I read this article several days ago that talks about Wal-mart's shitty sick-leave policy. Basically, Wal-mart doesn't accept that people are sick sometimes and arent' able to work. If you call off sick, you're reprimanded and lose your pay for the day. If you're sick and your job is handling food, Wal-mart will just put you in a different department for the rest of the day, they won't let you go home. I don't know if the policy is different from store to store, but I'm sure it is a corporate policy.

Sadly, the sick-leave policy at Meijer, where I work, isn't too much better. There are no sick days for regular team members like me, so if I'm sick I lose 8 hours of pay. I broke my wrist earlier this year and lost a week of pay. However, with the flu season in full swing and the seriousness of swine flu weighing on us, Meijer has become a little more lenient. Instead of counting the days we're sick, they count "incidents." Whether it takes you 2 or 5 days to get over a flu, it counts as one incident. They do encourage people to stay home if they have a fever and other symptoms associated with the flu or cold, but we still don't get paid sick days. And we're still written up when we come back. The only way we can avoid being written up is if we drag ourselves to work, punch in, and punch back out. It's OK to leave early, just show up and show your boss how crappy you feel. Although at the store I work at we have pretty good management. Most bosses are actually concerned for their team members' well-beings, and encourage them to go home and rest if they aren't well. However there are some stubborn people who keep working through illness because they're so tough, or they just really need the money.

I got the regular flu shot for the first time this year. I hope this year I can avoid getting any kind of flu, but the only way that will happen is if sick people stay the heck home. Sick employees and sick shoppers. You'll get better eventually. I'm sure you can either wait to go to the store or send someone else to get your NyQuil.

The hard part is finding a job that fits you and the employer's expectations. You never know if a job or new employee is going to work out, and it really stinks when it doesn't.

Yogurt
Chili
Tangerine
Mixed melon pieces
Carrots
Deli turkey
Cottage cheese
Diet Dr. Pepper
1 serving of fiber

Yogurt
Cashews and dried fruits
Chili
Chicken and corn chowder soup
Diet Dr. Pepper
2 servings of fiber

Aborted supplement plan for now, but will try to get in the habit of taking a daily vitamin again.

Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Chili
Salad - lettuce, chicken, some cheese, bleu cheese dressing
2 servings of fiber
Diet Dr. Pepper

Blueberry Toaster Strudel, or however you spell it.
Chili-spicy V8, tomatoes, beef, black and red kidney beans, shredded cheese
Oreo type sandwich cookies
Sirloin burger soup with toast and butter
Diet Dr. Pepper
Water
Pepto Bismol
Aleve

Edit: Note to self:
For the next month, one teaspoon fiber, 2 charcoal tabs, 2 herbal tabs, day and night.

OK, I have a camera that I bought about 3 years ago, and it was pretty old even then. I've dropped it about a dozen times and even exposed it to damp conditions, but it always works, as long as the batteries are good.

My boyfriend bought a camera just this past Christmas, it's jostled just a little bit, and now it behaves like it's broken. Thanks for making such a fine camera, Kodak. I hope we can fix it, it does take better pictures than my old Canon.

went to the yankee candle store and got this. i didn't even find this on their website. it's probably my second favorite grass-smelling candle i've ever sniffed. although i found this they didn't have the patchouli or midsummer night's dream. they do still have frankincense candles though.

i recently unloaded a bunch of pictures off my phone and went back and saw all the nonsense i took pictures of. fun!

( Cut for volume of pictures, hopefully they all appear right. )

if i'm going to lug around a broken wrist, it might as well look cool.

First and foremost, I would pay off my student loan debts. Paid and gone for good.

I would give money to local churches and charities, to build up and help others.

I might pay for private driving lessons. I know how to drive OK, but I need more confidence, and if I had the money I would pay someone to bring a good car and have me zip around for awhile.

I might go back to school, if I could figure out what to do with myself. But I would go to a closer local school, maybe take some accounting or computer classes to learn this confounded Microsoft Word 2007.

I would NOT quit my job. I do like my job, and a million dollars won't last forever.

I would squirrel away some money for emergencies.

I would spend at least $50,000 for a wedding and reception. <3

I would certainly buy a few luxury items, like that epilator I wanted for Christmas, or an XBox.


The way the economy is right now, people are going BUTTNUTS. People are losing their jobs and falling behind on their bills. Mortgages and student loans are the most pressing matter. Many people are defaulting on loans or making no progress on student loans. Since bailouts of major companies has become all the rage some people are saying, throw some money at regular people! Give everybody one million dollars, and they would pay off their debts and buy all sorts of crap! Heck, narrow it down. A million dollars for all single adults or households that earn less than a million dollars a year. How much could that cost? As much as what the government has been giving to failed companies? People are desperate and there's no end in sight to the collapse of this country. Maybe this isn't the answer, but I pray to God that something great and compelling will happen, to help good citizens and banish the wicked to the wastelands. Americans need to take back control of this country FAST. We've been complacent for too long. *crys a little*

Note: After doing the math I figured that it would cost somewhere around a quadrillion dollars to give at least a third of the nation a million dollar break. I don't know if that much money exists.

This is a Puti Puti pack. It's a key chain charm that mimics the feel and sound of popping plastic bubble wrap. I found one of these at Meijer today, almost covered in Japanese writing, yet somehow there was information about it in the system. FYI, it's about 12 damn dollars. I was trying to figure out what the hell it was, and after looking at the pictures for awhile I actually got it on my own. WEIRD. I took pictures of the one I found but they're on my phone. So DEAL.

This year I've got a wish-list rolling that's kinda picky, but I know what I want. I do accept that there's no way I'll get everything. Probably my biggest wish is to have all or most of my student loan debt cleared, but I have to figure that out on my own. So, here's an idea of what I want.

-Action Replay DS- a cheat device for the Nintendo DS. kinda like the Game Genie for the dang old NES. to be honest, I just want to get all sorts of crap out of Animal Crossing Wild World, because it's WAY slower to play than the Gamecube version.
-big box of crayons and white paper- 120 is the biggest box Crayola offers, but 96 is good. I want a BIG box.

-electric toothbrush- doesn't have to be fancy, anything that goes vroom.
-perfume and cosmetic sets- holiday sets at Meijer or Walmart go for between $15 and $35. I'm still experimenting with what I like, but anything by Elizabeth Arden or Michael Kors seems to be a winner with me. I also like Juicy Couture and Armani.
-swank salon-grade shampoos/conditioners-my hair is dry and oily, especially during the winter.
-regular sized foreman grill
-latch box/chest-not like toy chest, but let's say, big enough to hold a bed pillow.
-earplugs-these are my most favorite earplugs ever, but I can't find them in physical stores anymore. if you can find a 50 pair tub of them I would be grateful.

-fancy candy-highly advice against: russel stover, whitman's, godiva, ghirardelli.
-gloves, not knit kind
-plain red jacket, no hood, zip or button, cotton- this is for work, it must be plain red and be able to open up all the way down. my boss doesn't really care if it has a hood or not, but it would be best if not.
-nighties- long-sleeve or short, long cotton night gowns.
-knee high socks- even just white tube socks are fine but if they're *cute* even better. (note: I have MASSIVE calves, so I need soft stretchy socks. socks with ornate patterns don't seem to stretch well.)

-leggings-not panty hose. something dark and opaque, that I can wear under skirts during the winter. yeah that's the ticket.
-heavy duty jeans/pants, black or khaki colored, size 8, short- these are also for work.
-set of TV trays- I don't have a dining table, but I'd like a set of at least 4 trays. you know, in case I'd like to invite people over for a meal, perhaps those who recently helped me move. *wink wink*
-emjoi epilator *light caress gold*- this is for someone really generous, this is one of the best epilators out there, and costs about $60 on Amazon.

-hair dryer- big or small, but not a total piece of crap.
-thermal undies- medium size, will just go under my pants so it doesn't matter what they look like.
-silverware divider for drawer
-a colander or set of strainers
-unusual stuffed animals- to give you an idea, I have a seal, a woolly mammoth, and a lemur. although I washed the lemur and now it looks like a marmoset. birds or farm animals sound good
-libman wonder mop

-purse-the key is a long adjustable strap that slings around my body. and it should be big enough to hold a book.

-watch-leathery strap and big ol' face.
-clock-either wall or desk clock, something with a large enough display to see across a room.
-1 or 2 gig flash drive
-Arrested Development, Season 1
-Monty Python's Holy Trinity
-Tropic Thunder director's cut
-A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!
-4 to 5 cup coffee maker
-coffee grinder
-The Ice Dream Cookbook- Ryan should know what this is, this book is fairly obscure.
-834 Kitchen Quick Tips (book)
-individual Christmas tree ornaments- not sets, just weird little ornaments. almost anything glittery, sparkly, and colorful.
-gift cards to amazon, target, best buy, barnes and noble, restaurants that I can go to
-DS games: Chrono Trigger, Cooking Mama, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, New Super Mario Bros., Dragon Quest 4, Final Fantasy 4

That's what I got for now, perhaps more to come. I keep getting ideas but then they escape me.

My brother found some list of 45 questions to answer about yourself. Sounds like some MySpace shit but I like thinking about my inner workings. Commence!

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? Great for hot wings, overpowering for salads.

2. Favorite late night snack? Favorite is milk and cookies, but lately it's cottage cheese and antibiotics. :P

3. Do you own a gun? No, sort of wish I did. My boyfriend told me about carriage guns, they're like small shotguns. And you don't need a permit for them.

4. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks or other specialty coffee shop? Icy mocha drinks, because I like to bastardize coffee.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yeah, especially since I don't have an established doctor. The last couple of times the nurses were kinda bitchy, and one doctor kept patronizing me.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? They're great, in a bun, fried in corn bread, chopped up in mac and cheese, but not boiled. Boiled hot dogs make me sad.

7. Favorite Christmas song? There's an instrumental version of Winter Wonderland that sounds like it's from a Charlie Brown cartoon. I need to figure out who does it.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? I usually have water, Crystal Light, or pop.

9. Can you do push-ups? Not really. :(

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I like watches.

11. Favorite hobby? Learning about random crap.

12. Do you have A.D.D.? Hardly.

13. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? That I get frustrated when I don't know something.

14. The last disease you contracted? A bacterial infection, don't ask me why or where.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment. 1. Damn my sinuses. 2. I hungee. 3. Stupid H key.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, pop, Crystal Light or something like it

17. Current worry right now? Figuring out my debt problem.

18. Current hate right now? Holiday shoppers.

19. Favorite place to be? My boyfriend's house.

20. How did you ring in the New Year? I hate to say it but I don't remember. It must not have been that great. I probably had to work the next day or something. :P

21. Like to travel? I don't get to so I wouldn't know.

22. Name three people who will complete this: Andrew already did, and I don't know anybody else on here.

23. Do you own slippers? I have 2 pair that are almost identical. They're both leopard print but one is softer and hugs my ankles. The other pair I keep at my boyfriend's house.

24. What color shirt are you wearing? Red.

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Ew no, I'd sweat all over them and it would look and feel terrible.

26. Can you whistle? Yes.

27. Favorite singer/band? Led Zeppelin

28. Could you ever make it 39 days on the show Survivor? Nah, that show is stupid and rigged.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing, I usually think about what I'm going to do when I get out.

30. Favorite girl's names? Elizabeth, Anna, Gretchen, Alice, Sara (no H!), Michelle, Emma

31. Favorite boy's name? Alexander, Robert, Benjamin, Steven, David, Ryan <3

32. What's in your pocket right now? A whole lot of nothing.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? A Bugs Bunny cartoon.

34. Like your job? It's alright with me.

36. Do you love where you live? It's great for just me, I wish I could keep nicer though.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? Ein.

38. Who is your loudest friend? Perhaps I will substitute friend for co-worker. There's a lady at work who has a sweet voice on the PA system but she's very loud and boisterous when you talk to her in person.

39. Do you drive the speed limit or speed? I rarely drive, but when I do I tend to go a little over.

40. Does someone have a crush on you? I'm certain there are plenty of people who crush on me.

41. What is your favorite book? My cookbooks. Even if I don't actually make anything out of them, I like thinking about the ingredients and processes.

42. What is your favorite candy? Tough call... It might be Take 5 if Hershy hadn't started using mocklate in them. I love Butterfinger Crisps.

43. Favorite Sports Team? No, screw you.

44. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeping.

45. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up today? NOOO I'M TOO TIRED AND COMFY TO GET UP AAAAAAAA.

How butthurt conservatives are that their team didn't win this time. When Gore and Kerry lost they gloated and told liberals to suck it up and quit being traitors. Now they're singing the same tune liberals sang about Bush and over-hyping the worst a new president can do to this country.

That some conservatives think running to another country will solve their problems. Some liberals tried to do that after Bush was reelected but I'm pretty sure most if not all were turned away, at least by Canada. By the way, if it's socialism you're so scared of why would you want to go to Canada? They're a lot more socialist than America will probably ever be. Same for Britain and Australia, who all actually seem to like that Obama was elected here. If you want to live in a truly capitalist country, then learn some Chinese and move to Hong Kong.

That poor racist Americans drank the McCain kool-aid and believe that Obama will tax the hell out of everybody and install communism right away in America. It's already here. The government printed more money to buy up bad banks, which was endorsed not only by Obama but also by Bush and McCain, much to most of middle-America's chagrin. I support Obama, but I didn't agree with that decision, and I don't think he will raise taxes across the board or expand welfare exponentially. I would not be surprised if he tried to regulate big business again and try to undo the Reagan-era "what's good for the rich is good for the poor" mentality.

That conservatives think minorities voting is a bad thing. Um, hello? Minorities are Americans as well. Some may be stupid, but there are also plenty of stupid white people too.

That hope is a bad thing. That being able to express yourself eloquently is a bad thing. That being educated and trying to reach out and learn more makes you elitist and out of touch. That people think our president-elect is more threatening than Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden, Ghangis Khan, and Satan combined. That people can be so incredibly hateful and idiotic. The country is sick of hate and deceit and ignorance. Plus, this was bound to happen. A republican has been president for 8 years, we were due for a change. Whenever somebody goes on a racist moronic tirade against Barack Obama tell them

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT, SUPPORT OUR PRESIDENT BECAUSE THESE COLORS DON'T RUN

With each additional viewing it doesn't hurt so much, but it's still pretty funny



Here's more enjoyable videos to acquant yourself with the humor of Picnicface.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzBzdPkd58g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRuNxHqwazs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZGEStwl6lI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO63NuAGuks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na37dOc_XSQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXiP76cOego

Once you've been tagged, you have to write a blog with 11 random facts or habits about yourself. At the end, choose 11 people to be tagged and why you picked them. (I don't even know that many people on livejournal, so eff that.)

1. When I was in 4th grade I was put in a class that had about a dozen 4th graders as well as a dozen 5th graders. It was meant to help give some of the brighter 4th graders a step up, but I felt bad for the 5th graders, who usually had to dumb down their lessons for us. The following year in 5th grade I was bored to death.

2. For several years I had a fear of raising my arms enough to expose my armpits. I had a weird dream where my dad transformed into a vampire that liked to tickle my armpits, and it scared the crap out of me. Even now I'm averse to tickling, especially around my armpits and ribs.

3. I don't like dogs that much, but if I had a dog, it would be a Welsh Corgie, and it's name would either be Ein, or Whiskey.

4. I was a virgin until I was 21, so I don't understand why 15 year olds these days gotta be little whores. I remained somewhat androgynous until I finished high school, which probably seems ass-backwards to a lot of people.

5. Since I left college I haven't watched TV. I'll watch at someone else's house, or maybe dig out my antennae if I want to watch an awards show or something, but my main source of entertainment is the internet and books. And I feel much better for it. TV is a terrible waste of time. Not video games though, bring 'em on.

6. I don't really have any friends my age, but boy do I get along with old ladies. Maybe deep down I'm a little old lady myself (if I pull my hair back I resemble my paternal grandma.)

7. One of my biggest irks is when people complain about walking. It's one of the most natural things humans can do, but so many people shun it as much as possible. I also hate when people get after me for running, saying it's too dangerous to run, I might trip and fall. Whatever, maybe fat old people can't run, but I can.

8. One of my most favorite memories is when I spent a weekend with my brother one summer while he was still a college student. We watched animes and I ate nothing but Taco Bell and cookies.

9. One time I got so sick, I started with the flu, then a throat infection so bad I could only drink purified water, then an ear infection, then an eye infection that made me look half hungover. It lasted my whole winter break.

10. I've wanted to be a fashion designer, a veterinarian, an actress, a librarian, a superhero, and a culinary artist, but now I'd rather just marry a good man and be a stay-at-home mom. Fuck it, I suck at careers, I'll take care of the homestead.

11. One thing I really want to do is travel a bit. I've never been outside the midwest, I'd like to see a some of Europe and the Southwest at least. No Florida, thanks.

I'm up too late, and I'm feeling cranky about the situation I'm in. I went to culinary school for 2 years and wracked up over $60,000 in debt, not including interest. I didn't earn a degree and learned far too late that perhaps I'm not cut out for the field. Or maybe there was no point in going to culinary school.

Unless you're ultra motivated and want to own your own swank restaurant, you don't need a culinary degree. If you want to learn to cook better you would do fine at a small community college, then you'd have a little leg up in the kitchen. But consider this; working in food service doesn't pay very well. Maybe after several years of hard work you can break $30,000 per year as a chef of some sort, but for a long time you're going to have to deal with really low wages, grueling hours, and shitty bosses and co-workers. And look at all the debt I accrued from only 2 years at a supposedly acclaimed culinary school.

Yeah, I didn't earn a degree, but you'd think at least going through with the experience would mean I could get into any old kitchen at some chain restaurant, right? No! I realize, again, there are people who are stronger and can fight through the bullshit to get the jobs they want. But in all the jobs I wanted I wasn't willing to put up with working with a ton of Hispanics I can't understand or misogynistic men. That's mostly the people who are hired to cook, men. If women fit in anywhere in culinary arts they usually go into baking and pastry arts to make pretty sweet things. Hell, baking is my specialty, but bakeries tend to be incredibly smug about their methods and products, I've seen how some interact with customers and it's not nice.

But do you really need to go to school to work in food service? Obviously not. Many people, even managers, never went to school. They just got started at the bottom and worked up, learned the business from others. Some people can weather food service better than others, but if the industry's high employee turnover is any indication, those kinds of people are far and few between. If you're successful and don't kill yourself from a combination of drugs, alcohol, and butter, then I salute you. But there are still people who think they want to get into the industry and think a degree will get them there faster. When I went to school I was told even while I was still taking classes, chefs from all over would be clamoring to hire me. Nope. There really isn't that much demand for talented cooks and chefs. Maybe in the bigger cities, but if you think you can bring a fancy degree back home to the boondocks and get a good job then you're mistaken. Either stay in the city or stay at home and figure out something else to do. The city drove me mad and I never want to go back. It's not worth all the debt, I should have stayed home or figured out something else.

Earlier this summer I got some pants at Gap to use at work, since they only want us wearing black or khaki colored pants. I like them, and they're comfortable, but they're a little too nice to be trudging around through a dusty musty inventory. I wanted to get at least one more pair of pants to add to my line-up for now. I eyed some black jeans at Meijer today, and figured $20 is what I'm going to have to deal with for new pants. When I went to scan my order at one of the U-scans the pants went through first. The price came up as $5. Holy shite! They aren't some crappy store brand either, these are Levi's. And I got just the size I needed. Now, if I could find some fairly heavy-duty khaki cargos then I'd really be in business.

I had a dream last night where I was at a restaurant with a bunch of other people. We were given wads of raw ground beef in buns to eat. I thought it was weird, but hey, this is what they've given us. After I finished eating I looked around me and saw everybody else had grilled their meat on an open fire. Then I thought to myself, I'm going to have the worst foodborne illness ever.