trachemys

You remind me so much of my sister. Her "husband" is pretty much useless domestically. To be fair, our dad was. He's the reason I learned to do EVERYTHING!

Soberwolf

Congrats SP

Jsbodhi

Since I'm single with no future husband in sight; I often watch how people do things and ask if I can help ( like a little kid) so I can learn to do them myself too xx

saoutchik

Hope you are feeling OK SP

Bury Rhiannon fairly deep to avoid her being dug up by foxes etc

Soberpotamus

We put her in an old Igloo cooler, Sao. I figured no animal could get it open. Do you think they could somehow get in there to her?

venuscat

I think that sounds pretty safe Jennie.

Soberpotamus

I have had a miserable week of work. I am so miserable. I can't imagine how people endure jobs like this, dealing with the public. It's bringing out the worst in me. I keep thinking I'll adjust, but it doesn't seem to be happening.

Jsbodhi

My friend once told me that if you want to lose faith in humanity get a job in customer service xoxo
I hope it gets a bit better.
I usually despise every job I get at first, then I find I kinda settle into it- takes a bit sometimes though

Soberpotamus

I lost faith in humanity when I was a child.

I just want to knock these people out, just elbow them really hard in the face.

Dee74

I'm sorry the week was not a good one SP.

D

venuscat

Huge hugs J. ♥

Soberpotamus

Thanks for understanding and not judging. This is just not my kind of gig. I'm actually surprised I am still walking myself in there every day.

It had me thinking of alcohol a few times. I told my husband. I told him because I wanted to speak it and not just let it linger in my mind. Of course, I won't do it. I don't drink and never will. But I think you guys know what I mean ... that old habit of dealing with stress by drinking and associated images popped up automatically. Then it had me thinking about the company I worked for before I quit drinking. I was wondering if I would've left that job sooner or later had I not been drinking. Was I able to put it with the stress and the toxic personalities because I was drinking? I dunno.

I confronted a young, idiot co-worker yesterday. These guys seem to have no work ethic. It's crazy. Maybe it's youth and ignorance. Who knows?

I finally cried this morning lying in bed after waking ... an entire week of stress and build-up.

Part of my cry was about the hard choices I've had to make in my non-career. I gave up an academic career long ago because I wanted to devote myself to my writing craft. Days, like I've experienced this past week, shake my confidence in my choice, really hard.

Soberpotamus

One big pet peeve I have about the general public that I'm discovering lately ... it's rare to come across people who have the patience or attention span to listen to a long, detailed answer to their question. They want quick 'yes' or 'no' answers, it seems. I find myself being cut off mid-sentence all the time. I think it's the ultimate disrespect. People don't seem to want to actually communicate. There's no real communication. There's direction, maybe. But very little real communication. It's disheartening.

Yet, there's a whole lot of assumption going on.

And everyone wants you to know about them. They don't give a damn about you. Which is fine, I'm a good listener, but it feels sad.

Soberpotamus

Introversion doesn't seem to be understood or respected in many workplaces, or maybe in most workplaces.

One interesting observation ... I am quickly becoming the go-to 'plant expert' lady, and trust me, I'm not! Lol. But my demeanor suggests I'm smart, I dunno. Or knowledgeable. I seem to have a bullseye target on me that attracts customers to bombard me with their questions.

Thankfully, my grandfather had a green thumb and I picked up a little from him, and I do know a little about certain types of plants.

Anna

Jennie, I admire you for sticking with this job. I worked in retail and like you, I was bothered by the noise level and background noise, and the fluorescent lights. My anxiety would kick in big-time when I had to do something I wasn't familiar with. Instead of trying to find away to solve the problem, my mind would be going at warp speed in a million different directions. It was hard to come up with quick solutions.

I think it's good that you're doing what you need to do to make a living and to move forward with your plans for your life.

Soberpotamus

The one saving grace of this situation, Anna, is that it's outdoors and we have some really great weather here most of the time. Being in the fresh air and sunlight helps so much. The two days I had to work inside under the fluorescent lighting was hard. And yes, that constant background noise is distracting. There's constant tension and anxiety for me. It takes me hours to decompress. I don't really fully decompress before I have to be back the next day. So I'm kind of hijacked until my off days.

The worst part is that until mid-July they expect me to work 38-39 hours per week. At that point, they'll give me the part-time hours I want. The problem with this is that it doesn't allow me anytime to finish the last two modules of my proofreading course, get my website up and running, and actually focus on getting my clients. My business is put on hold for now.

Once I get to where I can breathe again and maybe have two days off in a row, I'll get some work done, but it's all I can do to try and get this house in order. My husband does very little around here until the weekend, and even then, he has issues focusing. I have great focus and motivation, but a lack of knowledge about regular handyman/domestic things ... like, hanging a front door. No idea how to do it. And my ex is so busy, it's hard to get him over to help. He's in sales and is always working. Plus, it's at the point now where Brian and Tom despise one another. They used to be friendly. Not anymore, not after the surgery incident.

Soberpotamus

It's laughable, though, that the assistant store manager told me this job would be basically the same as my old merchandising job -- it's not! Yesterday, I was inundated with a barrage of customer questions for eight hours, barely able to handle the plants. And, of course, the priority is to help the customers.

Soberwolf

SP your the best xxx sorry today has been one of them I wanna elbow someone in the face days

Soberpotamus

Thanks, Wolfie.

Soberpotamus

Another day in hell. Plus, a slight sunburn that makes me feel like I've actually been roasting in hell. Another fresh day of hot hell tomorrow.