Make Me Happy: June 2005 Archives

It's quite lovely to be back there, like I thought it would be. It feels so natural, and I remember almost everything. I was nervous that the people would be awkward around me, but it's not like that. I guess it's because these are Customer Service people and their strength is dealing with people. I tell you, these people love to talk. Imagine yesterday... the entire call-center abuzz after Michael Jackson's verdict. Comments ranged from "Ooooh, he did something he shouldn'ta done.. he just lucky he didn't get caught" to "I told you he was innocent!! I knew it all along". It's a vociferous, friendly crowd, and I'm glad to be there among them, even if I feel considerably substandard in the people-skills category. That hardly even matters, since it's overflowing out of these people. Even people who don't know my name recognize my face and say, "Hey there! You're back, huh?" And I smile my charming and slightly bashful smile and say, "Yeah, they decided to let me come back."

Plus the money is good.

Speaking of money, I have my eBay auctions up for 2 more days. I know Brad is just ITCHING to get at that angora hat... Who wouldn't be? Anyway, it's going toward a good cause: my car payments. When I get to spend my money on the things I want to, rather than on the things I have to, I'm happier and the world is happier (because I don't pillage villages and whatnot, then.)

P.S. One of my items on 43 Things (I'm not ready to expose the entire list yet, mainly because I have only 5 things) is to drink 8 glasses (64 oz) of water a day. Since my water bottles are 17 oz, that's like 3.75 bottles of water. It doesn't sound like much, but I did 3 bottles during work and I made 3 trips to the bathroom during those 8 hours alone. Again, that doesn't sound like much, but I usually only go 2 or 3 times during an entire day. Shrug.

The day didn't start out great, but it picked up later. I took care of some things early, like an oil change, depositing my my federal tax refund ($415) straight into the car savings account, and shipping the eBay items (but I am stupid and I think the S&H ended up costing more than I charged -- oh well, live and learn.) The lady at the USPS wasn't very nice or helpful; if I had had my dad there, she would've straightened up and not scowled. Scowlers are ridiculous. Sigh. Just because I don't understand the intricacies of the inner workings of the United States Post Office...

After I finished berating the post office clerk, I headed down to the Y for my workout. I was about halfway done, when I decided to check my phone because I was expecting a call from my B&BW manager telling me whether I would need to dress for the store when I came into work tonight. Instead, I had a voicemail from Ameren!!! I stepped out into the hallway and called her (Ms Douglas in HR) and she explained the situation to me: that Customer Service people had told her that she should contact me to see if I was interesting in filling the same position as I filled last summer. I said yes, and she said that she would be passing my name and number onto a woman (Ms Layton) from Manpower, the temp agency that Ameren now hires seasonal/temporary positions through. I'd officially be working for Manpower, not Ameren, but it'd be the same duties and hours, slightly fluctuated pay (hopefully still over $10/hr)..

That all sounds very, VERY good, since I talked to B&BW a while later (after I finished my workout) and they said that the floorset was cancelled because they were able to do all that stuff during the week, so I didn't need to come into work. Hrmph. That whole working-no-hours-a-week thing isn't working out. It'll be good, though, combined with Ameren, if I can get a shift in the evening here and there; hopefully I'll be able to stay on the B&BW payroll until the end of summer, because I want to keep that Limited Brands discount. *ponders Victoria'a Secret, the Limited, and Express*

When my mom and dad got home, they were thrilled. My mom said that I could put off the planting of flowers in the box on the railing until tomorrow, but I cleaned out the box anyway--it was filled with old dirt and dead plants).. I tightened the screws on the box because that thing is old and falling apart, but when I lifted the box to hose off the railing, I found that I had partially squashed a juvenile five-lined skink. I know it was a juvenile because only the young ones have the vivid blue tail like the one I saw wriggling, as the rest of the skink ran away without it.

I must admit I squealed just the slightest bit.