194th Annual General Conference Highlights -Saturday and Sunday Sessions

^^;; I was traveling during Conference, so I've only just now been able to sit down to watch it. 

Saturday Morning

Jeffrey R. Holland

• Are you fulfilling the measure of your creation?
• Thanks are the highest form of thought and Gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. 
• Prayers are always answered...but they're not always answered in the way we hope. 
• It doesn't matter where ,when, or what we pray about. Pray always. God will hear you.
• Prayers are motions of a hidden fire. 
• Employ prayer as a shield against temptation. 
• If you ever feel the need to not pray. Pray harder. God will Never Not want you to Pray. He always wants to hear from his children. 

J. Anette Dennis

• Covenants allow us to be molded and to become more like the Savior. 
• When we choose to make covenants with God, our relationship with him can become much closer to him and allows him to bless us with an extra measure of mercy. 
• The Covenant Path is all about our Relationship with God. 
• God wants a deeper relationship with each and every one of us. But it's Our Choice on how deep we make that relationship. 
• You don't have to go on a mission or be engaged to get your covenants. If you have the desire to deepen your relationship, make every effort to fulfill those desires. 

Alexander Dushku 

• The Heavens are Open. We can receive Truth and Light. 
• If you're always expecting the Spectacular, you'll miss entirely the constant flow of simple communication.  
• The Lord rarely sends Pillars of Light, instead He sends a Ray of Light. And then another. And then another. 
• The Light of Christ is literally all around us. We just have to look to see it. 
• No two people receive God's Light and Truth in Exactly the Same way. 
• Perhaps no one ray is strong enough or bright enough to constitute a testimony, but all together they can bind together to defeat any darkness. 

Ulisses Soares 

• Cast not away your confidence in your covenants. 
• If there was One thing we could possess and one thing we could pass on to our children and our grandchildren it is the confidence we have in Christ. 
• If we change our preparation of the temple, we change our experience in the temple, and will transform our lives outside of the temple.
• We all should be perpetually preparing to go to the temple. 
• Being temple bound secures us to the Savior. 
• When the Lord sees a spark of desire or a flicker of willingness, he will bless us with the blessings that we need. 
• If we want to have the Spirit of the Lord to be unrestrained in our lives, we simply cannot and must not have unkind feelings or thoughts to anyone. 

Jack N. Gerard 

• Integrity flows from the first Commandment to love God. 
• Integrity means we do not lower our standards or behavior to impress or be accepted by others. You do what is right and let the consequences follow. 
• Are you True to what you profess? Are you consistent in your words and deeds?
• Integrity is the willingness to live by our beliefs. 
• Trust the Doctrines of Christ more than the Philosophies of Man. 
• Christian Kindness is not a substitute for Integrity. 

Henry B. Eyring

• Whatever the outcome, all will be well. 
• The safest place to be spiritually is living inside of your temple covenants. 
• Qualifying for covenants isn't a one time thing, but a lifetime pattern. 

Saturday Afternoon 

David A. Bednar

• Be Still. And Know that I am God. 
• Remember and Rely upon God and His Power in All Things, in All Times and All Places. 
• True Faith is always focused In and On Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. 
• We should build our foundations upon Christ. 
• The foundation of our lives must be connected to the rock Christ if we're to remain firm and steadfast.
• The Lord provides both Sacred Times and Holy Places to help us experience and learn about this inner stillness of our souls.  
• If we Will we can be Still. 
• Our homes should be the ultimate combination of Sacred Time and Holy Place where individuals and families can Be Still.

Massimo De Feo 

• Living the Gospel doesn't not remove our pain or trials. The Gospel is not a way to avoid challenges or problems, but a solution to increase our faith and learn how to deal with them. a way a way to remove pain and trials.
• Keep a clear spiritual vision as you focus on Jesus Christ and focus on what is True.
• To keep our spiritual sight intact, we can't listen to the voices of the world around us. We must stay faithful to what we know. 
• Act instead of being Acted Upon.
• The way we think influences the way we are acted upon. 

Brent H. Nielson

• The Church of Jesus Christ is experiencing tremendous growth worldwide. 
• The Truth of God will go forth Boldly, Nobly, and Independently. 

Jose L. Alonso 

• When the focus of our lives is on Christ and His Gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is or what is not happening in our lives. 
• Put the Savior at the Center of your life. 
• When encompassed with Challenges, it's easy to become engrossed in our difficulties. But if we stop concentrating on the problems we face and instead focus on Christ and placing him at the core of our thoughts and our deeds, it will help us navigate through our trials.
• Turn your Trials into Victories.
• What seems like a major problem, can become a pathway to great spiritual promise. 

Gerrit W. Gong

• All things will work towards your Good. Even if you don't see it in the moment, it will be fortunate in the future. 
• When I choose me. I'm choosing my own inadequacies and limitations. 
• We may receive trials that we would never choose, but can leave us blessed beyond our imaginations. 
• Trials that happened there and then, can bless us here and now.
• When life is cluttered and purpose isn't clear, when you want to live better but don't know how. Come to Christ. 

Michael T. Nelson

• Our God is with us. He will not suffer us to fall. 
• If ye do not doubt, God will deliver you.
• No one serving in the Lord's Kingdom serves alone. 
• When we partner with the Lord We can trust that our efforts will be in line with what He would do.
• It is relationships, that have the greatest influences on your choices.

Quentin L. Cook

• The requirements for baptism are profound but uniquely simple. 
• We shouldn't emphasis our differences, but focus on how we're children of God. 
• Agency is the ability to choose and act. It is essential to the plan of salvation.
• Efforts to create barriers to others success is contrary to the Lord's plan. 
• For the most important choices. We do have control.

Saturday Evening

Shayne M. Bowen

• As you pray the Holy Ghost will come to comfort you.
• Heavenly Father always keeps his promises.
• Miracles have not ceased. Angels are around us and the Heavens are open.

Steven R. Bangerter

• You are blessed with the gift of agency. 
• Knowing who you are begins with understand God's preordained blessings that he gave you before you were born here on Earth. 
• Protect the Private Times of your Life.
• What you do during the Private Times of your life will greatly impact how you face trials in your life, but also success and joys you experience. 

Andrea Munoz Spannaus

• God's love for you should be the most important influence in your life. 
• Fully Trust in The Lord's Timing, his Power, his Love. He can help you defeat any giant in your lives. 
• Everything changes when I know who I really am.
• Repentance isn't punishment for sin. It's the way the Savior frees us from sin. 
• Forgiveness is possible for everyone. 
• Covenants connect you to Heavenly Father and the Savior, they increase God's power in your life. 
• No one can take your testimony and your knowledge from that testimony from you. 
• If we love the truth we will seek it. And once we find it we will defend it. 
• There is joy in doing good. 

Matthew L. Carpenter

• Sealed blessings like covenants are the fruits we seek to remain preserved. 
• For Marriage covenants we must be true with our spouse and to God.  
• If you remain faithful to the covenants you've made, you will receive the blessings promised to you regardless on if your spouse remains part of those covenants. 
• God will not require anyone to remain sealed in a relationship for eternity against their will.
• No blessing will be withheld from His faithful saints.  
• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of Hope. 

Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

• Everyone wants to be happy but not everyone is. For many people, happiness is hard to find. If Happiness if the one thing we humans desire most, why are we so unsuccessful in finding it? Have we been looking for joy in the wrong places?
• Feeling sad is not a sign of failure. 
• Peaceful confidence comes from following the Savior and walking in his way.
• Do not discount others sources of joy. 
• Let your Faith overcome your Fear. 
• If we seek out reasons to be bitter, angry or alone. We will find it. But if we seek reasons to rejoice, be happy and follow the Savior. You find it too. 
• We rarely find something we're not looking for. 
• True joy multiples when it is shared.
• Joy doesn't require anything grand or complicated. It can be found in doing simple things. 

Sunday Morning

Ronald A. Rasband

• Words matter. They are the bedrock of how we connect. They represent our beliefs, morals, and perspective. Words set a tone. They voice our thoughts, feelings and experiences for good or bad. 
• Sustain the Prophet and Heed his Words. 
• May we Think Celestial letting Thy Spirit Prevail in our Lives and Strive to be Peacemakers Always. 
• Be careful what you say and how you say it. Our words can bring us together or drive a wedge between us. 

Susan H. Porter

• Pray to Know. Pray to Grow. Pray to Show. 
• We are important to the Lord and we are never truly alone. 

Dale G. Renlund

• If you just keep paddling, maintaining momentum, you'll get by. 
• We become vulnerable when we slow down and especially when we stop. If we maintain momentum by rowing towards the Savior, we'll remain safe and secure. 
• Our Faith in Jesus Christ needs to be nourished daily.
• Most people who are struggling, know that they are struggling. We shouldn't be judgmental. Or conclude that we are more righteous than the ones who are struggling. We are all struggling in our own way.
• The Savior's job is to Heal. Our job is to Love. 

Paul B. Pieper

• Trust is the foundation of all relationships.
• A relationship forms only when both sides are willing to place trust in each other.
• Our Relationship with God will only grow to the decree we are willing to place our Trust in Him.
• Sometimes the best way to learn to Trust God...is to just Trust Him.
• God is focused on our growth and progress. He is always stretching us to help us realize more of our divine potential. 
• Regardless of the Trust we may have or may not have placed in Him in the past. We can choose to Trust God today.

Patrick Kearon

• Heavenly Father's plan is designed to bring us home. It's not meant to keep us out. God is in relentless pursuit of you. And wants all His children to return to Him and will employ every possible measure to bring you back.
• God does not put up roadblocks and barriers. He removes them. He welcomes you in.

Brian K. Taylor

• Life's trials prove us. 
• Without God, our trials can cause despondency, despair and bitterness. 
• 1. Stronger Faith comes by putting Christ first. 2. Brighter Hope comes by envisioning our Eternal Destiny. 3. Greater Power comes by Focusing on Joy. 
• When you bring the Savior's relief to others, you will find it yourself. 

Dallin H. Oaks

• Covenants are instrumental in the restoration of the Gospel.
• Covenants do not take a day off. 

Sunday Afternoon 

D. Todd Christofferson

• Being Valiant in Christ means Nurturing and Strengthening your testimony.
• Being Valiant means being public and open about one's values and witness. 
• Heed the Truth that will make you Free. 
• Keep your eyes on Eternity. 

Taylor D. Godoy

• Prayer is the means of communication to our Heavenly Father that allows us to call for his response. 
• Confidence in God's answers means accepting that His ways are not Our Ways and that Everything comes in its own time. 
• Always think of the Lord as your first option for help. Hope. Don't Fall. After Praying do all you can to obtain your blessings. Accept your answer as it comes even if it's not what you wanted. 

Gary E. Stevenson

• To love the Lord centers first on your Heart, your vary nature, your Soul, your entire being, and with Your Mind, your intelligence and intellect. 
• Love is often measured in small daily deeds. 
• Loving the Lord leads to Eternal Happiness.
• Love in the Lord is not complete if we neglect our neighbors. 
• Giving help to others is our joy. Especially when it is not convenient or takes us out of our comfort zone. 
• We need to erect tall towers of loving God and loving our neighbors. 

Mathias Held

• We sometimes make the wrong decisions and must live with the consequences until we can make the right choice again.
• We correct our wrong choices when we repent. This is where growth happens. 
• In life we constantly confront many important choices. 
• We can't choose the consequences of our decisions but we can choose how we react to those consequences. 
• Let's make an effort to see both sides of the coin for every event in our lives. 
• Choose to Believe. Choose to have Faith. Choose to always Trust. Choose to Think Celestial.

Neil L. Andersen

• The knowledge and power of God is expanding. 
• Across the World, Houses of the Lord are coming to us. 
• As we are faithful we are blessed with protection from temptations and distractions. 
• We are armed with the power of God. 
• We grow Up in the Lord and can receive a Fullness of the Holy Ghost. 
• There are many different ways to see the Face of Christ and there's no better way than within the walls of His Holy House. 

Mark L. Pace

• The Holy Ghost fills our souls with Joy. 
• We are each responsible for our own spiritual growth. 
• Sometimes reading the Book of Mormon is just about feeling connected to God. You don't always have to learn something new. 
• The most important copy of the Book of Mormon is our personal copy that we read. 

Russell M. Nelson

• Christ will manifest himself to His people in His house. This applies to every dedicated temple.  
• The power of priesthood keys in infinite and breathtaking. 
• Priesthood keys gives us the authority to extend all the blessings promised to Abraham to every covenant keeping individual. 
• 1. The Gathering of Israel is Evidence that God Loves All of His Children Everywhere. 
• 2. The Gospel of Abraham is further Evidence that God Loves All of His Children Everywhere. 
• 3. The Sealing Power is supernal Evidence that God Loves All of His Children Everywhere. 
• Time in the Temple will help you to Think Celestial and catch a vision of who you really are, who you can become, and the kind of life you can have forever. 
• You do not have to face life alone. Angels will really help you. 
• The Temple is the Gateway to the Greatest Blessings God has in Store for Each of Us.

To Read/Watch/Listen to the General Conference Talks in their entirety please visit: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04?lang=eng 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Come Back! .... Wait. Come back?

 So. Our goal at work has been to have two dog trainers in the store.

That way we can hold classes on multiple different days and different times to better meet customer's needs.

Only....

We've struggled to actually have Two dog trainers.

Like at first it was the 'we'd hire one, and then the previous one would quit' sort of ring around the rosie.

But this past year....we had one of our dog trainers take a long leave of absence. Like a sudden long leave of absence where they vanished in the middle of all their classes. Which, thankfully we had another dog trainer just coming in at the time, so they were able to take over a lot of those classes and finish them for the customers...but we also had a ton of them returned too because no one is willing to wait an undetermined amount of time for their original trainer to come back. 

I honestly wasn't sure they were EVER going to come back, honestly. I mean. We do have workers who will vanish for the summer because they're college kids and move home for the summer. But then they come back in the fall...but that's like...maybe 3 months max. 

This dog trainer was gone for SIX months. Half a Year. 

They vanished at the beginning of summer last year and only just returned towards the beginning of January.

And like. We were relieved. That we could finally have two dog trainers again. That we could again schedule more classes. Because the one dog trainer had finally returned from their medical l.o.a. 

But....

Truthfully...I had my doubts. Like yes, this trainer has returned....but how long would they be back for? Like the very first shift I worked with them they mentioned that they were looking into starting their own dog training business. Taking courses and such. 

And like....if they're already looking to move elsewhere....how long do they mean to stay here?

Like will they start classes and just quit in the middle of them? Leaving customers hanging? Or will they finish out the entire course before vanishing?

Hard to know....

Like all the old trainer's classes had been moved to the new dog trainer. So the one that had been gone for 6 months was basically starting out fresh again. They would have to work shifts in the store where they'd be able to interact with customers and sign them up for classes. Like, us workers can do it too, but the shifts they were scheduled originally were to help them set up classes and such.

But like.....I only saw the old dog trainer like....twice? Maybe three times.....before they started calling out sick.

Like literally the old trainer had only been at work for twoish weeks?? Before they called out the first time....and I think they might have missed a couple of shifts before that too without calling out. 

Not too important because no classes had started yet for them. But kinda....disheartening.

Like you were gone for SIX MONTHS you weren't getting PAID during that time. And you're ALREADY calling out sick after working like...two shifts???

And it's kept happening. They keep calling out.

And now we've had to start canceling their classes and postponing classes, and RETURNING classes because again, customers don't want to wait to start a class they paid for. They don't want to deal with a flaky trainer that doesn't show up every week as promised.

And like....it's frustrating.

But what's even more frustrating is that today the dog trainer sent in a doctors note. 

Said doctors note said that the doctor was excusing the trainer from work from JANUARY 15th to February 10th.

TODAY IS FEBRUARY 5th.

TODAY is the FIRST time we are SEEING this Doctor's note.

Like....If you had this note for THREE WEEKS why are you only NOW sending it to us??

I don't understand it. I really don't.

Like...I get that there are medical and health related things happening here. That you can't always control those things and some of them take longer to recover from than others.

But like. You were gone for SIX MONTHS. And then only came back for like...maybe a week and a half? Maybe three shifts total? Before having to get a doctors note again?

I just...I just don't see how it's feasible for us to keep this dog trainer on the books if we can't reliably expect them to be at work. Like our training courses take place over a month and a half. If a trainer can't reliably show up for the entire thing....why would we schedule dogs with them? Why would we even have them?

It also makes me wonder how feasible their goal is to start their own business because like....you need to be reliable. You need to be able to be consistent. Dogs need consistency and if the trainer isn't there consistently to help the owners train the dog....how will they get trained properly?

It's....such a weird situation. Honestly. Like....I can't even put it into proper words.

But it does make me wonder if this dog trainer is going to be around for much longer. Like will they even show up after the 10th is over? Or will another doctor's note appear extending their absence again?? I don't know.

Time will tell I suppose.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

I Bought This! (But Did You?)

 There's no question about it. We get some weird customers that come into the store.

I mean, probably most retail stores get their fair share of odd customers.

But sometimes I think our store sees a higher quantity of crazy characters compared to others.

So.

Today I had a lady call the store. 

Stating that she and her husband had been in the store yesterday about lunch time. Buying a bunch of things for their brand new puppy. 

And they realized that some of the stuff they bought...hadn't made it home with them. So she wanted to know if we had a bag of product set to the side.

Which...having closed last night...I don't recall seeing anything like that.

But at the same time, it's possible that one of the other cashiers had assumed the bag of product was just product a customer decided they didn't want or had returned and they'd put everything back on the shelf.

So I figured I'd do some research....since I couldn't find the bag up front. Just to see if our inventory on some of the products listed as missing were right.

Because like if a customer bought a collar...and inventory says we have 5 of them but there's 6 on the shelf, then obviously there's an extra one there. So it's probably the customers.

But the customer was rather...vague...on what they'd 'forgotten' at the store.

She was pretty confident she'd bought a collar and a dog toy and some dog treats.....

And thankfully she'd had a membership with us so I was able to look up her receipt on the register. 

And that receipt showed a dog toy, and dog treats and....a dog harness.

So I said I'd look into it and call them back.

And tried to track down at least the toy, treat, and harness.

Only the harness was clearance. They'd bought the last one. And the dog treat showed we were one short instead of one over.....and like...there wasn't a collar listed at all.....

Which meant I was getting nowhere fast.

Thankfully, today I had access to our cameras that watch the registers.

And since I had the receipt, I knew what time the customer had purchased everything. So we could pull up the view of the cameras at that time and just...watch the transaction in it's entirety to see if the bag was forgotten and if it was...where it ended up.

... ... ... 

Funnily enough.

Nothing was forgotten.

There was no collar rung up. Only one set of treats rung up. Only one toy rung up. We watched the cashier put everything in the bags and hand all the bags to the customers. Watched them walk out the door.

So like.... 

Nothing had been left in our store.

Doesn't mean something was left in the parking lot in a cart because that does happen on occasion.

But when the customers left the store, they had everything with them that they'd brought up to the register.

Which came as a shock to the woman when I called her back.

"Wait, we got 2 toys right?! No we got a collar too!!"

And it was great that I could positively say. "No, sorry, we watched the transaction. You did not buy a collar. You only bought one toy. You did not buy multiple treats. Everything you purchased on the receipt was handed to you and you took it out of the building." 

And I just...have to wonder....what the customer was thinking.

Like....it's possible that they were indecisive while shopping in our store. That she and her husband put things in the cart, took them out, put them in, and they just forgot what they decided not to get or not.

Or maybe they went to multiple stores and they left their collar and toys at some other pet store?

Maybe they were just trying to get free stuff.

It's hard to know for sure.

But I did have the evidence saying that they didn't get what they thought they got.

..

...

...

In any case, around the same time today...I noticed a couple in the store with a cute puppy...that looked very similar to the couple I'd watched on our cameras earlier with their puppy.

So I definitely was wondering if they came into the store again today to get the stuff they thought they bought but didn't....

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Tip of the Tongue

 It's rather frustrating when you injure yourself somewhere that like....bugs you all the time...because you use that area all the time for various tasks.

Most of the time it's my hands in some fashion. Mostly cuts on the fingers where they're constantly being brushed or pressed against things. 

Other areas is like your elbows your legs where you just somehow keep hitting the same spot.

Well...the other day...yesterday?? day before yesterday? Recently. I managed to cut my tongue.

Not quite sure how I did it...but I think I cut my tongue on my own teeth? Or something sharp that was among my teeth. Because I do remember running my tongue over my teeth after eating something....

But yah. It's a slight cut...towards the tip of my tongue...that literally brushes against everything in my mouth. Like I feel like I keep zinging myself because everytime I move my tongue around it feels like I'm either brushing the cut against my teeth, or eating something that irritates it, or drinking something that irritates it.

Needless to say.

I'm annoyed.

So annoyed at this stupid little injury in my mouth.

Like WHY?

It's making me wish I had super healing. Because I feel like it should heal so quickly and yet I'm probably going to be stuck zinging myself constantly for the next week.

After all, if you keep irritating something...it's less likely to heal.

So joy. Got that to look forward to. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Why Wait To Return It?

I'll never understand the customers who come into the store wanting to return items.....more specifically items that they bought forever ago.

Like, my store has a 60 day return policy. You have TWO MONTHS to bring back something. 

We're even nice and will accept back returns that have been opened or half used.

Like as long as we have the receipt, it's within 60 days, and if the product has a quantity to it...so long as that quantity is half unused we'll return it and either replace the item, give you your money back, or put the cost of that item towards other items you're buying in store.

Like it's not a bad policy.

And yet I routinely have customers, specifically older customers, come into the store wanting to return items that quit working, broke, or they just never used it....like forever ago.

It often makes me wonder if customers are just trying to find ways to 'get money' and so try to return items to get that money back. 

Today, it was an older couple that had bought a dog seat -for a car- back in JUNE of 2023. And during their 'second vacation' the strap that holds the dog into the seat broke. The part where the strap connects to the main seat just...pulled away. 

And the customers were upset about it. Because they said it broke in like...Octoberish? And the strap should have been 'more sturdy' and 'everyone online is complaining about it' and "they should have the strap wrap all the way down around the seat." etc etc etc.

And like....they bought it in JUNE. the 60 days was up in AUGUST.

And maybe...MAYBE if they had brought the seat in when it broke in October. I would have made an exception. Okay. I would have returned it.

But it's been SEVEN MONTHS. 

And you're only NOW trying to return it? Like....if you wanted it so badly why didn't you get a replacement sooner? Why do you only care NOW? 

And the dude was like "It said on the instructions "if you're not satisfied bring this back to the store." and I'm like "Well, we only have a 60 day guarantee. So you'd have to take it up with the manufacture. Because we only accept returns within 60 days." 

And like. I did offer to discount their purchase if they wanted to get a replacement. But the dude was like "What's the point! It's just going to break in the same way!" 

..... *exhales*

So yah. He decided he'd try and fix it himself. 

But I do have to wonder why they only care now in JANUARY and not back in OCTOBER when it broke. If it was THAT important I would have been right back at the store THEN. Not waiting another THREE MONTHS to try and return it for money. 

I don't get people. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 

Oh Look. More Stress

 It's been....kinda a rough week in most areas of my life.

And it kinda felt like it all came to a head yesterday.

Which isn't surprising when you consider yesterday was the full moon.

But it just felt like...nothing was really going my way yesterday.

First of all, I was still worrying about next week's plans. Trying to figure out arrangements with work and family to see if I could make it to the funeral. 

And like...I literally slept until my alarm went off...which considering I worked a mid shift yesterday...was rather impressive. I think I slept like a good 10 hours. Which yah, I get that oversleeping can happen when you're stressed. But ugh. 

Didn't think much on it....

Until I was trying to head out the door.

And I could not find my keys.

As I usually always keep them in my jacket pocket or by my purse so I know where they are.

They weren't there.

And like. I knew that I had them recently. Because I drove home from the dentist the day before.

So like. Obviously my keys would be SOMEWHERE in the house.

Though paranoid me wondered if I had somehow dropped them outside...and like maybe someone picked them up? What if someone was going to ROB my house because I lost my keys?!?!

Plus like...HOW could I get to work if I didn't have my keys?!

That was easy. Because I had an extra car key I could use. 

And after like a quick search of my yesterday clothes and my normal spots to leave keys...I had to call it because like...I'd recently been reprimanded for being "over 5 minutes late 6 days in January" 

And wasn't really in the mood to make it a 7th. 

So I left and sent a message to my roomies to keep an eye for my keys.

....

They didn't see them.

So the entire time I'm at work there's this niggling worry in the back of my head. Wondering WHERE those keys are. Like WHERE would I have set them down? I didn't see them outside. But who knows if someone picked them up. But maybe it's like my card the other day and I left it in a bag? I know I dropped them at least once...but was that at the house? It had to be at the house as I moved my car right before heading inside for the night. So like WHERE were they?

This added to the already stessful stress of trying to figure out if I could get my coworker to cover my Tuesday shift. But said coworker was out on vacation. So while I texted to see if they'd be willing to switch shifts....

They didn't respond right away.

Plus. I hadn't heard back yet from my Daddoo. So I was worrying over how he'd take the news knowing we'd lost another family member. and wondering just WHEN he would see my messages. (The answer was midmorning today) and WHAT plans I could make. Because like I couldn't schedule a hotel room until I knew if I would be able to drive up Tuesday or not. Because if my coworker couldn't switch shifts than I might have to same day drive it so I wouldn't need a hotel. And if my Dad decided to join me... would he drive or would I drive? But he's just getting back from a long vacation so would he really want to turn right around and head back out after being home like less than 24 hours? And if he decides not to go would he let me borrow his car for the multi-hour drive? Would he be okay with trading cars so he'd have my car for the 36ish hours I'd need the car? 

So yah.... most of this stress was just things out of my control.

I had to WAIT on others. Which was stressing me out. Because I wanted to have a PLAN. And like I was also making soft plans with an Uncle who was trying to figure out his own plans for getting to the funeral...but would those plans change if my dad said yes? If he said no?

So yah. Mentally I was working myself up to a frenzy.

And then we got the 'lovely' (NOT) news that our closing petcare had called out sick.

Which is....So. Very. Frustrating. Because we had a different closing petcare call out Tuesday meaning I had to close Petcare then. And like....literally NO ONE could come in to help cover the evening shift. 

Two of them had tests they were taking. Two were out of town. Two were at other jobs. 

Like...I just kinda wanted to call it quits right there. 

Because I'd managed to trigger myself a migraine at work. And with Every. Single. Person. Saying. NO. that meant that I would be the only one available to stay later. As I was supposed to get off two hours before the store closed. But if I left early then that would just leave my other manager and the cashier in the store.

And like...it's been known to get busy around the point the mid manager leaves.

PLUS we had the fish shipment expected and with the rainy weather we weren't certain if it would arrive early or not (it did thankfully) 

So yah. I was suffering.

Mostly from the Migraine. But also from just stressing myself out. 

But also being soooo done with my coworkers. Like what even is the point of having people working if they can't come in and help out when others call out. WHY Do they keep calling out?!!?!? I don't get it....like I understand I tend to stay healthier than everyone else....besides my constant migraines. Like I literally only call out sick like maybe thrice a year? And half the time I end up leaving early instead after working a half shift and calling it quits. 

Like my Head Manager today was telling me that we already have a couple of workers who've basically already used up their sick time and vacation time for the ENTIRE YEAR and JANUARY isn't OVER YET.

I. Do. Not. Get. It. 

And I'm so freaking tired of having to take on the burden of covering everything because no one can come in. 

Like I really just want to take an entire month off and leave the store to burn because I need a break. I'm so over it.

In any case.

Migraine. And I ended up working an hour and a half over my end time. Leaving only half an hour before close. 

But minor good news is that I did get confirmation from my coworker that we could switch shifts. Which allowed me to at least book a hotel room for the night. So I had one stressor off my plate. 

But the rest of the day?

Yah....no.....I did find my keys once I got home -They were buried under some pillows on the couch-

And I did manage to get the migraine to go away after a bit of sleep.

But like....it just felt like all the stresses came crashing down on me yesterday.

I'm hoping since I now have firmer plans for the week in mind that things will be calmer.

But we'll see.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Off To The Dentist

  I had a dentist appointment this morning.

Which thankfully, was only for a cleaning this time. 

Because it felt like I went to the dentist far too much last year for root canals and crowns and fillings and such.

So it was nice to go in just to get the teeth cleaned and looked at.

Which of course means that you have that little worry in the back of your mind of "What problems are they going to find this time?" Like How many Cavities do I have now?

Because like...2023 was a rather stressful year for me. And stress is well known to play havoc on the body. So I was expecting that to show up in my teeth this visit.

But surprisingly. Not so much.

Like...my main issue was that my gums were still bleeding a lot. But considering my fraught relationship with flossing...that's not too surprising. Though maybe if I actually make more of an effort to be consistent with that I can get my gums to stop bleeding every time. 

Time will tell with that.

But otherwise?

Nothing wrong with my teeth.

Sure there's a handful of 'watches' on my back molars where there's spots that have 'potential' to become cavities. 

But overall. Good visit. The hygienist was like "Keep doing what you're doing!" So yay! 

So that was one less stress off my shoulders. Knowing that I don't necessarily need to worry about having to go to the dentist until my next cleaning in six months. Woot!

lol and of course, having such a good experience at the dentist means I should reward myself right?

So what better than going to the grocery story and buying a ton of soda and candy!?!?

XD XD XD Lol don't worry I bought other things as well. But they had good sales on my favorite treats and drinks this time. So I couldn't resist. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Reaching the Threshold

I've been thinking about "maximum capacity" today. At least for the last couple of hours since I found out that another family member on my Mom's side has passed away.

Which means since...June of last year...I've lost 5 family members on her side. 

And considering the last funeral before 2023 on that side of the family was for my Mother Dearest....it's kinda crazy that so many deaths have happened in such a short time frame.

On the other hand...it's kinda expected? Like my Aunts and Uncles are all getting up there age wise. Old enough to have great grandkids if not great great grandkids. 

Though of the 5. 3 of those family members were my age or younger. So like....yah....

In any case.

I was thinking about maximum capacity because it seemed like my Mom's side of the family was only getting bigger as time passed. 

Like, we have well over 100 family members on that side from my grandparents (who are both passed) and on down. 

And like we had 5 births in the last year....but also lost 5 family members....

So has my Mom's side of the family reached the 'maximum' size it can get?

Like. Will deaths start outnumbering the births?

Or are we in a lull period where deaths and births will be equal to each and basically cancel it out?

Like I already know that we're expecting at least 3 more family members on that side this year.

But yah...

I'm just wondering...if there's like a threshold that we've reached. And while the family will still continue to grow....will the amount of those passed soon outnumber the ones still alive? Especially with the trend of the younger generations having smaller families?

It will be interesting to see in the next few years.

Though at the same time. I would much prefer to have more time pass before the next funeral.

Only time will tell though.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi 

Misplaced

 I had a moment of panic the other day while I was out running errands.

As I was making my last 'shopping' stop in that I was filling up my borrowed car with gas before returning it to my sibling.

And as I pulled out my wallet to grab my card to pay for gas.

I noticed a different card I'd used earlier was missing from its slot.

And the last place I remembered using that card was 45 minutes away where I had picked up food.

And I had a moment of panic. Wondering if I'd dropped it there.

As I knew the cashier had returned the card to me. But I'd dropped my phone as I was grabbing my food and while I hadn't noticed anything fly out...maybe it had? Was my card now STOLEN!? Did it end up on the ground and someone else picked it up?! 

And like...was there anyway I could check? Would I be able to call the place and have them look for it? Would it still be there? Would it be long gone?

Still.

Before I fully panicked. I finished getting the gas.

And then went to check the bags I had in the car from all the errands.

And thankfully. Mixed in with the receipt from the food place...was my card.

Woot!!! It wasn't lost!! 

I guess in my hurry to grab everything I'd just stuck both receipt and card in the bag with my food and left.

So I'm grateful that the card was still with me.

But oof. That did not help my stress levels at all.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Starving

 There are days where I just end up ... ... ... hungry.

Like. I'm eating food and such. But nothing I eat seems to fill me up.

I'm constantly snacking, constantly going to the kitchen, searching the fridge and pantry trying to figure out what the 'key' is to finally filling full.

It probably doesn't help that I tend to 'eat like a bird' so I eat a bunch of little foods throughout the day.

But there are those days where it feels like I could eat a whole buffet and still be hungry. 

Today has been one of those days.

And it's annoying because like...I've fed myself so many different things today.

Like actual real food too!

I had steak and potatoes. I had pancakes. I had candy. I had cheese. I had granola bars and crackers.

And yet....I'm still hungry.

*exhales*

And like....it would probably help if I made something but like....I don't have the energy to actually make food. Not beyond warming things up.

Still makes me wonder some days....what my body is craving that causes it to be so hungry. What food group am I missing that it wants? 

Who knows.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Please Research First

 You know... ... ... in this day and age ... where the internet is literally at your fingertips. Easily accessible via your phone.....

It's amazing how many people DO NOT USE IT. 

Like yes, I know that the internet isn't always accurate. You can get multiple different opinions on whatever subject you're looking up.

But at least I feel like people should ATTEMPT to LOOK things up first.

I literally do not understand it.

When customers come into the store and they're like "We just got (pet) and we have no idea what we're doing. What do we need for it?" 

Like...Did you not GOOGLE it? Did you not go onto the interwebs and type in "What does a (animal) need?" 

Honestly, it's probably because customers don't bother to LEARN anything BEFORE getting a new pet that so many animals end up returned, rehomed, or given to the shelter.

*exhales*

It's so annoying.

Like...impulse buying an animal just....doesn't seem like a good idea if you have no idea what you're doing.

And I've had multiple people this week come in and do that.

Mostly it's been the "We just got this puppy! What do we need for it?" situations.

But today I had a customer come into the store and was like "Hey, are Chameleon's poisonous? Will it hurt if they bite me?"

... ... ... like.....if you have to ask THAT question....it's literally a big neon sign of "I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I'M DOING"

First off. Chameleons are not poisonous. They're also not venomous either. BUT they can BITE you. Chameleons can be quite the grumpy creatures. Especially as they get older. And they are NOT A BEGINNER PET.

If you don't know that chameleons aren't poisonous then you obviously don't know what they eat, what set up cage they need, what temperatures or humidity they need. What SIZE they get.

No. Customer is like "My child wants this pet." and just....goes for it. No research done whatsoever.

It's just....frustrating.

Again. I get it that the internet has a ton of different answers.

but at least TRY to research the BASICS first? PLEASE.

*exhales*

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

All The Youngins

It's not unusual for us to get field trips at work.

Like going to go see animals at a pet store is far less expensive than like....traveling all the way up to the next valley over and paying the park fee to go see the animals in the zoo.

Really, all it takes is a bus ride and people willing to watch over everyone for it to work out.

And usually these field trips revolve into to types.

Either they're a bunch of young elementary students.

Or they're people -of varying ages- with special needs. 

So it was rather confusing today to look outside the window and see a school bus stopped outside our doors...with high school students getting out.

But I'm guessing the high school students were helping out in some sort of 'big brother/sister' sort of way??

Because there were also a bunch of younger kids with them too. Either preschool or like maybe 1st grade age.

So we had a good 15-20 kids come streaming into the store, with basically as many teenagers to watch them.

And overall. It wasn't too bad.

The kids ran all over looking at things. The high schoolers kept an eye on them....

I stayed far far far away from them all, circling around them but not sticking around too long.

Because, while I still had animals I needed to feed...I knew the moment I opened any of the cages I would be bombarded by kids wanting to see the animal or hold it or pet it.

And I wasn't in the mood to be mobbed by like 30 kids.

So I just let them look at them through the glass.

And waited patiently for them to leave twenty minutes later after they were done looking before I continued on with my tasks.

But yah.

It was different. Having the high schoolers there. Like you don't really see them come into the store for field trip related reasons.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Over Did It

 There's probably a lesson here somewhere about over extending myself....

But I do get rather tired of getting headaches on my day off. Like...it's my day off. I should be able to relax and enjoy it in peace. 

Yesterday....yesterday I was trying to be stubborn and push through the migraine I ended up with in the morning because I was woken up a bit too suddenly with text from a friend after not enough sleep.

And like....I probably should have gone back to bed for a little bit longer. Try to rest the headache away.

But I was...anxious. 

Because I've been wanting to return my borrowed car to my family for days now. And while yesterday was supposed to have been quite stormy...the weather wasn't actually that bad in college town. 

And radar was showing that the storms would be fading in the afternoon with mostly just like...light drizzles expected if anything. The major snow was gone for now.

And since I don't quite trust the borrowed car in the snow...and since my roomie was available after she got off work to come grab me from my family's house....I figured yesterday was the opportune moment to go and do that. To go see Family and at the same time. Succeed in getting their car dropped off without getting caught in storms.

Except...I tried to push myself too hard. Do too many things.

Like...I often have said that like I have 'one social activity' in me. So trying to do multiple social things in one day? Heh...yah it was a recipe for disaster. 

I can admit that. 

As I had the soft plan to go by the mall before heading over to family to check out a specific store for their sales. And since I was there I thought I would drop by the food court and get food from a couple places there that I've been craving.

It was also instigated with my sibling being like "Yes, I can have you come over, but could you bring me Fresh Squeezed OJ from Jamba?" Because that's a 'hey this helps me feel better' drink for my sibling.

And since that was near the mall I was like "Sure!"

So first I grabbed that drink and one for myself. Then dropped by the mall to look at the store -didn't buy anything- before grabbing food for myself, my sibling, and for my roomie...and then drove all the way over to sibling's house...

And the entire time I'd been fighting a headache. One that would come and go and come and go.

And it....just kept getting worse.

To the point where by the time me and the roomie got home....I was feeling quite nauseous from the migraine pain. To the point where I actually was impressed I managed to make it home without throwing up because the car lights were agonizing and the sounds were agonizing and the motion of driving was agonizing.

So yah...I basically died last night after I got home. Took a shower to try and relax the muscles and then spent the night tossing and turning as the migraine off and on woke me back up throughout the night.

So yah....fun times. So much...fun times.

And honestly....I probably shouldn't have pushed myself so much.

Delayed my leaving the house so I could take a nap.

Maybe gone less places. 

Stopped trying to do too much all at once.

Because it's sooooo so miserable to end up with a major migraine that will not go away no matter what you do so you kinda just have to suffer until it's grip leaves you.

Which makes going to work the next day (today) even more 'fun'

Thankfully I had a mid shift so I could sleep in a bit and I did manage to make the headache go away during my shift. So yay.

But work itself had it's own trials today.

Mostly in the I felt rather weak and shaky from the migraine as my stomach was unsettled enough that I haven't eaten much most of the day. So that left me feeling less confident in my 'do things' abilities.

And when a stupid ship from store order comes in with EIGHT 50lb bags that have to be pulled off the shelf and then put into boxes to ship to the customer....yah no. 400lbs lifted multiple times? Yah. I could only manage it once. 

And beyond that minor hiccup the day was actually pretty mellow. Until like the last hour or so of my shift...when a good 20 orders dropped that needed to be picked and packed before the end of the day.

And unfortunately we ran out of one of box sizes within easy reach.

Which meant that I would need to grab the forklift to get the pallet down from the steel....

Only the pallets of boxes weren't labeled. So I had no idea which size was on which pallet.

So I delayed grabbing them down as long as possible, working on orders that required other sized boxes first.

But then right as I was supposed to be off....our Fish Truck finally showed up. So I had to unload that.

And then I still needed to grab the boxes down because my other closing manager hasn't really been trained on the fork lift yet. So they wouldn't be able to finish the pack orders unless I grabbed down the boxes.

*exhales*

And of course the size that I needed....was on the LAST pallet I checked.

And by this point I'm tired. I'm ready to go home. I've been still recovering from the migraine. And I'm getting irritated that I'm not off yet. And that means I'm getting sloppy.

Which is rather stressful to be at that point of "I don't care anymore" while you're trying to work heavy machinery and lift heavy product off steel that's squished between other pallets....

Like I nearly knocked one pallet off the steel because I misjudged the distance of the pallet I was trying to put back and pushed the other pallet so it was crooked.

Which made it it's own trial to get that down without it falling off the steel but also get it onto the prongs of the forklift....

And it was soooo soooo SOOO frustrating to do all that work to bring the crooked pallet down to have it be the WRONG SIZE. UGH.

ANd of course. OF COURSE It's the LAST pallet that I needed to check.

*exhales*

In any case. Because of everything....I clocked out 45 minutes late.

Which was even more frustrating because my other manager had offered to have us start lunches early so that I could leave early though I declined the need to leave early as my headache was better by that point.

But I just couldn't help but think. "I could have been off 45 minutes ago."

*exhales*

Oh well....I was 10 minutes late today because of my migraine. So it will probably even up a bit over the rest of the week.

Still...I'm glad to be home. Not looking forward to the morning shift tomorrow...but at least I'm home for now. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Cut and Cut Again

 So. Yesterday, while working on Pack orders for our Ship from Store stuff, my fellow manager ended up with a cardboard cut while trying to get an item in a box.

And cardboard cuts are not fun. Like in some ways they're worse than paper cuts.

And I know....because I ended up getting a cardboard cut myself only like an hour or so later.

Though my cut came from trying to put together one of our cardboard boxes for our cat adoptions.

And my cut, managed to get at the base of my thumb like right at the joint.

Which meant that bending the area would cause the cut to bleed. Like actual droplets of blood bleed because it got me slightly deeper than a regular papercut.

But I ended up slapping a bandaid on it for a bit before calling it good and removing it after I got home last night.

And I didn't think anything more on it....

Until I was once again packing more orders at work today.

And I'd noted that the area where I got the cut was feeling rather sore. But I was trying to push through it and get the last of the ship from stores finished for the day.

Only for me to finish placing the packing paper into a box...and have my hand come away bloody with blood on the packing paper.

A glance at my hand and yep...I'd manage to break open the cardboard cut again and it was once again bleeding.

*exhales*

So I first, quickly removed the bloody packing paper from the box and tossed it because no way did I want a customer to encounter that when they opened their box.

And then I went and tracked down another bandaid to once again cover the bleeding spot.

And it bled rather heavily. Like you could see a dark spot on the bandaid pretty quickly.

And it made the rest of my shift rather annoying....because of course I had to cut myself on my dominate hand. And of course my remaining tasks after doing the ship from stores was to put away product onto the shelves as well as face the store...all which required grabbing things...which had things pressing constantly against the bandaid and yah....my hand is rather sore now from all that.

I'm glad I have tomorrow off. To give my hand a chance heal a bit before I probably have to go do more pack orders on Thursday.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Finally Back

 I have to say. It does feel sooooo nice to have my car back.

Like. There was that moment of "how do I drive this thing?!" paranoia because like....it's easy to get used to driving other cars....and then when you go back to your old one it's like...having to relearn all the quirks again.

Which is so disjointing because like...back in October I ended up not driving my car around for like half the month because my godparents were in town and they rented a car and I ended up driving that car for most of the time to get them places because they really do not like driving the highway corridor between College Town and Home Town. ^^;; 

In any case.

It's always the brakes that gets me when I start driving my car again.

Because like.........i honestly don't know how to explain it. But there's a different amount of reaction to pressing the brake in my car compared to other cars.

So that first moment of driving from the shop to get back home...yah I was a bit more tense. Hyper aware of every little jerk and noise and movement the car made. Because like. I just got it fixed! I DO NOT want it breaking again. So I have to be like "Is this normal for my ancient car? Is THIS normal? What about THIS?!"

But thankfully it was only that first drive back that had me reacting that way lol.

The last few days of driving my car about?

It's felt so good. So nice to have my car back. To be back in familiar territory and be able to 'relax' a bit more about driving around in the snowy weather.

So yay.

Yay that I have my car back. So happy. 

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

An Overreaction

 So. My store has a policy of not placing holds on animals. Mostly because there's always the chance of the person not coming back, or a miscommunication happening and the animal gets sold to someone else, or it dies before the customer comes back....

And like. The most we'll do is if a customer is like "You have this animals? I'm on my way! Don't sell it to anyone else!" Because usually they're there within the hour so it's fine. 

The exception to this particular policy has been with our cat adoption area.

Because we aren't selling those animals. We're adopting them out on behalf of the adoption group.

And while the adoption group doesn't do holds. We've placed cats on hold before.

We mostly try to keep it to a 'three hour window' or at most 'the next morning' if it happens after the adoptions close.

But today.

Today my Head Manager decided. Enough is enough. We're no longer placing holds on the cats. It's first come first serve. 

What was the deciding moment?

Well.

Apparently there was a cat that had been placed on hold today.

And it's unknown if the worker who placed the hold actually put a note behind the 'hold sign' to say who was adopting the cat.

But regardless. The note, if it was there, was no longer there when another customer came in.

And said customer claimed that they were there to adopt the cat.

Again, it was unknown if there was a note in the first place. Or if the customer removed the note so that they could adopt the cat.

But regardless. The cat was adopted out to this second customer.

Which mistakes happen. It's happened before where the cats get adopted to the wrong person due to miscommunication. It's rare. But it's happened.

In any case.

It's rather needless to say that the first customer was upset when they came back to adopt the cat....and it wasn't there.

But it went beyond the normal amount of upset.

No. Apparently this customer has been calling the store constantly all day long. Has been in contact with the adoption group. And is threatening to take both the adoption group and the other customer who adopted the cat to 'small claims court' because of the situation.

Which is beyond stupid of the dude to do so. If he's actually planning to do so.

Because like. He has no legal right to the cat. None.

When we place cats on hold. That's it. We put a hold sign on the cat and most of the time the name of the person adopting the cat.

No paperwork is filled out. No money is given. Nothing is signed.

Because we recognize that when a cat is placed on hold...sometimes the customer has second thoughts and decides to not get the cat and never comes back. 

So to prevent any mishaps. We don't fill out anything until the customer is actually ready to adopt the ca.

So I honestly don't see it going the customer's way if he does actually end up trying to go to small claims court. Because the cat was never his. 

But because he's throwing such a big stink about the whole situation, Head Manager has decided enough is enough and that we will no longer place cats on hold.

If the customer wants the cat. They have to adopt the cat then. They can't put it on hold and come back later. 

So that's going to be...a change. For sure.

In any case. I'm really hoping the customer doesn't contact the store after today. As I do not want to have to deal with them on the phone or in person. Not after hearing about it from my other managers. 

Guess we'll see what happens.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Too Much All At Once

I honestly don't know how customers keep managing it.

But I really do hate it when it seems like everyone descends upon us at once at work. Especially when this customer rush happens right when we're low on staff and it feels like we need at least three more people and yet we don't have anyone else available to help.

Today....it happened around 1pm. Lunch time. Which yes, there's typically rushes during the lunch hour. Especially on Saturdays. But with the expected incoming heavy snow storm tonight...I do have to wonder if people were trying to get out and get all their errands done before the storm hit.

In any case.

I'd been trying to work on our stupid ship from store orders because we've been getting like 50 orders a day and when a god third to half of those orders contain multiple items over 50lbs...well needless to say...we end up boxing up a good 70-90 orders at a time it feels like.

And it's frustrating. Time consuming. Especially because we can only pick 10 orders at a time. And there's no way to hire someone to just focus on picking the stupid orders -because it is like a 3-4 hour endeavor at this point to get them all done....because the orders don't drop at the same time every day. Sometimes we get 20 in the mornings. Other times they don't start dropping until dinner time. 

It's frustrating that we can't just have someone solely focus on said orders. No it usually ends up being a manager. And me and VP Manager were tag teaming it today. Where I'd go pick 10 while VP Manager packed their 10 and by the time I got back to the back with my set, they'd be done with theirs and would go pick another set.

Downside to the ship from store stuff...is it's all located at the back of the store.

The complete opposite direction from where the Registers are.

And the second most common place you'll find a manager is backing up the register...especially when our second cashier has gone on lunch.

*exhales* We need to plan cashiering lunches better...though honestly there's never a good time as the timing seems to usually work out that it always gets busy whenever one cashier goes on lunch.

In any case.

We had 1 cashier on the register. 1 at lunch. And just me and the VP Manager in the store.

Technically I was supposed to be just Petcare today. But since I'd finished my tasks and petcare was being rather quiet customer wise I was helping out with the ship from store stuff. 

But it wasn't long before VP manager was called up front to back up cashier.

It wasn't long before a third cashier was needed....which would be me as the lines were getting long --because both cashier and VP managers take a bit longer. 

But at the same time we were dealing with the rush of customers at the registers.

We were also getting a slew of Curbside orders dinging our phones. 

--as we do both ship from store orders which we pick orders, box them up and then have Fedex pick them up to deliver to people's houses. But we also have curbsides where we pick the order, put it in a cabinet and then either the customer comes in for the order, or we take the order out to their car when they arrive. 

So those curbsides were dinging like crazy.

BUT THEN it also seemed to be the hour where EVERYONE AND THEIR MOM decided they needed to CALL the store RIGHT NOW. 

And it was just....frustrating. Like people calling for stock checks (why don't you check online?), people calling trying to reach the vet (different phone line now. Here's their number), and then of course the typical questions about trying to return product or animals. And it felt like we had 20 phone calls in a row in like a 15 minute period. The phones WOULD NOT stop RINGING.

So needless to say.

The 1-2pm hour I got a bit overstimulated from all the constant noise and having to be at the register, trying to do stuff in the receiving area, and also getting called up to petcare too.

It was....a bit much.

Definitely enjoyed the quiet time when I finally got home away from the chaos.

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

-Sarnic Dirchi

Delayed

 It's been a long while, I feel like, since our Fish Truck has been delayed.

I mean. We've had delays where the Truck has broken down or gotten stuck.

But it's been ages since the truck hasn't arrived the same day they said it would arrive.

Mostly because we've switched in the last year or so from having our supply truck and fish truck be the same truck. 

To All the stores in our state having all our fish on one truck. And the truck starts at the north part of the state and works it's way down to us.

Which is frustrating in some ways...being the last store. Because that means we don't get our truck until later in the day...often when it's busy.

On good days it shows up around 3 or 4 pm. On other days...it won't arrive until 6 or 7. 

And yesterday....it was a rather stormy day for the state.

As it's been snowing off and on for like the past week.

But yah, yesterday was still pretty stormy. 

In any case.

We were still pretty hopeful that the truck would arrive last night. Despite the storms.

Yet, around 4pm I checked our tracking map...and it showed that the truck still had 4 other stores to go to before reaching ours. But the estimated time was around 7pm for arrival.

Not ideal. As I was off about that time. So that would mean one less person to help with the fish shipment.

But still. It would be before we closed.

However. 

A couple of hours later, I check again.

And the tracking has only shown that the truck has moved to one more store in that time frame. Meaning there were still 3 more stores to go before reaching us.

And the estimated arrival time had jumped another hour to being closer to 8.

But judging by the timeframes of where the other stores were located and the amount of time it takes to unload...yes...in normal conditions the truck would have probably gotten to us by 8.

But with the storms and all the snow and the fact the truck had barely made progress...made me think that the time to get to our store would be doubled or tripled the expected timeframe.

Not to mention that I know the truck drivers can only 'drive' a limited amount of hours each shift. So if they took too long...they'd have to stop for a mandatory rest period before they could move further.

And the dude had been going since the morning.

So yah. I was estimating that the truck may not come to our store at all last night. Or if it did it would arrive after we had closed. 

Which I was right.

The truck arrived about 20 minutes after we closed last night.

Which meant I had the fun task this morning -since the fish remained on the truck overnight- of unloading all our fish.

And the shipment was a lot larger than I expected.

Mostly because I didn't do as deep as a fish count this week having done a deeper fish count last week.

But last week's fish shipment was like barely a layer and a couple of boxes.

Which didn't match at all the deep fish count I'd done last week.

So I'm guessing that the holidays messed with the supplier's ability to replenish our fish wall.

Because today we had a nice hefty 3 layers of boxes that I got to go through this morning.

But considering that the fish spent like a good 12 hours longer on the truck than they should have...they overall did pretty good. 

So that's good.

Still kinda weird that the truck got delayed that much.

But at the same time, with all the snow?? Not surprising at all.

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

Sarnic Dirchi