Madness

My life is becoming a never ending, maddening cycle. I'm over it. I need a break. I need sleep. I also need to not be working two jobs. It's just not going to work long term.

Staples? You and I may not be buddies for much longer. Just saying.

http://www.di.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/the-holstee-manifesto1.jpg

That's a really cool wordle-type thing. It's a bit more...readable than a wordle, though. Pretty inspirational. Enjoy!

Emotions. Bleh.

Sometimes, my emotions get the best of me. I've found myself in tears on my drive home from work more than 5 times in the last couple of weeks. Yes, a lot of it is probably lack of adequate sleep. However, I think it's really just the whole situation of life hitting me hard. I mean, this last year (plus!) has been extremely tough. I am far away from my best friends, and even though my family is here, I tend to turn to my friends instead of my family, especially when it's my family that's taking the hits the hardest.

Anyways, things I feel are absurd now when I consider them have been making me cry. Things I shouldn't be thinking about, because they're just daydreams and temptations. They are meant to distract me, and recently they've been doing a good job. I need to refocus, and allow God to heal me when I'm emotional. I need to remember to pray and thank him for his many blessings, because they are abundant, even though the trials are nearing the abundant mark as well.

Work is going well. Not that I really have much to update. I'm floating around the school, helping in different classrooms and also teaching my health classes. So far, so good. And Staples is the same ol', same ol'. Jason's pushing us to make more ESP sales and to give better customer service. Not that that's really new...

Anyways, I miss my friends. I feel like my social life is non-existent. At least I have had a little bit of time to spend with Emily over the last 2 weeks. I need that. Time with any friend is special these days, but Emily just lifts my spirits. We laugh, and somehow we convince each other to join music groups/musicals at church, etc. Ha. It's good. =)

Seriously, I'm getting up in less than 5 1/2 hours, so goodnight! <3

Note to our Country...or Society?

Dear America,

You need to stop being so selfish and learn to read. Here are my reasons:

#1, you need to learn to read because when your coupons expire, you can't use them! Seriously, people. If the date says you can't use them, why do you think I can automatically make it so you can use it? I am not a magician. I am also not a manager. Due to these pieces of information, it's important that you consider the expiration date BEFORE entering the store and attempting to use your coupon. Also, if YOU make a mistake (you're human, I'm aware) and try to use an expired coupon, please don't get mad at me. I am sincerely sorry that your coupon expired before you could use it. However, it's not my fault, and there's nothing I can do. Just so you're aware.

#2, If you can't read the fine print, then why read the ad at all? Our ad says the limit and the end date for the sales. Please read it. If the sale ends Wednesday, why one earth do you expect to receive the deal on the following Saturday? That's not how it works. Also, there are limits. If you bring 15 notebooks when the limit is 2, expect the total to be higher. Seriously.

#3, stop being selfish. Yes, we have coupons and cheap sales at times. But if you make a mistake, don't demand that we fix it for you. It's not my job to make sure that the world turns at the speed you expect. Make sure you've got your facts straight and that you're sure your deal/coupon is still in affect/usable. Otherwise, don't get mad at me. You're just being dumb.

Anyways, America, take a moment and consider things before you enter the store. Are you sure you know what you want? Are you sure your coupon is usable? If you can answer either of these questions with, "No," then get the heck out of our store. Our job is not to think for you, or to make sure that you can use things that are no longer good according to their date. Seriously. Think about it.

Erin

Playing catchup...

I am so behind on blogging. This week was CRAZY. I am now working two jobs (Staples and St. John the Apostle Catholic School). I am teaching 2 sixth grade health classes, and subbing throughout the school. This last week, I worked 22 hours (or so) at the school and 34.5 (or so) hours at Staples. Oh my! If you were wondering where I've been, I've been working. Seriously.

At St. John's, we had meetings and things early in the week, and I've been getting to know the staff. I've helped people set up classrooms, watched training videos, and shredded a bunch of papers. Literally. On Wednesday, we had "Faith and Formation" day, which was at St. Therese up in Portland. As a part of this day, there was a mass service. It was my first mass, and I was kind of nervous and excited, because I didn't really know what to expect. I liked it, though. It was uncomfortable at some points, because everyone knew what to say and when. I didn't know what was going on for most of it, but I liked the formality of it. I don't think I'd like to have mass as my only worship service, but I like that it's the history of our religion. While Protestants don't agree with everything that Catholics believe, all Christians descend from the Catholic faith. Anyways, I'm looking forward to more masses and learning how they work/what to say when, etc.

Things have been going really well, though. I've been so busy, but it's going to be good financially, and I've been doing really well at Staples. I've sold 11 ESP (product replacement plans, etc.) in the last week or so. That's pretty good, and I'm in 3rd place for the store's competition. I'm working to beat out the others, but they're definitely more experienced than I am. I've also been selling a lot of pens and getting donations. That's also a big deal, I guess. Woo. =) My bosses seem to be noticing that I'm working hard, and they've told me that I'm doing well and also that a customer called to tell them that I was very helpful. Awesome!

I'm not sure what else you would want to know. I'm going to try to update more often, even if it's short. That way, you'll know what's going on! Sorry to be so MIA lately! Miss you guys!