I’m a Mod!

I’m so excited! I have been asked to be a moderator on my favorite little corner of the Internet, The Book Club Forum, by Michelle, our fearless and amazing leader. I love this forum, and the people on it, so it was a great honor to be asked. All I can hope is that I do a good job. I think what I’m looking forward to the most is encouraging even more great discussions among the members. Back when I was a manager, my favorite part of the job was coaching, motivating, and training my associates, and I was pretty good at it. It’s really important to constantly come up with new and creative ways to keep people interested, while still maintaining the aspects that they already enjoy and are comfortable with. That’s true with work, and it’s what the Mod Squad on BCF have always done. I think I’ve been kind of missing that part of my old career, so I hope that I can be a successful mod on the forum.

As a side note, I know I haven’t been posting anything much lately, but with finals last week and starting the new job, I’ve honestly been exhausted! I also caught a nasty cold, which has made me even more tired. And for some reason, being sick always makes me think weird thoughts that don’t translate well into a written format. Does anyone care to know about the beautiful color of the light coming through the window and the way it hits my bottle of Vitamin Water? Probably not. I’ll get back to posting more interesting things when I’m healed of this weird sickness.

NEW NAME!!

I have decided to change the name of this blog from This closet isn’t big enough to In the Wee Hours. For one thing, the old name always bugged me, mainly because it didn’t make any sense. I thought of it at the spur of the moment, but it doesn’t say anything about me or my life, except that my closet is messy.

The new name reflects my habit of staying up late into the night, generally into the wee hours of the morning. This is something that affects my everyday life, especially when I have to work early in the morning. So, it tells a little something about me!

So, if you’ve added me to your blogroll, please change the name. But don’t worry, the URL will stay the same.

New Jobs and Final Exams

Both of these can be exciting, but most often are just scary! I’ll start with the new job, which I started this past Monday.

The job itself is really easy (just ring people up and clean up after their slobby asses in the fitting rooms), the girls I work with are outstandingly friendly and interesting, but the company itself SUCKS. Since I’m not a manager, I can maintain a certain amount of distance and can laugh at the stupid things they do, but I have a feeling that my frustrations will reach a point where I’ll either get fired for yelling at someone higher up, or I’ll just quit. Not that I’m planning on staying all that long, just for the summer.

One of the main complaints I have is that the higher ups, which include about 3 people, given the minuscule size of the company, have completely unrealistic expectations of their stores and associates. Minor mistakes are broadcast company-wide, after the offending associate is given a personal phone call and chewed out, theoretically to shame them into doing things “properly”. This is something I cannot abide and will not get drawn into. I have been in retail too long and have had enough experience as a manager to know that shaming and embarrassing your employees is not only inappropriate, but is not the best way to achieve results. These people don’t realize that there are a hundred other places these girls can work where they will actually be treated with respect. They switch that around and say that there are a hundred other girls waiting to take this job. But associate retention is important to every company. It boosts morale and productivity, and has a positive effect on customer service and retention. Happy employees = happy customers = more money. The fact that they don’t understand this makes me mad already, and I haven’t even met anyone from the “corporate” office yet.

Anyway, that’s enough ranting for now. They don’t deserve this much of my attention. Now to focus on my finals, which are happening this week. Here is my finals schedule for this week:

SUNDAY: Study, study, study
MONDAY: Do Writing Assignment #8 in Intro to East Asian Culture, do preliminary prep work for final project in Technical and Professional Writing.
TUESDAY: Work from 9:30 - 5:00; bring school stuff to work and ignore customers. Do Renaissance History essay exam after work.
WEDNESDAY: Work from 3:00-10:00; bring school stuff to work and ignore customers.
THURSDAY: Do timed final exam in Intro to East Asian Culture, finish final project for Technical and Professional Writing.
FRIDAY: Work unknown 8-hour shift (May schedule isn’t final yet). Final project and Oral Presentation Discussion are DUE - NO EXCUSES!
SATURDAY: Breathe a sigh of relief and think about the fact that I won’t have classes again until the end of August.

You see, this new job has had me scheduled for 5 days this week, meaning that I have fallen behind in my studying and preparing for finals. This means that today, my day off, will be spent panicking and juggling text books with my boyfriend, who has two of my classes and two of the same finals. Of course, here I am, procrastinating my little head off on WordPress, checking into my favorite forums, and basically doing nothing. But I will relish my day off from work and use this day to focus on my exams, I promise! Just let me check out the weather, the news, and the new posts on The Book Club Forum first…

EDIT: I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea about my new job, like I hate it or something. I’m happy to be there, and I haven’t experienced anything bad yet. But I have the feeling that some people are kind of frustrated with the company, so the things I’ve been hearing about are possibly a result of that. I’m happy to just do my job and wait and see!

Spring Hail Storm

In the past half hour, we just got hit with a freak hail storm. It’s coming down really fast, with small hailstones that look like pure ice. Here are some pictures I took. The first is from our front door, looking out at our cars and parking lot. The second is from our back door, which looks down a ravine onto a street. Although it doesn’t show well in the pictures, the hail is coming down fast and thick!

Come on, weather gods! It’s almost the end of April! How about some sunshine already!

Sorry…

I haven’t posted anything of substance in a long time. I’ve always been susceptible to depression, and the past few weeks have been tough for me…all this worrying about getting my school work done by the end of the semester, the running total of my student loans ($18,000…and I have over a year left!), feeling neglected by my family (a totally self-manufactured worry…well, mostly), worrying about my dwindling bank balance, and wondering whether I should quit school. It’s a miracle that I haven’t lost it completely! A lot has been going on in the world of politics that I would love to rant about, but I just can’t muster the energy. This kind of thing happens to me a lot, but I’m always able to pull myself through, and I will this time!

I do have some good news, though. I got a job for the summer at a little clothing and accessories boutique at the mall. They sell slightly bohemian, low-priced items and I already own a few of their pieces. The store seems low-key (and probably low-volume) and the staff are very friendly. I’m hoping that earning some money and taking the summer off from school will rejuvenate me, which is exactly what I need. And hopefully soon I can continue my uneducated coverage of the presidential campaign, because I know you all depend on me so much!

New Necklaces!

I’m still beading, and I wanted to share with you all some pictures of the last four necklaces I made.

This first one is really special. It features an antique Italian cameo that my boyfriend bought me for my birthday last year. It’s a pretty salmon and ivory color, and I thought the amethyst-colored seed and glass beads really complemented it well:

This next one is made of some wooden beads. I wanted something light-weight and fun for summer:

This one is made of large, random, and slightly broken glass beads. It’s a very bohemian style necklace:

This last one is smaller, and I like to wear it when I have a higher neckline. The colors really stand out, too:

That’s all I’ve had time to do so far. I’m hoping to be able to get some more beads soon, and I’m sure I’ll be beading like crazy once school is over for the summer, so stay tuned!

My Top Picks on TV

We’re living in an age of reality TV. Shows like Survivor and Big Brother are bad enough, but it seems that Hollywood thinks that every vapid socialite deserves her own show. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is a great example of this. If you’ve never seen it, don’t worry about it, you’re not missing anything. Anyway, there a many examples of this sort of trash, but I want to focus on what’s actually good on TV…or at least what I think is good. So here is a list of my top picks of the best shows on TV…or at least on basic cable:

1. Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations…Bourdain is a New York chef who travels the world, experiencing the food and customs of other cultures. And he’s smart!

2. Family Guy…Just about the funniest show on TV. It’s not smart, but it’s great for a fit of the giggles.

3. Rick Steve’s Europe…Who can resist this guy? He shows us the little-seen parts of Europe and he’s so geeky it makes me smile! And he’s from Edmonds!

4. Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives…This is an addictive show on Food Network that showcases some of America’s most, well, American diners. Every time I watch, I have a hankering for a burger and some fries. And I don’t even like burgers!

5. Law & Order: Criminal Intent…I think that this is the best Law & Order franchise. Plus, they brought back Chris Noth. What could be better!

There are a lot of other great shows on TV, but too often, we’re barraged by more and more crappy shows. I love shows that make me laugh, or teach me something. If you like, you can leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite shows are, because I’m always willing to try something new!

Seeing the Truth

There are so many stories out there about people seeing Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth and kind of freaking out. It’s actually become a cliché now. So even though I’m a fairly environmentally conscious person, it was with some skepticism that I sat down to watch this movie with my boyfriend the other night. Although I wasn’t disputing the accuracy of the information presented, I was simply doubtful that I would react strongly to it. Um, right…

The movie scared the sh*t out of me! I already knew a lot of these things, and had even heard about the glaciers breaking up in Antarctica, but the way the information was revealed in the movie, so clear and understandable (no science jargon here) brought everything home to me. What was also distressing about this movie, besides the overwhelming scientific evidence that supports the “theory” of global warming, is the revelations about our country’s role in not only causing it, but preventing any progress in the other direction. For one thing, I am permanently boycotting all American cars until the auto companies agree to raise their fuel efficiency standards to meet those of the rest of the world. So, yet another thing that makes me ashamed of my country!

I think that everyone should watch this movie, or should at least look into the data and find ways to reduce their carbon footprint. So, here are some helpful links:

http://www.climatecrisis.net/ - This is the official website for the movie. There are links that explain the science behind global warming, and there’s a downloadable educational companion for teachers. There’s also a convenient (no pun intended) carbon calculator to find out what your particular carbon footprint is, and how to reduce it.

http://www.globalwarming.net/ - This is the site for the Global Warming International Center. This site provides up-to-date information about global warming and environmental policy.

http://www.nrdc.org/ - The Natural Resources Defense Council’s website not only provides valuable information about global warming, but also about Green Living, water pollution, and alternative fuels.

Unless drastic and fundamental changes are made in environmental policy, this problem will reach crisis proportions very soon. But there are some small things that everyone can do to make a difference. For instance, last night, cities and people across the world participated in Earth Hour. From 8:00 to 9:00 pm, everyone was supposed to turn off their lights and electrical appliances. We did it. We even unplugged our clocks, our microwave, our televisions…everything. Did you do it? Did you even know about it? Not a lot of people in the U.S. knew about it…another symptom that the American government and even the American press don’t give a lot of attention to the environment.

I hope that all of you will take the time to watch An Inconvenient Truth. It may seem like old news, but it isn’t. The effects of global warming are seen every single day, all over the world. It’s all happening now.

A New Hobby

I took a bead stringing class at Red Garnet Beads and Buttons in Mountlake Terrace (just to give them a little plug) and I absolutely fell in love with beading! I wanted to share some photos of my creations. So far I have made two necklaces and three bracelets, and I hope soon to be able to learn how to make earrings!

Here is the very first thing I made: a necklace with a toggle clasp:

Here is the first bracelet I made. I love the little butterfly beads:

This is the second bracelet I made during the class. I couldn’t put in an extra wooden bead, because then it would have been too big for my wrist, and taking out a clear bed could have made it too small, so instead there are two clear beads together. Oh well, I’m still an amateur:

I went out and bought a ton of beads and supplies at a local arts and crafts store, and last night I made this matching necklace and bracelet (by the way, I love green!):

This kind of jewelry making is almost meditative to me. I can let my mind wander as I’m stringing, and I have found it to be very calming. I also love having a new creative outlet. I plan on surprising my mom and sister-in-law with some new jewelry for Mother’s Day (hopefully they won’t read this). I’ll be sharing more of my creations as they are, well, created!

A Sunday Drive

My boyfriend and I took a drive out to the Eastside yesterday; that is, the Eastside of Lake Washington: Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Issaquah. I wish I had thought to take pictures of Issaquah, because it’s one of the prettiest places I’ve seen! However, I did manage to take some pictures from a lovely park in Madrona in Seattle of Lake Washington and across to Bellevue. I wanted to share them with you all, so you can see what the Seattle area looks like in the early Spring!

Here is a picture of South Bellevue and Mercer Island (where I once used to live) across the Lake:

This next picture shows the skyline of Bellevue, such as it is:

This last one looks South along the park to the nearby Leschi marina. Leschi is a very ritzy neighborhood in Seattle:

As you can see, it was a very windy day, so the Lake was really choppy! Over the next few weeks, I’ll take some more pictures of different areas around Seattle and share them with you all. Spring is here!