Vote

Out

The

Egghead!

So today we can make a difference. Today we can decide our fate as a nation. Today is election day, and today, I have never been more nervous. The polls are too close for comfort for me to be optimistic. I wondered why people would re-elect someone who wants to change the constitution to discriminate against a lifestyle, and continue with war when our economy is so bloody bad? What's his focus? Ugh... Today I make my voice be heard. Today I vote, as should you.

Last Thursday I went into the hospital for my angioplasty and all went well. It only took 2 and half hours to unclog my artery. Yeah! I was in the recovery room for a little over two hours while they monitored my heart. It was stable the entire time so I was released. Yeah again! When I got home, I was bombarded with phone calls, flowers and friends. I've never felt so loved by so many at once... ever. It was nice. I smiled and enjoyed my friends trying to comfort me by bringing me salads, Jamba juice, and fruit. Really all I wanted was a burger, but yeah, they weren't having that. Thanks to all who e-mailed me and wished me well. It meant a lot.

Last night, I had the worst dream ever. Scott and I are no longer together but we are still friends. We are on a camping trip and Scott and I are sharing a tent. The dream is fine and dandy until Scott starts to have sex with a friend of his in the tent. I cry as I watch Scott under my sleeping bag. The dream was so vivid it actually felt real. I woke up and man was my heart pounding. And in my condition, that's not really a good thing. It's 1:33 in the morning and I'm balling like a 10 year old girl. Earlier that day I had did some serious cleaning of Scott's loft. I mean SERIOUS cleaning. I re-arranged furniture, dusted, moped, vacuumed and I even put up the suede panel I sewed a few months back. You would swear I was on crack or something. I was getting dizzy and even fell down the stairs trying to have the place clean before he got home. Also that day, Scott had the windows on the upper level of the loft covered (they look amazing BTW.) so he was looking forward to seeing them finally up. So I thought I would go over the top and re-do the loft to make it look even more amazing. I was so pleased with the out come that I couldn't wait for Scott get home to see it. Yeah, he didn't like the way I moved couches. I was was mad, then hurt, then mad, then hurt again. It was a vicious cycle of emotions. I guess I thought I was going to get a "wow honey, the place looks great" Instead I get "Uhh what's this, what's going on here" as he gestures to the living room's apparent poor arrangement.

I was so mad that I decided not to speak to him because he had no clue what I had to go though to get it done. He asked if I was still mad, and I for a change said "yes". I always say "I'm fine" or "I'm ok". Scott told me he hates when I do that, so I didn't. I told him how I felt and he apologized. End of story right? A person in their right mind would've just let it go. Not me. I had to stay mad because my "good" work was under scrutiny. He did nothing wrong but give an opinion on HIS LOFT. Who am I to be pissed off at how he wants his loft to look? The answer was simple. I'm a Leo and I will not be seconded guessed.

I realized that the dream was very "Christmas Carol" 'esque. Meaning "Things yet to pass" I looked up stairs and thought, I can fix this right now. I can go up stairs, grovel and beg Scott to accept my apology for being a complete ass and the dream will be just that, a dream... a really bad dream. I will do anything to right a wrong, especially if MY wrong could end the best thing that ever happened to me. I wiped the tears from my eyes and headed up the stair well. I get into bed and try not to cry anymore. Scott wakes up and goes to the bathroom. I figure I have a few minutes to calm myself and stop the sobbing. He gets back into bed and pokes my arm and whispers "I'm sorry". God I almost lost it again. I mumble back "I'm sorry too". He held me in his arms and we chatted about the nights mis-hap's.

Sad thing is, if I told Scott what I was planning on doing in the first place, I might not have wasted my time and risked another heart attack. Eh, live and learn. Todays lesions? Don't be so bloody sensitive, let your partner have an opinion, and not everything I do will be liked (even though it looked awesome!)

Last week, a customer ordered a french dip sandwich and we forgot to pack up the au-jus. Opps. She called and was beyond pissed (and why shouldn't she be). I apologized and asked her where she was currently at. I knew she had to be close by because I was the one who rung her up, and I swore it was with-in the last few minutes. Sure enough she was a few blocks away, so I told her to sit tight and look out for me cause I was bringing her au-jus to her. She was surprised. I felt so bad. If we make a mistake, then we should do what ever it takes to make that customer happy and most importantly, retain her as a customer. I packed up a little cup of au-jus and a piece of chocolate cake to help smooth things over. Before I could even get to her office, she came running outside with a huge smile on her face. I gave her the missing item and the bonus "sorry for being an idiot" piece offering. She shook my hand and said I didn't have to do that. I told her that it was the least we could do. Today I get to work and see a thank you card. It was the missing au-jus lady. She said she experience the best customer service from a GOOD LOOKING GENTLEMAN at our restaurant. . Hehehe. Then my boss asked, "gee who could that have been?" Eww. No respect, I swear. She was kidding. Anyway, I felt great about what I did last week, but today? I felt super.

Before I can go back to work for the county, I must pass a physical. Not a big deal right? Well if you just a heart attack and are waiting for an angioplasty, it could be a bit or a worry. I have no date for the physical, which is good, cause my angioplasty is this Thursday and I'm supposed to have two weeks off for recuperation. I only hope that my physical is after my re-cup. time. I am a bit nervous about the angioplasty. I was talking to my Dr. yesterday and I asked her what could go wrong with the procedure. She said the worst that could happen would be another heart attack during the procedure. But that likely wont happen. I asked her to promise and cross her heart, she laughed and said "no". *sigh* well two more days till the angioplasty. Time to start the praying process ;)

10. People who drop something on the floor and don't pick it back up.
9. People who don't tip (eww!).
8. People Who dine and dash (bitches!).
7. People who still complain EVEN AFTER the issue was resolved and got a free meal out of it.
6. Parents who let their kids run around the restaurant and make messes and think it's our job to clean up after them.
5. People who think they can get their food in 5 minutes when they ordered a well done steak.
4. People who get mad when they have to wait to be seated.
3. When you thank a person for their patronage, they ignore you.
2. When a party is sat, and they decide to move to another table... that's still dirty!

And the number one reason why I'm glad I'm quiting....

1. To many hours to put in for the pay and the pathetic lack or gratitude..

Believe or not, all these things happened today. I don't get it, do people like treating us like we are slaves or worthless? The service industry is the most under appreciated profession in my opinion. People think it's ok to treat us like crap cause they pay for our service. What ever happened to the "treat others the way you want to be treated"? Fry's has the worst customer service of any electronics store that I've been to. Is it because their clientele is high maintenance, and they just can't take it any more? Now don't get me wrong, there are some rude folks out their in my industry.That dose not give them a reason to treat anyone without respect, but if you think about it, how did they get that way? Who hired them? And most importantly, why are they still doing it? I can speak for myself when I say That I stayed because of my co-workers. I have been so lucky to make some pretty amazing friends and I'll miss them most of all. As for my customers? I have a few who made my job bearable, but the others? Yeah I wont miss the rolling of the eyes when I tell them it will be a 10 minute wait. Or when a customer complains that their food is taking to long when they have just ordered 7 minutes ago. Ugh... I've always said that I was going to create a series of commercials showing people out there how to treat the service industry. Hey, I should call Micheal Moore, see if he's busy ;)

Scott was given the Star Wars boxed set for his birthday this year and wow, did it look cool on his plasma T.V. Not to mention his surround sound also gave it that extra theater kick. What I liked more about it was the special features disk that cam with the boxed set, It included scenes from Star Wars III. Hayden Christensen Looked bloody hot! I know he's like 12 years old or something, but damn! There's a scene were he's all in black and his hair's all sweaty... H.O.T.! The "preview" was really just filming of the scenes being choreographed by the stunt coordinators in front of the blue screen, then they showed the actual final cut scene. The part that gave me chills was the recreation of the Darth Vader costume(no really, it did). I know alot of folks are kinda pissed of about some of the changes Mr. Lucas has made, but hey It is his bloody movie. Let him do what he wants. he almost got a heart attack making the freaking film. The least we could do as fans is respect his decision to make any changes he wants. I like the changes, so far. George, thanks for making my childhood viewable on DVD. Oh and thank you for casting Hayden Christensen, it makes me happy.

Scott left today to go to Arizona for work. I miss him already. I hate sleeping alone. Good thing I have my babies to keep Scott's side warm. I can't wait to sleep next to him again.

My friend Edward Posted this little Fact versus Fiction reality check on his blog. The phrase "actions speak louder than words" is in full effect here. I knew that we had an idiot for a president, but Edward's post confirmed it for me. If Bush goes one more term, then the folks who put him there are as blind to his sad numbers as he is to his sad results. How can anyone even think about running again when they have caused more bad than good for the last four years? Ugh...

I am the proud uncle of Alexavior Brain Chavez! He weighed 7lbs 8oz. He already has a nice set of hair on him. He's so cute! And I mean it. Most babies when they are born look like little aliens. Not my nephew! My sister was in labor for 28 hours and no drugs. I'm so proud of her! This gives my mother a total of 3 grand children. The question was asked when I was going to be a daddy. I smiled and asked to hold my new nephew. As I held him while he slept, I whispered in his ear "Welcome to the world Alexavior" He then opened his eyes and my heart melted. Yeah, I could get used to that.

Twas an awesome weekend! Day one was all set up and checking things out. By the end of the night, it was drinking and and good times. Day two was amazing. We had breakfast, went for a walk by the lake, had lunch, took a drive through the forrest and did a nature walk. We had dinner then drank some more. At about midnight, Scott and I heard rain... Not so good. Scott had to run outside in his boxers and flannel shirt (that was hot by the way) to get his I pod he left on the bench. Oops. We cuddled and got a bit frisky to help keep us warm. Scott is famous for his kiss and roll (Scott will kiss me and roll over when he is done cuddling), But this weekend we cuddled all night long. It was so nice. When we finally woke up, the camp site was all wet. We decided to get going since we were all dealing with wet camping equipment. Over all, even with the rain, I loved it! I can't wait till the next camping extravaganza!

Flannel Shirt: Check
Cargo pants: Check
Mountain boots: Check
Mini I-Pod: Check
Ice Chest of food: Check
Fresh water: Check
Sleeping bag: Check

I think I'm ready for the great outdoors. This is my first official camping trip. Lazy Bear didn't count because we could walk to dinner and shower on site. This is supposed to be hardcore camping. No showers, no restaurants and no TIVO. Oh my. I do hear that there might be bears in the woods. Not woofy bears, but the real deal type bears. I was told to make lots of noise to keep them away and put all the food away so they wont eat it. Words to live by I guess. I'm trying not be all Zsa Zsa Garbor ala Green Acres about this. Me and the outdoors have never meet so I want to be ready for anything. This should be fun, I can't wait!

Tonight, this cute guy came in for dinner by himself. He was very woofable! I sat him at his table and I asked him for his drink order. I tried not to look at him for too long because that might make him feel like I was interested in him. He asked what the drink special was, so I told him. He ordered one and stared to look at the menu. I dropped off his drink and was getting ready to walk away when he asked what I would recommend. I suggested our prime rib dinner. He smiled and said he likes a good piece of meat. I blushed and left his table. A short time later the server who took his order told me he asked if I was looking to buy a house. I looked at her and laughed. later as he was at the register to pay, he gave me his card and asked me to give him a call. He gave me the "I'm new in town" speech. Then he saw my ring and said oh your married? I smiled and said "well not yet but soon." "Ahh, I see" he said, then he starts to laugh. "what are you laughing for?" I asked. He said, "well I thought you were, well gay. please don't be offended" he pleaded. "Oh no worries" I say with a smile. "well"; he says after signing his credit card draft. "Since I already made an ass out of myself, here's my card" I look at him and smiled. He's a real-estate agent. " Thank you" I gave him a wink to help reassure him his gay-dar was still intact. He winked right back and said "If things change for you, give me a call" I laugh and he leaves. The server who took care of him came over and said he was watching me the entire time. When I showed her his card, she said "Wow, you get more game than I do, and you have a wedding ring on... what gives?" She walks away confused.

Twas a nice way to end the night...

Grumpy that is. As a manager, there are certain responsibilities that just can't be compromised, like a vacation freeze. Now granted I just took a four day weekend, so I guess that means I'm good for a while right? Well, not really.

Scott wanted to go camping for his birthday. It's his birthday and I wanna be there to celebrate it with him. His birthday is this Thursday but we were gonna celebrate it this weekend with a few friends. Now my boss has decided that since we ranked on the top 20 stores in the company in this new contest, that we should maintain that by making sure we continue to supervise the results. Meaning, no vacations or requests for time off... period. I've already got the green light to go, so I figured it was meant after my return. No. It starts now.

So what did I do? I called my Dr. and asked her to give me a Dr.'s excuse for the next few days. The response from my boss? "We can give you modified duty" Ugh. I told her "what if I died?" (being the ever dramatic Leo I am) She said, we'll as long as I can walk and talk, I can still manage the unit. I have a unit I'd like to give her.

So I did the next best thing. I gave her my keys and proceeded to walk out the door. My boss follow's me and tells me that if I leave, that I will never be re-hire able. I told her "You know?, somehow, I'll manage to live with that out come." I'm now getting into my car, ears red, heart pounding almost out of my chest. " She then say's your throwing away your career here!" I look at her and said in a nice calm voice, "You know, I have no desire to work in a concentration camp." I smiled at her because that was one cool comeback. As I turn the ignition on, my chest hurt... a lot. My boss opened up my car door and asked if I was o.k. I told her I was fine in a snippy tone. She then asked what the deal was, why was my chest hurting? "Are you kidding me?" I blast. "I'm still recovering from my heart attack from a few weeks back." I was so pissed at her, what an idiot! "You had a heart attack?" The look on her face looked like she had seen a ghost. "Yeah" I say trying to calm myself down. "No one told me" She got quite. "What the hell do you think the Dr.'s note is for?" She thought It was just my ulcers. Oops...

She said her sorry's and told me to get back inside so I could calm down. About ten minutes later she said that she'll get someone to cover me and that she was very sorry that she misunderstood the whole Dr.'s thing. I felt bad... I've never seen my boss so attentive. She then said that she would understand if I deiced to still leave. She must be Catholic, cause that guilt washed all over me like a cooler of Gatorade. I gave in and told her that'll finish out the day. Later on she asked that If I got the weekend off, if I could stay a while longer while she figures out a plan. Again that guilt poured all over me. I can't be mad at someone for a misunderstanding. Some part of me was kinda glad that it was just that, a misunderstanding. So again, I gave in.

I have a back up plan! I called my old boss at the County of Sacramento, and he has an opening. So buy the begging of November, I'll have a job. Yeah! See things just happen to work out. "Shew" ;)~