Sunday, November 30, 2003

Just got home... fun night... hehe
We got everything at Pizza Hut decorated for Christmas... we were really getting into the Christmas spirit.... it was me, Matt, Diana, and Tim. We had a good time.... and put HOURS into it. Tim and I mainly worked on the outside lights while Matt and Diana worked inside. Yea, it was a bit cold, but we had a good time. I think the place looks really nice.

Now for the main story.... Steve finally got me back.
At about 2pm (I start work at 3), I get a call from Steve saying that a customer decided to get the store a Christmas present and was getting it gift wrapped but they didnt have time to wait for it so we had to go pick it up. He asked me to go in and pick it up on my way to work. Now, remember, this is the Saturday after Thanksgiving... the mall is not a pretty place to be... so anyway I venture my way into the Bon Ton and eventually make my way to the gift wrap center. I wait in line for quite some time and then I finally get to the person and I tell her I was supposed to pick up something for Pizza Hut. She says oh, ok and calls someone else.... I thought that was odd.... but anyway this other person comes down and goes to the back to get what I have to pick up... there, wrapped in clear celephane is Steve's bear..... and she says "Steve wanted to make sure you get this" .... I shook my head, said "I'm gonna kill him" and everyone laughed..... so I made my way down to Pizza Hut. Of course there were some good laughs as I was walking in.... honestly, I thought it was funny..... it really was an awesome prank... especially since its harder for the opener to pull a prank on the closer (which is usually the case with me and Steve)..... I give him mad props for pulling that off. So anyway, Steve gives me a list then. This list is a list of 5 things that the bear demands or "he" will continue torturing me. Included for your entertainment, is the list of those demands.

1. Apologize in your blog for abusing him.
2. Public apology in front of at least 5 Pizza Hut Employees
3. Must take the bear with you when you go out to eat. Buy him some porrigge or some honey.
4. Take the bear when you meet up with Tiffany next and explain that while she was away, another (the bear) made you feel better than she does. Then pull his string to prove it.
5. Tell her the (censored - insert the Christmas present I bought for Tiffany here - the one I think she's gonna kill me over) was teddy's idea.

So anyway, I have had a very entertaining day.... and then some.... so what is that... yesterday, today..... *shrug* ... it doesnt matter... we had fun.... It's nice to work in an enviornment where you can fool around alot.... and still get work done too, of course.

Well, its is now after 6am.... and I have to be back at the hut at 3... plus I'd like to get up early enough to talk to Tiff for a little bit... so I'm gonna head to bed. Good night everyone!

Friday, November 28, 2003

I'm nuts... officially.
I always buy everything online when I'm Christmas shopping.... this year so far has been no different. I bought 90% of my presents online. Today tho, is black friday.... the day when stores try to lure you in with amazing sales. A DVD Burner for $80... yea, that caught my attention. I told Mom & Dad thats what I wanted for Christmas. Around 5:30 this morning my dad calls me and says he just drove by Best Buy because he was going to get that burner for me for Christmas. He said he just kept on driving because there is no way that he would have been able to stand in line to get it. After thinking hard about it, I decided that I would drive in and get it. Dad gave me his credit card, and off I went. Let me take this moment to say.... NEVER AGAIN! I now know why I do my Christmas shopping online... and why I never venture out on black friday. There was no room in Best Buys parking lot.... I ended up finding a spot.... at McDonald's down the street. Started walking over.... once I made it in the door the fun began, trying to get to the shelf where the dvd burners were. No joke I was fighting people standing in line.... the line to checkout was weaved in and out of different aisles... it was nuts. Finally made it to the shelf, and, no more on the shelf. I asked someone and they said that they probably had more but I had to ask someone else. Found someone else and he said they may have some more at the computer counter..... the line for the computer counter was from the front of the store, clear to the back of the store. It was at this moment that I gave up. It then took me 5 mins to get out of the store because I had to dodge people left and right. I learned an important lesson today.... not only did I learn that I should stay home on black friday, I also learned that people are stupid... and for a brief moment this morning, I was one of them. Now that I have failed my attempt and learned my lesson, I'm going back to bed.

Thursday, November 27, 2003

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I just want to list some of the things that I am thankful for. First and foremost I am thankful for Tiffany. I am thankful that God has brought such an amazing girl into my life and I'm thankful for the relationship that we have.... one that just keeps gettings stronger and stronger. I am thankful for my family.... everyone. I really have the best parents, sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc that I could ask for. God truly has blessed me with my family. I am thankful for my job at Pizza Hut. I am thankful that I have a job that I really enjoy and I am thankful for my coworkers. I am thankful that I have such a great manager who not only makes it fun to work but also cares about situations that arise... something that many managers dont care about. I couldnt ask for a better set of people to work with. Last but definately not least, I am thankful for what God has done in my life. I am thankful for my salvation and the promises that He has given me.

God Bless everyone on this special day!
Ok so dad taped the new information on the sci fi channel about the Kecksburg UFO incident..... Lori and I decided we wanted to watch it.... but since she didnt see the first one, we decided that it would be good to watch that one first. So we did.... then we started to watch the other one.... thank God for fast forward.... about 90% of the program was EXACT repeats of the previous show.... it was rather depressing.... and the new evidence they said they found since the last airing... yea, it was basically a 36 page document from NASA that said the same things that we already knew.... that was helpfull..... well, its now after 4am... we're eating at 12.... so I think I should now head to bed.

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

And now, introducing the stars of tonight's blog: Matt Shafer and Steve Kruse :)

Tonight was a night of complete harrasment, but it's ok... I'll eventually get them back. Today our uniform shipment came in and I had ordered a gatsby to wear while I'm a cook.

Well, that went over like a lead baloon. I think its nice, but I was kinda expecting harrasment over it.... but what the heck, I'm unique... maybe this will make Steve quit scheduling me for cook shifts just so I dont wear that hat :) Yea, that wasnt the only thing they harrased me about. It seems like I couldnt say anything without some crazy comment.... At least Patti R. liked it.... someone was in my corner... of course when I got home Lori told me that I needed to take that thing off now.... *sigh* No one appriciates good style.... uh... yea, thats it. Everything at Pizza Hut is in good fun though.... I cant say that it bothers me that they harass me... I've just accepted the fact that I am the second most harrased person in that store... Sweet Chuck (Mike) is way above me so I dont think I'll be catching him.... tho, Vanetta might be catching up to me... especially if we get her to drink at the Christmas party...
"I'm not hungry, I'm HUUUNGRYYYY"

w00t... just got done watching my new "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas" DVD.... By far my favorite Christmas program and now that I finally got it on DVD, its even better :) ... Yes folks, it is now Christmas-time... I have seen my show!

The highlight of the moment is.... I'm not still at delivery. The night really didnt go too bad. In all honesty, I dont mind working at that store... it just seems to take so long for the night to end.... and yes, after my last post, we got hit again.... it never fails.... you get crushed for a while.... then its dead... totally dead.... then all of a sudden you get crushed again.... and usually after everyone is gone.

Well I am going to attempt to get up early enough to go pick up my skis in Monroeville..... hopefully I can get that done before meeting Jim and Jason for lunch.... gotta get to bed though. Nite nite!

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

I'm here at delivery.... Bored as usual. The nights always go so slow down here.... Hence why I have the time to blog. Down here its like customers gang up on you. About 2 hours ago no one knew which end was up.... Now.... Nothing. I think for a while I had like 8 deliveries on my screen and 2 drivers to take them all... That just sucks. Well its 8:30 and we close at 11 ... I'm gonna go..... Uhhhh.... Stare at the oven. Hopefully the customers won't gang up on me tonight like the usually do late at night.
Goobs. Comic 15
Uhh... I dont think I own software.... and my computer definately doesnt have a serial number..... (If you are an agent of the FBI, please disregard this post)

Monday, November 24, 2003

134, 167, 116.... Yea I sucked tonight. That last game... I struck out the 10th frame and still only got 116. Really bad.... We lost all 7 points too... Just a bad night. The bright side of the day is I ended the work week (pizza hut's week ends on monday) with over 7 hours of overtime.... Much needed.... That gives me over 12 hours of overtime for the pay period. I also got word today that I am going to get a raise... That, too, is much needed.
I'm currently bowling. Not doing incredibly well tonight.... (jack says yet).... Hopefully I get better this last game. I'm a little frustrated otherwise tho. Tiff was incredibly upset tonight. Of course it had something to do with Jim. I guess I kinda went off. I'm not blaming tiff for anything at all, I just wish jim was handling things a little different. I wish that me, tiff, AND jim could be friends.... That just isn't going to happen tho. I pray for jim every night. I wish the best for him... But this is just ridiculous. I blew up tonight because someone is hurting my baby and I don't like it at all. If jim really cared for tiff, he wouldn't be putting her through this. It just shows selfishness. I'm going to leave it at that. I don't get defensive.... Ever..... But tonight bugged me.
Don't take this post the wrong way. Tiff is very much in love with me and I am with her. Nothing is wrong between us... Its just someone is hurting my baby.
What Should I Do If The Internet Goes Down?
This is crucial information and since I am 65% addicted, I may be using this in the near future.
Crazy night... again. I'm not really sure what our sales were.... forgot to look, but I know for a while I was going crazy. 3 cooks tonight, 1 manager (me) and 2 servers.... the servers were busy and none of the cooks were trained on the cut table.... that made it pretty intense for me for about 20 mins straight. I had a serious back up.... for 20 mins I ran around like a mad man... a customer was waiting on his pizza.... just laughing at me.... everyone who was working there agreed that they have never seen anyone move so fast on the cut table.... In the 7 years i've worked for Pizza Hut, I dont think I have either.... it was insane. I actually was reviewing the sales and such for Friday and Saturday.... I was extremely impressed.
In other news, I added some pictures to my website and decorated it for Christmas. Go check it out! www.bibleboy.org
I talked to Tiff for a little bit today... it was good to talk to her. I still miss her very much, but at least its down till about a month till I get to see her. I cant wait! Dont know if I'll get to talk to her tomorrow or not.... we shall see.

Sunday, November 23, 2003

What a night... if this is a taste of whats coming next week for black friday...well.... wow..... We were nearly $1k over on our sales for the day.... thats pretty intense. Diana and I punched out around midnight... Tim left a little earlier... maybe a little after 11:30.... since I had to wait on Diana I figured I'd finish everything up. It was really the same as yesterday only a little bit better. It was steady the whole way until almost close. We always had a table. Our store really needs a sales boost, so im not complaining... and I know the more money the store makes, the better chance I have at a raise. In all honesty, I like when its busy.... things go faster.... sure, it's stressful but it seems like the team we have (most of them) really respond well to stress. In many cases I think we have more fun when we're stressed... we kind of all enter this different mode. After we clocked out, Diana and I sat talking for a while. It was really good to talk to her. She talked alot about adam and seth and I talked alot about Tiffany. It made me feel alot stronger towards Tiff... on my way home I had to listen to our song.... it made everything feel real... almost like Tiff was in the car with me. I got home around 1am... maybe a little after. Got my pictures so I looked at them, then did some laundry (which is now finally finished) and now that it is almost 2:30am, I'm going to bed. I hope I can get up for church tomorrow.... gonna have to drag myself out.

Saturday, November 22, 2003

There's a fire outside.....
but it's controlled..... uhh... I think.
They are burning the pile of junk that has collaberate between my relatives.... I'm not exactly sure how our yard was chosen for this pile but at least its on it's way to non-exsistance now. I think I'm gonna get my shower, get dress, and enjoy this amazing scene until I have to go to work.

Friday, November 21, 2003

This is just a test. I'm blogging from hoss's... But my food is here so more later.
As I sit here, waiting for the Paper, Rock, Scissors Champion to come on Conan, I figured that I'd post a small blog. (For those confused, http://www.worldrps.com/)

I was quite heated today. We had 2 people call off today, and that's just crazy. Zach calling off wasnt really what bugged me though. It definately left us short, well... it actually made Matt stay longer.... but Sweet Chuck calling off was just unacceptable. The reason being, this is not the first problem we've had with him. I really have nothing against the kid. But, looking at this from a management prespective.... its just not acceptable. Something needs to be done... he needs written up, he needs his schedule changed.... something... it's just getting out of hand.

I guess that really is all that I have.... I will now go back to waiting for the RPS Champion.

(and oh yea... I love Tiffany)

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

I scored a 89% on the "How Pittsburgh are you?" Quizie! What about you?
What a blast! We spent our $1000 from Pizza Hut tonight... umm, last night.... whatever you want to call it. We all went to the mall shopping (we each got $65 to spend) and then we went to Paul Monday's (a bar) to eat and hang out. It really was a great time. Me, Matt, Adam, and Diana left the bar somewhere around 2:30am and then went to Eat N Park to sit for a while... we had a good time there as well.... I got home after 4am... but who cares.... I cant stress how much of a good time we had. I didnt really know what to get at the mall so I ended up spending money on my most favorite thing in the whole world.... my baby! :)
Well, like I said, I got home LATE.... its time for bed. Goodnight!

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Ok, I suppose its time to go to bed now.... almost 3:30am.
Bowling: I had a 157, 167, and a 244.... I was happy with that.
I think we won 5 out of 7 points, but im not sure.
Nothing else new is going on. We're spending out $1k tomorrow... should be fun... still dont know exactly what im going to buy. We'll see! Good night!

Sunday, November 16, 2003

This day actually went quite well.... althought my wal mart experience today was much worse than last night. I needed deodorant and a meal from the McDonald's.... this project took well over 20 mins. Apparently they dont believe in express lanes anymore and EVERYONE in that store was buying at least 50 items. It was crazy.
Work... well, over all it went pretty well. However, I'm a little upset. I was there for... maybe an hour or so... and Patti says "there's that solicitor, you better go throw him out" ... I looked out and sure enough this guy was going around tables asking for money... he wasnt even a customer. So I went to him and threw him out. When I came back, Patti explained to me that this was the third day that he had been there and that he had been early today too. After hearing this, I was pretty ticked. So I figured that I'd call around to the other local restraunts and see if he had been there. My results: He had been to Pizza Hut, Olive Garden, Old Country Buffet, Long John Silvers, Denny's, Ponderosa, Dingbats, and Valley Dairy.... and multiple times at each store. I decided that this warranted calling the state police.... so I did. When I talked to the officer, he didnt seem concerned at all and basically just told me stuff to get me off the phone. I was extremely upset at this. I realize that there isnt too much he could have done to catching the guy at that moment but he could have at least taken a report so it was on record as being a problem. This wasnt an isolated siutation. Eight restraunts and three days at each one.... that's a problem! The officer did tell me that if he came back I should imediately call them and have them come out and same with the other restraunts.... so I did call back all the other managers and recommended they called the state police tonight to complain (maybe if they got enough calls they would actually file a report) and I told them to leave notes for their other managers and let them know if he showed up to call the police immediately.... I really am ticked off about it though. The police are there to help us out. It's especially crazy that we usually give any officer at least a 50% discount and many times we give them free food. And now, when we need them, they dont want to be bothered. It just really upset me.
So anyway, thats about all that I have for tonight. I'm gonna head to bed soon. Goodnight everyone!
Just got done watching "Ghost in the Machine" -- it was, umm, interesting. Probably one of the most unrealistic sci-fi movies that I've seen, but entertaining at that. It was a bit on the cheesy side.

Time to gripe! If Wal-Mart really wants to help its customers, it needs to focus on check out. First, they could start out by hanging a sign at the front of each line with a new cashiere or just general moron. Secondly, they could be like Target and open up more lines when the crowd gets busier. I will admit, since the opening of the Delmont Wal-Mart, I have become more of a Wal-Mart shopper, that is, I actually go in there time and again. It's nice that there is a McDonald's right inside that you can order food from the wal mart check out line (this means you can get McDonald's food with a credit or debit card). By no means is it Target but the Delmont Wal-Mart is by far better than the s**t-hole they call Greensburg Wal-Mart.

Today was quite well. I didnt do much except talk to Tiff, which was fine by me. Things are alot better now that we got some things out in the open... again, I love the way our relationship is -- being open and honest about everything... it helps so much. I have also calmed down over last night's "cell phone incident" ..... I still feel that my cell phone is not an issue and that it is only comparable to cig breaks.... but, Im not pissed anymore :)

As much as I hate having days off because I do nothing but sit at home, today was really good for me. I needed a break -- some time just to chill and do nothing... and being able to talk to Tiff for hours upon hours, that was even better.

Saturday, November 15, 2003

Upon further analysis, it is evident that I really am 100% in love and not the previously stated 96%. The 4% difference is a result of this question: Do you act differently around them? The answer I gave was "no" because I act just as I would around anyone else.... I dont feel I have to impress Tiffany. Apparently the quiz was looking for a "yes" response and that is why I lost 4%. This is a faulty question. So, after Tiffany and I both examined the evidence, we found that I really am 100% in love. :)
I scored a 96% on the "Are you in love???" Quizie! What about you?
11-15 [14:08] bobkmertz: but when you had something so repetitive.... its hard to beleive other wise sometimes
11-15 [14:09] bobkmertz: more than half of my other girls cheated on me
11-15 [14:09] bobkmertz: at least the ones who meant anything
11-15 [14:09] bobkmertz: that really makes you think there is something wrong with you
11-15 [14:09] bobkmertz: in many cases, people give up
11-15 [14:09] bobkmertz: I didnt
11-15 [14:10] bobkmertz: but that doesnt mean that I wasnt hurt by it
11-15 [14:10] Tiffs Wolf Dance: *looks into your eyes* .......makes me think there was something wrong with them.
11-15 [14:10] bobkmertz: *smiles*
11-15 [14:11] Tiffs Wolf Dance: ..... If they couldn't see what was right in front of their faces......
11-15 [14:11] Tiffs Wolf Dance: .....their loss..... my GAIN


Did I ever mention I love this girl? :)
Where do I start? Overall.... this day sucked!
It started out not so bad when Jason and I went to lunch.... when I got home Tiff and I continued our conversation and then I asked a "personal" question which started a discussion. This discussion is, of course, a very personal nature so im not revealing that.... but some things were said that kinda made me.... I dont know the word.... I wasnt upset or depressed or anything.... it just kinda bugged me.... now, dont get me wrong, there is nothing wrong between me and Tiff.... things are great... and its these conversations and disagreements that I think make our relationship so special.... issues that most people overlook we face head on... and we keep honest with one another... and that is very important in a relationship.... the thing that sucked most about it is the conversation was no where near over and I had to leave for work.... I left feeling very down.... and actually, people noticed it at work right away (that I was down about something)... so anyway I tried my best to spring back.... typically Im VERY good at seperating personal from work.... but tonight it got to me for some reason... and it wasnt even like I was upset.... I was just down.... and a little confused..... a little while later Tiff text messaged me.... it actually cheered me up a bit.... and I was talking to her for a little bit..... then Patty came up with Steve and said something about me using my cell phone. First of all, I dont know if it was a joke by either of them or not.... after I visably was upset Patty said something about just joking.... I dont know how to take it.... I dont know if they were serious.... and then of course they had to throw the High Impact Coach thing in on it.... I'm starting to get a little sick of being a HIC.... I know everyone is joking... and in 2 days when the joke about it again, I will laugh and everything will be fine.... but because of the way the day was going, it really got to me.... tonight was just weird.... I usually take things so lightly... and I enjoy people messing around with me... but I guess first, I dont know if Steve and/or Patty were joking about the phone and second, I was down. I dont understand the thing with the phone though. I dont think its a problem.... and I dont think anyone else sees it as a problem either.... I specifically asked Matt about it and he said it wasnt a problem at all. First of all, if we are crushed, Tiff doesnt get a message back.... she knows that.... thats the way it is... work comes first.... secondly, sending a text message takes about 5-10 seconds.... and usually its a few mins before I would get another one from her anyway.... and I am working the entire time. The people who smoke go out a couple times a night for 5-10 mins.... this is on the clock time and they are doing nothing.... at least when I am texting, I am still working.... Lets figure a person has 2 cig breaks at 6 mins each... thats 12 mins of time on the clock of not working.... now that is 720 seconds.... divide that by 10 seconds a message and you get 72... so mathematically, I can send 72 messages (there is no way i'd ever reach that) and equal the time that an employee is smoking... so am I out of line? I personally dont think so. I dont let it get to a critical point.... and the thing about texting... its not like being on the phone where you have to give a response right away.... I respond, when I have time.... how many people take personal calls while at work or call people at work and that totally pulls them away from their job.... which, dont get me wrong, I'm not complaining about.... cig breaks are ok, taking phone calls is ok.... I just think its only fair that someone who doesnt smoke and doesnt take phone calls can have a little bit of an incentive. I'm not the only person with a cell phone either.... ok, so they are "banned" in our region... but at every store.... every area manager.... they all use them. The memo said that area coaches were included in the ban.... when I was at HIC, the trainer took multiple phone calls in the middle of training... was he wrong? no, he needed those calls.... but is it fair that AC's talk on their phone and we dont? no.... (my trainer was an AC)... Very rarely do I let stuff get to me... but this cell phone thing -- joking or not -- really pissed me off. I know me.... in a few days, this will be done and I'll be back to joking.... but every now and then, I just get really upset.... and its VERY rare.... but this situation alone upset me.... let alone the fact that I had to tell Tiff I had to go just as she was starting to cheer me up a little bit from the conversation we had. *sigh* ... I made it though.... I get to go to sleep soon and take a day off tomorrow and relax.

Friday, November 14, 2003

Bedtime is approaching..... after all, its almost 4am.
The day was not bad.... really nothing new though. I hired someone today.... Matt and I know him and his family a little bit so that helps. He's gonna be just picking up a couple days a week. Other than that, really not much new.

Thursday, November 13, 2003

NOTICE: I have been asked to clarify something and prevent this from happening again. In my last entry, I reffered to Steve.... this is my manager at Pizza Hut. He's the one that hates me, not one of my best friends Steve that lives in MA. :)

From this point on, I will refer to my manager as Steve and my friend from Mass as "Stephen" ... just so there is no confusion. :)
Steve really does hate me....

Well, not really.... but I did find out that the ratings that were on my survey report from him, really arent from him. Honestly, im not surprised.... and at least now I know areas that I have to work on. He did create a nice list of good things I was doing..... I guess that made up for the 3's he gave me... :) Just wait till I have to review him for something.... (just kidding, steve - I'll be honest) :)

Not too much else happened today. I did get a chance to talk to Tiff for a long time today.... I really enjoyed that. We talked some about what was on my mind regarding Jim. I heard some things that I really liked and some things that I didnt want to hear.... but im glad I heard them all. Thats the thing about me and Tiff that I really like.... we're totally open and honest with each other... we tell each other everything no matter what.... it's great to have a relationship like that.

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

I am 65% Internet Addict

I am pretty addicted, but there is hope. I think I'm just well connected to the internet and technology, but it's really a start of a drug-like addiction. I must act now! Unplug this computer!

Take the Internet Addict Test at fuali.com

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

My baby is sick :(

Well, as of today I am officially a High Impact Coach... what does that mean? nothing really.... but now I can say I am one :) It is another class under my belt to work on moving up in Pizza Hut though, so that is good.

Ive been kind of down the past few hours.... alot of thinking going on. I guess everything with Jim and Tiff has been on my mind.... I just wish Jim would quit bugging her with everything.... I guess I understand why he is but I know it's bugging Tiff. I dunno.... thats probably not all of it.... it actually probably has to do with the fact that the last 2 days have really kicked my butt.... We'll see how tomorrow goes.... hopefully I'll get to talk to Tiff tomorrow... I didnt tonight because she was sick and had to go to bed.... I hope she feels better soon.

I need sleep, so that is what im going to do! Good night everyone!
First of all: bowling.
My first game rocked... I had a 223... but then I crashed.... and had a 125 and a 153.... that really sucked.... the highlight of the night was my dad.... he had a 255, a 284, and a 290.... Thats an 829!!!! If any of you dont bowl, let me just tell you.... that is quite an accomplishment... an 800 series is incredible... in fact, had this been an ABC sanctioned league, my dad would have been getting a diamond ring (I'm serious... its THAT good). He also would have been getting awards for over average, 11 strikes in a row, and so on and so on. He had 31 strikes tonight..... in three games there is a possible 36... I'm pretty proud of my dad.... and today was my mom and his 25th anniversary so it couldnt have happened at a better time. The thing that sucked about this was we STILL lost the last 2 games. I wish I would have done a little bit better... had we won all 3, we probably would have taken first place for the session. Instead we are going to end up, probably, in fourth. I guess we still have two thirds to go though.
Secondly: High Impact Coaching (Day 1)
I guess it went ok.... it is rather boring.... but I am learning a little bit. The highlight of it though was my survey. Before I went to HIC, I had to fill out a survey about myself... then 10 of my team members had to fill out the same survey about me and then Steve (my manager) had to fill it out for me. Today I got the results of those. There were like 20-30 questions on the survey and the scale was 1-5 (5 being the best). Steve gave me one 4 and the rest 5's. The training leader even joked about misprints happening. It really made me feel good. I didnt realize that Steve thought that highly of me. On top of that, the averages of my team members .... not one question was below a 4. Most of them were 4.5 and above.... I had alot of 4.8's and even a 4.9..... At least I know I'm doing something right. There are some things Im finding that I need to work on, and I definately will develope those. The other nice thing I found out about me today was that I can adapt to different coaching styles easily. We did a quiz that showed us where our style fit and each of the four quadrants for me were only 4 points apart from each other. That, also, made me feel good. I'm interested to see what happens tomorrow in Day 2.... Only time will tell.
Lastly, I want to give you all a glimpse at the most beautiful thing in the world:



Aint she adorable? :)

Sunday, November 09, 2003

Saw Matrix: Revolutions again tonight.... this time in IMAX at the Carnegie Science Center.... man, was that awesome! If any of you have a chance to see it in IMAX form, dont pass up the chance.
Today was a pretty cool day. It started out talking to Tiff for a very short time. I wish it could have been longer, but it just didnt work out. Lori and I then went to the mall to buy our ski boots... and she bought poles too. I bought a pair of boots for $130.... which isnt too bad. They first gave me a pair for $80 to try on and they were actually not too bad and I almost bought those but then I tried on this other pair and I was sold.... they were just way too comfortable... so I figured it was worth the extra money. Our next adventure was me and Lori taking our skis and other equipment to Monroeville to get them waxed and adjusted and stuff.... I also needed help with my bindings. I took them in and they looked at my skis and said they couldnt tell me anything about those bindings.... legally anyway. I guess there is some kind of regulation that the binding companies tell stores they can no longer support certain bindings after a certain time... mine fall into that classification.... so I have to buy myself new bindings. Oh well... Lori said that she is gonna get em for me for my Christmas present... that'll help... then I have to drag them back down to monroeville to get mounted and get my skis waxed. They did tell me that my skis were probably worth the $70 alone so I didnt get ripped off at all.... they then looked at Lori's skis.... they were actually pretty impressed it seemed. Her's are in really good condition.... her bindings need some SERIOUS adjustment but thats nothing major... looks like I got a good deal for her.... and hers are the same as Tiff's, except Tiff's are a little shorter... so thats probably a good sign for Tiff.
So anyway, after all of the skiing stuff, it was time to get ready for my parent's surprise anniversary party. It's their 25th so me and my sisters wanted to do something special... so we planned a party at Pitzer's and got our picture taken for them and gave them a framed pic of us as well as a whole collection of others. They really enjoyed it... and it seemed they werent expecting anything, which was really cool. It went smooth.... I was happy! Also, at the party I talked to Aunt Kathy.... I have been really wondering what I should do about this wedding... I dont support what she is doing, but I didnt know if not going to the wedding was best anyway.... I just mainly didnt want to mislead her into thinking I supported her by going to the wedding... so anyway I took her aside and told her that I really didnt agree with what she was doing and that I didnt really support her, but I told her that I care for her and love her very much and that I was going to go to the wedding. She said thank you and gave me a big hug.... she said that she understood and said that she knows this is tough for everyone... im glad she at least understands.
Well, its been a long, exciting, and eventful day... its time to sleep. I'm probably going to skip church tomorrow (shame on me).... I just dont think im going to be able to get up....

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

WARNING: I have been yelled at for this post already. Here is a pre-pre-warning. If you have not seen Matrix: Revolutions yet, stop reading this post!



"Oh my god, they killed trinity... you bastards"

Matrix Revolutions was awesome.... it's probably tied with the first one... definately better than the 2nd one, which was extremely good too. If you havent seen it yet stop reading this unless you dont care about knowing stuff about the movie. For the most part, I liked how the supposed trilogy ended. It was great to see the machines and the humans reach a "treaty" and create peace. I am very upset about the fact that Trinity dies... I guess it fit the movie but I would have much rather seen the movie end in peace with Trinity and Neo going back to Zio and "living happily ever after" ... but I guess thats just the kind of person I am. The movie also left alot of speculation as to whether Neo is alive or dead. The movie doesnt show Neo doing anything after he is unplugged from the matrix after defeating Agent Smith. Personally, Neo is still alive in my eyes. When the little girl asks the Oracle if they will ever see Neo again, she responds by saying she assumes they would. This makes me wonder if the Matrix really does end with a trilogy... I know they have said it is just a trilogy but there is definately alot of room for yet another sequel, and I'm sure its something the world would love to see (well, most of us anyway). Twenty years from now (assuming at the time there is no 4th Matrix) I am going to be waiting for the 4th one.... Keanu Reeves can kick some computer ass in a wheelchair, right? :) Over all, I really did enjoy the movie and had a really great time today.
One thing that has been going through my mind as I watched the Matrix unfold in three movies is the love that is formed between Neo and Trinity. Maybe this is why I was so upset when Trinity died. On my mind alot was how similar I think this love is to me and Tiffany. There is just such a bond.... I dunno... It just makes me think alot about Tiffany. Tiff and I would do anything for each other... even die if it came to it.... and thats the way Neo and Trinity were.
Since I didnt blog last night, I'll touch a little on yesterday. Work was ok but we had alot of extremely strange customers.... it was just a weird night. I was glad when it was over. I did get a new toy though yesterday. I have been in the market for a new Palm (PDA) since the one I had kept crashing and I basically quit carrying it because it would always crash on me. I have been doing some research and while I did, I decided to for the fun of it see what it would cost to get a wireless palm with internet access. I eventually ran across the Handspring Treo SmartPhone. It's a combination cell phone and Palm. It runs on Palm OS so it is fully compatible with any Palm program. I found that T Mobile carried this device and was running a $100 rebate for it. I also found that they have unlimited data access for it for only $30 a month. I ended up getting one. While I was getting it though, I ran across a very messed up thing. When I applied for the service, T Mobile said my credit wasnt good enough to have the data only service but that they could accept me for a combo data and voice plan. WTF!? They cant trust me with $30 a month but they can trust me with $50.... doesnt make sense to me. Anyway I ended up putting it in my mom's name and it went through just fine. I am enjoying the service so far. A few things suck tho... for one it doesnt work at my house... no signal.... the signal is a little patchy in other areas too. I definately would not have a phone with T Mobile. I am perfectly content with my AT&T TDMA phone. GSM in this area sucks.

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

4am and Im just now getting around to blogging.... oh well
Man did I suck tonight... well, my whole team did. We won 2 out of 7 points.... boy did we do bad... cant say that enough. My games were 132, 120, 138.... I didnt even get a 400..... glad its over with though.
There really isnt much on my mind so I think I'm gonna call it a night and go dream of my baby. I love you, Tiff!

Sunday, November 02, 2003

I have no management skills.....
Well, thats according to a customer tonight. She comes in and says "I have an 8.99 coupon but I forgot it at home" and I said that I would look at the coupons that we had in the store (which we're technically not allowed to do - the idea of a coupon is to get them IN to the store). I didnt have the 8.99 coupon she was talking about but I did have a 10.99 one that still would have saved her money. Typically customers are very happy when you do something like this (especially since most of them know you're not allowed to). Anyway, she was very polite and said that she would just drive home and get the coupon and then she walked out. When she came back she screamed at me and told me that I needed to get more management skills. *shrug* Had she actually expressed concern previously... or even gave me a chance to say something before she left, I probably would have backed down and just gave her a discount.... most customers would be extremely happy with what I did... I guess every now and then you get one that just wants to complain. Other than that the night went quite well. We did get crushed for a while... which is not typical of a Sunday. Thank God Adam just happened to stop in to visit Diana and he was able to punch in for a little bit and help out. That was a big help.... as a result I was able to send Tim home early since we died off and Adam kept all the dishes caught up and then before that I had already sent Zach home early because we were slow. So it all worked out great because Adam's hours filled in the gap for Zach and Tim's less hours... so it pretty much washed out. Personally, I think that MAY have been good management skills... but who am I to say? :)
Tiffany got back tonight.... she text paged me at work to tell me she was back but that was right when we were getting crushed so I wasnt able to talk to her (I'm happy that Steve lets me text her every now and then -- I'm not about to abuse that privledge and let it interfere with my work). I did have a nice email when I got home though. I miss her bunches! I cant wait to talk to her tomorrow.

Saturday, November 01, 2003

Tiffany called my tonight!!!!! :)
That was by far the highlight of my day. It was soooo good to hear her voice. She really made me smile. Every time I talk to her I feel closer and closer to her and feel that this is more and more real. God really is taking care of everything, and I thank Him for it.
Aside from talking to Tiff, I watched about 3 episodes of Law and Order.... I rewatched the Kecksburg Exposed sci-fi special.... downloaded and listened to Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast... and went to McDonald's..... and, as most may have guessed... my room did not get cleaned....
B O R E D ! ! ! !

Thats it, im flying to London! :)
If they want to prove that mp3's hurt CD sales, yeah, CD's that can't be ripped into MP3's won't sell.
Its been almost 24 hours since I last talked to Tiff.... and its killing me *sigh* ... I wish she was visiting in New Alexandria rather than London... oh well.... I got to talk to her at 3:30am this morning, last morning.... whatever you want to call it. I left her an email and told her that whe she got online in the morning to send me a few text pages to wake me up so I could get online and talk to her before she left and then I could go back to bed after. I'm really glad she did and happy that I got to talk to her.... the problem is I dont remember much of the conversation... hehe... I may go back and check the log and see what I actually said.... I do remember some of it... just not all of it.... I'm still really glad she paged me tho.
Work was nuts tonight. We were short one person... he was scheduled as an extra so we didnt bother replacing the shift... ok, well, we tried but no one wanted to work on Halloween... We could have used someone else there tho. It didnt go too bad tho... for the most of the rush we had 4 managers there... one as a waitress and the other as... well, he kinda did everything... then Steve was at the cut table and I was on the make. I didnt leave the make for hours at a time.... we just kept slamming out pizza... then Steve decided to leave... hehe, no biggie... I told him to go but of course he had to say something like you wont get much more business.... he was wrong.... we had 4 people in the store (at this point matt was out as a waiter)... matt and patty were in the dining room, tim was on the make table, and I was between the cut and the make table.... I remember looking back from the cut and seeing tickets EVERYWHERE on the make table.... so I went back and helped Tim out when there werent any pizzas coming out.... Tim did an amazing job.... and I was really impressed with how the night turned out.... the dining room was in good shape around 9:30 so matt switched codes and came back and helped us out in the kitchen for a half hour until his shift was done.... Patty was out right at 11 and Tim and I were out at 10 after.... I was shocked... usually when I work we dont get out until 20 after or so.... but after this night from hell we got out earlier than usual.... amazing
ok, yea, im sure everyone wanted to know all about my night at pizza hut... now that ive bored everyone, I should get to bed.... I wanna sleep all day tomorrow tho.... I have NOTHING to do and its gonna drive me crazy.... I was gonna close the hut tomorrow for steve but he doesnt want me to get overtime.... *sigh* I could use the money :)