Thursday, September 5, 2013

Finally Finishing The Alphabet Challenge


           Took me long enough!
W – Wishes
111. If you had three wishes, what would they be? I've done this before, but probably 1: the power to teleport 2: a billion dollars and 3: to no longer have anxiety issues or long term depression
112. Would you rather wish yourself to be happy, or your loved ones? my loved ones
113. Do you believe that wishes come true if you really believe in them? actually yes, thought is powerful. Sometimes by thinking something so hard you end up taking action to make it come true without realizing it.
114. Have you ever had a wish come true? If so, what was that wish? Absolutely, and it was really cheesy but I'll never forget it. I saw a falling star and wished for a second (and last) chance with Michael (this was when he told me he wanted to join the army and we broke up). So, that worked out.
115. Do you find wishing for things a waste of time because everything that’s meant to happen, will happen? Not necessarily, you can't always sit back and let things happen. Sometimes it's okay to wish for something, but you gotta put in an effort to make it come true, too.
Y – You
121. Are you more independent or social? independent
122. What is something that makes you very mad when you see it? ignorant tweets from dumb people who can't spell
123. Do you think that you have potential to do great things? yes, but I think I'm afraid of failing so I give up easily :/
124. Do you think people are born a certain way, or develop their personalities based on what they go through in life? nature vs nuture? I really think it's a mix of both.
125. Do you think people are generally good ? I'd like to think so, yes.
Z – Zest
126. Are you currently happy with your life? Why or why not? For the most part, yes. I got a new job and we have a short vacation fast approaching. We're slowly learning how to be adults.
127. Do you go on websites to get blog survey’s and quizzes like this one? haha yes, just when I'm really bored
128. When change occurs, do you get scared or are you excited for it? If I did not want or plan for said change it really scares me. I don't like moving, I don't like plans changing, or anything like that.
129. Do you like to try new things, meet new people? I actually love trying new food and I've been open to meeting new people lately, although all I really want to do is go home and connect with old friends.
130. What is the most motivational thing in the world? It's hard to say, but what's motivating me to get through this awkward time in my life is that once Michael is out of the army we can get a home in Arizona and live like normal people and be near our friends and family. I really can't wait for that.

Jobs; Out With The Old, Etc

  Last month I finally decided enough was enough; I had to get away from that awful job at that Greek restaurant I stuck it out as long as I did simply thinking the length of time would look good on a resume, but I sacrificed a lot just to have a "steady" job. I know I wrote about some of my experiences there before, and in reality I should have quit a whole lot sooner. I do not recommend working at a small family owned business unless they really have their business in order and know exactly what they're doing; not to mention are kind people, as opposed to abusive gay haters who will expect everything from you and tell you to your face your feelings don't matter as long as you just keep working for them.
  I want to keep this to a minimum, despite the fact that I could go on and on. My status there was indeed like having an abusive relationship. I became the only dependable employee with the most availability, and  even though they gave me weekends off my boss would not let me forget this and waved it over my head on several occasions. If no one else could come in on a weekend, it was unspoken that I was expected to. I felt so much pressure to do everything right all the time and took blame for things I didn't have to; worked alone most of the time and was witness to many screaming battles between the owner and his wife, who would leave in a fit even after offering to relieve me of my shift.
  Good days were good; when everything ran smoothly, there were no mistakes on my or the chef's (boss) part and we actually joked around once in a while. Although being a small business in a sketchy part of town I was lucky to make $50 bucks in a shift. I usually brought in roughly 30 a day from a seven to eight hour shift, two or three of which sometimes involved me doing absolutely nothing but waiting for customers. I went many extra miles and took care of as much as I could, making sure everything was stocked, cleaned, counted etc. I did whatever they asked, including making grocery lists and sometimes going to the store to get an ingredient the chef needed.
  Why all this for such little money? (Did I mention server wage here is 2.13/hr?) I really don't know sometimes. I guess I pitied the boss' wife, who was actually a really sweet woman intent on staying with this horrible sexist unappreciative man and sometimes reminded me of my mother. But the bad days were really bad. I got yelled at in front of customers, as did his wife; most employees quit in the first few days, most leaving in tears, and I was left to pick up their too-soon scheduled shifts. I suppose I learned a lot. I learned the job itself quickly. I learned how to talk to strangers and get them exactly what they need and want to eat. And yet I kept putting up with being treated badly. I stuck it out out of some sort of twisted pity or something.
  When the bad days started outweighing the good, I realized I had to get out whether or not I had another job. However, I started looking immediately, and waited about a week after applying for a handful of jobs before putting in my notice. My boss called me into his office and, with minimal eye contact, did his best to apologize and asked me to stay and "start over." In no way was it tempting. I almost laughed. But I wanted to quit with dignity. I wanted to be kind where he hadn't and I didn't want to storm out and leave things badly. So I thanked him for giving me the opportunity to learn so much, but told him I had to move on.
  I believe it was the same day or shortly after when I got a call from Olive Garden and had landed an interview. My boss had been making comments he thought appropriate or somehow comical, like "you're not going to get hired right away" or "you'll come back, you'll see." So, on the day of the interview, when the GM shook my hand and offered me the job, I went straight to the Greek house and handed in my shirt. It felt fantastic. I made it, I got another job and left this horrible one as smoothly as I could.
  Olive Garden training was extensive. But finally, I'm in a place with many people I get along with, and managers who are humans and treat employees as such. There's always someone to turn to for help who is willing, and everyone knows what I'm going through just starting out. It was of course a shock to go from a small time restaurant to a big one, but the environment really makes up for the chaos of the job. I feel safe. I'm already making more money in fewer shifts and hours than I was at my last job, and I'm still not on a full section yet. I'm hoping to work here for a long time, probably transfer when we move home again, and not have to quit unless I'm unchallenged and unhappy again. I'll be going back to school one day and working towards a career of course, but in the meantime I hope to make this a steady long term thing!