daddoo's house, is when it's that time of year that the garden is producing.
So you can just wander into the backyard and grab a handful of peas, or pick some tomatoes, eat grapes from the vine, pick a bushel of raspberries, etc.
It's great.
This time around it was the peas that were ready.
Which it was awesome to just sit on the raised wall surrounding the bed of peas and just pick peas to eat to my heart's content (and risk spoiling my dinner by having too many)
Especially because the last few years, it's been getting too hot far too quickly.
So we get only one crop, maybe two, before the peas are done for the year.
Which is a shame. Because I love fresh peas from the garden.
So I was grateful to be able to have access to them this year.
As unfortunately due to the heat...the batch currently in place...is the last of the season.
Foo.
But! I got to eat a ton of them!
So there's that. ^^;;
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
So you can just wander into the backyard and grab a handful of peas, or pick some tomatoes, eat grapes from the vine, pick a bushel of raspberries, etc.
It's great.
This time around it was the peas that were ready.
Which it was awesome to just sit on the raised wall surrounding the bed of peas and just pick peas to eat to my heart's content (and risk spoiling my dinner by having too many)
Especially because the last few years, it's been getting too hot far too quickly.
So we get only one crop, maybe two, before the peas are done for the year.
Which is a shame. Because I love fresh peas from the garden.
So I was grateful to be able to have access to them this year.
As unfortunately due to the heat...the batch currently in place...is the last of the season.
Foo.
But! I got to eat a ton of them!
So there's that. ^^;;
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Annoyed
I'm growing quite tired of having to deal with incredulous people at work.
The ones who don't like being told their wrong, or being told no, or being told to stay behind the blue line for their safety.
*exhales*
It's just...exhausting.
I had a customer today who got all uppity at me when I told her she needed to stand behind the blue line.
Which mind you is like two feet away from the fish walfif l.
It's not even the six foot line that apparently my sister store has up at their fish wall.
It's quite easy to see the fish from that distance.
Though apparently there are a ton of people in my state who need to go get their eyes checked at the eye doctor because we've had so many people complain that they can't 'see' the fish unless they're able to a) touch the glass or b) have their noses on cm away from the tanks.
Which this customer was one of those people.
"How can I see the fish to pick them out!" she complained when I told her she needed to be behind the blue line.
Like.
How can you NOT see the fish from two feet away?
Like I can.
I could get how you couldn't because I'm not sure how clearly I could see the fish if I was standing twoish feet away from the wall and didn't have my contacts in. But like. with contacts? The fish are quite visible!
I don't get it.
I really don't.
But by that point I was done with customer's bs (though in retrospect I should have just said "I'm sorry but that's the rule stay behind the blue line) and told the customer that if they didn't touch the glass then they could cross the line to see the fish better.
I still don't get how she and other customers can't see the fish.
Like again it's a two foot distance. You don't need your nose pressed right up to the glass to see them swimming around.
Not to mention the customers that don't listen to a word of explanation that you give when they ask questions.
"Is this a goldfish?"
"Is this a goldfish?"
"Can this koi fish be with this type of goldfish?"
Like just because a fish is orange doesn't make it a goldfish.
No that's not a goldfish because it's a cichlid.
How do I know what types of fish they are? Because I can READ THE SIGNS saying which fish are in which tanks.
So many people can't.
They don't listen either.
I have to repeat myself twelve times it feels like.
Gah.
Or the customers who have their 'kids' do the research on their pets but don't do any research themselves.
Like the customer who came into the store with their kid thinking that cornsnakes would be an 'easy' pet to keep because they just eat 'crickets and such'.
Nope. They don't eat bugs. They don't recognize them as food. They eat mice.
Like do your research so I don't have to play mediator and teacher for once.
And if you're looking for a 'cheap pet' just get the kid a stuffed animal.
Live animals shouldn't be bought cheaply.
But yah.
I'm just....so tired of it all.
So tired of the prissy uppity people who are risking my life every day coming into the store without masks and insisting that they touch everything in site and try to hover far to close to me and yah....
I need a vacation.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
The ones who don't like being told their wrong, or being told no, or being told to stay behind the blue line for their safety.
*exhales*
It's just...exhausting.
I had a customer today who got all uppity at me when I told her she needed to stand behind the blue line.
Which mind you is like two feet away from the fish walfif l.
It's not even the six foot line that apparently my sister store has up at their fish wall.
It's quite easy to see the fish from that distance.
Though apparently there are a ton of people in my state who need to go get their eyes checked at the eye doctor because we've had so many people complain that they can't 'see' the fish unless they're able to a) touch the glass or b) have their noses on cm away from the tanks.
Which this customer was one of those people.
"How can I see the fish to pick them out!" she complained when I told her she needed to be behind the blue line.
Like.
How can you NOT see the fish from two feet away?
Like I can.
I could get how you couldn't because I'm not sure how clearly I could see the fish if I was standing twoish feet away from the wall and didn't have my contacts in. But like. with contacts? The fish are quite visible!
I don't get it.
I really don't.
But by that point I was done with customer's bs (though in retrospect I should have just said "I'm sorry but that's the rule stay behind the blue line) and told the customer that if they didn't touch the glass then they could cross the line to see the fish better.
I still don't get how she and other customers can't see the fish.
Like again it's a two foot distance. You don't need your nose pressed right up to the glass to see them swimming around.
Not to mention the customers that don't listen to a word of explanation that you give when they ask questions.
"Is this a goldfish?"
"Is this a goldfish?"
"Can this koi fish be with this type of goldfish?"
Like just because a fish is orange doesn't make it a goldfish.
No that's not a goldfish because it's a cichlid.
How do I know what types of fish they are? Because I can READ THE SIGNS saying which fish are in which tanks.
So many people can't.
They don't listen either.
I have to repeat myself twelve times it feels like.
Gah.
Or the customers who have their 'kids' do the research on their pets but don't do any research themselves.
Like the customer who came into the store with their kid thinking that cornsnakes would be an 'easy' pet to keep because they just eat 'crickets and such'.
Nope. They don't eat bugs. They don't recognize them as food. They eat mice.
Like do your research so I don't have to play mediator and teacher for once.
And if you're looking for a 'cheap pet' just get the kid a stuffed animal.
Live animals shouldn't be bought cheaply.
But yah.
I'm just....so tired of it all.
So tired of the prissy uppity people who are risking my life every day coming into the store without masks and insisting that they touch everything in site and try to hover far to close to me and yah....
I need a vacation.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, June 19, 2020
A Ton of Goldfish
We had a young customer come into the store today.
Sent on an errand by her grandmother.
Who had given the child $40 in order for her to come in and buy goldfish.
As from my understanding, that the grandmother wanted to buy the goldfish for her son who was the child's father.
I didn't hear the beginning of this conversation.
But the child said that she wanted the small feeder goldfish.
Which those are 16 cents each.
And the child had $40 to buy goldfish.
But the grandmother hadn't specified a certain amount of goldfish that she wanted to give to her son.
And like at 16 cents each.
$40 buys a ton of goldfish.
If there wasn't tax involved the child could have ended up with 250 goldfish.
With tax...the number was probably more like 235.
Which seemed like a ton of goldfish to buy.
And we weren't certain if the grandma actually wanted over 200 goldfish.
So we decided to give the child 100.
Like that was still alot for this unknown gift to the child's father.
But it wasn't over 200.
So we bagged up 2 bags of 50 for the child to go buy.
And since I didn't see her come back into the store after purchasing them.
....
Hopefully that means the grandma was satisfied with the amount she got.
Still though....
I do wonder at the people who say "buy me $amount of (thing)" especially if you don't know the price of the thing you're buying.
Like I'd double check or give a better more specific number of "25 goldfish" as that's easily more quantifiable than $40sworth.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Sent on an errand by her grandmother.
Who had given the child $40 in order for her to come in and buy goldfish.
As from my understanding, that the grandmother wanted to buy the goldfish for her son who was the child's father.
I didn't hear the beginning of this conversation.
But the child said that she wanted the small feeder goldfish.
Which those are 16 cents each.
And the child had $40 to buy goldfish.
But the grandmother hadn't specified a certain amount of goldfish that she wanted to give to her son.
And like at 16 cents each.
$40 buys a ton of goldfish.
If there wasn't tax involved the child could have ended up with 250 goldfish.
With tax...the number was probably more like 235.
Which seemed like a ton of goldfish to buy.
And we weren't certain if the grandma actually wanted over 200 goldfish.
So we decided to give the child 100.
Like that was still alot for this unknown gift to the child's father.
But it wasn't over 200.
So we bagged up 2 bags of 50 for the child to go buy.
And since I didn't see her come back into the store after purchasing them.
....
Hopefully that means the grandma was satisfied with the amount she got.
Still though....
I do wonder at the people who say "buy me $amount of (thing)" especially if you don't know the price of the thing you're buying.
Like I'd double check or give a better more specific number of "25 goldfish" as that's easily more quantifiable than $40sworth.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Thursday, June 18, 2020
Can I Go Hermit in the Woods?
I suppose I should have seen the build up to the breaking point.
You know, crying behind the fish wall at work halfway through my shift because it all became 'too much.'
Not that work itself was a problem. No, today was fine all things considered. Customers weren't too crazy. It wasn't too busy. I was able to find tasks to do to fill the entire shift. Work itself is fine.
But at the same time it's not fine.
It's just one of those 'it's all hopeless why even try" sort of apathetic build up moments.
Like.
Because I'm tired. Emotionally, Mentally, Physically, I'm exhausted.
And have been for a while.
It's what happens when you're an essential worker on a skeleton crew in the middle of a pandemic and each month of 2020 brings another mental/emotional/physical problem to add to the previous months problems.
*exhales*
Honestly it was triggered yesterday because:
a) I'm working evening shifts for the forseeable future because we don't have enough staff to have full coverage throughout the day and we're trying to keep the evening people happy by working to keep the ability to buy animals available to them later in the evening.
b) Our District Manager came in and upon being asked on when we can hire people said that we won't have the ability to hire until the third quarter. Which is AUGUST.
I have six more weeks at least of a skeleton crew.
SIX MORE WEEKS.
A MONTH AND A HALF
after being on a skeleton crew since MARCH.
What sort of corporation takes their entire working crew and puts them on a skeleton staff DURING THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC where we NEED people to be available to help customers because we're ESSENTIAL and people in my state act like life is normal and are coming in in hordes.
Like we're fine making plan. WE're making money. GIVE US OUR WORKERS. GAH.
Who keeps their people on a skeleton crew for like SIX FREAKING MONTHS?
My job apparently. XP And it's just depressing. To know that there's no end in sight. To know that it's gonna just be the ten of us trying to keep the store afloat until some neublous point in August because corporate decided a whole 'infrastructure revamp' was needed in the middle of a WORLD WIDE CRISIS.
Can you tell I'm frustrated?
Cus I am.
So frustrated. I'm tired of being essential. Tired of being on a skeleton crew. Tired of working evening shifts because I do not have the social battery to work 40 hours straight customer service without it coming back negatively to hurt me emotionally, physically, and mentally.
So yah that was the tipping point yesterday.
Just. Being so dumb with the bs that corporate is putting their workers through. "Care about the people?" Ha. "Care about the customers" Ha. How about CARE ABOUT YOUR FREAKING BACKBONE OF YOUR COMPANY!?
*growls*
Gah.
Just.
GAH.
It doesn't help either that my state is experiencing a spike in cases.
Where we're constantly getting cases in the 300-400 range now on a daily basis instead of in the 100 range of the first few months.
And the governor is putting parts of our state in GREEN tomorrow. Like. With how cases are spiking the entire state should be back in red because we're worse off than we've ever been.
But noooo the economy is worth more than people's lives apparently. XP
And with each passing day I see more and more people foregoing their masks. Which like...cases are spiking. No one should be without a mask at this point. But noooooo. That's not the case.
Add into that that my phone decided it wanted to die sooner and has been dying more quickly recently which stresses me out because it stressful to the traumatic sense that I can't rely on my phone to stay charged the entire day anymore.
Add into that that Daddoo decided seeing me needing a new phone was a good time to badger me about how I was going to pay for said phone whenever I decide to get one (as i'm on his phone plan and he pays the bill) (I would buy the thing myself and pay him back duh.)
Just had me fuming at him in general and have me missing Mother Dearest even more because while Daddoo is focused on money and saving and not spending a dime, mother dearest would have been like "Oh you need help with that? Let me cover half of the cost." Because she gave like that and was supportive like that and I really just need support and love and the ability to relax.
Instead of seeing that my Daddoo has text and have me internally bracing myself to see what he wants now. What physical object he's misplaced in his house that he thinks we took even though us kids have barely been in the house and whatever he's lost is probably in a box HE packed away and HE put somewhere. Or where he's just wanting something from us.
I would just like to be able to look at my phone and not cringe upon seeing I've got a text. *exhales*
Add into that that because of having to work evening shifts I get really tired and therefore haven't had the mental stamina to work on any of my writing projects and the fact that I haven't been able to finish any writing projects in two weeks.
Yah.
It's no surprise that it's all come to a head today and I just wanted to go hermit in the woods and forget other people exist and just have some much needed me time to recharge. XP
*exhales*
I'm just frustrated.
Tired.
and upset.
So upset.
For all the reasons listed above.
I just can't.
But unfortunately I have to 'can' for a while longer. Two more weekends and I can get a break from work at least. A little mini vacation away from those stressors.
But who knows when I'll be able to actually 'get away' and chillax for real.
*exhales*
I'm just so sick of it all.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
You know, crying behind the fish wall at work halfway through my shift because it all became 'too much.'
Not that work itself was a problem. No, today was fine all things considered. Customers weren't too crazy. It wasn't too busy. I was able to find tasks to do to fill the entire shift. Work itself is fine.
But at the same time it's not fine.
It's just one of those 'it's all hopeless why even try" sort of apathetic build up moments.
Like.
Because I'm tired. Emotionally, Mentally, Physically, I'm exhausted.
And have been for a while.
It's what happens when you're an essential worker on a skeleton crew in the middle of a pandemic and each month of 2020 brings another mental/emotional/physical problem to add to the previous months problems.
*exhales*
Honestly it was triggered yesterday because:
a) I'm working evening shifts for the forseeable future because we don't have enough staff to have full coverage throughout the day and we're trying to keep the evening people happy by working to keep the ability to buy animals available to them later in the evening.
b) Our District Manager came in and upon being asked on when we can hire people said that we won't have the ability to hire until the third quarter. Which is AUGUST.
I have six more weeks at least of a skeleton crew.
SIX MORE WEEKS.
A MONTH AND A HALF
after being on a skeleton crew since MARCH.
What sort of corporation takes their entire working crew and puts them on a skeleton staff DURING THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC where we NEED people to be available to help customers because we're ESSENTIAL and people in my state act like life is normal and are coming in in hordes.
Like we're fine making plan. WE're making money. GIVE US OUR WORKERS. GAH.
Who keeps their people on a skeleton crew for like SIX FREAKING MONTHS?
My job apparently. XP And it's just depressing. To know that there's no end in sight. To know that it's gonna just be the ten of us trying to keep the store afloat until some neublous point in August because corporate decided a whole 'infrastructure revamp' was needed in the middle of a WORLD WIDE CRISIS.
Can you tell I'm frustrated?
Cus I am.
So frustrated. I'm tired of being essential. Tired of being on a skeleton crew. Tired of working evening shifts because I do not have the social battery to work 40 hours straight customer service without it coming back negatively to hurt me emotionally, physically, and mentally.
So yah that was the tipping point yesterday.
Just. Being so dumb with the bs that corporate is putting their workers through. "Care about the people?" Ha. "Care about the customers" Ha. How about CARE ABOUT YOUR FREAKING BACKBONE OF YOUR COMPANY!?
*growls*
Gah.
Just.
GAH.
It doesn't help either that my state is experiencing a spike in cases.
Where we're constantly getting cases in the 300-400 range now on a daily basis instead of in the 100 range of the first few months.
And the governor is putting parts of our state in GREEN tomorrow. Like. With how cases are spiking the entire state should be back in red because we're worse off than we've ever been.
But noooo the economy is worth more than people's lives apparently. XP
And with each passing day I see more and more people foregoing their masks. Which like...cases are spiking. No one should be without a mask at this point. But noooooo. That's not the case.
Add into that that my phone decided it wanted to die sooner and has been dying more quickly recently which stresses me out because it stressful to the traumatic sense that I can't rely on my phone to stay charged the entire day anymore.
Add into that that Daddoo decided seeing me needing a new phone was a good time to badger me about how I was going to pay for said phone whenever I decide to get one (as i'm on his phone plan and he pays the bill) (I would buy the thing myself and pay him back duh.)
Just had me fuming at him in general and have me missing Mother Dearest even more because while Daddoo is focused on money and saving and not spending a dime, mother dearest would have been like "Oh you need help with that? Let me cover half of the cost." Because she gave like that and was supportive like that and I really just need support and love and the ability to relax.
Instead of seeing that my Daddoo has text and have me internally bracing myself to see what he wants now. What physical object he's misplaced in his house that he thinks we took even though us kids have barely been in the house and whatever he's lost is probably in a box HE packed away and HE put somewhere. Or where he's just wanting something from us.
I would just like to be able to look at my phone and not cringe upon seeing I've got a text. *exhales*
Add into that that because of having to work evening shifts I get really tired and therefore haven't had the mental stamina to work on any of my writing projects and the fact that I haven't been able to finish any writing projects in two weeks.
Yah.
It's no surprise that it's all come to a head today and I just wanted to go hermit in the woods and forget other people exist and just have some much needed me time to recharge. XP
*exhales*
I'm just frustrated.
Tired.
and upset.
So upset.
For all the reasons listed above.
I just can't.
But unfortunately I have to 'can' for a while longer. Two more weekends and I can get a break from work at least. A little mini vacation away from those stressors.
But who knows when I'll be able to actually 'get away' and chillax for real.
*exhales*
I'm just so sick of it all.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Little Fix-its.
It's always interesting to see how my coworkers confront problems that come up at work that they usually don't have to deal with.
Like. Because I'm usually the morning opener for 5/7 days of the week.
I usually handle the bedding changes and the invoices/paperwork/shipments that come in with our animals and such.
But I was off yesterday.
A day where we had crickets come in. And a feeder goldfish shipment come in.
And who knows if any other shipments also were there.
But in any case.
It was quite the hourish that I spent figuring out just 'what had happened' and fixing it.
Like the crickets made it into their container just fine.
It was the invoices that had vanished.
And I only realized we got in THREE cricket shipments when I went on the computer to check out the goldfish shipment and realized i needed to track down THREE invoices that hadn't been received.
And that somehow one of my coworkers had decided that one of the invoices was a good 'note taking' piece of paper and had thrown it away when they were done with it.
-I only noticed it was in the trash because it was right on top as I threw something else away.
And that the two other cricket invoices had been filed in the 'completed' folder....even though they hadn't yet been completed as you have to receive in the invoices by computer to let the system know that a) we got the shipment and b) how many died/wereshorted etc.
I couldn't ever find the physical copy of the goldfish paperwork. *exhales*
And that only became a necessary thing to find --which triggered me having to hunt down the cricket POs as well because the goldfish that came in weren't put in their proper tanks.
Like our feeder goldfish tanks are set up as they are for a reason.
We have 8 goldfish tanks.
But we only use 6 of them.
So that we can keep a clear barrier between the sizes of fish so that we are accurate in our inventory.
So we have 2 tanks of large goldfish.
an empty tank
2 tanks of small goldfish
an empty tank
and then 2 tanks of xsmall goldfish.
That way there's a clear divide.
Only whoever had released the goldfish yesterday into their tanks...had placed them in the empty tanks instead of in with the other fish their size. *exhales*
I can halfway see the logic behind doing that.
But at the same time.
It makes it difficult when there are fish in the tanks between the small and the xsmall...but I don't know if the fish in that tank came in on the PO as small goldfish or xsmall goldfish (as they're often of similar size when they come in and it's only the paperwork that tells us differently)
So I had to go hunt down the PO to figure out if the goldfish that came in were small or extra small.
-The large ones were obviously large so that was easy.
But yah. I then had to fish out 900 fish (300 large, 600 small) and get them into their proper spots so that our two empty tanks would once again be empty.
It's just.... *exhales* semi frustrating.
Like I get that people aren't as observant as I am.
And maybe they never realized that we keep two tanks empty on purpose.
Maybe they were thinking that we just keep each shipment of fish separate from previous shipments of fish.
But it's just...frustrating to have to follow behind another person and basically redo their job because it wasn't done properly the first time.
Bright side...ish...is that it did help pass the time and gave me something to do to keep myself from running out of things to do before my shift was over.
But yah...it's not something I'm particularly keen on having to do every single day when I come in for an evening shift.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Increasing Rates
I went grocery shopping earlier today.
To pick up some watermelon for a get together that my family is having this weekened.
And like....
It's interesting and very frustrating to see how lax people are becoming about keeping themselves safe in public.
Like, my state never went into a firm lockdown. Masks have always been 'recommended' but not required for customers.
But with our state moving up from red to orange to yellow and are trying to fight for green....less and less people are wearing masks anymore.
Which isn't great. Because like...our cases have tripled if not quadrupled in the past couple of weeks.
Where we used to have cases in the 100s every day, now the cases frequently top 300-400 cases a day.
That's not a good thing.
Cases are increasing....and yet my state isn't doing anything to help prevent the spike from happening.
We're still in yellow.
And like...we should go back to red.
Like we spent a good month and a half with cases in the 100s. Cases hadn't even begun to go down before the state was like "Okay let's move to orange! Now yellow!"
And like there are counties in my state that are pushing to be given the 'green' go ahead.
Even when they had a huge spike in cases like four days earlier.
*exhales*
I'm just....frustrated.
Watching people ignore guideliens.
Watching people wanting to express their 'freedom'
Who don't think 'it's that bad'
Like yah...our state isn't 'that bad' compared to other states. We haven't yet topped 15k cases which compared to other states is pretty good.
But the cases are increasing as more people are getting out. Not wearing masks. Not practicing social distancing.
It's just....*exhales*
Frustrating.
Like I get how people can have such an attitude. A "it's fine the economy is yellow that means we're good to go do more things!" as I was in such a frame of mind myself back in Feb/March when the virus was starting to be more serious.
But having to be an 'essential worker' for the last four-five months......
I really just wish people would continue to stay home. Stay distant.
As the more people who come out the more people who are at risk.
Because you never know who around you may be sick, who may be a carrier.
And I would think it would be better to keep your risk low...rather than playing Russian roulette with it.
Guess we'll see....
But I expect the usage of masks will continue to decrease even as cases continue to increase.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
To pick up some watermelon for a get together that my family is having this weekened.
And like....
It's interesting and very frustrating to see how lax people are becoming about keeping themselves safe in public.
Like, my state never went into a firm lockdown. Masks have always been 'recommended' but not required for customers.
But with our state moving up from red to orange to yellow and are trying to fight for green....less and less people are wearing masks anymore.
Which isn't great. Because like...our cases have tripled if not quadrupled in the past couple of weeks.
Where we used to have cases in the 100s every day, now the cases frequently top 300-400 cases a day.
That's not a good thing.
Cases are increasing....and yet my state isn't doing anything to help prevent the spike from happening.
We're still in yellow.
And like...we should go back to red.
Like we spent a good month and a half with cases in the 100s. Cases hadn't even begun to go down before the state was like "Okay let's move to orange! Now yellow!"
And like there are counties in my state that are pushing to be given the 'green' go ahead.
Even when they had a huge spike in cases like four days earlier.
*exhales*
I'm just....frustrated.
Watching people ignore guideliens.
Watching people wanting to express their 'freedom'
Who don't think 'it's that bad'
Like yah...our state isn't 'that bad' compared to other states. We haven't yet topped 15k cases which compared to other states is pretty good.
But the cases are increasing as more people are getting out. Not wearing masks. Not practicing social distancing.
It's just....*exhales*
Frustrating.
Like I get how people can have such an attitude. A "it's fine the economy is yellow that means we're good to go do more things!" as I was in such a frame of mind myself back in Feb/March when the virus was starting to be more serious.
But having to be an 'essential worker' for the last four-five months......
I really just wish people would continue to stay home. Stay distant.
As the more people who come out the more people who are at risk.
Because you never know who around you may be sick, who may be a carrier.
And I would think it would be better to keep your risk low...rather than playing Russian roulette with it.
Guess we'll see....
But I expect the usage of masks will continue to decrease even as cases continue to increase.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Monday, June 15, 2020
Opening Late
So this week at work, we're trying something different. Where my managers are having us keep my department closed to animal sales in the morning, which will (hopefully) allow us to have more coverage in the evenings and be able to keep the department open in the afternoons when we get a lot more foot traffic in.
As there aren't as many people who come in in the mornings to buy animals as there are in the afternoon.
And like...I'm pretty sure the main reason why we haven't tried to do later evenings before now was because we were trying to keep up with the opening tasks in the mornings which requires someone there in...well the mornings to do all the opening.
But this week. They were wanting to try a thing where like a manager would focus on doing the bedding change and maybe checking food/water for a couple of hours before the store opens.
And then we'd keep the department closed and do the actual opening of it in the afternoon when the 'closing' shift came in. Which for this week would be me.
And like originally I was scheduled to come in between 1-2pm this week and work until close.
But that's already changed lol.
I came in to my shift this afternoon to the head and vp managers being like "We hate this already."
Which I can see why as they weren't going to have the department open until half an hour after I came in.
And considering we get busy a couple of hours before that point like around 11am for the lunch time rush.
It makes sense that they should probably try and have the department open a bit earlier than like 1 or 2 pm.
So I came into work to find that they wanted to move up my work shift a couple of hours for the rest of the week. So I would be coming in at 11 instead of 1-2pm.
Which. On the one hand it's not my favorite time slot. Working 11-730 is like...an all day endeavor. It feels like you miss out on the entire day as you can't really do much before your shift (especially if you sleep in) and can't really do much after your shift either. Especially during this time when stores and such are still closing at like 7pm (alot of them.)
so yah it's like a full shift of customer service with few opening tasks and few closing tasks that need to be done.
Though thankfully since we're 'opening' the department later that does mean that I should still have plenty of opening tasks to do.
As when I came in my manager in charge of 'opening' had only done the bedding change. (and was later discovered only did half of the necessary bedding change. *exhales*) which left me with opening the rest of the department.
Plus. Because the manager left in charge of the mornings has well...never been an opener for petcare at all....it was quickly realized that having them do the bedding changes when they've never done them before was not a good idea.
So to top it off. They had me do tomorrow's bedding change this evening.
Which I wasn't too opposed to because a) it gave me something to do and b) meant one less worry about trying to get it done tomorrow as we try and figure out how to do a later opening for the department this week.
Luckily...or oddly? Enough. It wasn't that busy today.
Like for it being a Monday...it felt pretty dead throughout the entire day with the exception of like the 6pm hour where it got a little crazy.
But that meant that it kinda felt like the morning shift.
Because there weren't that many people in the store. Which meant I was able to do a lot of the opening tasks with minimal interruption.
Which was great because if I keep getting interrupted at a task...it stresses me out because I just want to get the thing 'done' and if I get interrupted every five minutes to help a customer it just...irritates me.
So yah.
While opening later today went well.
I am curious to see how the rest of the week goes.
I kinda expect it's gonna be me working to put out all the fires honestly.
As this whole "let the managers open" thing would probably have gone a lot better if they had me or a couple of the more experienced coworkers train the manager in what exactly to do first before throwing them in the deep end.
So.....we'll see how this week goes.
At least I don't have to work until close the entire week. So that's great! ^^;; But we'll see if coming into work a couple of hours later helps or hinders....
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
As there aren't as many people who come in in the mornings to buy animals as there are in the afternoon.
And like...I'm pretty sure the main reason why we haven't tried to do later evenings before now was because we were trying to keep up with the opening tasks in the mornings which requires someone there in...well the mornings to do all the opening.
But this week. They were wanting to try a thing where like a manager would focus on doing the bedding change and maybe checking food/water for a couple of hours before the store opens.
And then we'd keep the department closed and do the actual opening of it in the afternoon when the 'closing' shift came in. Which for this week would be me.
And like originally I was scheduled to come in between 1-2pm this week and work until close.
But that's already changed lol.
I came in to my shift this afternoon to the head and vp managers being like "We hate this already."
Which I can see why as they weren't going to have the department open until half an hour after I came in.
And considering we get busy a couple of hours before that point like around 11am for the lunch time rush.
It makes sense that they should probably try and have the department open a bit earlier than like 1 or 2 pm.
So I came into work to find that they wanted to move up my work shift a couple of hours for the rest of the week. So I would be coming in at 11 instead of 1-2pm.
Which. On the one hand it's not my favorite time slot. Working 11-730 is like...an all day endeavor. It feels like you miss out on the entire day as you can't really do much before your shift (especially if you sleep in) and can't really do much after your shift either. Especially during this time when stores and such are still closing at like 7pm (alot of them.)
so yah it's like a full shift of customer service with few opening tasks and few closing tasks that need to be done.
Though thankfully since we're 'opening' the department later that does mean that I should still have plenty of opening tasks to do.
As when I came in my manager in charge of 'opening' had only done the bedding change. (and was later discovered only did half of the necessary bedding change. *exhales*) which left me with opening the rest of the department.
Plus. Because the manager left in charge of the mornings has well...never been an opener for petcare at all....it was quickly realized that having them do the bedding changes when they've never done them before was not a good idea.
So to top it off. They had me do tomorrow's bedding change this evening.
Which I wasn't too opposed to because a) it gave me something to do and b) meant one less worry about trying to get it done tomorrow as we try and figure out how to do a later opening for the department this week.
Luckily...or oddly? Enough. It wasn't that busy today.
Like for it being a Monday...it felt pretty dead throughout the entire day with the exception of like the 6pm hour where it got a little crazy.
But that meant that it kinda felt like the morning shift.
Because there weren't that many people in the store. Which meant I was able to do a lot of the opening tasks with minimal interruption.
Which was great because if I keep getting interrupted at a task...it stresses me out because I just want to get the thing 'done' and if I get interrupted every five minutes to help a customer it just...irritates me.
So yah.
While opening later today went well.
I am curious to see how the rest of the week goes.
I kinda expect it's gonna be me working to put out all the fires honestly.
As this whole "let the managers open" thing would probably have gone a lot better if they had me or a couple of the more experienced coworkers train the manager in what exactly to do first before throwing them in the deep end.
So.....we'll see how this week goes.
At least I don't have to work until close the entire week. So that's great! ^^;; But we'll see if coming into work a couple of hours later helps or hinders....
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Sunday, June 14, 2020
Let Me Finish
Sometimes my brain irritates me.
Especially when it comes to writing.
As I often tend to overcomplicate the stories I'm working on. To the point where it feels like each story needs to have twenty chapters or so and maybe a prequel and a sequel story to boot.
And like that's awesome and I love the whole story line and such.
But at the same time.
Part of me just wants to FINISH a story.
Write something short. sweet. Quick. Something that helps me to feel accomplished.
Because the longer I go between finishing a project the more...tense?? I become.
And the more antsy I get to finish a story.
Which is hard when I want to try and shorten something and yet the plot demands that I lengthen it instead. XP Ugh.
It's a common wrestle I've been having the past few days.
Because I have multiple stories that are 'so close' to being done.
And yet.
The ending keeps alluding me.
Keeps getting further away.
And here I am, just spinning my wheels in the sand.
Wanting to finish something and yet unable to finish anything.
*exhales*
Maybe it's a sign I need to drop my current projects. Step away for a bit longer. And work on something new or different where the pressure to 'finish' isn't quite so high.
Guess we'll see.
But hopefully I complete something soon.
As not doing so is driving me crazy.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Especially when it comes to writing.
As I often tend to overcomplicate the stories I'm working on. To the point where it feels like each story needs to have twenty chapters or so and maybe a prequel and a sequel story to boot.
And like that's awesome and I love the whole story line and such.
But at the same time.
Part of me just wants to FINISH a story.
Write something short. sweet. Quick. Something that helps me to feel accomplished.
Because the longer I go between finishing a project the more...tense?? I become.
And the more antsy I get to finish a story.
Which is hard when I want to try and shorten something and yet the plot demands that I lengthen it instead. XP Ugh.
It's a common wrestle I've been having the past few days.
Because I have multiple stories that are 'so close' to being done.
And yet.
The ending keeps alluding me.
Keeps getting further away.
And here I am, just spinning my wheels in the sand.
Wanting to finish something and yet unable to finish anything.
*exhales*
Maybe it's a sign I need to drop my current projects. Step away for a bit longer. And work on something new or different where the pressure to 'finish' isn't quite so high.
Guess we'll see.
But hopefully I complete something soon.
As not doing so is driving me crazy.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Saturday, June 13, 2020
Snails
I'm not quite sure why people seem to be so obsessed with snails currently.
Like it's probably in relation to number of people buying new tanks and fish to keep them company while they're working from home and such.
But it feels like most of my 'fish' sales these days are in relation to snails.
People are wanting them to help clean up their tanks and such.
It's just crazy because it feels like every third customer I talk to now is here to get snails for their tank.
And I feel like they weren't as...well, popular before.
But now, it's like we sell through 75% of our snails in a week if not nearly all of them.
And that's just...weird.
Like I expect trends to happen. Where suddenly customers all want to have goldfish/koi --which is also what people wanted yesterday--or suddenly all want parakeets, or hamsters, or bearded dragons.
It's just...crazy how different people can all suddenly want the same thing.
But the snail trend seems to be ongoing.
Like it's not everyday per se that people want snails.
But it sure feels like it.
And I can see why. They're efficient little eaters. I even ended up with a handful of them myself in my large tank to see if they could help clean the glass and the plants a bit better as my plecos tend to stick to the larger decorations and the gravel.
Still it's crazy just how popular they've become.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Like it's probably in relation to number of people buying new tanks and fish to keep them company while they're working from home and such.
But it feels like most of my 'fish' sales these days are in relation to snails.
People are wanting them to help clean up their tanks and such.
It's just crazy because it feels like every third customer I talk to now is here to get snails for their tank.
And I feel like they weren't as...well, popular before.
But now, it's like we sell through 75% of our snails in a week if not nearly all of them.
And that's just...weird.
Like I expect trends to happen. Where suddenly customers all want to have goldfish/koi --which is also what people wanted yesterday--or suddenly all want parakeets, or hamsters, or bearded dragons.
It's just...crazy how different people can all suddenly want the same thing.
But the snail trend seems to be ongoing.
Like it's not everyday per se that people want snails.
But it sure feels like it.
And I can see why. They're efficient little eaters. I even ended up with a handful of them myself in my large tank to see if they could help clean the glass and the plants a bit better as my plecos tend to stick to the larger decorations and the gravel.
Still it's crazy just how popular they've become.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Friday, June 12, 2020
New Fishies
So twice a year my work gives us a 'double discount' day.
Where instead of our usual discount at work, they double it, allowing us to save more money on things for that one purchase during that one weekend.
So to take advantage of saving a bit more money.
I decided yesterday that I wanted to buy more fish for my fish tank, along with a couple more plant decorations to help liven my tank back up again.
But I'd also been looking to add some more smaller fish to my tank. Ones that would swim around the top portion as most of my fish tend to hang out in the middle/bottom areas of the tank.
A week or so ago, to see if my tank could handle smaller fish, I added in some neon tetras.
Because we have them on sale currently, and if they could live in my tank that would mean that the fish I suspected had killed the last batch...was now gone. As I have lost a few fish in the meantime, some of them bigger and known to be more aggressive.
And thankfully they're all still doing fine!
So I felt confident in trying out a more sensitive fish.
The guppies.
As a coworker had given me their fish and one of them was a guppy and I didn't want him to be lonely.
And he'd survived in my tank the past couple of days.
So I felt like it would be okay to grab a handful of guppies, along with some more zebra danios to increase my school as I was down to three.
It's amazing.
How much a difference adding in a handful of plants and a dozen fish can make to changing the dynamic of my tank.
Like the neon tetras had been hanging out in the back out of site.
But now they're venturing towards the front of the tank, swimming around in their little school.
While the guppies and danios are hanging out near the top, though I do hope that they'll venture down a little bit more so you can see them without having to sit on the floor to do so. Time will tell.
But I'm glad that the addition of the plants seems to have changed the dynamics of the tank enough to allow the fish to readjust their territories so I can see more of them.
Yay for more fish!
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Where instead of our usual discount at work, they double it, allowing us to save more money on things for that one purchase during that one weekend.
So to take advantage of saving a bit more money.
I decided yesterday that I wanted to buy more fish for my fish tank, along with a couple more plant decorations to help liven my tank back up again.
But I'd also been looking to add some more smaller fish to my tank. Ones that would swim around the top portion as most of my fish tend to hang out in the middle/bottom areas of the tank.
A week or so ago, to see if my tank could handle smaller fish, I added in some neon tetras.
Because we have them on sale currently, and if they could live in my tank that would mean that the fish I suspected had killed the last batch...was now gone. As I have lost a few fish in the meantime, some of them bigger and known to be more aggressive.
And thankfully they're all still doing fine!
So I felt confident in trying out a more sensitive fish.
The guppies.
As a coworker had given me their fish and one of them was a guppy and I didn't want him to be lonely.
And he'd survived in my tank the past couple of days.
So I felt like it would be okay to grab a handful of guppies, along with some more zebra danios to increase my school as I was down to three.
It's amazing.
How much a difference adding in a handful of plants and a dozen fish can make to changing the dynamic of my tank.
Like the neon tetras had been hanging out in the back out of site.
But now they're venturing towards the front of the tank, swimming around in their little school.
While the guppies and danios are hanging out near the top, though I do hope that they'll venture down a little bit more so you can see them without having to sit on the floor to do so. Time will tell.
But I'm glad that the addition of the plants seems to have changed the dynamics of the tank enough to allow the fish to readjust their territories so I can see more of them.
Yay for more fish!
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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