Today's topic on the "Afternoon News with Tom Young" was about a single mom who was fired from her job at Tim Horton's because she gave away a 16 cent Timbit. Huh?
How could she possibly do something that is good for the customer and makes sense? Does she not realize we are living in a corporate world? The kind of world where people sit around big tables and have meetings with no conclusions. The kind of world where we have meetings about which meetings to have. The kind of world where making a quick decision to do something helpful is wrong.
I went through a Tim Horton's drive thru last week-end to get a 20-pack of Timbits for my last Sunday School class. There were 7 of us in the class. We each had 2 Timbits. Based on the math I learned in school (the old math), that is a total of 14 Timbits (7 X 2 - I know that much is still true because my daughter is in grade 3).
From a box of 20, that should leave - let me think about this for a minute - 20 minus 14 equals.....6. There were more than 6 of the round blobs left in the box so I counted. There were 16 remaining. More math...16 + 14 = 30. Did she misunderstand when I ordered a box of 20? Did she have trouble counting? Or was she simply trying to get rid of yesterday's inventory?
More importantly, should I phone Tim Horton's head office and suggest they have a meeting about this?
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Price is Right
After 15 hours on studio grounds, I feel I am qualified as an expert. However, if Mr. Whitman or Rosalind see this post, I will defer to them. They are regular audience members at The Price is Right.
I will begin with how we actually got in to the studio...
It started as any other day for the staff of The Price is Right. Mateo was at the front gate in his red jacket handing out Order of Arrival numbers to all the potential contestants who had been lining up since 6am. Mom and I didn't arrive until 6:30 so we didn't wait long before getting our Order of Arrival number and being escorted to our spot on one of the long metal benches. We were instructed to stay in our places in numerical order until we were processed. It wasn't long before they announced that, because they were taping Million Dollar Spectacular shows, the taping times would be a little different than usual. The first show was to start and hour early (at noon) and the second show would start an hour late (at 5pm). This was great news because, since we were numbers 224 and 225 out of 330, we thought we were in the first taping for sure. We had to get up and re-arrange ourselves a few times when the pre-booked groups started arriving. Large groups had priority over the rest of us and were guaranteed admittance simply because they were with a group, which means, they only needed to be there by 9am.
After a few rounds of musical benches, additioanl red jackets came around to give us name tags. Mateo was off to the side managing the crowd and answering questions from those of us who were starting to get a little confused with the whole process. With nametags in hand, we waited for our Priority Number. This is the number we would be idenfied by until we were inside the studio. By the time, they got to our bench, they were no longer handing out numbers. That's when we learned that we did not get in for the first taping and we were placed on stand-by as numbers 63 and 64. I'm not a math major, but by my calculation that means they had about 170 group members who arrived after we did.
Now, this is where it gets a little weird...
There were 5 or 6 red jackets floating around. They were very pleasant people and patiently answered our questions. Everything was happy until we started comparing answers. It turns out that nobody - no even Mateo - could tell us exactly what would happen next. Would our stand-by numbers get us in to the next show ahead of those people with tickets only for the second show? According to one red jacket (Sheira - she was so sweet!), our stand-by numbers would become our priority numbers for the second show. Translation: We were in! and we had priority over those arriving only for the second show. With this information, I felt secure and took my place on the bench. My mother, who didn't seem to pay attention to the announcement, was standing with a group of recent arrivals for the second show. I tried to get her attention, but she was busy in her own world talking to Mateo. That's when Mateo marked our tickets for the second show with priority numbers. When she returned, I told her that she didn't need to do that because our stand-by's from the first show will get us in. We were told to leave the grounds and come back at 1pm.
This time, we followed the rules and left the grounds. We returned at 12:45pm. The first warning sign was the line up waiting to get in to the grounds. Next, we heard the crowd inside the grounds. Why were they there when everyone was asked to leave? We made our way in by showing our stand-by numbers. We went to take our place with our stand-by/priority numbers and were told that those numbers would only be stand-by for the second taping and there was no guarantee we would get in. You can imagine some tempers started to flare and mass confusion was in the works, when my mother told me to put the stand-by numbers away. She then produced the tickets that Mateo had marked earlier, and we were escorted to the other set of metal benches where we would get our real priority numbers and eventual entry to the second taping!
End of story? No...
Remember the second taping was supposed to start at 5pm? After clearing security and sitting in yet another corral of metal benches, we waited...and waited...and waited. At 7:00, a crowd of 330 hungry and tired people entered The Price is Right studio. Have you ever seen a crowd come back to life? It was the most exciting experience! Just being in the studio was cool! Being 3 rows from the front - even more cool! Seeing somebody win a million dollars - Priceless! (well, nothing is priceless in that studio).
The analysis...
How do they decide who gets picked to Come on Down? Apparently, the red jackets are watching you all day. They are looking at your number and trying to decide if you would make a good contestant. There is a very short interview process - less than 30 seconds per person - when a producer makes his judgement about who should be called. But, my theory is that they place people in the crowd posing as audience members to interact with everyone. These people then get to see who is easy to get along with, who really deserves to be picked etc. Maybe that is why Mr. Whitman and Rosalind attend the shows so regularly.
I will begin with how we actually got in to the studio...
It started as any other day for the staff of The Price is Right. Mateo was at the front gate in his red jacket handing out Order of Arrival numbers to all the potential contestants who had been lining up since 6am. Mom and I didn't arrive until 6:30 so we didn't wait long before getting our Order of Arrival number and being escorted to our spot on one of the long metal benches. We were instructed to stay in our places in numerical order until we were processed. It wasn't long before they announced that, because they were taping Million Dollar Spectacular shows, the taping times would be a little different than usual. The first show was to start and hour early (at noon) and the second show would start an hour late (at 5pm). This was great news because, since we were numbers 224 and 225 out of 330, we thought we were in the first taping for sure. We had to get up and re-arrange ourselves a few times when the pre-booked groups started arriving. Large groups had priority over the rest of us and were guaranteed admittance simply because they were with a group, which means, they only needed to be there by 9am.
After a few rounds of musical benches, additioanl red jackets came around to give us name tags. Mateo was off to the side managing the crowd and answering questions from those of us who were starting to get a little confused with the whole process. With nametags in hand, we waited for our Priority Number. This is the number we would be idenfied by until we were inside the studio. By the time, they got to our bench, they were no longer handing out numbers. That's when we learned that we did not get in for the first taping and we were placed on stand-by as numbers 63 and 64. I'm not a math major, but by my calculation that means they had about 170 group members who arrived after we did.
Now, this is where it gets a little weird...
There were 5 or 6 red jackets floating around. They were very pleasant people and patiently answered our questions. Everything was happy until we started comparing answers. It turns out that nobody - no even Mateo - could tell us exactly what would happen next. Would our stand-by numbers get us in to the next show ahead of those people with tickets only for the second show? According to one red jacket (Sheira - she was so sweet!), our stand-by numbers would become our priority numbers for the second show. Translation: We were in! and we had priority over those arriving only for the second show. With this information, I felt secure and took my place on the bench. My mother, who didn't seem to pay attention to the announcement, was standing with a group of recent arrivals for the second show. I tried to get her attention, but she was busy in her own world talking to Mateo. That's when Mateo marked our tickets for the second show with priority numbers. When she returned, I told her that she didn't need to do that because our stand-by's from the first show will get us in. We were told to leave the grounds and come back at 1pm.
This time, we followed the rules and left the grounds. We returned at 12:45pm. The first warning sign was the line up waiting to get in to the grounds. Next, we heard the crowd inside the grounds. Why were they there when everyone was asked to leave? We made our way in by showing our stand-by numbers. We went to take our place with our stand-by/priority numbers and were told that those numbers would only be stand-by for the second taping and there was no guarantee we would get in. You can imagine some tempers started to flare and mass confusion was in the works, when my mother told me to put the stand-by numbers away. She then produced the tickets that Mateo had marked earlier, and we were escorted to the other set of metal benches where we would get our real priority numbers and eventual entry to the second taping!
End of story? No...
Remember the second taping was supposed to start at 5pm? After clearing security and sitting in yet another corral of metal benches, we waited...and waited...and waited. At 7:00, a crowd of 330 hungry and tired people entered The Price is Right studio. Have you ever seen a crowd come back to life? It was the most exciting experience! Just being in the studio was cool! Being 3 rows from the front - even more cool! Seeing somebody win a million dollars - Priceless! (well, nothing is priceless in that studio).
The analysis...
How do they decide who gets picked to Come on Down? Apparently, the red jackets are watching you all day. They are looking at your number and trying to decide if you would make a good contestant. There is a very short interview process - less than 30 seconds per person - when a producer makes his judgement about who should be called. But, my theory is that they place people in the crowd posing as audience members to interact with everyone. These people then get to see who is easy to get along with, who really deserves to be picked etc. Maybe that is why Mr. Whitman and Rosalind attend the shows so regularly.
All I want is my new front tooth
It seems like it was only yesterday that I had all my teeth in tact. That was before this evening's "little mishap".
I was simply pushing my daughter backwards down a hardwood floor hallway. What could possibly go wrong? OK. Before you report me to social services, I should explain that it was all in fun. We were laughing. Trying to see how fast we could go. Apparently, we went a little too fast. We were almost rounding the corner to her bedroom when she slipped. I tried to hold her up, but then I slipped. She yelled. I yelled. Then I saw my tooth lying on the floor beside her head. It contrasted nicely with the oak flooring.
Tom was on his way out to get milk so we all did the only logical thing in this situation. We yelled for Daddy.
While Tom assessed the damage to Julia's knee, I started dialing for dentists. While holding an ice cube to my front tooth, I phoned the 4 emergency numbers for my dentist office, and a dentist friend in New Brunswick. Everyone was out. We tried a hygenist friend who tried a few denstis that she knows. They were out. Was there some kind of dentist convention tonight?
Meanwhile, Julia is developing a nice bruise on her knee, but she was able to bend it at this point so we saved a trip to the ER.
Eventually, our hygenist friend phoned back with some advice from her retired father. I followed all the instructions, which included knocking on my neighbor's door to borrow, not a cup of sugar, but some dental wax. Good thing their teenage son wears braces! I used the wax to protect my tooth for the night.
My dentist and I both skipped church the next morning and I had a root canal. That is not, in any way, suggesting that I would rather have a root canal than go to church. It just happened that way.
I was simply pushing my daughter backwards down a hardwood floor hallway. What could possibly go wrong? OK. Before you report me to social services, I should explain that it was all in fun. We were laughing. Trying to see how fast we could go. Apparently, we went a little too fast. We were almost rounding the corner to her bedroom when she slipped. I tried to hold her up, but then I slipped. She yelled. I yelled. Then I saw my tooth lying on the floor beside her head. It contrasted nicely with the oak flooring.
Tom was on his way out to get milk so we all did the only logical thing in this situation. We yelled for Daddy.
While Tom assessed the damage to Julia's knee, I started dialing for dentists. While holding an ice cube to my front tooth, I phoned the 4 emergency numbers for my dentist office, and a dentist friend in New Brunswick. Everyone was out. We tried a hygenist friend who tried a few denstis that she knows. They were out. Was there some kind of dentist convention tonight?
Meanwhile, Julia is developing a nice bruise on her knee, but she was able to bend it at this point so we saved a trip to the ER.
Eventually, our hygenist friend phoned back with some advice from her retired father. I followed all the instructions, which included knocking on my neighbor's door to borrow, not a cup of sugar, but some dental wax. Good thing their teenage son wears braces! I used the wax to protect my tooth for the night.
My dentist and I both skipped church the next morning and I had a root canal. That is not, in any way, suggesting that I would rather have a root canal than go to church. It just happened that way.
How to access the spare tire
The day after we got the pool up and running, we spent the night at a friend's cottage. They warned me ahead of time that it is 13km in a dirt road. Not a big deal. We drove more than that on the dirt road through Pocalogan, NB when the highway was closed (after leaving Boston 6 hours earlier, but that's a whole other story).
The road was much bumpier than the Pocologan Road, but we made it in unscathed. Had a great time with fireworks, tatooes and maybe a few beverages. We left early the next day so Tom could arrive home in time to intro some bands at the big Canada Day concert on Citadel Hill.
We made it through the dirt road, but not without hitting a few craters along the way. We were just past Middle Musquodoboit when we heard it. A funny noise coming from outside the van. We slowed down, it went away. We sped up, it came back. I calmly asked Tom to pull over so we can check it out. I looked at my side and everthing looked fine. Then, I heard "Holy Crap!" (only that's not the word he used) from the other side. The tire was actually off the rim!
No problem, we took out a CAA membership last year and now I get to use it. Except that Rogers doesn't seem to have any towers near Middle Musquidoboit. So, Tom changed the tire himself. He even knew to loosen the lug nuts before jacking the wheel up. This was going to be a breeze. He got the rim and what was left of the tire out of the way. He went around back to find the spare tire. He looked inside first, but I pointed out that it is tucked up underneath the rear. He got underneath and tried to release the tire. That's when the real fun began.
The tire was stuck. There was no way it was coming off. A few minutes later, we got some help. He went home and came back with tools: a hammer and vicegrips. Tom and our good samaritan took turns hammering on the tire and the brackets around it. It wasn't going to budge.
I needed to feel useful so I set out with the girsl to find a telephone. We decided to go to the house with the radio loud enough that we could hear it a 1/4 mile away since they would probably be home. I phoned CAA and soon learned it would be close to an hour before they would arrive. In the meantime, the man who lived there went down to help. At this point, there are three grown men taking turns beating on this tire with a hammer, vicegrips and who knows what else.
Then, one of them got an idea. He has a friend who sells tires. So, he and Tom took off in his truck into the middle of nowhere to find a tire. They returned with an old tire full of air and attached to our the rim. So much for the spare, this is better anyway.
They had just tightened the last lugnut when the CAA truck arrived. That's when we all learned there is a bolt accessible from inside the van (remember, I directed Tom away from that area?) that would release the spare tire.
We got home in time for Tom to have a quick shower, drive quickly into Halifax and jump up on stage just before Nickelback was due to arrive.
The road was much bumpier than the Pocologan Road, but we made it in unscathed. Had a great time with fireworks, tatooes and maybe a few beverages. We left early the next day so Tom could arrive home in time to intro some bands at the big Canada Day concert on Citadel Hill.
We made it through the dirt road, but not without hitting a few craters along the way. We were just past Middle Musquodoboit when we heard it. A funny noise coming from outside the van. We slowed down, it went away. We sped up, it came back. I calmly asked Tom to pull over so we can check it out. I looked at my side and everthing looked fine. Then, I heard "Holy Crap!" (only that's not the word he used) from the other side. The tire was actually off the rim!
No problem, we took out a CAA membership last year and now I get to use it. Except that Rogers doesn't seem to have any towers near Middle Musquidoboit. So, Tom changed the tire himself. He even knew to loosen the lug nuts before jacking the wheel up. This was going to be a breeze. He got the rim and what was left of the tire out of the way. He went around back to find the spare tire. He looked inside first, but I pointed out that it is tucked up underneath the rear. He got underneath and tried to release the tire. That's when the real fun began.
The tire was stuck. There was no way it was coming off. A few minutes later, we got some help. He went home and came back with tools: a hammer and vicegrips. Tom and our good samaritan took turns hammering on the tire and the brackets around it. It wasn't going to budge.
I needed to feel useful so I set out with the girsl to find a telephone. We decided to go to the house with the radio loud enough that we could hear it a 1/4 mile away since they would probably be home. I phoned CAA and soon learned it would be close to an hour before they would arrive. In the meantime, the man who lived there went down to help. At this point, there are three grown men taking turns beating on this tire with a hammer, vicegrips and who knows what else.
Then, one of them got an idea. He has a friend who sells tires. So, he and Tom took off in his truck into the middle of nowhere to find a tire. They returned with an old tire full of air and attached to our the rim. So much for the spare, this is better anyway.
They had just tightened the last lugnut when the CAA truck arrived. That's when we all learned there is a bolt accessible from inside the van (remember, I directed Tom away from that area?) that would release the spare tire.
We got home in time for Tom to have a quick shower, drive quickly into Halifax and jump up on stage just before Nickelback was due to arrive.
Levelling the Swimming Pool
It all started last Thursday. It was the perfect day to put up the new pool. But, first, I needed to level the ground. Since the ground was pretty level to start with, I knew this wouldn't take long. I started at Home Hardware where they suggested 3 bags of play sand to level off the small area that dips down. Too be safe, I ordered 4 bags. Little did I know that these bags of sand were no bigger than a 5 pound bag of potatoes. When I got home, I surveyed the 12 square foot area where the pool would be set up and decided, I should take another route with this levelling.
I buckled the kids into the mini-van and drove to the local place where you can buy yard stuff in bulk. They suggested a yard of crusher dust. OK...so, how big is a yard? Can I fit it in the back of my van? If you know anything about this stuff, you see the humor in that question. Rather than paying the $60 delivery charge, I went home to find a neighbor with a truck. Not only did I find a neighbor with a truck, but I found one who knows all about landscaping and ground levelling!
With a huge pile of crusher dust in my backyard and a crash course in levelling, I bid adieu to my new best friend. Confident with my new knowledge, I started with a level and an 8 foot 2X6. I spent an hour checking and re-checking the outer edges, then moved on to the big finale. I carefully opened the box that held the new pool, moved the instruction book out of the way and began laying the pool over the area that would become its home for the next three months. Next...the water, and we wait.
When the water was noticably filling faster on one side, I tried numerous methods to level the ground while the pool was filling with water. No, that is not how I poked a hole in the liner. That was the next day.
I decided to start over the next day. While the pool was draining, I got a head start on re-leveling the ground. Julia (my 8 year old daughter) held the pool out of the way while I started digging in with the rake. And THAT is how I poked the hole in the liner. The language Julia heard that day was mild compared to what she would hear at the Nickelback concert a few days later.
After patching the hole and getting down on hands and knees with the level and 2x6 again, I kept reminding myself that it's better to take the time and do it right this time. I went inch by inch ensuring that every rock, hole and bump was removed from the area. I was half-way through when my new best friend (my neighbor with the truck) saw the water draining from my backyard and decided to check up on me. He took the rake and finished the levelling in 10 minutes. We spread out the pool again and started filling. The neighborhood kids had a very quick swim after supper that night.
I can hardly wait for next year, after the frost throws all that levelling off and I get to start over.
I buckled the kids into the mini-van and drove to the local place where you can buy yard stuff in bulk. They suggested a yard of crusher dust. OK...so, how big is a yard? Can I fit it in the back of my van? If you know anything about this stuff, you see the humor in that question. Rather than paying the $60 delivery charge, I went home to find a neighbor with a truck. Not only did I find a neighbor with a truck, but I found one who knows all about landscaping and ground levelling!
With a huge pile of crusher dust in my backyard and a crash course in levelling, I bid adieu to my new best friend. Confident with my new knowledge, I started with a level and an 8 foot 2X6. I spent an hour checking and re-checking the outer edges, then moved on to the big finale. I carefully opened the box that held the new pool, moved the instruction book out of the way and began laying the pool over the area that would become its home for the next three months. Next...the water, and we wait.
When the water was noticably filling faster on one side, I tried numerous methods to level the ground while the pool was filling with water. No, that is not how I poked a hole in the liner. That was the next day.
I decided to start over the next day. While the pool was draining, I got a head start on re-leveling the ground. Julia (my 8 year old daughter) held the pool out of the way while I started digging in with the rake. And THAT is how I poked the hole in the liner. The language Julia heard that day was mild compared to what she would hear at the Nickelback concert a few days later.
After patching the hole and getting down on hands and knees with the level and 2x6 again, I kept reminding myself that it's better to take the time and do it right this time. I went inch by inch ensuring that every rock, hole and bump was removed from the area. I was half-way through when my new best friend (my neighbor with the truck) saw the water draining from my backyard and decided to check up on me. He took the rake and finished the levelling in 10 minutes. We spread out the pool again and started filling. The neighborhood kids had a very quick swim after supper that night.
I can hardly wait for next year, after the frost throws all that levelling off and I get to start over.
New Beginnings...
OK, so I stole the title from Erica Kane's show on All My Children. But, after this week, my brain is no longer capable of coherent thought.
After 16 years driving to the same location for work and seeing many of the same people every day, week, month - you get the point, I have moved on. It was a difficult decision, but once I made it official, it was a steady move forward. Until the first day on the bus.
Here is a log of my first week:
Day 1 - first day on a bus to downtown
7:00 - wake up, shower, put on casual clothes (ie. jeans)
7:40 - dressed, fed, waiting for time to pass in order to catch the
8:05 bus. On schedule. Day is going well.
7:50 - leave for bus stop
7:55 - arrive at bus stop...with umbrella...in pouring rain. Ask lady at bus stop if I'm in the right place. Receive a small nod and perhaps a short grunt indicating the affirmative. Place myself in position under the shelter
8:05 - board bus...move to back...squish in front facing seat (not to self - don't sit here tomorrow)
8:45 - miss stop
8:46 - ask driver to let me out at red light
8:47 - arrive at work. Doesn't feel like work. Invited to join a conversation about a potential new client. Huh? what are we talking about? Nod to show interest. Deep breaths to avoid tears.
8:50 - See new desk. Find kettle and fill it. A nice cup of tea will help. Meet with owner to go over logistics.
8:52 - Turn kettle on.
8:53 - Continue meeting with owner. Cry about the bus. Great first impression, Jenn!
8:55 - Turn kettle on.
8:56 - Can't find button to turn computer on. What was I hired for? Oh yes, my technical savvy.
8:58 - Ask for help to turn on computer.
8:59 - Turn kettle on.
9:05 - Log in and sip on tea.yadda yadda yadda (stole that part from Seinfeld - see note at top)
4:15 - Leave in panic to catch the 4:23 bus that stops in front of our building
4:23 - Look at watch
4:24 - Look down the road
4:25 - Look at watch
4:26 - 4:29 - repeat last 3 steps
4:30 - board bus. Sit in front!
4:31 - see a friend who started working 3 weeks ago
4:32-5:00 - cry with Karen
5:00pm - arrive at stop, drive home, hug kids
Day 2 - plan to drive
12:00am - sleeping
4:00am - awake to realization that I don't have an alarm code. can't go to work early
5:00am - realize I can sleep in6:00am - trying to get back to sleep
7:00am - might as well get up now
7:40am - dressed and ready to drive in. Wait..can't go early without and alarm code. I'll take the 7:50 bus. Kiss family and head out.
7:44am - see bus in front of me on way to bus stop. Didn't get speeding ticket.
7:45am - board bus. Sit in front!
8:15am - arrive at work. Too early? Nope. Owner and Sales guy are there.
8:17am - learn that they came in early to be there for me. They had a pool on when (and IF) I would show up
8:18am - held back tears (mostly)10:00am - meeting. Actual work!
1:30pm - meeting3:00pm - meeting
4:25pm - excuse myself from meeting to catch the 4:23 bus out front.
4:28pm - Board bus. Where's Karen? Out of breath Karen boards bus. Learn that bus arrives at this stop at 4:30...usually.
4:29pm - Bus stops for 2 more who almost missed it (but he wasn't supposed to stop so pretend I didn't say that)
4:55pm - arrive at stop, drive home, pick up kids, make supper with mashed potatoes
6:05pm - supper is on the table. How did that happen? I used to get home at 5:50, then change before starting to make supper.
Day 3 - feeling adventurous - take bus to doctor
7:05am - leave to catch 7:15 bus
7:10am - lots of parking spots today!
7:15am - the early morning people are much more pleasant! Things are looking up.
7:45am - arrive at work, unlock door on first try. enter alarm code. Hear Duane say "I already unarmed it, I think you just armed it"
7:46am - heart starts beating again, after Duane said it wasn't armed because the door was open9:00am - Owner arrives. I smile.
10:00am - Doing real work.
3:15pm - hurry outside to catch the
3:15 to my doctor's office - in the opposite direction of home3:20pm - check schedule and watch.
3:23pm - bus arrives on time.
3:35pm - arrive at doctor's office for 3:40pm appointment.
4:35pm - meet with doctor. Describe new job.4:40pm - ask how to get home from there.
4:41pm - leave building, step onto waiting bus. ask for transfer
4:45pm - exit at the first stop where I can catch the bus for home
4:46pm - realize I should have waited for the main stop
4:53pm - board the bus to my final desination
5:30pm - arrive only 1/2 hour later than last time?? Cool!!
11:00pm - create note on FaceBook
After 16 years driving to the same location for work and seeing many of the same people every day, week, month - you get the point, I have moved on. It was a difficult decision, but once I made it official, it was a steady move forward. Until the first day on the bus.
Here is a log of my first week:
Day 1 - first day on a bus to downtown
7:00 - wake up, shower, put on casual clothes (ie. jeans)
7:40 - dressed, fed, waiting for time to pass in order to catch the
8:05 bus. On schedule. Day is going well.
7:50 - leave for bus stop
7:55 - arrive at bus stop...with umbrella...in pouring rain. Ask lady at bus stop if I'm in the right place. Receive a small nod and perhaps a short grunt indicating the affirmative. Place myself in position under the shelter
8:05 - board bus...move to back...squish in front facing seat (not to self - don't sit here tomorrow)
8:45 - miss stop
8:46 - ask driver to let me out at red light
8:47 - arrive at work. Doesn't feel like work. Invited to join a conversation about a potential new client. Huh? what are we talking about? Nod to show interest. Deep breaths to avoid tears.
8:50 - See new desk. Find kettle and fill it. A nice cup of tea will help. Meet with owner to go over logistics.
8:52 - Turn kettle on.
8:53 - Continue meeting with owner. Cry about the bus. Great first impression, Jenn!
8:55 - Turn kettle on.
8:56 - Can't find button to turn computer on. What was I hired for? Oh yes, my technical savvy.
8:58 - Ask for help to turn on computer.
8:59 - Turn kettle on.
9:05 - Log in and sip on tea.yadda yadda yadda (stole that part from Seinfeld - see note at top)
4:15 - Leave in panic to catch the 4:23 bus that stops in front of our building
4:23 - Look at watch
4:24 - Look down the road
4:25 - Look at watch
4:26 - 4:29 - repeat last 3 steps
4:30 - board bus. Sit in front!
4:31 - see a friend who started working 3 weeks ago
4:32-5:00 - cry with Karen
5:00pm - arrive at stop, drive home, hug kids
Day 2 - plan to drive
12:00am - sleeping
4:00am - awake to realization that I don't have an alarm code. can't go to work early
5:00am - realize I can sleep in6:00am - trying to get back to sleep
7:00am - might as well get up now
7:40am - dressed and ready to drive in. Wait..can't go early without and alarm code. I'll take the 7:50 bus. Kiss family and head out.
7:44am - see bus in front of me on way to bus stop. Didn't get speeding ticket.
7:45am - board bus. Sit in front!
8:15am - arrive at work. Too early? Nope. Owner and Sales guy are there.
8:17am - learn that they came in early to be there for me. They had a pool on when (and IF) I would show up
8:18am - held back tears (mostly)10:00am - meeting. Actual work!
1:30pm - meeting3:00pm - meeting
4:25pm - excuse myself from meeting to catch the 4:23 bus out front.
4:28pm - Board bus. Where's Karen? Out of breath Karen boards bus. Learn that bus arrives at this stop at 4:30...usually.
4:29pm - Bus stops for 2 more who almost missed it (but he wasn't supposed to stop so pretend I didn't say that)
4:55pm - arrive at stop, drive home, pick up kids, make supper with mashed potatoes
6:05pm - supper is on the table. How did that happen? I used to get home at 5:50, then change before starting to make supper.
Day 3 - feeling adventurous - take bus to doctor
7:05am - leave to catch 7:15 bus
7:10am - lots of parking spots today!
7:15am - the early morning people are much more pleasant! Things are looking up.
7:45am - arrive at work, unlock door on first try. enter alarm code. Hear Duane say "I already unarmed it, I think you just armed it"
7:46am - heart starts beating again, after Duane said it wasn't armed because the door was open9:00am - Owner arrives. I smile.
10:00am - Doing real work.
3:15pm - hurry outside to catch the
3:15 to my doctor's office - in the opposite direction of home3:20pm - check schedule and watch.
3:23pm - bus arrives on time.
3:35pm - arrive at doctor's office for 3:40pm appointment.
4:35pm - meet with doctor. Describe new job.4:40pm - ask how to get home from there.
4:41pm - leave building, step onto waiting bus. ask for transfer
4:45pm - exit at the first stop where I can catch the bus for home
4:46pm - realize I should have waited for the main stop
4:53pm - board the bus to my final desination
5:30pm - arrive only 1/2 hour later than last time?? Cool!!
11:00pm - create note on FaceBook
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