It's done

So, today I went in to Rottermond Jewelers and handed in my keys and quit. If only it were that easy. Fred, the manager didn't understand. He thought everything was going well: during the sale Saturday I was interacting with customers, selling lots, doing well. So, we talked and I told him that I felt uncomfortable and unwelcome and by who. Not to mention that I'm bothered by the fact that getting paid my commisions is based on whether or not I do 2 hours of community service a month.* Fred wanted me to give it another couple of weeks. I took today to think about it. And I did consider everything over again. Rob and I talked it over again. And we came to the same conclusion: it's not right for me. Fred even mentioned the GIA and getting trained with them. But I read the manual: that would mean me being committed to them for 2 years after I've graduated from the program. And to get your Graduate Gemologist in full, at home, can take a couple of years. So, I'd be looking at 4-5 years with them. The idea of that leaves my stomach in knots. I called Fred and let him know that my original decision stands. He was really nice and even offered to be a reference for me, especially if I look into another jewelry job. If Fred were ultimately running the show, it could be a job that I could handle, even like. But he's not. And I think I'd be really unhappy there in the long run.

I have about 20 hours at my old store this week, and a full week next week. Talked to Sandie and she's going to see who else may need help so I can keep full time hours** Teffera, manager of the Somerset store just had someone quit, so she called to see if I could help out. Yes, that's a haul, but if it's a full day there, I know I can make it up sales; Somerset is a busy store.

I'm going to finish my application for the U tonight and get that submitted asap.


* Again, not bothered by the fact that I'd have to do community service. I think doing community service is a an honorable thing to do. But when you're required to do it, it's no longer community service. Not to mention that their idea of community service (drumming up business at Chamber of Commerce meetings) differs vastly from the definition of community service (say volunteering at the Humane Society or at a soup kitchen). But that HALF my paycheck would be determined on whether or not I was able to do this "community service" is BS.

** I let her know that the jewelry job didn't work and that Mel is giving me hours, but that I'd like to get as close to 40/week as possible. I don't need full time status, per say, because I don't need the benefits. Just the hours.

Not worth it

So, as many of you know, I'm working this "awesome" job for a high-end hoitey-toitey jewelry store in Brighton. If only the job were so awesome. If only I liked the job. It's been two weeks and I'm quitting. Some of you may think that's insane of me, even immature. But I'm going to go ape shit if I stay. This goes beyond not liking my job; I'm fucking miserable. I've hated it from day one.

1) My boss is an ego-centric prik who thinks he's royalty.
Dude, you own a jewelry store. I don't care that you drive a BMW 120 MPH down I-275 and have a fleet of attorneys to get you out of any tickets. You're just another shlub who wears a Rolex to make himself feel better.*

2) The lead sales-person, Libby, who has been there 9 years, is a queen bitch. She acts like she runs the store (and probably does, in all reality, since I never see the boss do anything other than show up and be demanding). She's rude to me, talks down to me, and practically had me in tears.**

3) Ever been to a used-car dealership or Art Van? Feel like they aren't going to let you leave until you buy something? That the sales staff are leeches ready to suck your last dime? And that they have you surrounded and that there's no way out. The jewelry store's sales tactics are of the same school.

4) If I don't do two hours of community service a month, I don't get paid my comissions. 1st, I don't think that's even legal. 2nd, their idea of community service is not what most would consider to be community service, like helping out at a soup kitchen or volunteering to tutor under-privledged kids after school. No, their idea of community service is rubbing elbows with at a Chamber of Commerce meeting and drumming up business. They don't want us slumming it -- poor people can't afford their jewelry. Not to mention, the "community service" has to be done in the Milford area.

5) Milford? Wait. Wasn't I working in Brighton? Yeah. That's what I thought.

6) I've had shit for training. All I'm told to do is shadow the associates to learn. Umm, that's great in theory, when the associate you're supposed to be shadowing lets you. In fact, I'm told to learn from Libby, since she's got years of experience. Libby has made it clear (not to my face, but to the manager, and to boot, while I was in the room) that she doesn't want me with her. So I'm left to scrounge for any material that I can find with information about the lines we carry. We're supposed to be experts. Hard to be an expert and give customers accurate information when you don't know the product.***

I thought this job was going to be a great opportunity. I was thrilled to be getting back into jewelry. I had hopes of becoming a Graduate Gemoligist, something I've wanted do since I started making jewelry in high school.

I've put up with a lot of shit over the years. But this is too much. So, I'm quitting Rottermond Jewelers. I'm going in tomorrow, turning in my keys, and leaving. I figure if I wait it out and stick around longer than I'll feel obligated to give notive. I've only been there two weeks. I don't feel obligated to them for diddely-caca.

Not convinced I hate it there? I get an awesome discount. Really awesome discount. And there's a pair of ruby earrings that I want.**** Really want. Discount be damned. Ruby earrings be damned. I quit.

I've talked to Mel at my old store and she's giving me hours there.***** I'd like to a job at U of M (isn't that what everyone in the Ann Arbor area ends up doing anyway?). They have tuition reimbursement, and I can go back to school. Is it a perfect plan? No. In fact, you may say I'm being a bit rash and stupid. But in the end, it's my overall happiness and sanity at stake. I know I need the money that I'm getting from this job. But Rob and I have talked this over. He agrees with me: I need to leave. And since working at the University is like being a part of the mafia, Rob's going to help get me a job there.******

So begins the next saga in my life.


*No, I don't have Rolex envy. I just have better things to do with $30,000.

**Those of you who know me, know that I'm more likely to tell someone what I think of them and make them cry, than I am to cry myself. Yes, she's that big of a bitch.

***What? What's that you say? That you weren't trained that well at your job? I've worked retail for over 10 years, and have never had such shitty training. And that includes at Ritz. At Ritz I got paid for my training, at least! Product information was made alvailable to us. My boss and co-workers were good about letting you listen in on sales and at offering information and helping. So no, I'm not going to go home and look stuff up on my own. It's not that I don't enjoy jewelry. It's just that training should be a part of my job. Unless they want me to make shit up as I go along.

*****Everyone thinks every girl wants diamonds. Fuck that. I want rubies. Lots and lots of rubies.

*****Mel's had two people quit and one cutting back on hours over the last few weeks. She seems happy to have someone already trained on board.

******It helps to know someone to get a job at U of M (as in you really can't get a job unless you know someone), and once you're in, you're in. Don't like where you're working in the system, then make a bid to transfer.

Meme

Whatever a "meme" is, here's the Meme of Four (stolen from Matt)

4 Jobs I have held:

1) Sales -- Natural Wonders (remember that store?)
2) Legal Secretary
3) Box Office Cashier (AMC Movie Theaters)
4) Lab/Sales/Manager (Ritz Camera)


4 Movies I could watch over and over:

1) Disney's Lilo and Stitch
2) Princess Bride
3) Ever After
4) Pirates of the Carribean


4 Places I have lived:

1) Farmington Hills, MI (for over 20 years!)
2) The dorms at Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI
3) An apartment in a house in the "historic distric" of Kalamazoo, MI (ie, "the ghetto")
4) Ypsilanti, MI (ie, "the ghetto")


4 TV shows I love to watch:

1) Crossing Jordan
2) CSI
3) Monk
4) Two and half Men


4 Websites I visit daily:

1) Yahoo! Mail
2) slickdeals.net
3) Deviant Art (and hey! I'm on there too! naarah.deviantart.com)
4) Google (if not every day, then close enough. There's always something I need to look up)

4 of my favorite foods:

1) Watermelon
2) Chocolate
3) Sweet Baby Peas
4) Ice Cream

4 Places I would Rather be: (all with my camera in hand!)

1) Italy (this is a dream destination of mine!)
2) the Blue Ridge Mountains (where I want to live one day!)
3) Hawaii (warm sandy beaches and waterfalls! Heaven!)
4) In my car traveling cross-country (Grand Canyon, Yosemite...)

4 Albums I can't Live Without:

1) U2: Achtung Baby!
2) U2: All That I Can't Leave Behind
3) Greenday: American Idiot
4) John Mellencamp: Words & Music

Zig Zag

Last night, one of rattie girls, Zig Zag, passed away.

Zig Zag came home last March, right around Rob's birthday, with her two sisters, Zoe and Zanzibar. Rob and I went into the pet store to look (1st mistake) and ended up taking three adorable little ratlings home, rescuing them from their potential fate as snake food. They were tiny -- one could fit all three into the palm of your hand. As they grew up, they each developed their own personality. Zoe is the adventure rat: first out of the cage, over the top, and in search of Cheerios. Zanzibar is the most timid, but not so timid that when Cheerios make an appearance, that she can carry about eight in her mouth (using one paw to hold them) for her to stash away. Zig Zag, once the tiny runt of the sisters, grew to be the biggest. She was the shiest of the three, backing away from being held. She was, however, probably the smartest. When the girls would be out of food (treats and their staple diet of lab blocks), Ziggy would sit in the cage facing Rob (their cage is on Rob's desk) and mime eating a lab block. She'd take her little paws, empty of food, and put them to her mouth. Stare at Rob. Put paws down then back up again.

Late last week, Rob noticed that Ziggy's stomach was bigger. She was always the biggest rat, but as she sat up to clean herself, she looked like a pregnant rat. All our rats are girls, so we came to one conclusion: it was a tumor. I gently picked her up and felt her tummy: it was hard. We haven't even had the girls a year, and already Ziggy was sick. We had always figured Ziggy was just shy, but now we think she didn't like to be picked up because her stomach hurt. It was never obvious to us; she was active, eating, and for all intents and purposes, appeared healthy. Before we could do anything to help her, she was gone.

Even for a rat, Zig Zag's life was short. She was barely a year old, and not even a year into our lives. However short her stay, she has definately left little paw prints in our lives.

Musings

Tomorrow is my last day as a manager for Ritz Camera. It all feels so surreal. I've been with Ritz for about three and half years. The longest I've ever stayed at any job. Ok, so I appear fickle up until now, bouncing around from job to job, staying a year or so, and moving on. I just see it as trying to find my niche in the world.* Maybe this time I'll find my corner of the world. No other way to know than to try. Today I went to a training at my new place of employment, Rottermond Jewelers. The training went well. It was the usual selling schpiel, with a twist towards jewelry. Afterwards, I had drive back to Ritz to work** As we were nearing close, the store was quiet; no customers. The radio was off, the lab was shut down, Katie was reading a book; the only noise the whirring of machines shutting down. In the silence my mind wandered: how did they not see this coming? When I announced to my store that I was leaving, all of them were surprised. I just don't see how. I was miserable. I never showed up on time. Ok, maybe a couple times, but it was to give an aneurysm to whoever I opened with. I was perpetually crabby, except for when I was bitchy. Maybe they just think that I am just bitchy. *** Maybe I needed a t-shirt with big black lettering that said "I HATE MY JOB." After work as I'm driving down 23 to go home, Sheryl Crow croons to me that a "change will do you good." Somewhere across the radio waves everything is coming together. Yes, I'll be staying on with Ritz and working some Sundays. Even so, it all feels so final; that when I turn in my keys and drive away from 2775 Plymouth Road tomorrow, I will be entering a completely new phase in my life. And there's no turning back. And I'm OK with that.

*My mother just thinks I'm fickle. And tells me so. I 'm too nice to tell her that I think she's crazy.

**It was a really looooong day. Had to be in Milford at 8:30 am. Then went back to Ritz and had to close. Long, really long fucking day.

***No, really, I'm not just a Royal Bitch! I really am a nice person. Yes, I get bitchy. There's usually an underlying reason or person. I've calmed down and grown up a lot over the years. I'm a fairly well-adjusted person. Really.

Happy 2006 and All That Rot

It is now officially the 2nd day of 2006. Wow. And, unlike most January's that I've experienced living in Michigan, there is no snow and it was over the freezing mark. Yup. Sure sign that there is no such thing as "global warming." That's just something us commie-pinkos made up. Uh-huh.

I figured that since it is now a new year, I should have resolutions. Because, seriously, if I don't make up resolutions, I won't have any to break. ;-)

I don't really know where to start. I mean, the new year is already starting off on a good foot. I've already got that new job that will pay more. So, I don't need to resolve leaving the Ritz machine. I feel better already knowing that I'm gone. No, I don't know that I'm going to like this job any better. It's a calculated risk. But, it's a risk that pays more and I get to work with sparklies (ooooooooh! sparklies!) The ferret in me approves.

I know it's trite, but I do want to resolve to lose weight. I say this of course as I sit here drinking my calorie-filled mega-sized slurpee and my ass grows-ever wider. So, in order to resolove to lose weight, I need to resolve to: 1) exercise and 2) cut back on sugars. I'm pretty good about watching what fats I eat, (though once a month when I crave french fries, get out of my way asshole or feel the wrath of the PMS queen!!!) I just consume way too many sugars. Too much chocolate (I know, I know, a woman can never have too much chocolate. But tell that to my waistline). But, I figure with less stress in my job-related life, I'll be feeling the need to reach for the bag of M&M's less often. That and I need to quit buying them. And stop buying slurpees (but oh! How can I survive withut my sweet syrupy caffinated frozen soda?!?) I'll need to drink more black coffee to keep me going in the morning (Yay! Starbucks!).

I think my other resolutions will be related to my photography. I resolve to: 1) finish my classes for the New York Institute of Photography; 2) Take more pictures*, 3) Finish my website and promote my photography.**

I really think that's enough to keep me busy this year! Oh wait! I forgot the most important resolution of all: Relax, enjoy life, and keep positive.***

* I know what you're thinking: take more pictures? Are you serious? Isn't that just about all you do. I mean, yeesh, you carry a camera with you almost everywhere. Ok, so I do. But I want to take better pictures. So that means practice. Besides, I have this great new camera to take lots of pictures with!

**I'd like to try getting into one of the art fairs this year. Though, at the rate I'm going, with no prints made up and no mattes cut, it's unlikely. But, if I get myself prepared for the shows, by making prints, cutting mattes, then I can be ready for next year!

*** I know this seems like a dificult premis when one is attempting to give up sugars and chocolates. However, if one is happy with their life, one can feel relaxed and content, without chocolate. So far, this year is off to a great start. Besides, there are many things that can get one's serotonin levels pumping that don't involve chocolate. ;-)