You can't take it with you when your'e gone

When it comes to news I can be late sometimes, because I don't really watch T.V. much, which is why I was extremely infuriated, but yet not surprised when I found out about the Wal-Mart associate who was killed on black friday . I was not surprised, because I have worked for good ol' Wally World and making money is all that matters there. They do not really care if you are on your death bed, or a family member is, just so long as you can make them more money. I remember my first year black friday incident . It is no joke! On top of that people will go to great lengths for greed. A man had to be killed over "stuff." Useless pathetic stuff, that will get a couple of uses and then tossed to the side......It is disgusting.

Changes

Well I finally made a new transition, although it may be temporary, I have relocated and finally left Wally World behind! Yay me! Ironically I do not have another job yet, but I am focusing on other things right now. I feel like my life is changing and I have awaken from a long nap, and now I have more important things to focus on. We will see how I progress. Until next time....

Relocating-to the land of humiliation

Yes I am bad I have not been blogging since last month :O... I have a few good reasons. 1. the whole limited access computer thin, with the library and the limitations etc.; yeah no need to divulge all the boring details. 2. I am in the process of moving and possibly relocating. Between Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon I did not sleep I was awake for over 24 hours, and boy did I feel it last night when I went to work! I was literally falling asleep on the job. You know that sleepy where you are so tired, but for whatever reason you are obligated to stay awake? I really was almost moved to tears because I was sooo tired. As soon as our 1 hour break came, I went and found a place to sleep and felt much more refreshed when I returned to work after an hour. The packing portion and vacating the old house is actually complete, but my family is up in the air as to whether or not they are moving out of state. Well actually they are more inclined to moving out of state than staying here. So it is pretty much decided that they will move out of state, but the problem is they have not officially gotten the place of their choice right now, so they are camping out at my brother's and sister-in-law's place for two days then onto NC they will go. I am in a dilemma as I am pretty much set in the idea of relocating before the beginning of next year, but not necessarily to NC. So I am staying at the bro.'s house for at least another two weeks. The way I see it if I follow them it will only be temporary as I plan on possibly going elsewhere, but at the same time I am fed up with this area and Wally World and if the family are not here, there really is nothing that keeps this place interesting for me.However I do not want to transfer to the NC Wally World location even though that is a guaranteed job. So I don't know if I should stay here and work until later this year or go there for a few months and be where my family is as well as friends and a better environment for me? The number 3 reason I have not been blogging is because my time has been occupied with someone very interesting :) for a little while now. Someone who is really wonderful for me, and I never would have imagined running across. A couple of days ago we were exchanging text messages, while I was suppose to be at work (oopps! don't snitch) and I was waiting a little while after sending a text message and receiving no response, so I inquired as to whether or not B.B. got the text and B.B. replied, "What text?" Well I assumed something was wrong with the phone and I tried texting it on my other phone; still nothing. This proved to be a bad decision because both B.B. and I have 2 mobile phones one is for everyday use and the other is for emergencies and out of town usage--prepaid thing. Anyway I was trying to send the text to B.B.'s secondary phone from my secondary phone, but what I did not realize was that when copying B.B.'s secondary number to my other phone I transposed the numbers lol! So what was happening was I was sending text messages to someone else! I only found this out because later that week as I was talking to B.B. on my main line, my other phone started ringing, and I told B.B., "hold on a sec." I looked at the caller ID on the phone and saw his other number (or rather what I copied incorrectly in the other phone) and I asked him jokingly, " why are you playing and calling me from your other phone while I am already talking to you?" So he was like, "huh?" I answered the phone and it was another man. He proceeded to tell me that he had been receiving messages from my phone and he did not know who they were from lol. To make matters worse his wife was asking him who was sending him text messages at 2 o'clock in the morning lol! Oh the horror! I felt so bad and embarrassed! Thanks to my blunder I nearly caused a divorce! It was later when I compared the numbers in both phones and asked B.B. to repeat the second number he gave me that I realized that when putting the number in the secondary phone I had transposed some of the numbers lol. What an idiot! Anyway B.B.'s arrival in my life was unexpected, but so cool. Thanks B.B.! I will eventually divulge some more details later....well maybe lol. So I have not had much time to blog really, but things are beginning to change for me and yet at the same time things are unchanged in many ways...but hey that's life!

Things that are on my mind

1. The political race---I am not much of a voter mainly because I don't buy a word that politicians are saying majority of the time, but this race is very interesting many people are expecting to see some sort of historical change in the presidency, but I believe they are in disillusion. If I am wrong about this I will be surprised. I was in my dad's car the other day and he was listening to the Tom Joyner morning show on the radio, (which I really do not like) and as usual Tom had Tavis Smiley on the show for a quick segment about the whole political campaign. I must say I enjoy seeing what Tavis Smiley has to say even if I don't agree with it all. Tavis is a very intelligent and informed man, without being too uptight. He commented on how the topic of the disparity between the classes in this country is not really being addressed by any of the candidates. He stated that most many people are struggling to just stay alive, while the rich is just getting richer. I agree totally with his statements. Everywhere prices are going up on everything. Even the price of something as simple as a candy bar is skyrocketing! I was in Bottom Dollar Grocery (BTW they suck and should change their name because they are not that inexpensive) not too long ago and was shocked to find that a Hershey bar was 75 cents! That's what I would pay at 7-eleven! Meanwhile we are being told that the price increases have to do with the "illegal" war that is going on, even though some companies have become even more rich directly from the war, including some of those politicians who have a vested interest in some of those companies. Yes the economic issues are getting worse and it definitely needs to be made a real priority. 2. Respect---There is a lack of it at my job. It is the main issue that makes me hate working there and at places like it. There is no respect for what we do, as well as no respect for us as individuals. Just the other night I had to very verbally remind a coworker that I would not tolerate disrespect, especially from someone who I show courtesy and consideration to. I have been disrespected and discriminated by people many times tracing as far back as childhood, and when I became an adult capable of making my own decisions and taking care of my affairs, I decided to never accept blatant disrespect ESPECIALLY in my work environment. I hate when people think because I am reserved (only at work ! lol) and try to be polite, that I will bend to whatever form of abuse they will give me. Unfortunately for them they are quite surprised to find that that is not the case. 3.The bad drivers here in V.A.---OMG sometimes I just want to ram people in the back of their cars lol! They drive like idiots, and not in a way that is controlled chaos like you will find in Philly, New York or D.C., but like fools who need to go back to drivers ed. classes. If one more person nearly causes an accident with me, I'll....well I don't know what I'll do lol. I'll admit sometimes I find myself almost succumbing to a mild case of road rage often, but my good sense stops me from acting out on my fantasies. 4. Finally I have been trying to think of the good things that are going on in my life---I have been happy about the recent trips to N.C. I enjoy the area and especially visiting my friend. I am planning another trip there at the end of the month GOD-willing. Why not? it is the only trip I can afford lol I just pay for gas and few odds and ends and the rest is free. I don't have to pay for a hotel or anything so that is the perfect break for a broke chick like me! Also I am happy I have met someone of possible interest to me for now anyway lol. Things change ya know. I also had a couple of ego boosters when I found out that 2 of the sample handbags that were given to my baby sisters were admired by some of their peers (I guess I really need to pursue it more) and when I invited another viewer to my blog she startd reading it, and now I have possibly inspired her to start her own. Yeah that's cool :) *If you want to check out Tavis's website click on his name in the post, and it will take you to the link

Celebrity siting: Chris Brown and Rhianna came in our store part 2

I was like huh! Chris Brown looked at me for a minute with a look that read, "Please don't scream, please don't go crazy." Trust me it wasn't that serious lol; I didn't do either. I am not starstruck like that. Then when he saw that I was, going to remain calm he went back to browsing and chatting with Rhianna. There was a body guard with them and 2 other females (I'm guessing the dancers maybe), or rather I should say the bodyguard was more so guarding Rhianna. I was very surprised though and proud of the fact that people did not overreact and maul them; and scream or anything, granted it was past midnight and not a very busy night for us but still the people that were in there behaved well and allowed them to do their shopping. It was funny though because they were on the General Merchandise side of the store, but our Grocery associates, came creeping over pushing carts of "freight" to get a look and see if the rumor were true. Eventually one of the Assistant mangers came on the intercom and announced that all Grocery associates needed to return to the grocery side of the store and get back to work lol. Management watched and made sure all associates didn't really leave their areas to go and follow them, but ironically enough or should I say hypocritically enough, one of the assistant managers asked for Chris's and Rhianna's autographs because "her kids were big fans." Only a few other associates actually had the chance to get an autograph. One was a cashier who went running down the aisle saying, "Chris Brown can I have your autograph!", and even though she was instructed by her supervisor to come back, she kept going anyway and did eventually get the signature lol. He was pretty cool about it and signed a few autographs for the customers that asked. I guess he would be nice in his hometown of V.A., wouldn't be a smart move not to be huh? Another customer asked if she could take a picture and the body guard said no. Later on when I mentioned it to people, they questioned me as to why I didn't get an autograph or take a picture, and there are a three reasons why I didn't: 1. I was suppose to be working and was being monitored by my management to make sure that I remained working. 2. Taking a picture wasn't allowed (see previous sentences for reason) and if I had took the chance and snapped a picture on my camera phone, I am quite sure this would have had a much more negative impact because I was an employee rather than if the customer did it. I would assume that I would have received some sort of reprimand from management. 3. The most important reason of all is because it really wasn't that important to me, yes seeing them there, not in disguise was shocking, but I really don't think that having a person's autograph is anything special and if I would have gotten it I would have sold it on Ebay to someone who cared. I am not a fan of their's per se and I don't go out and buy their cds or anything. I would have been more impressed if I had met Nelson Mandela; someone who has made a much more important social impact relating to humanity. If I could have sat down and chatted with people like him that would be memorable to me. So aside from watching them peruse the different departments and saying hi to them, it was pretty low key. But an event out of the ordinary of the usual routine nonetheless..

Celebrity siting: Chris Brown and Rhianna came in our store last night part 1

I am not much for caring too much about celebrities, but I must say I was a little shocked last night when Chris Brown and Rhianna decided to stop by and do a little browsing and shopping in our good ole Wally World last night (approximately a little past midnight). I saw what looked like an unmarked tour bus outside the store before coming back from first break last night, and didn't think much of it, until I walked in and was walking past my department and I saw a girl who really resembled Rhianna and I thought to myself, "wow she really looks like her?!" But then next to her I see a guy next to her who looked like Chris Brown and I thought hmmm what a coincidence, maybe too much of a coincidence; until they turned around and looked me in the face and I realized it was them :O -- to be continued (because my time at the library is up lol).....

How to deal

Boo hoo I have no internet access right now except for my occasional trips to the library :( so blogging is very difficult to do right now. I am experiencing my usual economic hardships, so nothing new,I am growing extremely weary if this whole scene and looking for a change, I am ready to pack up my things and leave this area although that might be hard to do with no money lol. I really look forward to the day when I can type that my money crisis is over---if that day ever comes......Work--"Wally World how do I despise thee let me count the ways"....At Wally World things never seem to get better only worse; more drama and scandals everyday. I usually try to keep myself at a distance from most of the drama and choose to keep company of a select few, even though I get along with many people there; but because of this I am sometimes accused of being stuck-up, anti-social or shy. The first 2 are definitely not my qualities and the last, is only applicable sometimes. How can you feel at ease at a place where the management is just as much a part of causing drama as the reg. employees? Not to mention the assortment of customers we get. On my way out to lunch last night I had a guy block my car in with his car, so that he could hit on me! I swear sometimes I think I am entering another world when I walk into that store. On a sad note one of my coworkers on my shift was found dead in his home (health related). It was pretty shocking to everyone as most of us had seen him just a night or two before at work and everything seemed fine. One of our other coworkers had been dating him for a couple of months, so she naturally took it hard and took a couple of days off. When she came back it was somewhat awkward as it was hard to approach her because she was very distant, you could see that she did not want anyone talking to her and later she confided in another associate that she had to curse out one employee who called her mobile phone 12 times. Seeing her like that made me think about the process of life and greiving. I remember when my grandfather died I was very sad and it felt like a small part of myself died too and then later when my grandmother died it felt the same way. It's ironic that when someone dies you feel so isolated and alone wih your grief and feel as if you will never get over it, but then someday somehow, with no knowledge of when exactly it happened, you move on. You wake up and suddenly the trees are green again and you can hear the birds chirping and the world has not stop functioning, so you too have to continue to function. Just mentioning that person's name does not bring you to tears anymore. How difficult is it for you to purge that person's immediate existence from you psyche? Their memories now go into the archive of your brain for you to recall when needed and the space that they use to occupy is now filled with new thoughts. I guess it is the basic natural instinct of the human body; to survive. You have to go on living and therefore have to adjust to this change so as not to diminish yourself. Although in some miniscule way it makes me feel guilty, but it is only normal. A few weeks after my grandfather died I wrote this short poem---"You live on inside of me. Some carved wood; some garden greens--a memory of who you use to be." It made my mind feel much more at ease.

Yes I may piss some people off; No I am not sorry!

Ok I must say I am not sorry for who I am or how I was born. I know the Almighty creator made no mistake with my form and I do not apologize for my appearance. Why do I say this you ask? Well just some things that have been happening and said lately at work. As a person of color I must say there are many stereotypes about people in my race (just as racial stereotypes exist in other races) some that are either knowingly or unknowingly accepted by many in the race. Some people of color produce movies and print that display these negative stereotypes and celebrate them, as if they represent who we are as a race, Lol but then get offended if someone outside the race says it about us. One thing in particular that irritates me right now (and mainly because I am hearing it alot at work) is Black people feeling they have to be ashamed of their hair. Some feel that they were cursed and not born with "good hair." The comments that they make out loud in public about these insecurities, prompt others to feel it is ok to say it too (how some of these insecurities started is another story). Because of this habit some of the non-black women at work have felt comfortable enough to start making comments about black hair and the hair care products, that are a little negative. I am pretty open to other races and have friends, not just associates outside the race, and most of my coworkers know this about me, and how I love languages etc. so sometimes some of them have no problem saying some of this negative stuff around me, because I guess they think I am different lol. However I don't appreciate it....Hell I don't appreciate it when a black person makes those comments, so how do you think I am going to take it if someone else says it? Here is my disclaimer: I am not saying that only blacks who wear their hair in their natural texture are secure. I don't care what your styling preference is; you can fry it, dye it, curl it, twirl it, relax it, or wax it etc. etc. Your look, your choice the options are endless for everyone, not just blacks. However if you are black don't be ashamed of what you have (it's funny how many black women love their bodies, but dislike their hair) and certainly don't put your insecurities on public display all the time. I would suggest you read a book by the very famous Hollywood hairdresser A. Dickey. In his book, "Hair Rules!" (a styling guide for women of all races who have kinky, curly, or wavy hair) he states, "If I were to make any distinction, after years as a professional stylist, it would be between a healthy head of hair and an unhealthy head of hair. In my practice, that is what really determines good or bad hair. And healthy hair trumps all textures and types!" In other words whether you have kinky hair or not you have "good hair" if you take care of it. So know yourself or get to know yourself and understand that you are not a mistake.

Opportunity knocked, but I didn't answer the door in time

Well the voicemail message from the other day , may just be a missed opportunity. A summary of what happened: I came home from work a few days ago feeling exceptionally tired from all the stress of Wally World and I fell asleep right away when I awoke it was early afternoon and I noticed that I had missed a couple of phone calls so I proceeded to check my voicemails and that was when I discovered the call from the company looking for manager trainees, saying that they were interested in talking to me. Of course I was excited, a real salary, and a chance to escape the hell that is Wally World; alas with many things in my life so far, I should have known not to get too happy until the fairytale became a reality. I called the personnel lady back at the number she left, but I got her voicemail and she hasn't called back :( I know they are doing alot of hiring for various locations and those who they call, that actually answer the phone, are the lucky ones. Fortunately this does not have me feeling depressed or anything, as I said I try to keep striving these days, even if I have a setback. Besides, I am happy about my upcoming trip to NC to visit with a friend for a few days. I hardly ever get to take a trip for leisure so even if I have to scrape up the money for gas and I will only be spending 3 days there, I am excited! On another note I would like to participate in this meme that I read over at The Ranting Monkey's blog which he borrowed from another blogger who was tagged by another blogger etc. etc. and the circle continues, anyway here we go: The rules are simple. You are to write a six word memoir about yourself. And then tag six people. So here is my six word memoir-----She lived her life in wonder.

Opportunity Knocks

I received a voicemail today from a company I decided to put an application in with. They are interested in talking to me, and if I were so fortunate to get this position, it would mean a considerable hike in my pay. Of course I wonder if I get it, how I will be able to juggle my time considering it is for the position of manager trainee, and I am still trying to go back to school, launch a part-time business, and even considering a move??...I think I will not let that stop me though, as I am on a mission to keep moving forward, and whatever will get me an inch further towards my goals, I will do. The plus side I could have the option of leaving Wally World, or I can juggle two jobs for little while longer. This opportunity could not have come at a better time as Wally World is really getting on my last; so many allegations of corruption from management on down. I look at some of the people who I thought were decent, and am amazed--it's like everyone is at a masquerade party with their disguises on. Don't get me wrong I don't think I am so much better than many of my co-workers, it is just that I have a problem with people being completely phony. How can you talk about others work ethics, and the thievery of the customers, when you are stealing anything that is not tied down? Last night, I felt like I was floating above the whole situation, like I was on the outside looking in. The sad part is that many of these people will remain there, because as I said a few members of management are said to be involved. Even though some people have been recorded on camera, they refuse to do anything about it unless they steal a certain amount. ???? It is a madhouse lol, and those of us who are fairly normal, are the outsiders.

Honey, I'm Hoommeee!

It has been over a month since I have blogged! I was facing serious withdrawals in the beginning, next came denial and finally I reached acceptance. I must say though that it feels good to blog again. I have actually had the chance to read a few of my favorite blogs, and am happy to see that others are still blogging. It has been an interesting month. Some things have changed, and yet much is still the same. I am still struggling along, but choosing to remain hopeful for my future even when it seems that I will not have a bright one. This is the time of the year when work is the busiest, and the customers are at their worse. Yesterday was the infamous "Black Friday" and at Wally World it was definitely an adventure. We had to play policemen to our pallets of freight that was going to be included in the big doorbusters for 5am. We had a line that was wrapped around the store for the flat screen TVs that were on sale. Not to mention all of the lines that were stationed at the pallets for some of the hottest toys for the season that were included in the sale. Once 5am hit and we were to cut away the shrink wrap from around the pallet, the best and safest thing to do was to move! I saw one of my coworkers almost trampled under the crowd who dived on the Transformer action figures. People were literally wrestling and elbowing their way to what they wanted. Later I found out there was at least 2 fist fights over some items on the other side of the store. As I made my way to other parts of the store I would see one of my co-workers and say, "You're still alive!"In addition to our normal security guards, we had 3 additional Police officers at the doors to make sure nothing was stolen in the frenzy, because believe me there are those people who use that day as the perfect time to load up on "free items." Once 7am arrived I was free to leave the asylum, and I went to breakfast with a co-worker of mine, which was a necessary wind-down and time for some reflection of the previous activities of our shift. Sometimes I just can't believe the lengths people will go to for "stuff." Sure there are things I wouldn't mind having, but I think sometimes we really need to be a little less materialistic in this society. I really believe that when you are gone from this world, it will not matter how much "stuff" you leave behind, but the good deeds and positive impact you had on the world that will remain legendary.

My blog and I suffer when I do not blog

Wow this limited Internet access thing is getting a little old :S on the bright side I have been able to focus a little more on my goals that I am trying to reach I have completed some bags and taken pictures, that I will be posting soon (well eventually) provided I get the website issues taken care of. I feel like it has been months since I have last blogged. I have much I would like to blog about, work, new people= new drama; so much tension there you could cut it with a knife, and how did I manage to get loosely mixed up in it??, my real and not just figurative progress I have made with my project, small little baby steps, but steps nonetheless. I have only had time to read a small selection of my favorite blogs, and am hoping for the day when I can have unlimited Internet access again and am able to read some of your blogs and vent on my own blog whenever and wherever I want. Right now I have to dash, as I have a lunch date with a friend of mine who I have not seen in years....Updates coming....eventually.

Tornado Watch

I am experiencing a whirlwind of emotions right now, boring stuff, but I will post it anyway as I am taking advantage of these few rare moments when I can blog.

1. I have just been blessed with another nephew, my bro and my sister-in-law have just had a little boy yesterday, to add to the little girl they already have.(This adds to the 2 nephews and 2 neices that I have thru my older sis) He is so adorable, he wighed 6lbs 10oz, but my sister-in-law said he was a more difficult delivery then my niece (that does not surprise me as my younger brother has always been a real pain lol like father like son). So I am happy about that.
2. I also am happy because I have actually made real progress with my bag(s) construction last night, I can see some light at the end of the tunnel, if only I can keep myself on track and not divert from my current direction, I will be that much closer to my giveaway contest and actually displaying them on the websitethatIneedtofinishbutcan'tbecauseIhavelimitedaccesstotheInternet.
3. Now for my frustration: work as usual is the main source; too much drama there, and I am having to try and pick up an extra day or two, because I am going through a financial crisis (what else is new) and have one day left before my license will be officially suspended for not having any insurance on my car :( because I can't afford the freakin payment right now arrrggghhh! The worst thing about working a crappy job is when you try and get those extra hours (not overtime mind you, the company shuns this, and will threaten termination if you do incur the O.T.) you end up killing yourself and when you get the paycheck you see maybe an extra 10 to 15 dollars after taxes! So those are the main culprits for my anguish right now, but I will try and drudge through as usual and keep the hope that I eventually things will get better. Once you've reached rock bottom, you can either stay there, or claw your way back up.

Is age just a number?

Ok this is another one related to Wally World. As I said before Wally World has the nickname Club Wally World, because so many people use it as a meeting and hangout place. I've also mentioned that many associates, mostly the females have to deal with the advances of some of the customers as well as their fellow associates. On the overnight shift we have quite a few young guys that are between 18-20 and that does not stop them from making passes at some of the females that are slightly older, or more than slightly older. One comment I am tired of hearing from some of them is, "age is just a number." But is it really? Many of these 19 year old guys who say this act pretty immature. And no I do not say this because they like to have fun or goof off, (heck even I can be pretty goofy when I am with my friends) but most of them are still at that stage where they have not yet left boyhood. I have seen maybe 2 exceptions there. They don't yet understand that there is a difference in being young and not stuffy, and just plain childish. I think there are times and circumstances when age does not matter, but for the most part it does play a big part on the relationship.

• What do you think do you really think that age is just a number? I am more interested in this from the older female younger guy perspective. But you can comment on both angles.

Final Thoughts for the day...

I have had the chance to go and read a few of my fav blogs and leave comments, but not all, I hope to soon have normal access to the Internet, and not be on a C.I.VAC. When I once again have access to blog regularly, it will be business as usual. In the meantime, I am working and making progress with my bags slowly but surely. Well...it is now about time for me to go back to Wally World (read previous post for related matter) Until next time.....

It has been 9 days since I have blogged

Wow it has seemed like an eternity since I last blogged. I have very limited access to the Internet right now....heck to a computer right now. I feel like I could write so much, but I will do that when I have regular access again (I am sneaking this opportunity). I am blogging this early in the morning because I am on an extra long break from Wally World. We were called to a meeting at 11:30pm only to be told that they forgot to let us know that they would be doing some electrical work and that they wanted us to clock out at midnight, and return at 3:00am :O Some people said they did not plan on coming back, of course this was not within earshot of management. I will go back as I would rather come back for an additional four to five hours, then come in on a day off and make up the time. That is one reason I decided to blog; to stay awake ;)

You ever get the feeling that things are not as they seem...

Ok a quick one about Wally World; someone told me once not to blog about Wally World, but I work there, I don't like it, but yet it is a part of my livelihood right now, so it affects me and therefore I will blog about it when I see fit.

• Headline: Corruption at Wally World! I have mentioned before how people steal alot from Wally World. They steal just about anything, toothbrushes, pencils candy, condoms, you name it. Although majority of this comes from the customers, some items prompt you to believe that it is an inside job, such as the theft of electronic items, computers, televisions etc. Yes I did just say computers and televisions lol. Well we had had a couple of laptops stolen within the past few months, and the other day they believe they have caught the culprit. I was greeted at work Saturday night by my co-worker who told me that our suspicions as to why they were locking our trash compactor; which was causing the stockers the inconvenience of having to call out in vain (they rarely respond to your plea of help) for a member of management to come open it, were true. I had told her not too long ago that they must have their eye on someone who they think is stealing, because they were locking the compactor. Lo and behold she informed me that one of our co-workers was escorted off the premises for stealing a laptop. Wow I never would've guessed that that particular person was doing that. But it doesn't end there. At Wally World gossiping is notorious, especially in the break room (which is why I usually steer clear of the place), so of course there was more to the story. Apparently the accused named 2 other accomplices--none other than a lead associate and an assistant manager! The assistant manager who the rumor pinpoints, does not show any sign of being reprimanded from the co-manager or anything, so I do not know if they have not informed the 2 individuals that the accused mentioned their names, or if they are just watching them and waiting to catch them somehow, or my real theory is the lead associate who is new, was a mole. I think maybe they have implanted him there as a decoy to lure out some suspected thieves. At any rate I think there is much more to this story, for example there are 2 associates who work back in the electronics area overnight, and these laptops which are locked up, are being stolen under their radar? They do not take a break a the same time, one has to wait until the other comes back. But conveniently everytime a laptop is stolen they are not even able to know what happened? I have never really trusted one of the associates from the very beginning, it has always been something peculiar about that person to me, even most people don't see it. I think someday more to this story- the truth and not just rumors and gossip, will come about. Incidentally now we really feel like a criminals at work. I am afraid to take my mobile phone [which I use to keep on vibrate does not matter now; no service :( ] in and out of my pocket just for fear that they are looking at me and assuming I am putting products in my pocket lol. Another coworker commented that it was so tense that it even had some of us second guessing ourselves. How true....

Controversial Topic

Well I really had not planned on interrupting my I.VAC. but I was inspired to write this after something I heard at work last night. Many employees were wearing purple and black ribbons. Another associate who was passing them out asked me if I wanted one, well I am not the type to just blindly support something I don't know about, so I wanted to know what the ribbon was for. Another co-worker asked me if I had heard about the 6 black teenagers in Louisiana who were on trial for beating a white student, and was looking to face sentences of 20 to more years in jail. These students are dubbed as the Jena 6 . I don't watch the news as much as I used to (too much negativity and biased sources) so I told her oddly enough I had not. I had only just recently found out about another case in West Virginia, where a young black woman was held captive for a week, tortured, sexually assaulted, and maliciously wounded, through another blogger. So I was somewhat familiar with that story, but had not heard of the Jena 6 . Many protesters, majority of whom are black have gone to Louisiana to demonstrate against what many are calling a disparity in the law. I don't want to go into too much detail as you can read the basic background info by clicking on the keywords in this post. But the gist of it is this: black students sat under a tree that was coined as the "white tree" where mainly white students sat, and the next day 3 nooses were hung on the tree. When the principal recommended that the students responsible be expelled, the school board overturned it calling it a "harmless prank" and the local prosecutor said they were too young to be charged with a hate crime. This led to a series of riffs between the white and black students, and in the end of all this, a white student was beat up by several black students and sent to the hospital. He was treated and sent home that day, and later attended his highschool's Ring Dance. The black students were later charged with assault, and then it was increased to attempted second degree murder a charge of which incited many people to object to the severity of the possible punishment. On the first day of the trial for one of the boys (Mychal Bell) the prosecutor reduced the charges to aggravated second degree battery-a charge of which requires the use of a deadly weapon; the shoes were argued to be the deadly weapon-this charge can still carry a sentence of 22 years. He was found guilty, by an all white jury, one of which was the friend of the victims father. This sparked even further outcry from the public and Mychal Bell was given new attorneys and a chance to make an appeal. A protest led by Al Sharpton, is taking place in Louisiana....................................................... Now in the case of the West Virgina woman, Megan Williams , in which she was subjected to far greater atrocities, and was more than likely eventually going to be killed by her tormentors, police and FBI are "investigating" if this was a hate crime; even though the victim gave a statement that, one of the accused said "this is what we do to niggers around here."

• My issues

1. What is there to investigate? Clearly the West Virginia case is not only a sick crime, but a racial one as well. There is no question about it. It seems to appear that when ever there is a crime concerning a white defendant, the justice system goes to great lengths to make sure that the accused are not being tried for anything extra and are being fairly treated, but in the case of non-whites, it seems everything that could possibly be thrown at them, is. These people who did this to Megan Williams; whom all have prior criminal records-Frankie Brewster was charged with 1st degree murder in 1994, and after pleading guilty to manslaughter, served only 5 years in prison, deserve to be denied freedom for many, many years to come. Are these people going to be given their just desserts? Even though this case is still new, I do not believe they will really get what they deserve. In the end they will probably be freed earlier than they should be, as was the case with Frankie Brewster.
2. In the case of the kids in Louisiana, it is because of the prejudices and favoritism that was given by the school board that helped escalate the whole situation. If the school board had supported the Principal's original ruling, or at the very least gave the boys who hung the nooses more than 3 days in-school suspension, then it would have helped a little to cool the tensions between the students. Several Black students even went to the school board to try and discuss the matter, but were refused the chance, because the school board felt that it had handled the matter adequately. Also, since when does hanging nooses from a tree, after black students "crossed the line" and sat under the tree, constitute as a prank? I wonder if say for example, this school had a significant amount of middle eastern kids in its student body, and a few of them decided to wear t-shirts with the twin towers, showing the planes crashing into them and a big smiley face on the shirt, saying we support amateur pilots, or something bizarre like that, would this be considered just a silly prank? Of course not! These students would be reprimanded with much more than 3 days of in-school suspension.
3. While I agree the black teenagers should be punished for beating up the white teenager, I think it is clearly a case of racism. In highschool kids get into scuffles all the time, and hardly ever is it treated with such severity. I have even witnessed, in middle school no less, where students have beat up other students, with the same type of force kicking etc. this involved a multitude of races, and not necessarily a race thing, per se and these students may have suffered expulsion, and detention time, but never to be charged as adults for attempted murder. That is absolutely absurd. I do not, and I am quite sure many people would agree, believe that this is a case of attempted murder. They beat him up (just as some of the black students had been beat up by some whites); were they wrong? yes. Did they attempt to murder him? I seriously do not believe so.

Overall does racism still exist in America? I think so, heck it still exists around the world. What I hope is that the number of non-racists can outweigh the number of racist people in the world, so we can have a little more harmony...

• Note: please take the survey and watch this video at Youtube which shows how Fox News once again establishes themselves as a discreditable news source.

Lines Overheard......My Journey

I overheard this at work last night: "You know your deodorant is working when you take a shower, and wash your armpits, and the deodorant still does not wash off." hmmm........

Last Night

Last night was the usually lack luster night at Wally World I went in loathing having to be there. I prayed that it would be pretty slow, with not much nocturnal shoppers, and that the most annoying co-workers would not bother to talk to me. Well at Wally World that rarely happens. Besides having the nickname "Wally World" the store has other names it is known as, such as "Club W.M." because it is such a social gathering place. People come in dressed (or barely) to impress and on the prowl. It's Friday Night and where do you go to hang out and meet people? Is it a fancy restaurant, or the local nightclub? Wrong! it is "Club W.M." The #1 destination in your weekend social festivities; the first stop you make before hitting any other clubs. This is not necessarily good for those of us who want to do our job and go home at 7am. People linger in the "too-narrow-for-25-people-to-fit-in" aisles, and catch up with current affairs, tell tasteless, crude, and really-not-that-funny jokes about each other or random people, conveniently find ways to "accidentally" brush up against or touch you or other people, and my personal favorite have an occasional game of "lets-sling-products-at-each-other-." It makes trying to maneuver around people in the tight space and put away the freight a "little" difficult. Surprisingly enough, last night was not too bad, I think this had something to do with the tropical storms brewing. I thought to myself, "Great I can get through this night without anyone bothering me" as I was not in a very good mood. But of course it wouldn't be a Wally World night if you did not have at least one annoying situation. So just as I was thinking how wonderful it was not to have anyone in the way, standing between me and my work along comes two quirky females. I was not in the mood for quirky. I kept it in of course being trained in the arts of "good customer service." I had to endure a half-hour visit from these ladies in my aisle, and a stupid conversation concerning the shampoo and conditioner. --OK I'll admit I am female, and I too can take a minute to decide about the right products to buy, but at some point you make a decision.-- But what made the conversation special was that the commentators were two ditzes. I painstakingly had to listen to a conversation that went something like this, " Ha ha, tee hee, SHAMPOO, ha ha, blah, blah, PANTENE, blah,blah, SUAVE tee hee, ha ha, I LOVE THAT SONG, blah, blah, blah, SHAMPOO tee hee." OK, seriously shampoo is not that funny... Was the conversation even about shampoo? I know I wasn't a happy little camper last night so maybe I was especially irritated, but they were standing in the way of the section where I had alot of freight to put up. Why did I not just say, "excuse me but I need to get right where you're standing" you ask? Because then that would have meant I actually would have to speak to them, and given the mood I was in, my lack of adequate sleep before coming to work, the 1:30am time frame, and the fact that I did not want to mar my reputation for being a good customer service worker, I decided to work around them, putting out what little freight I could and try not to appear annoyed... Just when I thought I could hold it in no longer they made a decision. aaahhh safe