Attention Shoppers

I have been working in retail for almost two years now. This didn't really happen by choice, but by necessity. I do have savings, but I decided that I would save it until I was truly on my own, when I might need some extra cash to help with my probable low salary from my first full time job. This means that I sell my soul in retail every week to cover utilities and the fun stuff so I don't have to turn to my parents.

What this also means is that I am not some stupid little twit who chose to work in retail because I thought it was a great career. In fact, I generally hate you, the customer, because you are an idiot. I don't say this because I am smarter than you, though I probably am, but because truly, you are an idiot. To remedy this, I have put together this list of informative facts:

-Being nice never hurt anyone, and in fact, can get you more than being rude might.

-Yes, the price on the tag is how much it costs.

-Two of the same item, but in different colors are different prices you say? Shocking. I guess that means different colors are different prices. Just like always.

-I'm sorry for accosting you when you walk through the door, but its my job to greet you. Please just take pity and acknowledge me so I don't feel like any more of an idiot than I already do.

-I'm sorry for asking if you want to open up a store card. Its part of my job description. Lets just move on.

-There is no need to bring items inside-out to the registers. You know I can't throw a wadded up item of clothing into your bag, so if you want to get out of the store faster, at least put the clothes right side out.

-The fitting rooms are not your bedroom floor. Throwing clothes into a pile is rude. Do you want to try on clothes someone else has thrown into a corner with their shoes? Didn't think so.

-Yes it is my job description to fold the clothes, but is it really necessary to topple a stack you just watched me fold after I asked if I could grab you a size?

-When I am ringing up your purchases and the prices don't match what you saw on the tag, please do not jump down my throat. Nine times out of ten I know this, but it takes me a couple of seconds to manually fixit. Patience is a virtue. I suggest you get some.

-Saying you don't speak English to avoid talking to a salesperson is just rude. We don't really want to talk to you anyway.

-Talking on your cell phone at the register is also rude. I mean really, can you not put the phone down for 2 minutes? I don't want to hear about how you hate your mother, your boyfriend, or your roommate. I also don't want you to come back with questions when I could have answered them before. Just call them back.

-If you have worn it, we are not taking it back.

-I'm sorry it didn't fit, but you had 30 days to bring it back and were too lazy to do so. You snooze, you lose, and we won't take the return.

-No receipt? Bummer. Store credit is the best you are going to get, and that's pretty damn generous. For all I know, you walked in, picked it up, and now want to "return" it. Deal.

-Yeah, you're cute, and I'm embarrassed to be seen working here in front of you. That's why there will be no eye contact.

-Guys my age trying to flirt is okay. Weird old men? Not so much.

-The sign says "select styles only." I promise. No, I'm not going to make an exception. Just read the whole damn sign.

-If the sign says "3 for $24," it only applies to the table. Please do not mix and match and hope to get away with it. I'm smarter than that.

-No, I don't know when the next sale is.

-I'm sorry you forgot your coupon, but you are SOL.

I know I could add more, but all of this is basic common sense. In other words, the fact that you don't know or understand any of this is what makes you an idiot and adds to my hatred of you. Once you fix it, we can all move on. Unfortunately, I doubt you will try to fix it. Luckily, I do not intend on being in retail forever, and hope to be gone by the summer. Until that happy day, I will continue to answer your ridiculous questions, help the rude and obnoxious customers, and watch all of my hard work be ruined by inconsiderate people who do not care that I just folded that entire table that you have single handedly torn apart.

Happy shopping.

I WANT ONE!!!

The Apple iPad is here, and oh my jeez, is it pretty or what:

This thing is absolutely amazing. My impression is that is the iphone, but a lot bigger, without phone capabilities (otherwise known as the ipod touch), and with a bookstore. Thats right, it has an ibook store. Sold. Forget the nook and the sony ereader and the kindle, sign me up for an ipad.

However, I can be patient and wait a couple years to get one of these. I do think it would be a bit silly to get one now when I just got my iphone, but I can just imagine watching movies, reading a book, reading the newspaper, or playing online all on the same easy device. And for travel? Heck yes. Right now my laptop is heavy, the battery life sucks, and I can't watch movies on it for some reason. Otherwise though, it works great and I have no need to get a new one. So why not get an ipad to use for travel, whether it be to foreign countries, home to California, or on the metro to work? Its less than 2 pounds and super slim. Plus, since the screen is big, so is the touch screen keyboard, which makes it way easier to type, though I have no problems with my iphone keypad as is :-).

The little video I watched showed an amazing calendar application too, and imagining all of the iphone apps on the huge screen? Well, needless to say, I'm excited. Plus, it still has the app store and the itunes store. Ahh-mazing.

So freaking exciting. Now I just have to be patient, and when I get a job and the price goes down for the one with more storage and 3G in addition to just the wifi, that baby is sold.

Book Club Book #1 (Final Thoughts)

Alright, avoiding homework means its time to finally write a bit of a review on Devil in the White City.

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. It probably won't be listed on my list of all time favorite books, but I will highly recommend it to anyone interested in architecture, serial killers, history, and/or Chicago. On Goodreads one can give 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 stars to a book. Three stars is "I liked it," 4 stars is "I really liked it," and 5 stars is "I loved it." I am going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars as I really did like the book, but there are some things that knock it down a bit.

While I found the process of building the fair fascinating, getting to that point took forever. Granted, it was a complicated process getting the fair, the architects, and all the money together, but it still took far too long to get from that to the actual building process. The kowtowing and animosity between the east and west was also a bit drawn out for my taste.

This isn't to say I did not enjoy reading the background in the beginning on Root and Burnham. That was good because looking back later on in the reading and seeing how far they, well Burnham really, had come was pretty inspiring. That one man had so much power and did not really use it for ill purposes is amazing. Burnham had a vision, and he stuck with it. Without him, I doubt the Fair would have made it to completion, and Chicago, with America, would have been a laughingstock and the joke of the world. He was quite the man.

I do wish the chapters on Holmes had been longer. The title of the book is "The Devil in the White City," so I thought there would be more about this particular Devil than there actually was. In other words, I believe he deserved to be covered more than he was. Yes, the whole ending was about him and the search for the Pitezel children, but that was post-fair, and I wanted more during the fair.

I guess I also was expecting there to be more of a relationship between the two stories than there actually was. I have read a book in the past where there are two parallel lives going on (The Bureau and the Mole), and there was more of a link between those stories than here. Rarely was Holmes seen at the fair, and never with someone who we hadn't already met (like Minni and her sister). I know the author was trying to avoid speculation and such, but once again the title "The Devil in the White City" led me to believe there would be more of a link shown. I think the book could have been two entirely separate novels and nothing would be lost; that's how little I felt they were related by the author.

As to the story line about Mayor Harrison and Prendergast, I thought it was kind of pointless, distracting, and that it pulled away from the story instead of adding to it.

I did enjoy the odd little tidbits: Twain never making it to the actual fair, Helen Keller meeting the guy who created the Braille typewriter, the Spanish Princess' visit and her relationship with Chicago's high society, the info on Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill, Walt Disney's father being one of the builders, L. Frank Baum visiting and creating Oz in the Wizard of Oz from his visit to the White City, Susan B. Anthony's visit, Frank Lloyd Wright's relationship with Sullivan and the fair, and finally, the building of the Ferris wheel. While the Ferris wheel may not be seen as having the same iconic status as the Eiffel Tower that was created for the World Fair in Paris, it is still pretty freaking awesome. Especially as we now know what Ferris was up against. It was a marvel of engineering ingenuity.

For all the the terrible crap that women went through in this book, I found it refreshing that Burnham was so in love with his wife and wrote her constantly. He was a nice foil to Holmes, I just wish it had more pronounced, as stated above.

There were some fun moments for me reading the book as well. When the author is describing the 4th of July and Chicago Day, I was trying to imagine what it would feel like to be in that kind of crowd, where there are literally thousands upon thousands of people who are all feeling the same exhilarating emotions. Then I remembered, the Inauguration in DC must have been similar to that: it was the feeling of being a part of something bigger than you are, and knowing that nothing can ever compare or outdo it in any possible way. I don't think that happens very much in the world, much less the US, any more, as we are all so focused on ourselves, our own beliefs, and the belief that everyone else is wrong. Its unfortunate, as that was one of the best feelings I have ever had.

Its also sad that little to nothing is left of the White City. As I was reading I was thinking it would be great to go to Chicago and check some of this out. Then I got to the end of the book and the fire. I suppose it is almost appropriate though, as it never would have lasted. It is funny though, I am pretty sure that one of the parks mentioned in the book is where the election party was held for Obama on Nov 4, 2008...Jackson Park maybe? Random. :-)

I'm not sure what else to write about, so if more comes to me, I will post again. Overall though, I think it was a great first book for this nascent book club of ours. Reading other posts was fun and I don't know when I would have gotten to this book otherwise. All in all, a good choice and a good read.

It's A Crapshoot

Truer words were never spoken.

I'm sitting here waiting for my test and listening to some of the people around me talking about it. The study guide makes me believe that the guy who made the above statement is quite right. It isn't based on knowledge, but on a standardized test that is not even completely objective. I feel like I have nothing to lose though, which is why I am taking it. So, here it goes, and wish me luck.

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Community Table

Dad was here this weekend to sign the final papers for the condo, and it was super nice to see him and Meaghan. After signing the papers, we got some basics for the condo, like tp and hand soap, as well as some linens for the sofa bed. Anyone want to come visit? Haha. It is so weird to think that I could move over there whenever I want. For now though, I am going to stay where I am and take advantage of it for studying purposes, otherwise leaving it mostly alone.

In any case, the real reason I am posting is because I noticed a common theme at the restaurants in CH: community tables. At Chipotle, our lunch stop, after getting your food you sat down at a long community table that seats around 12 people. At dinner that night at the Heights, we could have waited 20-30 min, or sat at one of the 2 (or 3?) community tables, which sat 10. We chose the community table, and while service was slow, it wasn't bad. The next night, we went to an Italian place, and once again, the community tables system was in effect. It was so odd to see at so many places, so maybe it is a CH thing, I don't know. In any case, it was interesting, and I am definitely going back to all of those places at some point, especially because they are literally in my building. :-)

Partisan Politics

I was reading the news today and came across an article saying that the nominee for head of TSA withdrew. He did so bc the republicans believe that he will allow collective bargaining for the thousands of employees who work for TSA, and he didn't think he would get the votes he needed to get confirmed. I'm sorry, but I care more about my safety and security than I do about unionization, and this guy is beyond qualified. The republicans need to worry about what really matters, not this kind of stuff. It's more partisan than anything. If there is another problem with airplane security, I will blame the idiots against this guy before I blame anyone else.


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What Next?

So I'm sitting here avoiding my homework, as well as writing up my little review for DITWC, and trying to think of what to read next. Perusing Goodreads and my to-be-read pile, there are a few options I might suggest.

Keeping with the Chicago/non-fiction theme, there is Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul.

Or there is Water for Elephants, which has received rave reviews from everyone and their mother... including my mom. A love story and a circus, how could this go wrong?

There is also the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, or maybe a Sherlock Holmes story. I want to see the movies and read the books, so this would push me to do so.

Another possibility is The Red Tent, which has been recommended to me by many, from religious people to non-religious people.

The Alchemist is also supposed to be quite the read.

Looking on the Goodreads site for book-club books, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn looked good. It is a coming of age story about a girl who perseveres through multiple hardships.

I have also never read Lord of the Flies or Catch-22, and as they are "classics," I should get to them one of these days.

Dracula could be fun, especially with all of the vampire mania going around now. Or, less depressing but in the same vein (haha) would be the first Sookie Stackhouse novel, which is more appealing to me than a Twilight book.

So many options! And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I am absolutely willing to read a book not on the list too. In fact, I am thinking of starting "Emma," by Jane Austen tonight, as this is another "classic" I never got around to reading. Oh books, how I love thee. From the ridiculous (Heat Wave by ABC) to the classics (Pride and Prejudice), they always keep me happy.

Happy reading.... and I promise to write my summary of DITWC soon!

Finisco!

I just finished Devil in the White City, woohoo! It was a quality book and I am glad I finally got around to reading it. Thoughts on the book to come later :-)


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More DITWC

Some random notes...

What is the point of the short chapters on Prendergast? He has no relation to the fair or to Holmes at this point, and seems to be a waste of space. Arg. I hope this gets explained at some point.

Also, tres cool to learn the origins of the "Ferris Wheel." I am waiting with bated breath as to whether or not it gets completed on time. (Pg 185)

I had no idea the origins of the Pledge of Allegiance has its roots in the 1893 Worlds Fair. (Pg 181)

The timeline is a little funky to me, as we just moved from January 1892 to October 1892 to January 1893 with a turn of the page. A bit confusing when everything else was so drawn out.

How creepy is it that Holmes took off some of the skin of his victims? Ewwww. And how was this not disturbing (and a sign of a serial killer) to the guy who took the bodies and prepared them to sell to universities?

At this point I am on page 192. All in all, it has been a great book so far, and I am quite happy to finally be reading it. :-)

The Devil In The White City

I am not entirely sure what to do for a book club when the participants are on opposite sides of the country, and when one was an English major and the other most definitely was not, but here are some thoughts and ramblings.

The first book of this amazing book club is Devil in the White City by Eric Larson. So far, it seems to me to be about the construction of the World Fair in Chicago, the architects who built it, and the madman who used it to further his habit of lying, cheating, stealing, and murdering innocent people. I started the book while on the plane heading east on Friday, and am about 135 pages in so far.

At this point, I must admit that Holmes is of more interest to me then the architects, as evidenced by that fact that I can remember his name but not the main guy off the top of my head (though I do remember that it starts with a B, his partner is Root, and Olmsted is the landscape guy, lol). This is not to say that the architecture of the fair is not interesting to me, just that it is a bit dry and taking a long time to get through, and not just in pages, but in months and years story wise as well.

I suppose this is appropriate though, as the building of the exposition dragged on and on for months, with various committees mucking it up. In fact, as I read about the committees, I see a correlation between what happened with the World Fair and what happens every day in current times. For example, look at the World War II Memorial versus the Vietnam War Memorial. The WWII Memorial was designed by a committee while the Vietnam War Memorial was designed by a single architect. Personally, I really dislike the WWII Memorial, and consider it ostentatious and overdone. By having a committee involved, everyone had to have their say and wanted their own point of view included in the final product. This is the same in the book, where there are two main committees who each want control over the fair. leading to arguments, the stalling the start of the work, and slowing the pace of the work once it finally begins.

The architects themselves seems to be egomaniacs. This is not to diminish their brilliance or anything, but the Eastern ones also seem to rely on Hunt (I think?) to make the decisions, and then follow blindly along. Why couldn't they just decide to do it or not on their own, like the guy from the Midwest did? Another scene with the architects that stands out to me is where they are all unveiling their drawing for the fair, their works of art, to hushed, reverent silence. Larson notes that everyone whispered instead of speaking in normal tones, which just seems weird, haha. Also in this scene, there was one design that was bigger (better) than Hunt's, so it was voluntarily reduced. Wtf? I can't see that happening today. Ah well, the ego is a funny thing, and it will be interesting to see how these men work together to build the fair.

The labor issues are just beginning, and I am wondering how much of a role the Unions will have in the rest of the book and the Fair itself.

Also, the rivalry between the East and West is fun to follow, and reminds me a bit of the NorCal/SoCal debates. One could also argue that there is still a rivalry between the coasts, but where the middle of the country fits in those debates (i.e. Chicago), is to be unclear.

Another thing that sticks out in my mind is the minimal role of women in the design and building of the Fair. There has been one mention of a woman winning a contest to design a building, and how her award was $1000 versus the $10000 the men get, and that's about it. Unless of course, Larson is speaking of women getting lost in the city, falling easy prey to Holmes' charms, or their roles as wives to the "brilliant" architects. Granted, its possible women did not have that great of role in the Fair, and it is true that they were the main victims of the times, but I find myself wishing for a bit more depth in the women spoken of, rather than the simpering over Holmes we seem to get in every chapter that covers him.

I do like the format of the book: the way it goes from the architects to Holmes and back. It keeps it interesting and spices up what might otherwise be a slightly boring history lesson on the Fair. This way we get to see the role the Fair played in the psychopaths evolution, and learn about architecture, the society of the times, and all that went in to the creation of the Fair. I do get the feeling that Larson was more interested in the Fair itself, and that he tossed in Holmes in order to keep the readers interested in his pet project. Its working though, as I am excited to keep reading, so no complaints here.

One last note: I think it is fascinating that by choosing AC instead of DC for the electrical current for the fair, the committee essentially chose the current we use primarily today.

And that's it for now, back to reading and I will post more thoughts on the book sometime soon.

Holidaze

So I am on my way again, this time back to DC from SD. I am leaving 70 degree weather for 20 degree weather . What am I thinking? Sigh. No cute guy is next to me either, bummer. The bonus is that I somehow ended up in economy plus, meaning that I have extra leg room! Score! The movie being shown is "Love Happens," which I have never even heard of, so I will probably read instead. I have a couple magazines, my current book, and my book club book, so I think I am all set. Hopefully we will have a tailwind and get in early; as of now we are scheduled to land ten min late.

The biggest bummer is that I didn't get my last taste of in'n out because mom was running late getting me to the airport. Sigh. Oh well.

I think I will miss Riley the most, as I will miss him growing up. I hope he remembers me when I come home next. We shall see.





Now it's into the skies I go! See you on the east coast! :-)

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How did you spend your first day of 2010?

I woke up this morning to my mom telling me that my grandmother is in the hospital in LA and she is leaving in 20 min. So I of course go with her, and we get to LA by 1pm. From what we have been told, she might have had a stroke. I have yet to see her as she has been having multiple ct scans throughout the afternoon/evening. Sitting and waiting has to be the most frustrating thing in the world. In addition, I am hearing the arguments between mom and her sisters. Fun times. Happy freaking new year.

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UPDATE: It was a brain hemorrhage of unknown origins, I got to see her, and 1.5 weeks later she has been moved out of ICU. She also has a broken rib and is a prime candidate for pneumonia bc she isn't breathing well. Awesome.