tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29523598912623863192024-03-13T20:28:03.059-07:00Colleen BoydColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-25175468829246730502015-08-02T22:28:00.004-07:002015-08-02T22:28:47.012-07:00Other Peoples' ProblemsHola, senors and senoritas! Como estas? (And that's the extent of my Spanish vocabulary).<br />
<br />
So there were a lot of interesting/annoying people at work this week who I could write many stories about. I could make something up for the paranoid mom who's scared of every bent corner in whatever book she's buying lest she can't return it later on. Or I could go into detail about the old man who has to, for some reason, ask every question that comes into his mind twice. And then there's the teacher who teaches at my old high school and the mom whose son goes to said school, and how they met each other and talked about reading and English classes while looking over the 'Summer Reading' book table. But instead, I'm tell you about Marion, the grumpy and prickly grandma who thinks her problems are bigger than everyone else's and who automatically hates anyone who shows the slightest frustration towards her autistic grandson.<br />
<br />
What I mean is, I was back in Music/Movies keeping an eye on everything when said grandson and his mom entered the section. He was making noise and talking to himself, so I knew automatically the kid had special needs. Then Marion and her husband came in, and the kid puttered around and picked out some DVDs. But then he started getting loud and high-pitched, and it didn't help that he set off the security system a few times by accident. By this point the mom has told me he has autism, and I'm like, "Alright", because I knew he had something like that in the first place, and who am I to make a fuss about his behavior when I have autism too? But he keeps making loud noises while his mom pays for one of his DVDs, and at this point I'm wincing a bit because my ears can't handle the chatter anymore and not because he reaches over the counter to grab at the movies. Of course, the mom and Marion see this and, not knowing the real reason behind it, say to each other, right in front of me, how the check out girl is getting frustrated with an air of silent disapproval around them like I'm being horribly discriminatory concerning the boy. I stay silent because I don't know how to explain myself properly, and eventually the mom and son leave to check out the rest of the store while Marion pays for the remaining movies. Still not liking my apparent attitude towards her grandson, she's short with me when I explain her membership has expired ("No, it can't be, I've already renewed it.") and at one point reminds me again that her grandson has autism and asks if I know what that is. I take this chance and tell her I have Asperger's, thinking it would give her a clue about the reason behind my reaction (because surely she would know about autism's symptoms, one of which is being sensitive to stimuli like loud noises) and also showing her I'm on her side. Instead, she brushes my explanation aside like she doesn't believe me or it's nothing compared to her grandson, who has, "moderate to severe autism", thus making it seem like his problems are so much bigger than mine. At this point I shut down, only saying the customary, "Thank you for shopping with us", and angrily stewing about it after Marion leaves.<br />
<br />
The whole scenario just pisses me off. I mean, we were both in the wrong with Marion gossiping with the mom right in front of me and me wincing about the noise level, but she brushed off my own autism like it wasn't a good explanation for what happened. It's not like I was expecting her to be all, "I'm so sorry" and stuff, but an "Oh" would've been nice, and maybe we could've had a small talk about it. But <i>nooooo</i>, that's not possible, and according to Marion I should've known better since I'm either lying or have a mild case where I can easily control myself (not that she said this, but something like it was implied). Overall, everything about this situation just made me feel like my own diagnosis was unimportant, along with all the struggles I myself go through. Because yeah, I have a mild form, but even with that comes social anxiety, aloofness, shyness, and an inability to act normal in any given social situation. It took years of therapy to learn how to look people in the eye and control my tone of voice, but I still have problems not making faces, and I rather be alone than be social. I struggle with this every day, SO DON'T BRUSH IT OFF LIKE IT'S NOTHING!!! Just because you have your own problems doesn't mean you should be so ignorant to think that they're bigger than everyone else's or that everyone else doesn't have problems in the first place. Have some perception, lady!<br />
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Thankfully, that crummy customer wasn't enough to spoil my week or my excitement for <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/" target="_blank">Comic Con </a>WHICH IS ONE WEEK HOLY COW!!! I'm nervous, excited, and pumped all rolled into one, and those feeling are amplified by two bits of good news. One, I got my promotional postcards in the mail. Don't they look great?<br />
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And two, I'm doing a panel (which, for those of you who don't know what that is, is basically a staged Q and A session between experts and an audience) on the 9th! I'll be talking about YA books and writing alongside some other local YA writers, Elizabeth Bunce and Bethany Hagen, and I can't wait. I wonder what type of questions I'll be getting; I hope I can answer them all (note to self: charge phone so video of whole panel can be taken) and a decent amount of people show up. Either way, it'll be a good experience!<br />
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I'm still stuck in the dialog bog with <i>M.O.A-27.</i> The girls are still talking, the guys are still complaining, and everyone's getting tired, including me (When am I going to allow myself to shift scenes? As soon as you think everything's covered, that's what!). The good news is I've made my way through a time transition, which can be stinkin' awful to write most of the times, but I did it. So far the boys and girls have checked out multiple recyclable sites and have walked many streets to get to each one, but neither group has run into the monster yet, and there's all sorts of security they have to dodge and hide from. It's only a few hours from dawn, and everyone's thinking of calling it a night and heading home, so they agree to meet at another dump site. I think we all know what'll happen next; the problem is, would it be too obvious to have the monster attack them all there? Please tell me what you think!<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
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Like 1: Day old expired Godiva chocolate. We sale Godiva chocolate boxes around the store, and whenever the selling/'Good Thru' date passes, they're taken up to the break room and we employees get to nom on them. Delish!<br />
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Like 2: My postcards. See above.<br />
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Like 3: The panel. See above.<br />
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Like 4: Newest season of 'Face Off' started this week. Let the monster making and imaginations run wild (and possibly give me my own creature ideas)! <br />
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Dislike 1: People who think their problems are bigger than everyone else's, or those who think others don't have problems at all. See above for rant.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
-</span>Mark Twain</div>
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Adios,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-19921338056135392172015-07-26T21:52:00.002-07:002015-07-26T21:52:50.579-07:00How Not to Get A MembershipHey-yo, readers of all ages!<br />
<br />
So I had a busy week at Barnes and Noble, in the sense that for the first time in forever I was working the front cash register. There were a lot of people (which was surprising for a Wednesday), and I lost track of how often I had to press the 'Help Wanted' button to get people checked out faster (though I did have to press it in the first five minutes I started my shift). It was up here that I met Rochelle and Ashley, two ladies who are the points of interest for my customer stories this week.<br />
<br />
First, Rochelle is an African-American and a busy but caring mom of three. She's short with short hair, wears capris and T-shirts, and has some junk in the trunk, if you know what I mean. Rochelle knows what she wants, whether it be a certain book or a good deal, and she loves memberships that help her save money to buy that stuff she knows she wants. Ironically, she's not very good at keeping track of money and sometimes finds out she can't buy something in the middle of buying it ("There's not enough for the membership on my card?"). Rochelle also takes her time doing things, like filling out forms, because she's a thorough type of person, and while that's sometimes a good thing, more often that not she takes too long by asking a lot of questions when something confuses her, leaving people impatient and backing up checkout lines without even noticing it. <br />
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Ashley is a bright and bubbly brunette in her early thirties. With slacks and blazers as staples for her wardrobe, she looks every bit the casual architectect, but she knows how to have fun and is planning on going on vacation soon. Reading is a beloved past time of hers, and her favorite genre is mystery; she was recently recommended to get "The Cuckoo's Calling" by Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling by a certain cashier (and she got it). She likes a good laugh and is incredibly generous and nice, and she has a lot of friends who love her as much as she loves them. What really sets her apart from the rest, however, is how she recognizes the good in others, whether it be her family or complete strangers. Ashley sees what any person is like, what they can do, and the effort they put into both of these to be the best they can be, and it makes her want to be a better person as well. And since she's so giving, she sometimes hands out little rewards to unsuspecting people ("Here, this $25 dollar gift card is for you. You really made a conscious effort with that big line and kept your cool despite it all, so you deserve this."). She's just a overall great person who reminds you that there are great people out there and hard work does get rewarded.<br />
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For <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/" target="_blank">KCCC</a>, I have finally ordered my promotional postcards, and they look rather nice if I do say so myself. Now it's on to ordering books, and I have to thank Rich-the-editor for the help. He told me about this business deal Spencer Hill Press has with this printing company called Midpoint Trade, where I can get 40% off my order of SWAMP ANGEL books (which is good, because I need to place a big order). He gave me this email to use to contact the company, and I've sent them the order. I can't wait to get a nice big box of my book!<br />
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I said last week it was either going to be more dialogue or some action for <i>M.O.A-27</i>, and I wound up writing more dialogue. We finally get more details about Aria/Moa's death; according to what the police told Ursele and co., it was a teleporter accident which resulted in Aria/Moa basically getting bisected, and it was so gruesome the body was cremated before anybody could see her. Ursele also tells Moa about how the friends were after the funeral and how they were up until Moa's appearance: Ursele buried herself in work, Thayer took on the whole Tar Pit and got into a lot of fights, and Len had to run the repair shop by himself because Shawney was so distraught (he was the one most effected by Aria's death since the two were childhood friends). And during this lovely talk about death, we discover info on everyone's parents: Aria's and Shawney's parents are dead (they're engineers who died in an explosion), as in Len's father who died of sickness. His mother and Ursele's parents are in group homes (not like retirement homes, but more like a commune, a big family), and no one knows what's up with Thayer's parents since he doesn't talk about them. For all intent and purposes, it was a very informative week this week, and I can say we're getting closer to action now that the lot they need to explore is now empty and they can get down to business finding the monster. Will they, though? <br />
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Weekly (Dis)Likes: <br />
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Like 1: I got a $25 dollar gift card from a customer. See above.<br />
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Like 2: It was my grandma's birthday this week. Her, me, my grandpa, and my sister had a very delicious dinner at nice steakhouse, and everything was SO GOOD. The salad, the bread (oh, the bread), the sea bass I ordered, and the peanut butter mousse definitely gave me one happy belly, and it was nice talking and spending time with the loving people that are my family. I'll soon be living on my own when I go off to school, so I'll enjoy these moments when I can. :)<br />
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Dislike 1: I got COMPLETELY DRENCHED Saturday on my way to work. I didn't have an umbrella because it wasn't raining where I live, but by the time I got to the mall, it was coming down in sheets with the wind blowing everywhere. I tried waiting it out, but it didn't lift by the time I had to get in lest I be late. It wouldn't have been as bad if I parked closer to the doors, but as an employee, I have to park in the back so the customers can have the better parking. Of all the things to be jealous about. Thankfully, I didn't have to work in wet clothes the whole shift since they dried out pretty quickly, but my shoes were soggy the whole night, which made me cold the whole night. Hope I don't catch a cold. :P<br />
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And quote!<br />
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"What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?" -Robert H. Schuller
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<span>Bye,</span></div>
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<span>Colleen </span></div>
Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-41955726665848899972015-07-19T21:01:00.003-07:002015-07-19T21:03:19.753-07:00What's Half of Twenty? Hello, my lovely readers!<br />
<br />
So this week at Barnes and Noble was interesting both work-wise and people-wise. If I haven't said so before, the CD section is basically becoming the record section; other than the discount stuff and a small selection of CDs from each musical genre, most of music is records. I spent one work shift this week alphabetizing they and sticking them in the nice new plastic slots we now have for them. It didn't last the whole shift, but it was interesting handling the new merchandise, and a fellow employee showed me how to shrink wrap stuff as well in case I came across a record with a torn sleeve (I didn't). <br />
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Concerning people, the most interesting customers are a couple, the Duboes! They're young, in their late twenties, and both have brown hair, brown eyes, and barrel-like bodies since they don't have a penchant for not working out. They like doing everything together, which includes road trips, shopping, and movies; they're frequent visitors at the local AMC. And it's good that they like being with each other, because they don't have a lot of friends, being that you need an incredible amount of patience to be with them. Why is that? They aren't the brightest crayons in the box, being unable to read signs ("Does the red dot mean 50% percent off?) and do simple math problems ("Excuse me, but what's half of $19.99?"), and as such have to rely on others to explain things to them, which drives many people crazy and leaves them wondering how the two can be so oblivious (especially the cashiers who has other customers to help and stuff to clean). If they are aware of this glaring trait, they don't make a note of it, and thus go along their lives happy as they are and a little satisfied they they can be a bit lazy when it comes to figuring stuff out since someone will do it for them.<br />
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Concerning book stuff this week, the <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/" target="_blank">KCCC</a> is coming closer, and I can't wait. The postcards are working out (though NO ONE who read this provided any feedback; is the comment section or the link to Facebook that hard to use?), and my mom liked the summary I wrote, so it's a matter of finalizing and ordering them. With <i>M.O.A-27</i>, the group has split, with the boys tackling one recycling dump and the girls taking another as they try to track down/run into the monster. Security is tight; police patrol every street, camera drones fly above, and people are freaking out. Despite this, the girls make it to their site and start exploring it. As they do, they talk, and we find out more about Thayer's back story and how he became friends with everyone (it happened when they were all 11/12 years old: he basically came up from Underground one day, found the four walking home from school, decided they would be his friends, and started following them home every day) and how the relationship between Thayer and Ursele has changed over time (hinting at so romantic feelings though Ursele never outright admits it). To summarize, not a lot of action, but a whole lot of character story and development, which is almost exciting or even better than action. Which will I go with next week? Stay tuned!<br />
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Weekly Dis(Likes):<br />
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Like 1: Allison visited. She and some friends of hers came into town to have a mini vacation at our lake house, so she wasn't around for too long, but I did get to see her and her friends when they came back but before they flew out. We had some good barbecue and talked, and it was just nice to see her.<br />
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Like 2: This story my grandmother told me. She was getting her hair done at the hair salon she frequents (I've been their a few times myself; it's quite nice), and another customer was talking to her hairdresser about her twin boys, both of which had recently been diagnosed with autism. She was worrying about it, so my grandmother told the lady about me and how despite my own case of autism (I have Aspergers, for those who don't know), I have been very successful with my life, as shown with my book getting published and graduating from college. The lady loved hearing that, and was very reassured by the story, and I was touched when my grandma told me about this. To think myself as some sort of success is odd; to me I'm just someone trying to live my life the best I can, which is something everyone does. But to inspire something like this is nice, and it shows me how what we think as average or ordinary can be extraordinary to others.<br />
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Like 3: Home-made marshmallows. One of my fellow employees brought a giant bowl of homemade marshmallows in original and strawberry flavored, and they're SO YUMMY! So much better than the bagged ones; I can only imagine how homemade would taste on a s'more (answer: delicious!).<br />
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Dislike 1: The fact I've been doing my new workout plan for two weeks and eating right, but I've only lost one pound. GAAAHHH! I mean, I don't know if I'm supposed to lose more weight than that in that time period, but if I am, I need to call my mom and talk to her. I might be doing something wrong, but I don't think I am. :( Either way, just got to keep trying. :)<br />
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And quote!<br />
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"If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable." -Louis D. Brandeis
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Bye,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-86439844818624973582015-07-12T21:54:00.002-07:002015-07-12T21:55:42.727-07:00Stupid Magazines! (GRRRR!)Hi, everybody. Sorry there wasn't a post last week; I got caught with 4th of July festivities and didn't have time to do my weekly post. But that was then, and now is now.<br />
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Surprisingly enough, even though it's been two weeks, there isn't any customer that comes to mind when I try and think of an interesting/annoying person to tell a story about. But I do have something to discuss/rant about, so you might want to brace yourselves. The topic? The magazine racks. We have four giant ones near the cafe section of the store, loaded front and back with magazines, three by three. If I ever said there's an aspect of my job that I didn't hate, I take that back. I <i>hate</i> the magazine rack. Part of it is because it's so hard to put them away. Yes, the hand scanners tell you what section, but it doesn't tell you what row it goes in, so you basically have to find the stack of the same magazines out of dozens and stick it there. And since they overlap each other, there could be another copy right under your nose and you don't know it since it's hiding, or you never find the stack because you're holding the one copy the store has and you don't know otherwise. To summarize, putting the magazines away is a pain in the ass, but what make it even worse is that customers DON'T PUT THEIR MAGAZINES AWAY. They just pull them out and leave them lying around the cafe. The worse is the guy who reads a lot and leaves a giant stack behind. DO YOU KNOW HOW RUDE THAT IS!? I spent a good half an hour putting such a stack away during my last night shift that I didn't get home until 11 o'clock! JUST BECAUSE I'M A STORE EMPLOYEE DOES NOT MAKE ME A JANITOR!! You wouldn't want to pick up after people, so why would you put others in such a situation? (sighs) I just don't understand why people think it's so hard to put their stuff away. Is it short term memory loss and they don't remember where it goes? Laziness, because they know we'll have to clean up after them? I don't know, and I wish I did. Have you ever done that; leaving something out even though you know where it goes in a store? What was your reason for doing so? DId you think about how an employee would have to move said object back to its proper place? Tell me on Facebook or in the comments below.<br />
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Concerning <i>M.O.A-27,</i> nothing really interesting is happening right at the moment (the gang's basically returning to Renatola from the Underground as they start monster hunting, so there's no real action right now). I do, however, want to tell you about the <i>M.O.A-27 </i>promotional postcards I'm currently designing. My mom was the one who suggested it, saying that it'd be nice to promote my latest work at <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/" target="_blank">Comic-Con</a> (and maybe get the attention of some visiting publishers/future readers), so right now I'm working on a story summary to put on the cards. Here's what I have so far:<br />
<br />
<i>"A thousand years after war ended the world, the pieces have finally been
picked up. Bouncing back from the brink of destruction, humanity has
settled together in the paradise of Renatola, where no one is poor, all
vices have been banished, and technology has drastically improved the
quality of life.<br /><br />At least, for mostly everyone.<br /><br />Moa
doesn't know why she was created. A cyborg in a city where such fusions
are illegal, the only thing she's sure of is that she needs to decrypt
the memories that plague her mind. Breaking free from the control of the
doctor who made her, what starts as a simple puzzle turns into a
dangerous game of cat and mouse as Moa discovers the conspiracies woven
into the fabric of Renatola. With friends from the life she lost at her
side and her creator and government officials on her heels, Moa will
seek out the truth ... but what she finds just may destroy the world all over again." </i><br />
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What do you think, my lovely readers? Too long? Too wordy? Too over-dramatic (but aren't most descriptions?)? Most important, does this make you want to read the book, or at least check it out? I really would like to hear any critiques and suggestions you guys have so I can make this the best summary I can, so live a comment down below or on my Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/colleen.boyd.338" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Bi-Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
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Like 1: 4th of July! This year's celebration was better than ever because my aunt, uncle, and cousins were visiting while we were at the Lake of the Ozarks. There was swimming, good food (s'mores, blueberry pie, and a lobster boil, which has got to be one of the best meals I've had ever), and wonderful fireworks courtesy of the guy at the end of our cove. Only downside was a lack of boat rides and our own fireworks (just some Roman candles), but it was still really fun.<br />
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Like 2: Royals baseball. Went to the game today, and it was fun. Royals got six runs in the first period alone, but then the opposing team came back in the sixth with my beloved team messing up a whole lot (seriously, guys?). In the end, we won 11 to 10 thanks to a single home run (I don't want to think about what could've happened if we missed that), and it was just a good game.<br />
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Like 3: My sister's new friend. Her name is Melissa, and my sister met her at college. She flew out on Thursday to spend the weekend here, and she is a very polite and interesting girl. Speaking with her has been a genuine pleasure, and it's comforting a bit that my sister is making such good friends and surrounding herself with good people (even if she's never had a problem with that before). Thanks for the visit, Melissa!<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: People who pull magazines off the shelf and don't bother even trying to put them back (see above).<br />
<br />
Dislike 2: How sweaty I got at said Royals game. I only made it to the fourth inning before I had to go sit in the nice air-conditioned clubroom for the rest of the game, and in that time I swear I sweated through both my T-shirt and shorts. For all those complaining about rainy summer days, I rather have those back!<br />
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And quote!<br />
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life."
</span> -Arthur Ashe<br />
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<br />
Bye,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-63135689816790087362015-06-28T22:18:00.000-07:002015-07-12T08:27:59.679-07:00Marriage Equality!Salutations, my lovely readers.<br />
<br />
It was another good week at work, though nothing too exciting happened. We're having a 50% off sale on stuff over by the mall entrance, and yesterday they kept bringing stuff over and telling me to find a place for it, but eventually it got to the point where there WAS NO ROOM! It was still something to do (as was straightening up said bargain when customers were too rude to put stuff away properly), so that was good, not to mention there's some good items out for sale: if anyone needs kid books, arts and crafts, soap, journals, etc., come check it out (as with the KCCC <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
<br />
You ever met someone who has a preference to book types, like between paperback and hardback? Our customer this week is one such man! Meet Victor, an African-American man in his late thirties. He's a family man, and is invested in his daughter's education, so much so that he tags along with her when she buys her required summer reading for school (<i>The Secret Life of Bees)</i>. Wanting to see what kids these days read for school, he also orders his own hardback copy of that and some other books instead of just getting the paperback, but is patient and willing to compromise when it comes to where he picks his books up (even if it's not the store in Lee's Summit, and I don't know if we have one there). As it is, he likes hardbacks for how long they last compared to their paper counterparts, but he also believes that hardbacks have a better and stronger 'book smell' to them, which is his favorite scent in the whole wide world (and I can't blame him for that). A self professed 'huge geek', other than a love for books, he also has a thing for superheroes and gets easily distracted by action figures (his favorite being Cyborg from the <i>Teen Titans</i> series). This shows how horribly forgetful he can be with remembering stuff, like the phone number for his B&N membership.<br />
<br />
Concerning <i>M.O.A-27</i>, don't worry if you're starting to get bored with the lack of action. I've finished the chapter off, and after a short Dreaming moment (in which we see more between Shawney and Aria), we'll be on track with monster hunting and trying to find the scary beast. As it is with the chapter ending, though, you really get a sense of a building connection between Moa and Shawney, especially how she tries to comfort him about Len despite everything telling her not to in her head. She knows about emotions, knows what they do to people, and knows how others commonly comfort those who are sad, but having never done it, nor not designed to do it, she's in a bit of a pickle. But she does her best:<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> '</span>“I know this is when someone says something comforting,
like everything will be okay,” Moa said as much. “With your lost, and with what
is coming, however … I do not know if things will be okay, in all honesty. But
I can say this and mean it: the only way I will leave you is when I am dead and
in pieces ... I will <b>not</b> leave you no matter what.”'</span></i></span></div>
<br />
And it works; Shawney does start crying, but the two hug it out and find out how safe they are when they do so. Because where else is safer than in someone's arms? You tell me! But either way, it's interesting exploring emotional moments like this considering my own emotional problems (nothing serious; it's just autism); it's like I'm sorting out and investigating my own emotions when doing scenes like this and figuring out what's right and what's wrong socially. Then it's just a matter of going out and living my discoveries (which is a struggle, but I try).<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: The cute shirt my mom found for me at Anthropologie. It's a gray and white v-neck with a swooped hem and a eyeglasses print. I wore it to work the other day, and the one customer who complemented it turned out to be an eye doctor! :D<br />
<br />
Like 2: Gay marriage is now legal across the US! I am straight, but it's been an issue I've kept an eye on, and it was amazing to hear the news on Friday, because everyone should have the right to be with whoever they want to be with. Hooray for human rights!<br />
<br />
Like 3: Dairy Queen butterscotch dipped cones. YUM. :) <br />
<br />
Dislike 1: Bug bites. I've got two mosquito bites on my arm and leg respectfully, and while they're aren't always itchy, they can suddenly go off at any moment (like if I accidently rub the offending limb against something) and then I just want to scratch like crazy. If there's one thing about summer I hate more than the heat, it's this! <br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action."</span> -Benjamin Disraeli</div>
<br />
See ya later,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-1418746306315281582015-06-21T21:42:00.002-07:002015-06-21T21:42:20.212-07:00Happy Fathers' Day!Hello, guys and gals.<br />
<br />
So work was good this week. No
complaints to be heard from me. It was another array of night shifts
between the music section and the mall cash register, and I did some shopping errands for my grandma and picked up a few books for her. My manager Justin also got back to me about the number of books I should bring along to sell; he said about forty would work, which is good (and it helps I already have like eleven on hand), so I need to get those ordered. I'm also debating whether or not to ask my sister to do a little social media promotion about the event; I need to ask her about it, but I hope she says yes (if you want to check it out yourself, click <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a>).<br />
<br />
There were a lot of interesting customers this week, and I'm stuck between two of them and deciding which one should get a story. So how about two mini stories this week? First we have Bianca, a lady in her mid-thirties to early forties with dark brown hair held back by sunglasses. She loves an online deal, and when she finds something she can get on hand in a store, she goes after it. However, she usually gets a nasty shock when she finds out the in store prices and online prices are different, and then puts it on herself to explain price points to whatever employee she's talking about, going so far as to not understand what they're saying and interrupting them mid explanation ("No, that's not what I'm saying!"). She then explains that she owned businesses before which is why she knows what she's saying and feels the need to share and confuse people. Thankfully she never goes shopping without a friend, who speak Biana-nese well enough to play mediator and tries to translate what Bianca says so the employee can understand and vice-versa.<br />
<br />
But though Bianca may forget her manners, Aermad doesn't! Aermad is a man visiting the United States from Armenia, a small country in Eastern Europe. He's currently on a cross country trip visiting all his American friends, and so far his favorite places are San Fransisco and Chicago. He loves to talk and loathes the silence, and as such makes friends wherever he goes, although sometimes he doesn't know when to be quiet, and his odd accent doesn't help when he's trying to explain things. He often gets asked to repeat stuff, but he doesn't mind. Aermad also knows his friends well and gets them books about their favorite subjects (like a guidebook to religion) because he loves to read. His favorite part of America is the sense of freedom throughout the country, and his favorite color is green, which gives him an appreciation of green eyes, which he compliments people on. <br />
<br />
In <i>M.O.A-27</i>, plans have been finalized; after some rest and construction of some new hologram disguises and communicators, the gang's going to investigate the spaces where Moa and 35 died, then split up and look in similar areas (closed off, untrafficked areas, like recycling and dump areas). Ursele and Thayer hit the hay, but Moa stays up and watches Shawney as he gets to work. It's nice between them as Moa discovers why he likes holograms so much, but the conversation takes a sad turn when she brings up Len (which they haven't really had a chance to talk about until now). Of course, Shawney gets sad, and Moa asks if he blames her. He does say that yes, part of him wants to be mad at her, but part of him is mad at everyone, and he's still aware of how death can happen with what he's doing for Moa. How will this conversation end? For better, or for worse? Let's find out next week!<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: It's Fathers' Day! My dad's out in Colorado, but he called in saying he can't wait to read the book I got him. And I spent the day with my grandpa (who's also my godfather), and I got him a nice card and had a good dinner with him, Grandma, Mom, and Maggie. To the two best (and only) men in my life, I love you forever!<br />
<br />
Like 2: Speaking of Mom, she's visiting for three weeks. She'll be staying through July 4th, and I'm just happy she's here (because I've missed her). We already have a bunch of fun things we want to do, like go see movies and blueberry picking, so I can't wait to spend time with her. :)<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: The amount of stupid street construction going on around town. Maggie and I had to pick up Mom from the airport yesterday, and we couldn't take the usual route because of repaving or whatever. So that meant more driving time (and an angry Maggie), which wasn't fun. And this isn't the end of it either; it looks like they'll be doing some work along the usual route I take to work, so now I might have to find a new route (unless they leave it open with one lane). Either way, it's stupid, inconvenient, and may bad driving karma fall on those who signed off on this in the first place!<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person: he believed in me." - Jim Valvano
<span></span></div>
<br />
Bye,<br />
Colleen Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-21844170460259054472015-06-14T21:45:00.001-07:002015-06-14T21:45:43.150-07:005 Year ReunionHey-yo, my beautiful blog readers!<br />
<br />
Work was fine this week, but it was also slow in the sense that there were not many interesting customers to imagine stories for. However, I'll try my best! This week is Helga, an old grandmother type with short white hair and the whole 'cardigan and slacks' attire grandparents are known for. She has four grandsons, one of which is having his birthday this month, and believes in the good value of books for entertainment, education, and gifts, preferring them to those new-fangled video games. But she doesn't have the best memory in the world, and she also possesses the ability to lose things she was just holding a minute ago, like book receipts ("I swear I just had them in my hand a minute ago! Did you check the books?"), and then is never able to find them again. Whenever that happens, she starts to blame the person she was supposed to hand the thing to, but eventually realizes that that's not the right thing to do, and does her best to find it or replace it (like get some new receipts printed off). Taking responsibility for accidents and trying to fix them is, after all, one of her best qualities!<br />
<br />
No new news on KCCC yet, but I'll share with you here when I do!<br />
<br />
In <i>M.O.A-27</i>, it's time to go monster hunting! The gang, having realized the connection between Moa, 35, and the black scary monster from both their memories, have decided to find the thing and see what it knows. Surprisingly, Thayer of all people is hesitant about going after it, talking about how if Moa was almost taken down by one of her sister cyborg's, how much powerful would the monster be? And what would happen if it decides to go after him, Shawney, or Ursele when none of them stand a fighting chance (and it could go after them, considering they'll have to split up to find it)? Of course, Thayer also knows that there's no other alternative or lead to follow, so eventually everyone does convince him it's the right thing to do. However, that doesn't change the fact that Renatola is HUGE (roughly the same size as Andorra, that tiny piece of land between Spain and France), with a very large population, and both people and land mass about double when you factor in the Underground. Some logical thinking rules out certain times of the day (the thing starts hunting at sundown and through the night), who it goes after (single people, not groups), and the whole Underground is eliminated from the equation:<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">'"If it wants easy pickin’s it’s not gonna go after ungudies who can put
up a fight. Even if te guy would lose, it wouldn’t be an easy kill," Thayer
argued. "And that’s what te thin’ wants..."' </span></span></i><style>
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<br />
<br />
However, there's still too much ground to cover, so Shawney asks Moa if she can remember any clues from her and 35's memories that might tell them some locations they can start looking. Will she be able to remember anything?<br />
<br />
And Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Ascension Garage Sale! My parish has this awesome sale in their basement each summer, and they have everything: furniture, clothes, books, jewelery, toys, electronics, etc. It's always fun to go and find some nice stuff for a few dollars, and I bought some nice things: some snakeskin flats, a new pair of jeans, some slacks for work, a green button up, some T-shirts, and a very pretty tunic/dress that I can't wait to wear out and about.<br />
<br />
Like 2: Five year high school reunion! Me and about forty of my high school classmates (some of who were the ones who arranged it) celebrated our five years reunion at the local Johnny's Tavern, and it was fun! We had a back room all to ourselves, some good drinks, and tons of pizza, and I got to sit and chat with a bunch of my old friends. It was nice seeing who got married and what everyone was now doing with their lives, and it's nice to know that everyone's doing well. One guy read a list of things that had changed at my high school since we graduated (new babies, new principals, etc.), and there was a poll for certain categories like "Most Eligible Bachelor/Bachelorette", "Most Interesting Job Since High School", "Mostly Likely Came for the Beer", and others. I won the category for "Most Likely to Be Famous by Our Next Reunion" and got some cheap sunglasses as a prize. It was all good fun, and I can't wait for our ten year reunion!<br />
<br />
Like 3: I finally saw <i>Mad Max</i> in theaters, and it was just as awesome as I thought it would be (though it was hard to stay under the speed limit while driving home afterwards)!<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: I did sit in a sticky bar stool while at my class reunion, and while wearing my favorite pair of jeans too. It's not like they're ruined, but still! Ewwww!<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.</span>" -Ashley Montagu<span></span></div>
<br />
See ya,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-75425041074819652462015-06-07T16:28:00.000-07:002015-06-07T16:28:11.092-07:00"Sorry, I'm Back Again!"Good day to you all.<br />
<br />
For those who work in retail, have you ever had one of those customers that, once they're done shopping, just hang around until they find another thing to buy, and you end up thinking, "Good grief, just leave already!"? This week's mini story is about Anna, a bespectacled blond who's just like that. Incredibly indecisive, she doesn't have that great of a attention span, for the moment she sees something 'shiny' (aka something to buy) she gets it, and that happens a lot. Despite loving music, she know nothing about it and insists that there's a difference between a soundtrack and a score ("No, I don't like the listing for the <i>Aloha</i> soundtrack, I'm looking for something else. See if there's an <i>Aloha </i>score.") and will get a little defensive if you try to ask questions for clarification (because she thinks you're trying to make her look dumb). If there's one good point about her spending habits, she's thrifty, buying all but one discount CD. She's also a loving wife and mom, making plans with her husband over the phone and going off to pick up the kids from whatever they're doing.<br />
<br />
Work was work. Employee Appreciation Week has come and gone, but it was good. Got some nice books with a great discount and helped myself to some ice cream from the break room's freezer (they had green tea ice cream. I love that stuff!), so all in all, it was fun. No new information about Comic Con, but you all will be the first to know if anything pops up.<br />
<br />
And it's official people: as of this week, I have resigned from my editor position at The Fashion Foot. Despite asking Dana the boss again if the new position she was offering was paid, she NEVER REPLIED, and I couldn't help but feel like she was avoiding the question. But instead of forcing the issue and possibly putting tension between us, I simply said that while I was thankful for the offer, it was time for me to move on, and Dana understood and thanked me for my hard work. I even got a nice note from my favorite writer telling me she loved how I edited her work and best wishes (which I thanked her for). So thus ends the internship, and like I said last week, there were definitely frustrating times, but I worked on my editing skills and learned new things, so it's truly an experience I'm glad to have.<br />
<br />
Things aren't looking good for Moa in <i>M.O.A-27</i>. She's fine in the fact that none of her systems are damaged due to the coma, but she lost all the info downloaded from 35, and there's no chance of getting it back; 35's head exploded thanks to all the negative feedback. All that's left are the memories that she witnessed, and as Moa explains what she saw to her friends, it sinks in just who 35 was. They didn't (or couldn't) notice it when she was attacking them, but 35 was an actual person once, with thoughts, feelings, and her own life that was taken away from her without her consent. If there were a chance for her to make a new life, it's gone now, and Moa can't help but point out the her and 35's position could've easily been switched; "Why me?", she asks, wondering why it was her that broke free and broke out. Of course, no one knows the answer, and will they ever? That's up to me to figure out.<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Used book sale! Every summer the local library chain has a used book sale, and it's always a highlight of my summer. I got myself a nice selection of books and DVD's (they had a very good selection this year, but maybe that's because I went on opening day), and I even found some things for the grandparents and my sister. Yay for cheap books!<br />
<br />
Like 2: My sister graduated from college this week. I wasn't able to go, but I sent her a nice present and all the warmest wishes I could. Love you, Allison, and congratulations!<br />
<br />
Like 3: Green tea ice cream. Yum! (insert dreamy smile).<br />
<br />
Like 4: "What Would You Do?" I used to watch it a lot, and I had the chance to watch it this week and remember how good it is. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's basically actors/actresses acting out a troublesome situation and you see how regular people react. It's basically the most awesome social experiment ever, and seeing the good reactions reminds me just how good people are all over again.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: Had a bit of a scheduling scare this week. I'd requested the evening of the thirteenth off to attend my high school reunion, but the manager in charge of scheduling missed the memo and gave me the night shift that day. Thankfully we were able to fix it and I was able to find someone willing to swift shifts with me, but for a second I thought I never would. :P<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"What is lovely never dies, But passes into other loveliness." -Thomas Bailey Aldrich
<span></span></div>
<br />
Bye,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-1892192186521841782015-05-31T16:29:00.000-07:002015-05-31T16:29:40.932-07:00Books in A BagGood day to you all!<br />
<br />
Tera is the name of this week's customer story. She's an average height, with orange-blonde way hair in a bun, and a big fan of capris and blouses. She friendly, steady, and has made reading is her life; whenever she has the chance (and the money), she picks a buyable bag in B&N and fills it to the top with books from the bargain section, which after buying takes home and spends the evening reading them all. Unfortunately, because she really loves sitting around and reading, she's not the skinniest person in the world. But she is strong (from carrying heavy bags of books), and she's recently started working out, and has managed to incorparate her books and reading into her workout; she just walks on a treadmill or rides a stationary bike and reads while doing so. Tera's even set goals for herself; once she loses a certain amount of weight, she can treat herself to another bag of bargain books. Her friends think she may have a spending problem and too many books, to which she says, "There's no such thing as too many books," and will believe that statement until she dies.<br />
<br />
This week of work was normal. I think the most interesting part of it was when I was putting 30% off coupons onto some new hardback releases, which may not sound fun, but considering I was at the mall cash register, I was happy for the work (it also helps that the required school summer reading table is there, because that constantly needs rearranging). Other than Tera, there were a lot of nice customers, like this one dad with two little kids who was looking for a Lego Brick Bible (yes, those do exist) and whose son made a little mess with the stationary stand but tried to clean up after himself (when the dad apologized, I told him how about 75% of customers don't clean up after themselves, so the kid was golden in my book for trying to). So all in all, a satisfying week (and no, I don't have any new info about the Comic Con, though Justin the manager did say he would figure out how much merchandise I should bring).<br />
<br />
I think my internship is starting to wrap up, in my mind at least. I mean, there's no set quitting date, and Dana (my boss) says we can stay as long as we want to, but even with the associate position she offered, I think I've learned all I can from this internship. Dana's been good about answering what type of work I'd be doing, but she still hasn't said if it's paid or not. I'm going to ask again, but even if she says it is, either this weekend or the next will be my last time editing for The Fashion Foot. Not to say that it hasn't been fun, though; I've read some really interesting stuff and picked through some good writing, so it was worth it!<br />
<br />
In <i>M.O.A-27</i>, we're finally back in real life as Moa wakes from whatever trance she was in. All her friends are around her, fretting and stuff despite the fact she's a kick-ass cyborg, wondering what went wrong. As Moa tells them her side of the freak out, Shawney and the others tell them her version; to them, it was a cross between a seizure, a coma, and a computer crashing all in one. Starting to run tests on herself, Moa concludes that their description is not far from the truth, for her computer mind took in too much info from 35's head along with an 'unfamiliar file form' (aka the black spot) that acted like a virus. I'm officially at a line where Thayer's wondering why Moa's human brain couldn't help out with the remembering since the brain has the ability to store lots of data without 'reaching capacity', so I'm planning the next few lines to go into how Moa's head works and how both parts may have contributed to her coma. It's fascinating stuff, figuring it out and writing it down. Then again, I find it fun to work out even the littlest details. I wonder if that's due to the story, or due to me being a writer? Hmmm ...<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Employee Appreciation Week started on Friday! From then until the 6th, us lovely employees get a boosted discount on all store items and free ice cream in the employee lounge freezer. I had a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich during my night shift Saturday, and it was good (I honestly can't remember the last time I had one. Isn't that sad?).<br />
<br />
Like 2: Mad Max: Fury Road! I haven't even seen it yet, but if the stuff on Tumblr is any indication, I'm going to love it (I think I already do, actually). The story, the setting, the action; it all looks good, but what's really nice is the characters and how kick-ass all the females are. Can't wait to see it. :) <br />
<br />
Like 3: I've officially taken care of my storage space and everything in it! Some very nice workers from the Salvation Army came over this week and took everything still inside, and I took care of the contract, so that's one lest thing I have to pay for. Oddly enough, I had to keep my lock; I couldn't turn it back into to the lady at the desk, which seems kind of wasteful (can't they use them again), but whatever.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: With all the stored furniture gone, so is the big leather chair and ottoman, which was like the comfiest chair in the world; I remember me and Dad or Mom sitting on it watching TV when everyone was still living together. Goodbye, beautiful chair!<br />
<br />
Dislike 2: Yours truly may have put on some weight. It's not like I can't fit in my clothes, but some of my jeans don't fit and it stinks when you think everything's fine with your body until you step on a scale. Thankfully, I've talked with my mom about it (she's a fitness nut), and have taken the appropriate steps to remedy it, like more running and less junk food.<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."</span> -Thomas A. Edison<span></span></div>
<br />
Bye,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-47997368757355880522015-05-24T21:17:00.000-07:002015-05-24T21:25:32.586-07:00Mr. MustachioHola, compadres! <br />
<br />
In the spirit of my Mexican greeting, this week's customer story is about Jaime, a Hispanic gentleman with slicked back hair, an epic mustache, and a face full of laugh lines. This is evident that he likes a good joke, and is ready to laugh at any little quip he may overhear. He has a heavy accent, having just moved up from the southwest, but he doesn't mind repeating stuff. Since he did just move, he's very interested in learning about the area, particularly the wildlife and the birds, and seems invested in getting a bird-feeder. Jaime's favorite thing to read is biographies. Concerning his family, he has a deep love and respect for his father, and wants to make sure he picks out the perfect present for him. Overall, he's a nice guy who likes engaging in small talk with people and sharing his interests with them, whether it be birds or God.<br />
<br />
Work was work this week. I actually got called in twice because of some sick coworkers, and while it was nice to earn some extra money, I hope everyone's feeling okay. Even better, I had some wonderful customer interactions this week. It always makes your work sweeter when you're helping nice people, and believe it or not, one of the best instances was helping a family after they set the security alarm off. When that happened, they stopped, and I came over and explained how it might be a book's security tag that set it off, and if I could just rescan their books, that would be great. There were two sweet girls who each had a book, and when I was getting the tags off one asked me what I was doing. So I explained the whole process (which I'll put here as well): we basically have a black electric plate called a security pad, and when we rub merchandise on it it deactivates the sticker security tag. The two thought it was really interesting, and the family was just so overall nice. This is definitely one of my favorite customer interactions to date.<br />
<br />
I still haven't decided if I should take the new position for my internship, though my parents think I should ask if it's a paying position. That, along with the details and workload are key to figuring out my answer; if the answer's no, I think I'll stay around until grad school starts. Either way, I have one less writer to worry about; the writer I was lambasting last post is finally quitting (this is her last week), so I no longer have to get angry over the fact she never listened to me. Though I probably shouldn't get mad since it's not my fault in the first place and I have other stuff to focus my energy on.<br />
<br />
Like writing. I'm wrapping up Moa's vision of 35's memories and getting ready to shift back into regular chapter mode. If I haven't said so before, I write in a different style whenever I'm writing Moa's dreams or memories. Compared to the basic third person of the plot, the dream sequences (I call them 'The Dreaming') have a free-verse poetic quality; it's very much like words spewing out with no sentence structure yet still connect together so you can figure out what's going on. You also have clips of remembered conversation to help decipher things, not to mention there's two different fonts I write in to further add to the effect. It's quite fun writing so freely, but there's actually a lot of thought you need to put in so everything adds up (if there's one thing I learned from my college poetry workshops, you can't just put words on a page and think everyone other than you who reads it will understand it). It's good work, though, so I like doing it as I like working with this story in general. It's just so awesome!<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: The customer interactions I've had this week. See above.<br />
<br />
Like 2: My dad flying in to visit for Memorial Day. It's always good to see him.<br />
<br />
Like 3: I got my bookshelf out of storage, and it's now in my room with all my books on it. Oh, what a lovely sight it is. :)<br />
<br />
Like 4: For those looking for some KCCC new, I finally checked out my convention webpage! It's really cool, and the website in general provides a bunch of info, so if you want to check it out, click <a href="http://www.kansascity-comiccon.com/blog/2015/5/16/kccc-creator-guest-colleen-boyd" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: The fact the whole family got to spend Memorial Day down at the family lake house without me. It's not from a lack of trying; I did try and ask for those days off, but it didn't work since a bunch of coworkers asked before me. :P At least I'll get to spend some time with dad when he comes back but before he goes home.<br />
<br />
Dislike 2: Driving home in the rain. We had a humongous rain storm this week when I was working I night shift (we actually lost power for like a millisecond), so I had to drive home in it. Do I like storms when I'm in my house? Yes. Do I like storms when I'm driving through them. NO!<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself." -Octavia E. Butler
</div>
<br />
Adios,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-55304622385145008382015-05-17T13:05:00.000-07:002015-05-17T13:05:28.638-07:00Trying Something NewHello, lovelies!<br />
<br />
So a certain <i>someone</i> (you know who you are) has pointed out that my blog might be getting boring since I talk about the same stuff over and over again. I don't think I do (because what person has the same week over and over again), and if I do, it's because I'm telling you all what really happened, and other than the book stuff my life isn't all that exciting (excuse me for being boring!). But since I don't want to bore my readers, I'm going to try something new by basically inventing a back story for any interesting or annoying customer who comes to B&N.<br />
<br />
So let's start with our first character, and let's call her Rose. She has brown hair in a ponytail, glasses, a slight bit of an accent since she recently moved up from the South, and is married to a husband that lets her take the reins over every single matter. Her hobby is collecting really obscure movies and finding things that also share her name. Used to getting what she wants, Rose is a master of making snide comments that don't really sound snide at all and has a habit of looking at the glass half empty ("It's an out there movie, so I'm sure you won't have it."), which tends to annoy people. She also expects everyone to know what she's talking about, and therefore doesn't bother doing her research when it comes to finding things that she wants. Yet regardless of all this, she's still a Southern belle at heart, and displays that with her excellent manners, saying please and thank you when asking for something, which is why she has plenty of friends.<br />
<br />
So how was my first faux customer roast? Tell me in the comments below!<br />
<br />
Work was normal. Interestingly enough, I had nothing but night shifts this week, which I was fine with. I actually kind of like them; the store's not as busy as it is during the day, so it's more relaxed and I can actually get a breather. It's even better when I'm in the music department because it's practically a ghost town and I can watch whatever movie's showing (it's Paddington this week!). Nothing really interesting to report other than I did confirm with my boss that I want to do KCCC (Kansas City Comic Con). I've answered some questions needed for pamphlets and stuff, and my boss is going to help me figure out how many books I should bring along to sell.<br />
<br />
My internship is getting really busy. I'm now looking after three writers, and the newest one (who I've worked with before) hasn't changed anything about her writing style since I last edited her. If there's no change this week, I promise myself I'm going to report her. But that's not even the biggest news. My intern boss sent me an email this week, not only telling me I was her strongest editing intern, but also asked if I'd be interested in "advancing to a Senior Editor internship"! According to her I'd be the first person ever to have this position, and while she hasn't laid out the details of the job (she says it needs some development on her end), it sounds really awesome. However I can't decide if I should accept it or not because I was actually thinking of leaving once grad school started; I don't know if I'll have the time for it anymore. Yet it sounds exciting and it goes to show how hard I've been working. Thankfully I don't have to answer right away, but right now I'm stumped. What do you guys think?<br />
<br />
In M.O.A-27, Moa has finally entered 35's big black blob after it contacted Moa's own big black blob, and has basically gone into the sleeper mode where she remembers stuff from her old life. The only difference here is that she's remembering stuff from 35's life before and after she was turned into a cyborg. She sees Bentwood giving orders to catch her, as well as clips of 35's old life (it seems like she was quite the party girl. But hanging over all of this is something scary and familiar. Something Moa's seen before, but can't say what it is because she doesn't know. What could it possibly be?<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: I saved a turtle! My sister and I were pulling into our church parking lot when I saw the little guy crawling off the grass and onto the tarmac, so I got out and picked him up. He got as squirmy as a turtle can get, but he didn't go inside his shell, and I got him back to the grass safe and sound. Which is good, because I like turtles! They're just so cute and peaceful with how they don't do anything to anyone.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: I killed a squirrel! I was driving to work, and this car drove past me. Out of nowhere this squirrel came out from underneath it, and instead of running right in front of me, it ran under my own car and got hit by my back wheel. I could actually feel the little bump it made. Yes, they're rodents, but I still feel horrible about it. :(<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
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--></style><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">'"… How the hell can you be
so optimistic all the time?" </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span></span><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Because, bro. <b>Pain and suffering is inevitable, but
misery is optional</b>."' -Author Unknown</span></span></span></div>
<br />
Ta-ta,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-3872806214635315992015-05-10T22:11:00.001-07:002015-05-10T22:14:07.166-07:00Happy Mother's Day!Hey-yo, everyone! How are you all doing?<br />
Work was normal this week. I was place at the mall cash register during all my shifts, which, as you can expect, got rather boring after a while no matter what books are lying around to be straightened up. I just don't get why the mall register doesn't get as many customers as the front one. It's like, half of the people that come into the store come in through the mall entrance, so why can't that half use the mall register when they leave? I don't know. There's not a whole lot that happened.<br />
<br />
I do have some news concerning the stand at Comic Con; I was able to work out a deal with my publisher concerning how to get ahold of some books, but now I need to figure out just how much is enough, and for that I want my boss' opinion, but I haven't had the chance to see him all week. Hopefully I can this time around, because I really want to confirm with him that I can do this.<br />
<br />
With my internship, I got another new writer on my hands, and OH BOY. Her articles were a mess in the sense that she was capitalizing everything and her sentence structure/flow was a disaster. She used multiple words too many times, said the same point in multiple sentences, made weird word choices ... I could go on, but the point is nearly one whole page of my editor notes was donated to listing all the changes I had to make! That was a first for me, but then again, sentence structure (how sentences are put together and how it sounds as a cohesive 'unit') and flow (how sentences interact with one another) is the one biggie that needs fixing in all the articles I've ever read over. It's an work in process for all writers in general (including me) to get to a point where good word choices and sentences come somewhat easily, and all we can do is read our work over many times, learn how to pick the right words and how to construct sentences. What sounds good to the author doesn't necessarily sound good over all, and we learn that over time with help from editors. As it is, this girl appears to need A LOT of help, but she is new, so I'll wait and see what her work is like next week. I only hope and pray that she'll be like my other new writer and listen to my notes.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
In <i>M.O.A-27</i>, Moa's finally exploring the inside of 35's head as she looks out for any info on Bentwood. She's already downloaded a big file, but something has caught her eye; this about invisible blob in 35's systems that's severely out of place. What's even weirder is that Moa has a similar blob in her own computer brain. Not knowing what it is, she reports her findings to her friends. All of them know what has to be done if they want to find out more (to the point where no says, "Let's download it" because they know that's what everyone's thinking), but the nerves are back, because for all they know it could be some sort of virus planted by Bentwood as some sort of failsafe. But speaking of the imagery here, I had fun coming up with what Moa's inner mind looks like when she pulls it up on a computer scre<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">en. It's basically a big glowing blue room with a brain that looks like "a cross between the model of an atom and a spider made of nervous cells", where the electron 'rings' carry all the info that Moa knows. I wonder, though, how it will hold up against the black blob?<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span></span></div>
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Here's the Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Happy Mom's Day, mom! My mom actually flew in today because she'll be spending some time with us, and it was so good to see her. My sister and I picked her up at the airport, then went out for some yummy Mexican food (anyone remember Ponaks?), gave her her Mother's Day presents, and did some shopping. It's going to be great having her around for a while.<br />
<br />
Like 2: I went on a small shopping spree with my sister. We drove up to our really awesome outlet mall, where we stopped at J.Crew (my sister had to return a swimsuit that could only be taken back at that certain store), then went to T.J. Maxx and Designer Shoe Wearhouse. I got a simple yet lovely navy blouse and some pinstriped shorts (originally sixty-two dollars but on sale for ten!), so it was a trip well taken, not to mention I got to spend time with my sister (have I mentioned how much I love her?).<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: Seed pods getting stuck in my windshield wipers. There's a tree right over where I park my car and recently it's been dumping seeds on the window. If's it's sunny, it's not a problem because the wind take them off when you're driving, but it's a pain when it's raining because they get wet and gross and when you try to use the wipers some of the seeds stick and leave streaks behind. Yes, I could remove them from the blade, but not while it's pouring rain out!<br />
<br />
Dislike 2: Washing my bed sheets. I hate this in the sense that it takes the comforter and the blanket FOREVER to completely dry even when the dryer is on its highest level. It wastes energy and time to do it all over again, and since I usually do laundry in the evening (because any other time doesn't work), I sometimes go to bed without the full set (especially if I decide to hang the heavy stuff over the banister to air dry instead of another spin in the dryer).<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.</span>" -Mark Twain<br /></div>
<br />
Ciao,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-31285317328775841262015-05-03T19:31:00.000-07:002015-05-03T19:31:14.039-07:00Stand UpHey howdy hey, folks!<br />
<br />
So after the epicness of last week with the thieves getting caught and justice being served, things have gone back to normal at Barnes and Noble. I'm watching the registers, spying-not-spying on the customers, and keeping my eyes peeled for interesting books. But something awesome did happen; I got invited to host a stand at Kansas City Comic Con! One of my managers took me aside and told me how B&N was looking for local writers to participate since they had a bunch of stands (or maybe it was my manager himself who had the stands; I don't exactly remember) and he asked me if I wanted a stand to promote SWAMP ANGEL at! He talked about how it would be good coverage or my book, and how there might be a chance for me to actually be on some writers panels and talk about writing and stuff. I thanked him immediately for the opportunity and said I would think about it, but secretly my mind was already made up (answer: YES YES YES!). Nothing's set in stone just yet, so I need to figure out my schedule for August and how many books I should have on hand for my stand (I'll have my own stand!).<br />
<br />
In my internship, I was rather surprised this week to discover that one of my writers is quitting. It's one of the two that has a habit of not listening, so I can't help but wonder if I had something to do with that considering my last report to my boss. Now I'm stuck wondering if I should ask the boss if I had anything to do with this, because as much as it annoyed me being ignored, I didn't want anyone to quit over me. But is this something that I can ask her about (this is where my lack of social tack shines brightly :P)? I don't know. At least my other not listening writer showed some important this week; I'm constantly telling her she needed to shorten her links, and she did do that for at least one of her articles. I hope she can show more improvement next week considering I'm going to start asking my writers to email me confirmation that they got my notes and understand what to do. Why didn't I think of doing this before?<br />
<br />
Writing is writing. I still haven't gotten to the actual scene where Moa downloads whatever is in 35's head, but I'm slowly working towards that. I'm excited to describe all that gets into Moa's head, not only because it's an important plot point, but also because I just like describing things; it's fun and a true test of writing and making stuff up. As it is, Shawney's still connecting everything together and Thayer's getting impatient, so if something doesn't happen soon, he's going to break something or pick a fight with Ursele. <br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Possible stand at Comic Con! See above.<br />
<br />
Like 2: My youngest sister is home from college. Her school ends early, so now she's here with me, and it's wonderful to see her; I've missed her a lot. Love you!<br />
<br />
Like 3: I went to a small graduate banquet hosted by UMKC, where I'm going to go to grad school this fall. It was at a professor's house, and the new students and I basically met older students and professors while noshing on some snacks and listening to some awards given out. I was nervous (who wouldn't be surrounded by people they don't know), but everyone was very friendly. I spoke to a lot of people, including my advisor (who's as nice in person as she is over email; we had a brief talk about what classes I want to take), and I found out some more about campus life, including the school's literary magazine and this graduate internship I want to try out for (you edit a magazine, and it counts for school credit. Talk about a learning experience!).<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: Traffic. I got stuck in some driving over to the banquet, and AAAAAHHHHH! I mean, I still managed to get there on time, but why?!<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?" -George Eliot
<span></span></div>
<br />
Goodbye,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-23438725725220082382015-04-26T08:38:00.002-07:002015-04-30T21:11:18.330-07:00Busted!!Salutations, ladies and gentlemen.<br />
<br />
So remember in my last entry when I used the phrase 'grand theft bookstore' to say my work week was normal in the sense no one tried to steal anything? Well, I did have another normal week, but we (the store) actually almost had such an incident! I wasn't working the day everything happened (bummer), but I got the whole story from the manager and I can't help but be impressed with not only how everything turned out, but also with how my manager handled the stinkin' thieves.<br />
<br />
As it is, it actually started a few months ago when two teenage girls stole a bunch of tiny plastic figurines right under our noses (not mine, though, because I wasn't working that day). Management, of course, wasn't happy and made it very clear by hanging a plastic bag full of the boxes the figurines had been in on the 'people to watch out for' billboard along with a security shot in case the two ever decided to come back. Well, this week they did. According to what my boss said, the guy working the mall cash register recognized the two when they came in and called one of the managers, who then called the boss, who confronted the two right at the same cubicle where the figurines had been stolen. What followed was a volley of questions and story changes where the girls said they weren't stealing, then they gave the receipts to a mom, then mom had left, then their phones died, and so on and so forth with my badass boss not taking no for an answer until the two finally admitted that they were stealing. After that, they were taken by mall security to the police branch that's in the mall (I didn't know that was there), where it was was discovered they had stolen merchandise from THREE OTHER STORES on them. Because they stole from four stores in a time range of seventy two hours, they actually committed a felony, and were charged as such, which means it's going to stay on their permanent record or whatever forever; even when they turn eighteen, which is the age records get sealed and stuff, the fact they shoplifted cheap plastic stuff from four stores won't suddenly vanish.<br />
<br />
When I first heard all this, I was angry that these two dunderheads (I want to call them something worse, but let's keep this blog clean, people) would try something like this, and felt those two got what they deserved. And I'm still happy that justice was served, but I can't help but shake my head in disappointment that those girls would screw over their future for some tiny five dollar toys. How could something be worth that? Were they so confident they could get away with it (apparently not, considering the boss said they burst into tears when put in the holding cell)? So concerning the event it's with some mixed feelings of triumph and disappointment, and though shoplifters are always going to be a pain in the butt, the triumphant part of me is going to do my best to catch the badies before the financially hurt the store I love so much.<br />
<br />
After all the excitement with my job, my internship seems kind of boring. I did get a break with one of my doesn't-listen-to-me writers getting temporarily switched to another editor, so that was sweet, as was the smaller amount of articles to edit. However my other writer who doesn't listen was a mess concerning sentence structure and flow with how often she repeated herself, and once again didn't listen to my suggestions. I'm going to email the boss about it (she told me to do so if it happened again), but at this point I'm either going to ask for a new writer or email her directly and figure out just exactly is going on. But it's not all bad; my newbie writer has listened to me so far, and her work has shown obvious improvement since last week. Working with her is going to be a treat.<br />
<br />
Writing is slow in the sense that I'm still at in the scene where Moa's trying to convince everyone to upload whatever info's inside 35's head to her. Or maybe that's just me, because some scenes do seem to drag on. Most of the time it's scenes that are either boring or hard to write, like fight scenes, but every once in a while a scene that I think is going to be fun starts to stretch out. Maybe that's a sign that I need to start wrapping said scene up? Either way, when I get this feeling I just power through because I know what happens next and I want to get there!<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: The shoplifting incident. See above.<br />
<br />
Like 2: My sister Allison visiting. One of her friends from college, who lives in the Kansas City area, was flying home from her study abroad program in Japan, so Allie flew out to essentially get her while some of the mutual friends drove out with Allie's car. They stayed the weekend, and it was fun. Allison and I had a good time showing them Kansas City; we took them to the farmer's market, walked around Union Station, Kaw's Point, and the World War I memorial, visited Crown Center for shakes at Fritz' (where model trains actually deliver your food), and stopped for some good Mexican food at Ponak's. It was great to see her, and her friends were funny and awesome. A short but sweet visit indeed.<br />
<br />
Like 3: Bubble tea. I ordered some when we had some breakfast at the farmer's market, and it was DELICIOUS. Sweet milky tea with gummy balls mixed in; yum! I wonder if I can get some more without having to go back to the farmer's market again.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: The shoplifting incident. See above again.<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Tough times never last, but tough people do."</span> -Robert H. Schuller</div>
<br />
See ya,<br />
Colleen<br />
<br />Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-62986660717932158402015-04-20T23:16:00.002-07:002015-04-20T23:16:44.420-07:00Take Me Out to the Ball Game!Hey-yo! I know I'm a day late; I blame the internship and all the editing I had to do on Sunday.<br />
<br />
Work was normal this week, which basically means no crazy/interesting customers, no grand theft bookstore, and no memberships sold. However, I did, after a very long drought, got more than just emails one day when I managed to sell both a Kids' Club card and a special offer (this special offer being half off a kid's picture book with purchase of another picture book), so I do feel somewhat accomplished this week. The only other thing I can make a note of is one of my managers showing me a new guidebook which I looked through one day when I was working the mall cash register. It touched on some things I didn't know (or forgot), but other stuff seemed to be geared towards employees with a higher position. Which, when I think about it, would be nice. I'd like a full time job in Barnes and Noble and be surrounded by books all day, though I think I'd prefer a customer service or 2nd floor job over cashier if it was full time. :)<br />
<br />
My internship was normal this week, though once again my two regular writers didn't listen to me at all. I know I've griped about it before, and I'm sorry, but I just can't understand why they, as writers, won't at least think about the advice I, their editor, am giving, and more important why they can't do their best to make their drafts as close to perfect as possible. I mean, when I was writing and rewriting SWAMP ANGEL, I made sure to do my best with my spelling, grammar, and sentence flow because I didn't want to give Rich-the-editor a sloppy mess to work with; that felt rude and disrespectful to me. But am I the one in the wrong? An editor's job is supposed to fix mistakes in a piece, so does it not matter what state a written work is in since I'm supposed to correct it all anyway? I don't know, but I do know I'm not giving up on this internship; it's given me a lot of good experience. And my newbie writer listens to my advice, not to mention my boss is on my side, so I guess everything's pretty good after all.<br />
<br />
In M.O.A-27, it's the return of M.O.A-35! Nah, just kidding, but Moa has reminded everyone that she has 35's head with her, and she's suggesting that they somehow hook Moa up to 35 and see what can be learned from the other cyborg's central processor. It's a good idea, but Shawney's slightly hesitant because he's the eletronics guy but has never worked with what Moa's made of. Of course, she says she'll help, and he'll accept it, but is there another reason behind his nervousness? Hmm ... (strokes imaginary beard and smiles mysteriously)<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: I went to my first official Royals baseball game (and no, the one in Arizona doesn't count because it was a practice game). It was awesome; the seats were good and we won, but there was also some fighting in between the Royal and the Athletics with hitting players with balls and lots of booing from the audience. That was actually kinda exciting (because I've never seen anything like it), but I hope the other teams we play aren't<br />
<br />
Like 2: I've found out who my advisor is for UMKC. I've also got my list of classes for Fall term, so now it's time to pick what I want to learn next. Some of them sound like classes I took at Knox, so I'm torn between sticking with what I know or trying something else.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: Return of the Metro Fee paperwork! All right, it wasn't that bad, but it turned out I'd left out some paperwork for my application to get in state tuition, so I had to send them some more stuff. Kinda annoying, but at least the parents and grandparents were around to help! <br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast.</span>" -Charles Dickens<span><br /></span></div>
<br />
See ya,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-62537505155175124072015-04-12T14:22:00.002-07:002015-04-12T14:22:14.115-07:00Easy Going'sHi, my lovely readers! It's been a good week in the sense it's been slow yet steady in pretty much every aspect of my life.<br />
<br />
Work is going well. For the first time in forever I actually worked at the front cash register for a few hours, and I was surprised to discover how much I missed it. I don't miss the long lines where you have to press the emergency, someone get over here and help me buzzer, but I did miss how you're never completely bored up front because there's always someone to check out or something to straighten (the one time a messy customer is actually good). Other than that, I was music and mall cash register again, and maybe the most interesting thing that happened at work this week was me getting called in for an extra shift, which I accepted (gas doesn't pay for itself). However, I have taken up customer watching when there's nothing to do (don't want them to steal something), and this week I've come to a small realization of how grateful I actually am to have had braces because the last two weeks have been nothing but customers with very horrible teeth. Seriously! Of course, not everyone has bad teeth, and those who did were nice customers, but it was just a little reminder of how braces were worth the trouble so my mouth doesn't end up looking gross.<br />
<br />
In my internship, I've finally gotten a new writer. She actually writes, which means she puts out articles of decent length instead of only a few hundred words, which does means more to edit but the pieces read and feel like actual articles. Of course, she's not perfect; while there's no spelling and grammar errors, the way she sets up sentences needs some work. In fact, that's something all my writers need to work on; they all have the habit of writing short sentences that should be combined together and using weird phrasing that sounds awkward when you read it. I've given them some feedback, but once again my two regulars don't seem to be paying my notes any attention. Let's hope the newbie actually listens and learns.<br />
<br />
With M.O.A-27, the characters are still talking about what to do next, but the conversation has taken an interesting turn when they start discussing just why Dr. Bentwood had to make cyborgs and touch upon the 'lore' of these beings and why they're against the law to make. It was mentioned before, but at this point we're getting some more details, like how when the experimentation started in the BW age (Before the War), they used criminals as test subjects so if something went wrong, they wouldn't lose any soldiers that they were hoping to turn into super-soldiers. That didn't help the cyborgs reputation, and what really damaged their rep was how much destruction they brought, both by themselves and when the enemies started looking into how to destroy the other side's cybertronic forces. To quote Shawney:<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">"...people were sick of fighting, and here’s a new weapon to enter the war
force. ‘Yes, it looks human, but it has machine parts in it, and machines have
done nothing but hurt us for forever’. That was the mindset people got, and it
stuck around for a long time.”</span></i><style>
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<br />
<br />
It kinda makes you think about violence and war in real life. Don't you think anyone who holds a gun for too long ever gets tired of it, or wonders how much more will be done to win the battle? <br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Appreciating the fact I went through braces (see above).<br />
<br />
Like 2: Noodles. I've had some macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles this week, and both of them were delicious. God bless the guys who invented noodles, because they're the tastiest stuff on earth!<br />
<br />
Like 3: Extra money from extra shifts. Who can complain about that? Now I have more to buy what I need.<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: People who don't use their lane change signals when driving. It drives me nuts (pun unintended) because it comes out of no where and you don't know what's happening until the other driver does it. If anything, it's bad driving manners, and who knows if something so small can cause an accident? Are people that stupid to forget it? I think they are (I also think I'm turning into my mom, because she hates bad drivers and always complains about it).<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"Grant me the serenity to accept the
things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference." -Reinhold Niebuhr
<span></span></div>
<br />
Good day to you all,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-81364940855715953622015-04-05T22:50:00.001-07:002015-04-05T23:06:39.373-07:00Happy Easter!Hello!<br />
<br />
So after last week's fun filled update with Arizona and all that jazz, everything been back to normal since then. Work remains pleasant; I was watching the music/DVD department again this week, so that was relaxing. Another thing that did happen was I turned in a score sheet completely blank (we have little cards where we tally how many emails, memberships, etc. we get). And it wasn't on purpose; I literally didn't even get a single email that day because there were so few people and the customers I did have didn't want to give it or didn't have one. So that was a first, and though it's not like the end of the world, I hope I don't have to do it again; an empty card feels like I'm not doing enough work (though I always try my best). Just have to keep trying!<br />
<br />
With my internship, one of my writers was transferred to another editor. This one was kind of troublesome, considering that until Boss sat the writers down and told them to stop ignoring the editor's notes, she was one of the biggest offenders (not to mention she misspelled the simplest words). She's improved since then; however, just last week Boss asked me to inform her if any of my writers' articles were too short, and C (let's call her that) sent me one piece that was nothing but a list of spring fashion needs. I don't know if me kindly telling Boss about it was the reason for the change, but I hope C continues to improve with her new editor. As for me, I'll be getting a brand new writer under my wing this week, so let's hope she/he is willing to listen and learn.<br />
<br />
Currently, Thayer is NOT a happy camper in MOA-27. And who can blame him when Moa's just told him that if they all hadn't escaped from Bentwood, he would've been killed with Moa while Ursele and Shawney simply would've had their minds erased? So he's currently have a full blown rage attack, shouting and swearing and kicking about an innocent chair and everyone's letting him do it because his anger is understandable; you would think 'utopia' would've removed these sorts of barriers between everybody despite their lifestyle choices, but sadly that's not true. Those who live the 'bad' lifestyle are bad and thus are treated differently, but it's coming to a point where the question is, who's living the 'bad' lifestyle here; the one full of crime, or the one without truth? Which do you think is worse?<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Easter! I had a wonderful Easter Sunday. I went to Mass with my grandparents, then the three of us met up with some family friends for a delicious Easter brunch at my grandparents' country club. Just as good were the two care packages from Mom and Dad: Peeps, jellybeans, malted milk balls, fruity marshmallows, prickly pear taffy, and a stuffed rabbit. Thanks guys!<br />
<br />
Like 2:I finally got that dreadful Metro Rate paperwork done for UMKC. If all goes well, I'll be getting in-state tuition and not have to pay the out of state price.<br />
<br />
Like 3: I can eat sweets again! Oh, how I've missed you!<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: The fact that many customers don't know how to respect my personal space. When I'm looking up something on the computer in the music/DVD section, I do not have the luxury of having a counter in between me the customer and I like at customer service. As such, a lot of customers think it's perfectly okay for them to stand right next to me and look over my shoulder while I'm searching, completely obvious to the fact I'm trying to lean away from them as much as I can. It's not like I can say anything, because they're the customer and have the right to look and see if we have what they want in stock, but them getting so close is awkward and uncomfortable for me, as I'm sure it is for everyone else (because who likes having someone look over their shoulder? Honestly?). Should I suck it up, or kindly ask them to stand back? I don't know.<br />
<br />
Dislike 2: Bookclub being cancelled. You know how I said I was going to join one? I did, but when I drove to the meeting spot, I was told by the leading lady that she cancelled it because she wasn't feeling well; in fact, she'd sent out an email to all the members telling them about it just moments before I arrived. So that stunk, and now I'm left hoping we can discuss <i>Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i> next month instead of reading another book.<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.</span>" -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe</div>
<br />
See you all again, <br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-37761702524285620452015-03-29T19:00:00.000-07:002015-03-29T19:00:52.881-07:00Hi from ArizonaGood day!<br />
<br />
So if you read the title, the reason I didn't post last week was because I was out visiting my mom in Arizona. It was incredibly fun: I went on two hikes, went to a Royals Spring Training Game, went shopping, visited the Musical Instrument Museum, saw a Coyote's hockey game, and had a general good time. It was kind of like a mini Spring Break. The only part I didn't like were the two RATTLESNAKES I saw on one of the hikes. Very creepy, somewhat scary (considering one shook his tail at Mom), and something I didn't need to see. :P But all in all, a very good trip.<br />
<br />
Work has been going well. I'm still watching over the Music/DVD section a lot, and this week I did a DVD look over for the first time. It's like a CD look through when you're checking for rogue tags, but with the DVDs. And the person working before me had done half of them, so I didn't have to do the whole section. Unfortnately I had to look over the TV DVD section, which is the biggest section of the store with really high walls; there was so much to do it took two shifts to look it over. Please just stick me with the CDs next time, please!<br />
<br />
In other work news, I think I got asked the stupidest question by a customer to date. I was working the mall entrance when it happened. You see, across from the B&N mall door is this station of shopping carts for kids; you know, the ones with the little plastic cars built in for the kid to sit while Mommy shops. You basically put quarters in the machine to rent it out, then bring it back when you're done. Well apparently one machine ate the quarters but didn't hand out a cart, so this lady came over and reported it to me. This came completely out of nowhere; I never thought I'd hear anything about this, considering it's SO obvious B&N and the cart dispensers are two separate companies. Of course, I didn't point that out, and simply told her to inform the mall security about it. But that was one thing I never saw myself getting asked because, like I said, it's so completely obvious B&N doesn't control the carts! Use your eyes and observe, people! If I ever get asked/informed about this again, it'll be too soon. <br />
<br />
The internship with The Fashion Foot goes on! Thankfully the writers took note of the boss's email telling them to pay attention to the editor's notes, because their work has been looking better this week. Or course, that's to say they're not perfect; some of their mistakes leave me thinking "How in the world did you forget to do this?", but they're better. And with my advice, they'll get as close to perfect as they can. As it is, there's a line of Sailor Moon-themed bags coming out in Japan, snake skin is in (the irony), and bold, bright stripes are the latest trend. I actually saw some of the bags, and they're pretty cute, but I don't know what to say about the stripes. I'm picky when it comes to patterns, not to mention the whole 'horizontal stripes make you look fat' thing. What do you think of patterns in clothing?<br />
<br />
In MOA-27, I've reached what I think to be a real breakthrough in the story. The gang's still in Thayer's hideout, but the breakthrough isn't plot; it's a realization. Basically, with all the trouble of the last mission and losing Len, Ursele has come to see that Moa is a completely different person than who she was before. Aria, Moa's former self, is dead, and Ursele's been holding onto hope that Moa would be just like Aria. But the mission's made her realize differently, and Ursele says as such, apologizing for her behavior and saying how she would like to get to know Moa. It's so deep writing this, thinking about what kind of release and discovery this is; it's sad, but so wonderful to write. Scenes like this are the things stories are made of. The problem now is, does Shawney and Thayer ever come to this realization as well? And do they want to?<br />
<br />
Bi-Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: My trip to Arizona. See above. <br />
<br />
Like 2: Running into more old friends! This time my guy friend Chris popped up out of the blue during a break cover shift, and it was really nice to see him. We talked about school and jobs and stuff, and it was really fun catching up. I really should Facebook him!<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: Venomous snakes. Constrictors I like, and think are cool, but poisonous snakes like rattlesnakes just creep me out. It's something that can kill you, and you're standing only a yard away from it; who wouldn't feel freaked out about that?<br />
<br />
And quote:<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." -Judy Garland
<span></span></div>
<br />
Bye-bye,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-3232658787554679502015-03-15T18:06:00.000-07:002015-03-15T18:06:32.886-07:00Not So Surprising CustomersHowdy, y'all!<br />
<br />
Work was fine this week. I was actually at the mall cash register most of the time, and we all know what that's like. Though to be fair, I did have a lot of customers on Saturday (because it was Saturday), and two of them were my grandparents! Despite me working at Barnes & Noble for so long, they haven't had the chance to come up and see in my workspace. But they made time this week, and they saw me ringing up and talking to customers and said I did a good job. My grandmother also got her membership renewed by me (which is good, since I could always use more numbers), and it was just a nice little talk out and about the home.<br />
<br />
For my internship, I finally broke down and sent a message to my boss explaining my concerns about my notes being ignored by my writers. As it turns out, ignoring editor notes seems to be a trend among all the writers for The Fashion Foot, and she promised to send a letter out to all the writers about it. I think it worked, because the pieces I edited this week were neater than usual. On the other hand, there's this one writer of mine (let's call her C) who actually sent me a note asking how she could be a better writer. Not that that was bad in itself, but it gave me the feeling that she didn't get my boss's note about reading the editor's notes, so I had to basically remind her to look over the stuff I write every week. On top of that, C posts her stuff late and doesn't add enough tags to her work, so I have to wait to get it done. According to her, she has computer difficulties, and maybe she does, but if this continues, I'm going to have another Megan on hand (you remember the one writer who posted stuff late at night?), so I'm thinking of sending another note to the boss and asking her to 'check in' on C and confirm some things for me. Let's get this figured out!<br />
<br />
With <i>MOA-27</i>, we're just about in the latest hideout, a building under the Underground. From there out lovely heroes need to work out a new plan, but given their surroundings and how everything's gone for them so far, they're a little desperate. Maybe the head of evil cyborg M.O.A-35 will provide some clues, but how. More importantly, is Moa wanting to know the complete truth? It's getting to the point where she knows she can't turn away since she's in too deep, but she's also getting hesitant about going any farther because she's actually starting to worry about what she may find. What will she find? Only I know! But seriously, it's fun envisioning Moa's transformation and getting it all down in words. I really like this manuscript, and I'm so happy I thought it up.<br />
<br />
Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
<br />
Like 1: Grandparents popping in at work to say hello. See above for more details.<br />
<br />
Like 2: Book club. The parents have been asking me to do something fun, so I've joined a book club. It's actually hosted at Mysteryscape (the bookstore where I had my <i>Swamp Angel</i> signing) and it's a sci-fi/fantasy club, so I'm looking forward to it. We're reading <i>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</i> for April, and I can't wait to read it.<br />
<br />
Like 3: I got my hair cut this week over at the salon my grandma frequents. It's a good place full of experienced hair dressers; my hair's never looked better. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they tell my grandmother how much they love and want my hair. :)<br />
<br />
Dislike 1: ... (I actually can't think of anything bad that happened this week. There was nothing terribly exciting, but nothing bad either. ^_^)<br />
<br />
And quote!<br />
<br />
<div class="copy-paste-block">
"Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself." -Richard Bach (the quote I chose for my senior high school yearbook)<span></span></div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span><br /></span></div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span>See ya next week,</span></div>
<div class="copy-paste-block">
<span>Colleen</span></div>
Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-89527107999932087642015-03-08T20:14:00.000-07:002015-03-08T21:20:28.962-07:00Little VisitsSalutations, my lovelies!<br />
<br />
Just like last week, this week of work was quite slow. I was placed in the music/DVD department for all of my shifts, and when I wasn't helping customers or watching whatever was showing at the moment (there's currently a choice between <i>The Boxtrolls, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, or Arthur's Fountain Abbey</i>), I got to stroll around and look at interesting movies and CD's. It's actually the most peaceful part of the store, even more so the mall cash register (ironic given it's the section where all the noisemakers are), but you still have to keep an eye on customers so they don't walk out of the section with an unpaid disk of some sort (because we prefer people paying for music/movies in the music/movies sections). Probably the most exciting thing that happened at work was getting a call in order to put a record on hold (we do sell records and record players). I was able to find it, and the whole process went smoothly which made me happy that I was able to help someone. But this week, turtle fast as it was, still wasn't without its frustrations, and that was the fact two customers hung up on me when I (politely) told them we didn't have the item they were looking for in stock. One guy at least actually said, "Thank you" before hanging up, but the other customer was all, "Oh, I see," before dropping the call. They could have at least held on for me to offer to order whatever they needed. I mean, it's not like these two people were the worst customers ever, or that their behavior ruined my day, but should they have been so abrupt about it? I don't know, but what's done is done. Carry on, Colleen!<br />
<br />
I got a break with my internship this week. For reasons unknown two of my writers were temporarily switched with two others, and I only had to edit five pieces this week! Of course, I still did a fabulous job cleaning them up, and in turn learned abut Fashion Week in Milan (pastels and roses are in), and saw Kate Middleton in her swanky maternity wear (when I have kids, I hope I can look that good). And there's some new hair product out by the Kardashians (not a fan of them, but at least they're no Jersey Shore. Yuck!) that I may want to try on my hair. Apparently their Smooth Styler Blow Dry Cream is a miracle worker for frizzy hair, which sounds like exactly what I need, because as much as I love my curly hair, I end up wearing it in a ponytail about 75% of the time because of how messy it can regardless of what I put in it. Maybe this will help (or maybe I just need to learn what I actually need to do to keep it under control).<br />
<br />
To my latest about my book, let's get to the main antagonist now that all our heroes have been covered. Out bad guy is Dr. Kendarius Bentwood, who's the CEO of New Horizons Labs, the number one science organization in Renatola, and the Chairman of Science Studies on the Illusions King's council (the Illusion King is king of all Renatola, and like with our own government, certain officials are selected to the king's council to watch over certain parts of the government; ie, Bentwood modulates all technological/scientific study to make sure it's beneficial and doesn't break any rules). He's a really important figure in Renatola life, but as the readers, we know better! After all, he's broken the 'no cyborg' rules by creating Moa and her fellow M.O.A's for a purpose only he knows of, and he has everyone fooled into thinking Moa's some some runaway robot meant for police use that's been programed wrong. He's paternal in the sense he knows more than what he lets on, he's always exceedingly calm to the point where he doesn't show any negative emotion, and he keeps his card close to his chest; despite Moa and her friend's best efforts, they have discovered little of what Bentwood's planning on. And if he does his best, it'll stay that way.<br />
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Well, that was kind of dark. Let's lighten things up with some Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
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Like 1: I got to see my sister and dad this weekend! They came flying in thanks to some short school/work breaks, and it was great to see them since I've missed them so much. We got to spend Saturday together, and it was a good day: Dad and I had ate out, then we drove up to UMKC to see what the campus is like (it's enormous compared to Knox, but thankfully it's all in one place AND it's only a few blocks away from the fabulous Kansas City Plaza). Once that was done, we met up with Maggie, and we ended up going to the Prairiefire Museum and saw their free dinosaur displays before having dinner with the grandparents. It was all good fun, and it's always great to see family even for a little while. Love you guys! <br />
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Like 2: My official acceptance letter for UMKC came in the mail! Little beats the pride of seeing an acceptance letter when you've worked really hard on earning it. A bunch of paperwork came with it telling me what I need to do next (much less fun filling that stuff out), but I've gotten some of it done, and there's no immediate rush on anything. I'm just still so happy I got in.<br />
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Like 3: Dad fixed my car. Remember when I said the front dome light wasn't turning off so I had to remove the light bulbs? I'm kinda embarressed to admit it, but it turns out there's these two hidden buttons on the dome that can turn one light on and off, so I guess I somehow clicked one button, turned it on, and thought the bulb or the wiring was to blame. Oops. :P But everything's back together, and I don't have to spend money of getting it looked over. Car problems solved!<br />
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Dislike 1: Customers who just hang up on the phone. See above.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." -Lao Tzu<br />
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Love you all,<br />
Colleen </div>
Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-20887600581785168622015-03-01T21:18:00.001-08:002015-03-01T21:18:27.537-08:00Slip N' SlideHello, my lovely readers!<br />
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So work was very quiet this week, with two night shifts in the music/DVD department and another being a cover for everyone's fifteen minute break. Not too much to report, but during one shift when it was really slow, my boss brought out some construction paper, markers, and stickers to make a 'scrapbook' with the tally sheets we've been keeping. Remember those? The new policy where cashiers mark down how many emails, memberships, etc. we get? Well me and some of my coworkers got to to go through through them all, pull out the best, then tape them onto the construction paper that everyone had decorated. I'm quite proud to say that many of my own tally sheets were picked out and posted, and I can't wait to see the results when I go in for my next shift. Hopefully this will give everyone the drive to do their best and work harder!<br />
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My internship is going smoothly as can be. Not much is happening here either, but I'm still enjoying it. It's hard not to when I get to learn about all sorts of interesting fashion stuff. Like, do you know there's a perfume out there that costs $1,150 because of the jasmine ingredients and crystal bottle!? And on kickstarter.com there's this campaign for making a line of gender-neutral shoes. I've actually looked over the webpage, and the ankle boots are pretty cute. Again, I'm no shopaholic, but I like good clothes and looking good, so it's nice getting all sorts of tips from editing these articles. It also helps that I get exposure to some nice merchandise I'd like to buy myself. For instance, this week there was an article about tank tops from lookhuman.com, and I fell in love with this one:<br />
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I'd like to think this suits me. Another something for my mental wishlist (to be used for birthdays and Christmas only!).<br />
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I haven't heard anything on the book front, but speaking of books, let's pick up on where I left off last week talking about <i>M.O.A-27</i>. Now if you recall, I was talking about the Underground and the role it plays both in the story and with one of our main characters Thayer Hooliban, since you can't understand the man Thayer is without knowing about where he came from. But now we can talk about him, so here it goes. Thayer Hooliban is a friend of Shawney's, though it hasn't been revealed yet how they met. He (Thayer) is a full ungudie, born and raised in the Underground, where he lives and workers as a professional fighter in the Underground fighting ring known as the Tar Pits (because that's where you got to get the tar beaten out of you). He's one of the best, and how he fights is a good reflection of what he's like as a person; vicious, lethal, quick, and crude, but still realizes the value of life, which is why he doesn't follow the 'kill the loser' policy of the Tar Pit. He visits his Renatolian friends frequently, being one of the handful that go up on a frequent basis, and takes exceptinal pleasure in poking, prodding, and generally annoying the hell out of Ursele (like a little preschool boy with his first crush? That just may be). But for all his swearing, scruffy appearance, and lack of manners, he's a loyal and decent person who likes his friends and is more than willing to help Moa figure out the mystery she's in the middle of.<br />
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Now, to our regularly scheduled Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
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Like 1: Face Off. For those who don't know what that is, it's an epically awesome contest show of the Sci-Fi channel based around movie makeup and effects. Each week the contestants have to make some type of creature based off a prompt with molding latex and rubber into these awesome costumes. It's just amazing to see the creative process at work with the sketching and the creating and the final results. Not to mention I love creating creatures as well (though getting them to look like what I imagined on a piece of paper is a whole other story). I've known the show existed for a while, and I even saw a few episodes before, but this week I had the chance to catch up and watch this season up to its most current episode, so there are definite plans to continue watching.<br />
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Dislike 1: Ice on the road. We got a lot of snow here, which has led me to the discovery that I HATE driving on icy roads. Coming home from work last night was horrible; I went under the speed limit, and I still felt the tires sliding around underneath me at times. I got home safe and sound with no damage to my car, but I can't wait for the roads to clear up.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done."</span> -Amelia Earhart<span> </span></div>
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<span>See you later,</span></div>
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<span>Colleen </span></div>
Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-27504611674624317262015-02-23T20:53:00.001-08:002015-02-23T20:53:17.749-08:00I GOT IN!!!Good day to you all!<br />
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So, work was work this week. I did nothing but cash register work for the most of it, although I did get one day of being everyone's fifteen. Have I talked about that yet? I basically work a few hours at one spot, then I spend the rest of my shift covering everyone else's fifteen minute breaks. This means I can over at the music section, at customer service, upstairs, and at the mall cash register all in an hour, and while this may sound tiring, I like it. I'm not stuck in one place for a long time and I get to change what I do, which always stops work from getting tedious. So that was fun, as was pulling a last minute miracle in selling two memberships during the last hour of my night shift on Saturday!<br />
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My internship is back on track. My boss emailed us all and while she didn't say why the picture upload wasn't working last week, she figured it out and we could upload pictures this week. The missing editor who took a week off came back, so it was back to the normal amount of work. Not only that, I figured out something about one of my writers. You see, we put tags on articles so readers can find similar pieces one they're done reading, and one writer wasn't posting enough tags. I was getting annoyed, but I've found out that she's having issues attaching tags to her articles. And it made me wonder: how much of what's wrong with an article is possibly the website's fault? Either way, I think I need talk out issues with the writers email to email instead of automatically assuming they're not reading my notes or something.<br />
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Onto my book! I've realized that there's one character I haven't talked about yet, and that's our dear ruffian Thayer Hooliban! But first, some quick background: Renatola (the city-country everyone lives in), strives to be perfect, but also realizes that creating utopia is hard. As such, crime and poverty aren't so much as eliminated as simply <i>put somewhere else</i>. 'Somewhere else' is called the Underground, basically a city under the city where the law doesn't apply. There's all sorts of bad stuff there, and those who live there (called ungudies) do so by choice or by the fact they were born there. A handful go up top, but a lot of above people come down to have all the drugs and sex and whatever else they want without getting into trouble. There are times, however, when the 'activities' of the Underground come to Renatola, and when that happens, police raid are sent down below to arrest criminals and close down the biggest and most offending businesses, basically thinning the Underground out so it leaves up top alone. But of course, people are resilient, so eventually said businesses open back up, though ungudies usually do their best not to give the police a reason to visit.<br />
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And I'll tell you about Thayer next week. Onto the Weekly (Dis)Likes!<br />
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Like 1: I GOT IN!!! I got a phone call from UMKC saying that my application's been accepted! There's supposed to be some stuff coming in the mail, but if things turn out well, I'll be an attending grad student this fall. YAY!!!!!!!! <br />
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Like 2: I have recently discovered the wonder story that is <i>Jane Eyre</i> by Charlotte Bronte, and it's wonderful! It started when I was surfing through Netflix and came across the movie from 2011, which I watched, and it was so good I found a second movie (from 1996) and watched that as well. It's such an excellent story, with mystery, romance, and a hint of Gothic undertones, not to mention the titular character is a badass in how she stays true to herself and keeps her integrity when nearly everyone her has none. I got myself the book, which I plan to read one of these days, and it's a book/movie that I recommend all you readers to watch as well.<br />
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Like 3: Shopping! I received $100 dollars worth of gift cards to J.Crew, so I did a little retail therapy on one of my days off. They had some nice stuff on sale, and in the end I bought some skinny leg, gray slacks and a white blouse with a pattern of black keys. Wore them together to work, and got a lot of compliments on it!<br />
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Dislike 1: At the same time, I got notice from KU saying my application has been declined. BOO! I'm not going to say it didn't sting a little, because it did, but it's okay since UMKC said yes. As far as I'm concerned, it's KU's loss. :P<br />
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Dislike 2: I had a bit of a scare with the cops this week. I was driving home from work on Metcalf when a cop started driving behind with his lights on, and I started internally panicking, wondering, "Oh my God, what did you do?" because I didn't know if I'd done something wrong or what. So with a deep breath, I pulled over to the side and got ready to apologize for my driving error. THANKFULLY, the cops drove right by me, speeding off to somewhere else they were needed, so I guess I didn't run a red light or anything. Which is good, but the situation was still scary overall.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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"The power to question is the basis of all human progress." -Indira Gandhi
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See ya later,</div>
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Colleen</div>
Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-71382684186529466862015-02-15T14:17:00.001-08:002015-02-15T18:04:32.577-08:00Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!Hi, everyone. For those first time readers, welcome! For those returning, thanks for being such loyal readers!<br />
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Work was fine this week in the sense I only had a three day work week. I think the last time I had one of those was back when I first started working at Barnes & Noble last year, so it was kind of weird yet relaxing at the same time; I made sure to put that extra day off to good use! Otherwise, I did a good job selling memberships again. I'm not getting my hopes up, but I can't help but feel there's a chance I might be at the top of the sales percentage list for this week, which would be good. What wasn't good was the two screaming kids I had standing in the check-out line when I was on the register one day. Usually I like kids, and would like to have some myself in the future, but when you have sensitive ears like mine, crying kids SUCK. I mean, if I hear one bawling, I go in the opposite direction as fast as I can, but I couldn't because I was on the main register, and basically had to flinch my way through two moms trying to purchase stuff and keep their brats under control. The second kid wasn't as bad as the first, given the husband was and took the kid away when it was Mom's turn to check out, but the first was in his mom's arms while she was buying stuff, and that wasn't fun at all for either of us. Should they have apologized for that, though? I wasn't offended that they didn't, but I'm asking as someone who wants to know what to do in any situation since I don't like not knowing what to do if something goes wrong. Do any moms reading know the answer?<br />
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I had a lot of work with my internship this week. For some reason one of the other editors had to take this week off (I hope everything's okay), so her work was split between me and the third editor (there are three of us). That's not too big an issue, considering the extra articles weren't any longer than the ones I edit on a daily basis, but I was stuck looking over that one writer I've talked about before who drove me nuts with her lack of skill. I cleaned it up as best as I could, but I'll be happy when the other editor returns. And at least I don't have to write work reviews this week; the boss is rewriting the review sheet we fill out for each writer, so we just have to answer some basic questions instead. What is a problem is that the editing site we use won't allow us to upload the photos we need for our articles because there's 'not enough space to upload'. I sent an email to the boss telling her this, but I haven't gotten a reply yet. I hope she talks soon, because I don't want to get in trouble for something I can't fix.<br />
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Writing is writing. I'm moving along with the fighting scene. Moa's coming pretty close to ending the enemy cyborg, but what's to happen afterwords? I'm debating whether she blacks out again or stay awake and runs away with them, given how many times before she's blacked out. I don't want here to appear weak and let the black out thing get too old since I do NEED to use it one last time. But we're getting towards a very important part of the plot, with the introduction of a character that's been in the shadows until now, but is the complete and total reason why Moa is what she is now. I can't wait to get to it!<br />
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Like 1: Valentine's Day care package! I got a box of goodies from my mom in the mail! There was homemade heart-shaped cookies, Peeps marshmallow hearts, Girl Scout samoas, a fuzzy red heart plushie, and a candy heart toy from McDonald's (it's a joke since she knows I hate fast food). Thanks Mom!<br />
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Like 2: Valentine's Day. Or, in my case, Single Awareness Day! Yeah, I didn't have a significant other to spend the day with, but I did have the day off, and there's just something about holiday days, whether you celebrate them or not, that just makes your day better. So I spent my V Day editing, relaxing, watch Youtube videos, snacking on the treats from my mom's care package, and basically pampering myself. Aaaahhhhh ...<br />
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Like 3: Three day work week. See above.<br />
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Like 4: A unexpected gift from one of Grandma's friends. Grandpa and Grandma went out to dinner with their friends the Kilkennys, and while they were getting ready to go, Mrs. Kilkenny gave me a little piece of needlepoint that my grandmother had given her.<br />
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What's cool about this is that Grandma had originally made it for my great-grandma, who I remember as being a really nice lady who had a house full of the most interesting stuff. I didn't see this coming, but I said thanks a whole lot, and it's going to stay with me for a long time. I think when I get my own place, I'll hang it in the bathroom, which I'll paint green and gold and give a nice plant theme to. Would that be good? Either way, thanks Mrs. Kilkenny!<br />
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Dislike 1: Screaming kids. See above. <br />
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Dislike 2: Picture problems. See above.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"You are remembered for the rules you break."</span> -Douglas MacArthur</div>
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Good day to you all,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-63304301755225395942015-02-08T21:22:00.000-08:002015-02-08T21:22:12.806-08:00Here's Me With the NewsGood evening everybody. This is the lovely Colleen Boyd reporting live from the comfy confines of her bed!<br />
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So what was work like this week? It was work. I had a night shift, was stuck at Mallcatraz (what we call the mall entrance cash register because you're basically isolated back there) twice, and I had a second floor shift as well. I can happily say that this week's working on the second floor was not as stressful as last week, given that I wasn't overwhelmed by customers asking me if I could help find this or that, although I was placed on both the front and mall registers occasionally because other employees called out or were late. I was even told by my manager that a customer told him about the fantastic service I provided, so that really made my day. True, I didn't get any memberships this week, but you maybe get like ten customers per mall shift, and how many out of of ten will buy a membership? Not good odds, I'll tell you!<br />
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My internship's going fine, although all my writers are driving me a bit nuts. We have these Word documents where we basically write about what needed to be fixed in each article and what improvements can be made for next week, which isn't bad, but it's starting to feel like they don't read all the comments I write down, because sometimes they change things to go along with my suggestions but sometimes they don't. Not enough tags for one article? Still not enough next week. Needs more contractions (don't, isn't, we'll, etc.)? That's not happening either. I'd like to think myself as tolerant, so it's going to take some more of this before I write to my boss about it, but I do hope they take all my advice seriously, because I'm really just trying to help.<br />
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Writing is picking up! Not in the sense of hearing anything from Leticia or Rich-the-editor, but I got a lot done in getting back to my usual schedule. Right now I'm writing from Shawney's point of view, and he's just taken a bad blow from an evil cyborg sent to bring Moa back to Dr. Bentwood. He's bleeding and can't talk, but he can hear and see what's going on around him, and what he's hearing isn't good; Moa's gone on a wild rampage and, while's she's kicking major butt, Thayer's house is in danger of collapsing and the cops could show up at any moment! Can Moa beat her evil 'sister'? Will Shawney live? Will all of them manage to escape in time? I know; do you? (Keep reading this blog if you don't!) ^_^<br />
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Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
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Like 1: Ritz crackers. Buttery, salty cracker goodness. Yum.<br />
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Like 2: Getting back on track with my writing. See above.<br />
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Like 3: Getting a 'hi' note from my friend Lauren, who says she's been thinking about me and says we should meet up. I'd love to!<br />
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Dislike 1: Being interrupted when I'm talking about the membership. This is a new something to add to the "Stupid Things Customers Do" list. I mean, I'm not saying you have to BUY it, but can you at least let me finish asking if you'd like to buy one before you say no, not in the middle of my sale attempt. No one likes being interrupted, people!<br />
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Dislike 2: The fact I'm sleeping too much. I've completely screwed up my sleeping schedule, and now it feels like I'm sleeping half the day away. It's affecting all the stuff I usually like to do, so I need to straighten this out NOW.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men."</span> -Herman Melville</div>
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Signing off,<br />
ColleenColleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2952359891262386319.post-11872630997479815962015-02-01T22:09:00.001-08:002015-02-01T22:09:28.781-08:00Perfect DayHello! For those who haven't been sucked into the Superbowl and are reading this instead, thank you very much!<br />
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Work this week was a mixed bag in the sense one day was perfect, one was stressful, and the rest were average. What happened on the good day (which was a cash register day) was that I got three new registrations for memberships AND I got complimented to my face about providing such good customer service! That's never happened before, so even if I hadn't gotten a single membership that day, the compliment would've made it. On the other hand, on Saturday I was on second floor customer service, and though I like being up there, it had its moments; I had to make an order for some old lady who didn't know what she wanted (as in she didn't tell me anything other than she wanted a connect-the-dot book that I couldn't find in our systems) and right after that I got swamped by three customers asking for three totally different things and one of the newbie workers there asks me to help her find a book. I do not deal well with stress at all, so this situation completely stunk (though my manager gave me a pep talk afterwords, so Saturday wasn't complete bust). And I'm probably making this sound worse than it is; all in all, this was a good work week.<br />
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One last thing about work was that we got some new cash register policies. For those who work there, you really got to focus on the membership: we now have to put a flyer in each customer's bag and highlight the amount the person would've saved on their receipt if they don't have one. I'm not complaining (since that's how I got three memberships this week), but we also have to keep score sheets now. For every time we get a membership, a renewal, an email, etc., we tally on a slip of paper that we stick in a box at the end of the shift. That's not too bad either, though I did get nervous when I first learned about it (it's like, you don't get enough marks, you're in trouble), but my coworker Kari said not to worry because no one's been fired for not selling enough memberships (all we can do is try, after all).<br />
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Compared to work, my internship was simple. Got my articles, edited them, added pictures, and sent them back. There was one annoyance, though, and it was an article on the national costumes in the Miss Universe contest. It wasn't even really an article (more like a paragraph with a bunch of pictures), but she still had four misspelled words, and they were easy to spell words, like 'although'. Combined with some other errors, and it felt like she rushed writing that article. And maybe she did; maybe life got in the way and she had something else to worry about. I'm not one to judge, but I did make a note of it in my notes to slow down. Let's see if it helps.<br />
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Writing is back to normal as well. I've made a little headway in getting back on track with 'MOA-27', but after last week's excitement, haven't heard from Leticia. It's only been a week, though, so let's give it some time.<br />
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Weekly (Dis)Likes:<br />
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Like 1: The little girl who entertained herself by reorganizing the mini stuffed animal display at work. When I was on second floor duty, I saw a little girl basically organizing the toys into groups based on what they were. There's a Lego play table right next to this display for kids t play at while their parents look over books, but cleaning was more interesting to her. Thanks for the help, kid! <br />
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Like 2: Seeing my old high school English teacher. When I was behind the cash register, up came Mrs. Kolich. It was a surprise to see her, but a good one nevertheless. She told me how things at St. James are going (great, for the most part), and how her daughters, who I was/is friends with, are doing (they're doing good as well). It was good talking to you, Mrs. Kolich!<br />
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Like 3: Going grocery shopping all by myself. Ran out of food, so I ran by Walmart to pick up some stuff. There's something incredibly satisfying about doing this kind of shopping, and I got all kinds of good food.<br />
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Like 4: New books! What's not to like about new books!? <br />
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Dislike 1: The cold weather has returned with a vengeance! Why, Mother Nature, why!?<br />
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Dislike 2: Getting stressed out at work. See above.<br />
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And quote!<br />
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<span class="bqQuoteLink">"Winners never quit, and quitters never win.</span>" -Vince Lombardi<div class="bq-aut">
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See ya,<br />
Colleen Colleen E. Boydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06613741983855905295noreply@blogger.com0