Wednesday Randoms

One Day at a Time

A few things going on. For starters, I have a tooth in pain right now. I am off tomorrow and I’m going to get a crown on it. I’m pretty sure that’s the tooth hurting as there are no other teeth near the source of pain listed on my treatment plan. Tooth pain is hard to pinpoint sometimes though, but that’s got to be it. It’s amazing how I wait until the last minute. Serendipitously (is that a word?) I get it fixed just in the nick of time, before it gives me major trouble. I was not having any pain when I made the appointment earlier this week but it just started today, one day before I am to have work on it. It was the same way with the others. And I’ve held out on each round of work until finances were available. That’s pretty coincidental too, that my finances have been there just in time with these things. I’ve now got enough money in the bank to finish out my dental work and that’s what I intend to do. Getting regular checkups now so hopefully I won’t get behind again. Don’t think I will. I was worried (as I said in a previous entry, I think) that the work would pile up faster than I was able to afford, but I have averted that, apparently.

A little worried about a situation at work that happened two days ago. I am in electronics but occasionally I have to do wireless stuff (even though I am not a wireless associate, technically). I set up a phone contract with Sprint and normally they go off without a hitch. But I screwed one up the other day. Actually, everything was 100% accurate except I put in the wrong phone model. I put "Evo" instead of "Evo Shift". I even put in the right terms for the contract, and also the correct IMEI number of the phone. When I tried to make the sale I realized I had made a mistake when it tried to charge the customer the wrong amount. So, I got the help of a wireless associate and she fixed the problem. She called Sprint and they deactivated the phone, then reactivated it with the correct phone model listed in the contract (with Sprint). So, problem fixed, for the customer anyway. But my department and zone managers seem to think it’s going to screw up the inventory system and add to "shrink" . . . basically we will lose the value of the phone in our inventory. I don’t see how it will do that because I never actually completed the sale of the "wrong phone". But I’m not 100% sure how the inventory system works . . . does it deduct the phone from inventory at the point of contract or later at the point of sale? Thinking about it makes my brain hurt. I’m not sure how it’s going to effect inventory. It was a simple mistake I will be sure not to make again. I mean, the phone was sold, I just don’t see how they can say we lost the phone in inventory, I don’t know. I haven’t gotten in trouble for it (other than my superiors telling me I screwed up and not to let it happen again). The customer was satisfied. So I guess I am OK. I just hope it doesn’t come up later if the phone does count toward shrinkage of inventory and the loss prevention people want answers. So, there’s that, and also, I find my new manager hard to talk to. Very blunt personality with her words and actions. I don’t think she likes me very much but it’s probably just her personality. All this, yet they’ve made me full time. Go figure.

One other thing at work I’m perplexed by is why they’ve had the flag out front at half mast for two days now. I was thinking why that could be. I couldn’t imagine why. The only major thing I could think about was the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but that is an international tragedy, not a national one (for the U.S.). No disrespect to those suffering in Japan, but I thought to myself how absurd it would be if we are flying our flag half mast because of it, as it has nothing to do with a national tragedy, U.S. memorial, or anything. OK, I just did a little research on the internet as I was sitting here. Apparently it has something to do with the recent death of the last World War I veteran. I didn’t realize. Now I do. Problem solved. Why two days though . . . the news story I read said it was only officially ordered for one day, March 15, and only at federal institutions and buildings, which we are not (but I guess any such order from the President can only be restricted to such locations, as whomever else flies the flag is not subject to such orders, but usually abides by them voluntarily).

That’s all for now. I hope I can get some sleep tonight, despite my painful tooth, and despite worrying a bit about this work situation. I got 6 hours last night but only two the previous night. Variable work schedules kick me in the ass when it comes to my sleep. This is one reason full time will be tougher, since I will have less free time to nap and catch up on sleep. I’m going to have to be disciplined about not staying up until 4AM even on nights when I don’t have to be at work until noon or later (or at all) the next day. That should help. Have a fairly reasonable bed time and waking time no matter the schedule variation (it’s just that I hate to go to bed within a couple hours after I get off when I work late and I hate to get up early and have several hours before work-always like my free time after work, not before).

-AR