retail choose your own adventure

Retail holiday daily job in a nutshell

Customer opens door and enters the Grapevine.
Customer:"Wow it smells so good in here." "I would like to buy a bottle of wine for a gift,"
Me: "Sounds great, would you like a white or red"
Customer: "I don't know" "oh how cute, what is his name"
Me: "Marley"
Customer: "oh how cute, he is sooooo sweet"
Me: "ya he is a really good dog I adopted him" "how much would you like to spend"
Customer: "I don't know"
Me: "let me show you (insert wines here in various price ranges)"
Customer: "hmmmm. I just don't know"
Me: " I would buy this one if I were you because of the spicy notes topped with a hint of black cherries and nutmeg." "It is very popular and many people like it. It is also a ten dollar bottle so punches well above its weight and is a great buy"

if you would take the wine "me" said she would buy go to ($) if you would not go to (#)

$: Customer: "that sounds great, I'll take it" "Thank you.. Merry Christmas"

#: Customer: "hmm I just really don't know if they would like that"
Me: "well do they like sweet wines"
Customer: "I just don't know what they like.. what do most people like"
Me: "it varies dramatically. do you know for sure if they drink wine on a regular basis"
Customer: "well I think so, but I am just not sure"
Me: envisioning customers head exploding like on "scanners" places mildly sweet slightly sparkling very very popular wine in customers hand saying simply "they will like this" then little white lies to "everyone likes this"
Customer: "hmmm. you sure"
me: "oh yes. everyone likes this"
Customer: "man I just don't know"
Me: "this is what you want"
Customer: "okay, if you think they will like it"

start over with next customer.


Rules, curtesies, and experiences:

Don't ask if I could throw something away for you, have me hold out my hand innocently assuming it is paper and put your gum in my hand.

Seriously Doctor, you are going to return one of two $1.29 beers you bought because you didn't like the first one. Don't you have any friends to give that one beer to.

No we don't sell cigarettes, you have to go to a state liquor store for rum, here are the directions.

Yes its a platypus, No I don't want to see your.. wow your right, your bum crack does form a good replica of the grand canyon with your tattoo.

I really don't know if you are going to like that beer, but it is only a $1 and there is really only one way to find out if you do like it. This really can't be the hardest decision of your life.

No the dog is not for sale. No you can't take him home. I don't care if you told your 3 year old you could.

Please the yapping chihuahua in the fuzzy pink sweater.. come on! Oh right your a browser and will be in here for at least half hour.

yup its a store full of glass, please keep your child from running.

Utah.. I know you are deprived, but open your mind beyond fat tire and moosedrool. There is a world of beers out there. Yes and that one is really 14% alcohol. It is from Belgium.

Yes brewing is new to me too. but sometimes you have to jump in and be prepared to have a bad batch.. you live you learn It is ok. no I am not going to refund your ingrediants because the batch is bad.

so you are saying the exact same wine you had at your house during dinner was not as good as when you were watching the sunset over the mediteranian while mermaids danced in the distance. Maybe it was the experience that helped. no I am not refunding the empty bottle because you didn't think it tasted as good.

But there are good things too, Lets end on a fun story:

One of my co-workers has an eye patch and a beard, Bob.
I was helping a man with a 4 year old son pick out some wine.
The son goes around the corner where bob was standing..
The kids comes back wide eyed to his dad and interrupts us saying quietly "daddy daddy, I just saw a pirate"
Bob hears the kid and comes around the corner and in a piratey voice says "yarr I be a pirate, you want to join me crew"
The kid points to his eye and says "but I don't have a pirate eye"

Oh. and the Garden!

I don't understand why Blogger will not let me rotate my images. Oh well, Turn your head sideways and you can see how well the garden did. We had many many tomatoes, onions, jalapenos , bell peppers, and zucchini coming out our ears. It was wonderful.

Again, turn your head. =c)

Garden swag

I actually took my learning to can more seriously this year. I made tomato sauce, salsa, chili sauce, pickled green tomatoes (I wasn't exaggerating on the amount of tomatoes) pickled garlic, more salsa, a basil garlic tomato sauce, and pickled jalapenos. I love having all these sauces.

This is not garden related, but I like this pic of Obi and Stacey in a canoe.

Summer in a nutshell: Part 3

Summer is full of warmth, fires, bugs, wet dogs, dirt, bbq's and fun. The next few blogs have some pics that narrow down our summer. It was one of my best in a long time even though Waterton was very much missing and missed but that will make it all the more special next time I make it up there. =c) However, we managed to get by with some different and new adventures. I hope you all enjoy the pictures.

Oh Chacos, if only you were year-round footwear

Obi Wan enjoys the flowers on a hike up Scout Mountain

This is the day Obi learned to Swim. Marley loves to swim and jumps in after the ball with glee. Obi was scared and just stood on the bank whining. However, she just couldn't take Marley getting the ball and all the attention anymore, so just jumped in and went for it. She started out slapping the water with her paws then finally figured out how to lengthen out her body and dog paddle. From then on she was so much faster than Marley and always got the ball. This is why I always take at least two balls but usually three or four. Throw one for obi, then one for Marley. However, she will always go for whatever ball Marley is going for, therefore swims around to get the second thrown ball. But that works out for Marley because he gets the first. All in all it is very entertaining for Stacey and me and we pretty much stand on the bank laughing the entire time. Then both dogs get to the shore with balls and of course make sure we are equally soaked by shaking their water off on us.

After Obi learned to swim she would jump very enthusiastically into the air before hitting the water. Funny stuff. Marley was too tired by the time I took this video from swimming all day and did not go in this time. This is at a mountain lake outside of bear lake we hiked into. Very pretty and green

In a new relationship, it is always best to work out your differences peacefully.

Summer in a nutshell: Part 2

Marley on the Oregon Coast. He acted like a puppy jumping in and out of the waves, chasing birds and the ball we threw for him. He could not get enough of the ocean. This was strange to me because when we lived in Seattle he would not go near the saltwater. Oregon saltwater met his approval though and he loved it. This is the beach our house was on: Tierra del Mar.

We did a long hike along the beach and discovered this neat rock outcropping. The ocean churned behind the rocks in a big cauldron and waves would create a dramatic splash into the archway behind us. It was fantastic!


Marley enjoying a Summer drive. When I am driving faster his lips will be flopping in the wind.


Lisa and Maricelis on our way to Jackson for her birthday girls trip: Lots of giggling, gossip, shopping and fun.


My mom and George in Jackson on a separate trip for my roommate in SLC and moms best friends daughter's wedding. This was the backdrop for the ceremony. I love the Tetons.

Summer in a nutshell: Part 1

The Pebble Creek wildflower festival hike down the mountain.
Music, food, hiking, flowers, and friends. It was a really good time.

Visiting old college roomies in Stanley. They were working at a scout camp there.
That is the infamous Bonanza-Jellybean's leg you see on Jamie's (in the hat) back.

Sasquatch music festival at the Columbia river gorge in George, Washington.
Living in the bermuda triangle of music, we decided to take as many bands in at once
and travel to this fun festival. I had been a few years earlier when I was living in Moscow,
but was amazed to see how much it had grown in that time. There were 3 stages plus a dance tent and a comedy stage. A security guard told us there were 70,000 people there. I believe it! It was really fun. My favorite band was Bon Iver, Look them up, they are great! NIN was surprisingly great too, and of course the good old Decemberist. That was my 10th time seeing them. Last time I saw them at Sasqauatchd they were on the smallest stage. This year they were on the main stage:* sniff* they grow up so fast.


Tent City at Sasquatch. This went on for miles.
I had never seen anything like it.

This is the sound of settling

Goates/Barker community garden project

Most of our friends don't have adequate gardening space, yet most of us are hippie tree huggers so want to grow our own food. =c) Thus began the Goates/Barker friendship garden. I have never had a garden in Poky's arid climate so welcome the advice and help. It also keeps the dust down on that side of the house and looks pretty good. On another plus side since we are the primary caretakers we didn't have to buy any of the Veggies. I think with 3 zucchini and 14.. yes 14 tomato plants, plus a handful of peppers, and cucumbers I will have to take my
"learning how to can better" goal more seriously this fall.

Only the best luxury amenities for the residents of Chateau De Goates

Marley rather lay in the dirt hole (oh I mean cooling gazebo) behind the luxury pool, but obi ,being the princess she knows she is, loves to play in the cool water. oh and yes.. the cooler is for the dogs. =c)

The paving stone porch Stacey and I built.
More time consuming than we both imagined
so naturally we spend pretty much every waking moment on it.
But we built it with a shovel and a rake.. superstars

I had to get rid of a flower bed (and also dug a elm tree stump out) but really wanted some space to hang out on outside. Its been fun. It is right near the sidewalk so is great to socialize with people walking by who we usually know because, lets face it, its Pocatello.. our group is small.

I love owning a house. I love all the little projects that come with ownership. I actually love yard work too. I think its because it is still pretty new and novel, and also because it requires being outside. Also I have a little yard. Its pretty manageable.

Feeling Wicked

Stacey and Obi

Some chick and Stacey

I have wanted to see "Wicked" since I heard rumors of the book I loved being turned into one of my favorite things.. a Musical. When I heard they were going on Sale in SLC I jumped around a little bit, then logged online at exactly the time the box office opened and started calling. I didn't make it. It Sold out. I was devistated and actually cried.. ok.. maybe a bit dramatic, but I was super super excited. Over the past few months since the let down I succombed to the idea that I would just have to wait longer. Then, I found out that Stacey had been trying for the two months leading up to my birthday to get tickets too. He wanted to surprise me on my birthday but kept getting out bid on ebay or repeatedly turned down at the box office. I thought that was the sweetest thing. Points scored on his end.

However, This past week has been pretty Lucky for me. Mainly I got free tickets to "wicked". I know if any of you three that kind of look at this sometimes maybe check facebook at all I have kind of been freaking out about it. It got better, I would have stood in the back and watched it I just wanted to see the show. But we picked up the tickets and we had INSANELY great seats. . We were the eighth row back from the stage in the center. My friend ,who got the free tickets because she works for Utah public radio, covers Utah politics and started pointing out all of the powerful people we were sitting behind. Senators, congressmen, oh then us.. CRAZY.

Wicked itself was all that I hoped for and more. Costumes were incredible, acting and singing blew me away. I would love to see it again. The woman playing Elphaba is incredibly talented and Glinda was hilarious. The show was more funny than I had thought. The crowd went wild after every song. Like screaming loudly. The actors were completely feeding off of it. I could see the light in their eyes and them suppressing a smirk behind their characters (did I mention the fabulous seats) Anyway, I could talk about details for hours but don't want to ruin it for anyone else who might see it. It was marvelous. Kudos for Stacey, rest of Grapevine staff, and some loyal customers, for putting up with the sounds track all week.

March, youth, bagpipes and *gasp* settling down

I turned 28 a few days ago. Its very hard for me to believe because in my head I am still a kid. This entire adult thing has not really settled in yet. Twenty eight is strange because ten years ago, I was also an adult. That is crazy! Nine years ago I was in Florida working for Disney. Five years ago I lived in Australia. Hell, its been nearly 4 that I lived in Seattle and left Chris, who I dated for 7 years. My good friends ,Katie and Kaleb, who are 20 were in high school when I lived in SLC 3 years ago. Two of my closest friends just became grandparents. Austin has been about 2 years now. Man, I am getting OLD. =c)

This whole thing has made be contemplate what exactly I have done with my adult life. I have come to the conclusion that I definitely have absolutely no regrets. None at all. Which has and always will be my goal. Sure, my career didn't turn out how I wanted and I haven't traveled around the world as much as I wanted, but I have done my best and tried my hardest to make it in the world and do what I wanted with no regrets. Even though my life has led me back in my hometown with a dead end retail job, I have learned a lot about myself , well..and wine, in the past few years. I know I am independent and can kick it alone in hard circumstances. I don't need anyone else to check my oil, fill my tires up with air, kill the spider in the bathtub, paint a wall, open a jar, road-trip with, move a couch, build a garden, go to a bar.. or movie with. I can make it on my own. That being said, I have also been pondering where I want to go from here and where I am at this exact moment.

Now:
I am working on getting a real adult job with benefits =c)
My family is healthy and happy
I am dating a wonderful guy I am falling more and more in love with everyday.
I own a great little simple house that is gaining me equity.
My loyal and loving dog is healthy and happy (see family above, but thought I should clarify)
I have ideas that used to be pipe dreams, but now seem like "sure, one day I can do that"
Although living in tight, I have a roof over my head, clean water, food, and the ability to travel a little bit.
I am happy for the first time in many years.

Where I want to go:
Better financial stability
kid (s) maybe.. max 2 still not sure on this one though
Chubby buddies (its a club I want to start when I get weekends off on a regular basis)
volunteer overseas (I tried to do this when i left Seattle for the tsunami victims.. turns out, volunteer often means "donate" lots of money along with your time..thinking of peace corps or something similar still someday.. not sure again though)
Travel more
wherever life seems to drag me


The future looks bright, I am optimistic, a bit freaked out but overall excited to where this crazy life will take me.

as mentioned before:
"its like I am being pushed on the handle bars of a blind mans bike"

Aw, they grow up so fast

Obi as a cute little non-trouble making teenie tiny puppy.
Obi Now. Those are 5 lb weights that I have found her hauling around.. that seems like a lot for a puppy jaw.
Marley enjoying the hole Obi dug.


I am not one of those people who think their dogs are their children. I love Marley and Obi-won (Stacey's dog) so much, but when push comes to shove they are dogs and when leaving for dinner I can leave them home alone with no guilt.

But that being said, look at the cute cute little puppy picture of Obi in my hammock this summer and then now. I love having a puppy around even though she can be a little bit of a ..uh.. spit.. sometimes when she is trying to get out of the yard, get in the garbage, dig a hole, chew up shoes, steal marley's bone. But it's really funny to see how my 9 year old dog reacts to this 7 month old one. He acts more like a puppy and seems to egg her on in being bad because he won't get yelled at...she will. I know seems crazy.. but look at the hole Obi dug. Marley is enjoying it so so much.. Ah teamwork. I can't help but find it a bit suspicious. =c)

Should I be Jealous

I guess this means that Marley is getting used to Stacey being around. Although he doesn't look too sure about the spooning situation.

Bailout

There is a lot of talk about the economic bailouts and how the corporations who got them are spending the money.

There is a native American legend about a coyote and a scorpion. There was a huge usually dried river bed that the recent rains had filled with water. A coyote walked up the the bank and started to enter the water to swim across when he was interrupted by a scorpion. "will you take me across on your back" said the scorpion. "No" said the coyote, "you will sting me and I will drown." "Why would I do that? We both would die" said the scorpion "Take me across on your back" "I Promise will not sting you." So the Coyote, feeling generous, let the scorpion climb onto his back and then started to swim across the deep river bed. Half-way across the bed, the scorpion stung the coyote. "Why did you do that, now we both will drown and die." said the coyote. As they were sinking into the deep water the scorpion said "What did you expect, I am a scorpion."

What do you expect. They are greedy corporate monsters.

Hello hello hello.. is there anybody out there

I am not sure if anyone is reading these, so I am bored at home and don't really want to be productive..work on my online course.. or *pfft* clean. Myspace and Facebook are getting a bit dull right now.. So lets see.. what should I do?.. First I will pause and put on some music.

Current Music: Andrew Bird: Noble Beast Song: Oh No

This Album is wonderful and great for both cleaning (which I must remind you I am NOT doing) and laying around drinking tea and reading. Andrew Bird's soothing voice mixed with strings, clapping, whistleing, electric guitar, and deep bass creates an mellow energy that can pick you up and facilitate energy or bring you down to a mellow yet awake state of bliss. However, I once was on a plane flying somewhere and as soon as the pilot announced that it was ok to tune out the mind numbing plane noises (buzzing, caughing, sneezing, baby crying) I put my ear buds in and put my ipod on shuffle. The Andrew Bird song "fiery crash" came on immediatly. It was that moment that I realized shuffle is not a good setting for my high anxiety level that accompanies my flying in any plane ever. Now I stick to "zen and the art of relaxation" while flying.

Music accompanies my life. As mentioned in previous blogs, I don't have TV.. I mean I have A TV, but I only watch movies on it. Its not that I am opposed to TV. I just find that when I don't have it ,I really don't miss it. When I do have it, I watch it way too much. So music is pretty much constantly on in my house, car, work, wherever. So often, like in movies, certain lyrics or songs mirror my life at the time completely. I think its just the fact that I have it on all the time. Here are some of those Lyrics.

Artist: Shins (there are a few from these guys)
Song: Gone for Good
Lyric: "Go back to your hometown: get your feet on the ground: and stop moving around"

Song: Split Needles
Lyric: "Its like I am being pushed on the handlebars of a blind mans bike"

Song: a Commet Appears
Lyrixc: "Never worked so long and hard to seem into failure"

Artist: O.A.R re-wording Bob Marley
Lyric: "music is the one thing that surrounds you and you feel no pain"

Artist: O.A.R
"Isn't it sad that he'd treat you so bad and you never really let him know" "everyone says that he's crying, but I can't forget all the time I spent trying""and that was the day, I told him I needed some time" "I know, I kow, what it feels like to be alone, and I know I know, what it feels like to be at home" "I like, I like stopping to say hello, said its my life, my life, why can't we take it slow"

Artist: Ani Difranco
"I got tossed out the window of Rob's El comino and I shattered into a shower of sparks on the curb, you were smoking me wern't you between your yellow fingers, you just inhaled and exhalled without saying a word" "where was your concious then"

Artist: Ani Difranco
"They say that goldfish have no memory, I guess there lives are just like mine, and the little plastic castle is a surprise everytime"

Artist: Billy Bragg and Wilco
"I'd like to rest, my weary head tonight on a bed of California stars"

Artist: Polyphonic Spree
"Follow the day and reach for the sun"

Artist: String Cheese incident
"close your eyes and look inside and see what you can find, Open your mind and take the time to learn from soul"

Artist: Troy Cambell
"killing time in Texas"

Artist: Death Cab for Cutie
" Flame and smoke, climb out of every window, and dissappeared with everything that you held dear, but you shed not a single tear, for the things that you didn't need. cuz you knew you were finally free"

Artist: Conner Oberst
"They say the sun won't burn forever, but that is a science to exact, See I'll prove it we are crossing the state line, see those headlights coming towards us, that's someone going back, to a town they'd say they never yea they swore it on their lives..but you can't break out of a circle that you never knew you were in.. but there is nothing that the road cannot heal"

Artist: Bright Eyes (singer Conner Oberst)
"We must talk in every telephone, get eaten off the web,must rip out all the epilogues of the books that we have read, and in the face of every criminal strapped firmly to chair, we must stare, we must stare, we must stare" "We must take all of the medicine too expensive now to sell, set fire to the preacher that is promising us hell, and in the ear of every anarchist that sleeps but doesn't dream we must sing we must sing we must sing""we must blend into the choir sing a static with the whole, must memorize nine numbers and deny we have a soul , and in this epic race for property and privlage to be won, we must run, we must run, we must run" We must hang out in the belphrey where the bats and moonlight laugh, must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past, and in the caverns of tomorrow with just our flashlights and our love, we must plunge we must plunge, we must plunge. Oh my mornings coming back, the whole worlds waking up, and the city bus is floating past, I'm happy just because, i found out I am really no-one. "

Of course these are all very different time periods in my life and some I guess I just really really like. I have more, but I think I have killed enough time.

Cheers

Emotions

Today was the inauguration of President Obama. I must admit, I did get emotional, hopeful, and yes even a little patriotic. On the other hand I also got emotional when a National Wildlife Federation Public service announcement asked me "can you imagine a world without wildlife" Sniff.. no.. no.. I can't.. Sniff. But that was after the inauguration so I guess that set the tone for the day.

But I got to thinking about what about Obama makes me hopeful. I don't have cable or even free t.v for that matter. The hope thing was not shoved down my throat so much that it became a suggestive hypnosis. Of course there is the much talked about milestone event as him being the first black person to be elected president. That does give me a little hope in humanity. However, in that same light I have found some people I would have not expected in my life who crawled out of the racist closet to voice their bigoted opinion. But they are obviously the minority.. now.. That is hopeful.

I think what impresses me more than anything so far about our new president, is that he unified most of the nation over hope, not fear. He stressed service and selflessness, not bullying and muscle flexing. I am pretty sure Toby Keith's "you'll get a boot in your ass, its the American way" does not infect his ipod. He seems very genuine and really seems to care about others and not only his own self interest. He is a politician so we all know he had to play "the game" at some point to get where he is so know that he does think of his own self interest. But above all he seems appreciative of where he is... he worked hard to get there and he is thankful for it... and will work hard to impress his new boss. I can't say that I have seen that in any president in my memory.

Maybe it all boils down to the simple fact that I am glad I won't have to cringe in disappointment or embarrassment every time he speaks.