Here are a couple of "funnies" I've heard recently--real life experiences:
First one: I edit the weekly newsletter for the Sweet Adelines chorus group I'm a member of. I usually include a joke or funny saying at the end of the newsletter. For the latest one, I used several Church bulletin bloopers that my sister-in-law sent me a few weeks ago. The next day I received a reply from one of the chorus members, with her own "Church bulletin blooper."
Seems my friend Carol did the weekly bulletin for her ward (LDS) some years ago. One of the songs which the congregation would be singing was "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet." Being somewhat in a hurry, she didn't realize that that she had mis-typed it to read "We Thank Thee O God For a Profit." Wouldn't have been quite so funny except that the theme of that Sacrament meeting was on "Tithes and Offerings."
The second one occurred today. I went with my husband to Hood River to deliver Real Estate and Sports magazines--the freebies you see in grocery stores and in racks on street corners. This was a new route for dh--we had a list of stops to go by, and a cassette tape that was recorded by the previous route driver to guide us on our way. At one point, he was trying to tell us about a stop--a bank. On the tape he hemmed and hawed, asked someone he couldn't see what the name of the bank was. As he was apparently driving and talking into the tape deck, he said something like, "What the heck is the name of this bank? Just a minute........." After a few seconds, the tape stated, "Drive Through....."
That's it for today. I hope I don't take forever for the next post!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
"Think about the good things you have today."
As I was working at my computer the other day, I noticed a fortune out of a fortune cookie sitting on my desk. The fortune read, "Think about the good things you have today."
As this is November, and traditionally the time we here in the USA turn our thoughts to Thanksgiving and all the good things we have, I decided to blog on this. (Nice when a ready-made topic comes your way).
What do I have to be thankful for?
1. My belief in God and Jesus Christ. I am thankful that I was raised to believe in God & Christ, and that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That when I heard the lessons about the LDS Church, I was receptive and accepting of the lessons that I heard, that I was baptized a member, and have been a member of this church for 40 years now.
2. Being a citizen of the USA. Sure, our country's not perfect, but I'd rather be here than any other nation on the earth. We have a lot more freedoms than most. I can worship as I choose, I can travel wherever I want, whenever I want, however I want--maybe with a few more hassles than before 9/11, but still, if I decide to make a plane reservation and fly to Colorado to visit my dad--I don't have to plan in advance and ask permission from a gov't. agency.
3. My Family. I have 6 children, a great (most of the time) husband, 9 1/2 grandkids, a great brother and sister-in-law, and various and assorted other relatives whom I know and love. Without family, where are we? We have a friend who doesn't know where his family is. His mother died a few years ago, his sisters left town and do not keep in touch with him. It's sad to think that when the holidays come, he won't be spending them with his family. Sure, they're not perfect, but they're mine, and I love them anyway, "warts and all."
4. My home. It's not the fanciest place, but it's still better than a lot of homes in the world. It's a refuge, it's the place I come to and know that I can be safe here, and shut the rest of the world out if I want to.
5. My health. Not perfect, but no major ailments--just some achy, creaky joints and such that come our way with advancing age. Could be a lot worse!
6. Food to eat. We are so blessed in this nation that food is (usually) readily available to us. There are many starving in other nations, and for that matter even here. I am grateful that I have never known true hunger. My heart goes out to those who do know what it's like to be really hungry.
7. My ancestors. Those who know me, know that I have an insatiable obsession (or passion, borrowed from Nicolas Cage in "National Treasure") to know who my forefathers were. I've had plenty of success in finding them, and realizing that most of them came to this country in its beginning years and helped shape its greatness. They were not influential people, by any means. Just "people," like you and me; but it's people who make this society what it is. I am grateful that they were led here so that I could be born in this country with all the privileges and blessings that I enjoy.
8. My talents. I have nothing remarkable in the way of talents, but I have enough to keep me satisfied. I can sew reasonably well. I can knit, enjoy other crafts, have a passable singing voice, am a good listener, and I'm sure there's more I'm overlooking but these will do for starters. We all have talents. We should be thankful for them.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I hope we'll all take some time to think about what we have and what we are thankful for.
"Think about the good things you have today."
As this is November, and traditionally the time we here in the USA turn our thoughts to Thanksgiving and all the good things we have, I decided to blog on this. (Nice when a ready-made topic comes your way).
What do I have to be thankful for?
1. My belief in God and Jesus Christ. I am thankful that I was raised to believe in God & Christ, and that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. That when I heard the lessons about the LDS Church, I was receptive and accepting of the lessons that I heard, that I was baptized a member, and have been a member of this church for 40 years now.
2. Being a citizen of the USA. Sure, our country's not perfect, but I'd rather be here than any other nation on the earth. We have a lot more freedoms than most. I can worship as I choose, I can travel wherever I want, whenever I want, however I want--maybe with a few more hassles than before 9/11, but still, if I decide to make a plane reservation and fly to Colorado to visit my dad--I don't have to plan in advance and ask permission from a gov't. agency.
3. My Family. I have 6 children, a great (most of the time) husband, 9 1/2 grandkids, a great brother and sister-in-law, and various and assorted other relatives whom I know and love. Without family, where are we? We have a friend who doesn't know where his family is. His mother died a few years ago, his sisters left town and do not keep in touch with him. It's sad to think that when the holidays come, he won't be spending them with his family. Sure, they're not perfect, but they're mine, and I love them anyway, "warts and all."
4. My home. It's not the fanciest place, but it's still better than a lot of homes in the world. It's a refuge, it's the place I come to and know that I can be safe here, and shut the rest of the world out if I want to.
5. My health. Not perfect, but no major ailments--just some achy, creaky joints and such that come our way with advancing age. Could be a lot worse!
6. Food to eat. We are so blessed in this nation that food is (usually) readily available to us. There are many starving in other nations, and for that matter even here. I am grateful that I have never known true hunger. My heart goes out to those who do know what it's like to be really hungry.
7. My ancestors. Those who know me, know that I have an insatiable obsession (or passion, borrowed from Nicolas Cage in "National Treasure") to know who my forefathers were. I've had plenty of success in finding them, and realizing that most of them came to this country in its beginning years and helped shape its greatness. They were not influential people, by any means. Just "people," like you and me; but it's people who make this society what it is. I am grateful that they were led here so that I could be born in this country with all the privileges and blessings that I enjoy.
8. My talents. I have nothing remarkable in the way of talents, but I have enough to keep me satisfied. I can sew reasonably well. I can knit, enjoy other crafts, have a passable singing voice, am a good listener, and I'm sure there's more I'm overlooking but these will do for starters. We all have talents. We should be thankful for them.
As we approach Thanksgiving, I hope we'll all take some time to think about what we have and what we are thankful for.
"Think about the good things you have today."
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet.......
Halloween is exactly one week from tonight!
Celebrating Halloween as we knew it when we were kids, is practically a thing of the past now. Schools don't have "Halloween" parties anymore, they're "Harvest" parties, if they even have a celebration. Just a few years ago we were getting 80-90 trick-or-treaters coming to our door in about a 3 hour time-span. Now we only get about 30. It's sad to see some of the old traditions going away.
I don't remember many Halloween's as a child. What I do remember is that we didn't have much in the way of costumes, like they do now. Usually a mask was it. Nothing too scary--just silly little plastic masks. Or if you had an old sheet that Mom didn't want, you cut some holes in it for eyes, and you were a ghost. I don't remember dressing up for Halloween parties at school, although I think we held them. I remember winning a trick or treat bag in 4th grade, playing Bingo in class. That was probably the very first thing I had ever won. For most of my growing up years we lived in a small neighborhood kinda out in the country. My brother & I would put on our masks and set out to trick or treat, but we never had much candy because of the smallness of the neighborhood, compared to what my own children brought home. But you got real candy bars for the most part--not the cheap little "penny candies" that a lot of people give out now. And if you were lucky, your parents drove you to a better neighborhood where you could get even more candy. And some pretty affluent people gave out money. Those were the days when "penny candy" really only cost a penny. Candy bars were a nickel, as were ice cream cones. Soda pop was a dime. If you were lucky enough to get a little money instead of candy, it was always good at the local candy or grocery store.
Once in a while we'd hear a story about someone finding a razor blade in an apple, but for the most part no one worried that we were going to be poisoned by our candy haul. Nowadays, parents have to check their kids' candy carefully, or only let them go to places where they know the residents.
Sometimes change is good, and this one probably is as well, in the long run; what with muggers and gangs terrorizing people these days. And we all know that candy sure isn't very good for you. And now, because two or three people would be offended by the traditional Halloween celebration, schools don't have those anymore.
As I give out candy to the 30-some odd kids that will darken our door next week, I'll feel sad for the changing times and will remember when things were more relaxed and easy-going, with little or no fear. For the changing of traditions often signal the changing times, and sometimes--they're not so good.
Celebrating Halloween as we knew it when we were kids, is practically a thing of the past now. Schools don't have "Halloween" parties anymore, they're "Harvest" parties, if they even have a celebration. Just a few years ago we were getting 80-90 trick-or-treaters coming to our door in about a 3 hour time-span. Now we only get about 30. It's sad to see some of the old traditions going away.
I don't remember many Halloween's as a child. What I do remember is that we didn't have much in the way of costumes, like they do now. Usually a mask was it. Nothing too scary--just silly little plastic masks. Or if you had an old sheet that Mom didn't want, you cut some holes in it for eyes, and you were a ghost. I don't remember dressing up for Halloween parties at school, although I think we held them. I remember winning a trick or treat bag in 4th grade, playing Bingo in class. That was probably the very first thing I had ever won. For most of my growing up years we lived in a small neighborhood kinda out in the country. My brother & I would put on our masks and set out to trick or treat, but we never had much candy because of the smallness of the neighborhood, compared to what my own children brought home. But you got real candy bars for the most part--not the cheap little "penny candies" that a lot of people give out now. And if you were lucky, your parents drove you to a better neighborhood where you could get even more candy. And some pretty affluent people gave out money. Those were the days when "penny candy" really only cost a penny. Candy bars were a nickel, as were ice cream cones. Soda pop was a dime. If you were lucky enough to get a little money instead of candy, it was always good at the local candy or grocery store.
Once in a while we'd hear a story about someone finding a razor blade in an apple, but for the most part no one worried that we were going to be poisoned by our candy haul. Nowadays, parents have to check their kids' candy carefully, or only let them go to places where they know the residents.
Sometimes change is good, and this one probably is as well, in the long run; what with muggers and gangs terrorizing people these days. And we all know that candy sure isn't very good for you. And now, because two or three people would be offended by the traditional Halloween celebration, schools don't have those anymore.
As I give out candy to the 30-some odd kids that will darken our door next week, I'll feel sad for the changing times and will remember when things were more relaxed and easy-going, with little or no fear. For the changing of traditions often signal the changing times, and sometimes--they're not so good.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
No Wheels Addendum
I should have written this one before the last, I didn't realize that I had written it before the "No Wheels" issue was resolved.
To continue: We tried to borrow my brother's car, but our luck with cars continued to be BAD. We got maybe a mile from his house when the car (a '77 Plymouth Volare station wagon which looked just like the one Amanda King drove in "Scarecrow & Mrs. King" drove), died! It would not start, but fortunately dh thought he knew what the problem was: a ballast resistor!" Drove to our local NAPA Auto Parts store and bought a new one ($3.59--best bargain of the week). DH replaced it--it started and ran great! However, the brakes were not very good and dh refused to let me drive it. We returned it to his driveway, and I was carless once more.
The next day I took one of the twins to work and borrowed her car. That evening we got a call that my car was ready--and it was only going to cost $145. Second bargain of the week, although that $3.59 isn't going to be beat any time soon.
By Saturday dh had figured out what was wrong with his pickup and had repaired it. Two weeks after our saga had begun, all cars were up and running, and we are now hundreds of dollars poorer, what with all the repairs and lost time from work.
Hope that is it for a while. Knock on Wood!
To continue: We tried to borrow my brother's car, but our luck with cars continued to be BAD. We got maybe a mile from his house when the car (a '77 Plymouth Volare station wagon which looked just like the one Amanda King drove in "Scarecrow & Mrs. King" drove), died! It would not start, but fortunately dh thought he knew what the problem was: a ballast resistor!" Drove to our local NAPA Auto Parts store and bought a new one ($3.59--best bargain of the week). DH replaced it--it started and ran great! However, the brakes were not very good and dh refused to let me drive it. We returned it to his driveway, and I was carless once more.
The next day I took one of the twins to work and borrowed her car. That evening we got a call that my car was ready--and it was only going to cost $145. Second bargain of the week, although that $3.59 isn't going to be beat any time soon.
By Saturday dh had figured out what was wrong with his pickup and had repaired it. Two weeks after our saga had begun, all cars were up and running, and we are now hundreds of dollars poorer, what with all the repairs and lost time from work.
Hope that is it for a while. Knock on Wood!
We've Come A Long Way, Baby!
Last night we were pleased and surprised to see a few old favorite TV shows on a local TV station that we haven't seen in years. "Green Acres" was one, I caught the last few minutes of it as I had been gone. The other one I found to be "entertaining," was "Charlie's Angels." As I recall, the show originally aired in the late '70's, I think. Certainly no earlier than early '80's. It starred Farrah Faucett-Majors (who isn't using Majors anymore after a divorce from Lee Majors, subsequent marriage and divorce from Ryan O'Neal); Jaclyn Smith (now best known for K-Mart line of clothing); and Kate Jackson (who went on to star in "Scarecrow and Mrs. King," I have no idea what she's doing now). The premise of the show was that "Charlie" (who was never seen onscreen, other than an arm or hand or maybe the back of his head, but very aptly played -er- voiced by John Forsyth) recruited these three beautiful women to be undercover crime solvers for him. The show usually started out with Charlie calling the Angels to give them their next assignment. The assistant's name was Bosley, he was sort of the go between between Charlie and the Angels. You are probably more familiar with the movie of the same name, taken from the TV series.
However, I digress! My point in this post is that as Charlie talks to the Angels via speakerphone (wow, did we have those in the '70's?), while Bosley showed them slides on a slide projector. My daughters, in their early 20's, found that to be very amusing. Of course, they cannot remember life without at least a VCR, let alone a DVD player, but for those of us who can recall a simpler time--technology has certainly come a long way in the 25 or so years between the airing of this show and today!
Does anyone even have an old-style slide projector, movie projector, or even a record player, for that matter? These items represent an era when life was simpler, when the family sat around the dinner table almost every evening for dinner, and when the family sat in the livingroom together and watched TV. When there was something decent on TV to watch, shows not full of unsuitable subject matter or blood and gore. The times were simpler, but I liked those times.
We may have come a long way (and for anyone too young to remember--this was a catch-phrase for a cigarette back in the '70's), but I'm not so sure I'm thrilled with everything in this new phase. While I wouldn't trade my computer, DVD player, CD player, washer & dryer, hair dryer and some other wonderful conveniences, wouldn't it be nice to go back to a time when life was simpler, slower, and less stressful?
Only if my computer came with me!
However, I digress! My point in this post is that as Charlie talks to the Angels via speakerphone (wow, did we have those in the '70's?), while Bosley showed them slides on a slide projector. My daughters, in their early 20's, found that to be very amusing. Of course, they cannot remember life without at least a VCR, let alone a DVD player, but for those of us who can recall a simpler time--technology has certainly come a long way in the 25 or so years between the airing of this show and today!
Does anyone even have an old-style slide projector, movie projector, or even a record player, for that matter? These items represent an era when life was simpler, when the family sat around the dinner table almost every evening for dinner, and when the family sat in the livingroom together and watched TV. When there was something decent on TV to watch, shows not full of unsuitable subject matter or blood and gore. The times were simpler, but I liked those times.
We may have come a long way (and for anyone too young to remember--this was a catch-phrase for a cigarette back in the '70's), but I'm not so sure I'm thrilled with everything in this new phase. While I wouldn't trade my computer, DVD player, CD player, washer & dryer, hair dryer and some other wonderful conveniences, wouldn't it be nice to go back to a time when life was simpler, slower, and less stressful?
Only if my computer came with me!
Sunday, September 10, 2006
No Wheels
I remember having a record--a 45 (does anyone remember what we listened to before CD's?) called "No Wheels" when I was young, probably about 10 or 12. I don't remember much about the record, except the chorus was this "No Wheels" over and over and over again.
Well, recently we experienced this very thing--we had "No Wheels."
Last Saturday (Sept. 2nd) was our 8 year old grandson's baptism day. They live some 90 miles away at the coast, which is about a 1 hr. 45 minute drive for us. We were scheduled to leave home about 11:30, which should have given us plenty of time to get there. We actually left about 11:45, but we still should have arrived on time.
Except for one small problem...................
We were about 15 minutes away from home, everyone having a good time, traffic was a little on the heavy side because of Labor Day weekend. "Everyone" included our #2 dd and her 2 children, my husband & I, and our twin dds. As we were driving along in what we thought was a well-running car, DH said, "We have no power, something's wrong!" Well, those words are NOT music to anyone's ears, believe me. To make a long story short, we weren't going anywhere anytime soon. The twins called their friend on the cell phone, and she and her brother came to our rescue and got us back home. Once home, DH called a tow company and within the hour my beloved Pontiac Transport minivan was back home in our driveway, complete with a $97 towing bill. To make matters worse, the car started!
Not trusting it, of course, we piled into #2 DD's Sable station wagon--a tight fit for 7 people and one of the twins had to sit in the back (there is a seat back there complete with seat belts). We missed the baptism and were late for dinner, but we did spend a couple of hours there with the family.
Sunday we made do with Don's pickup to get to church and back. Monday was Labor Day, we didn't have any big plans but dh & I did a little window shopping and had dinner out. I told him I didn't need a car on Tuesday, but would on Weds & Thurs. We had plans to borrow my brother's extra car, and picking it up Tuesday evening.
DH's pickup had other plans.
I was working away at my computer Tuesday morning around 10:30 when the phone rang. It was dh. He was working in a town about 45 miles away, and he called to let me know that his pickup wouldn't start, would I please rent a car and come rescue him. Fortunately we're within walking distance of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, so I called them, put on my sneakers (had sandals on before) and walked the 4 or so blocks over to process the rental. I was on the the road about half an hour later, up the Gorge to North Bonneville. Again to make a long story short, picked up dh and we continued on to Stevenson, a bigger town than North Bonneville, complete with a NAPA dealer. He knew he needed a new battery by that time, so it should have been a simple matter to buy the battery, pop it in and be back to work. Chalk up another $45 for the battery, $199 a week or $40 a day for the car rental.
Nope, not so simple!
After jiggling wires and fiddling with his gear shift, it finally started, and we were on our way back home again. Lost: A day's pay!
After struggling off & on all week with it, trying different things, he finally fixed it Saturday morning. Battery cables seem to be the problem, at least it started every time for the rest of that day. Will it start again today? Or tomorrow? Only time will tell.
We took my car out to the shop Weds. evening. It started fine, but only ran about 10 or 15 minutes till it died. Left it at the side of the road, went back home. By that time the "working" twin dd was home, we used her car and went back to mine, with a tow rope. My car started again, but by this time dh had figured out it was only good for about 10 minutes at a time, so he took off and went as fast as he dared go. Made to within about 4 or 5 blocks of the shop. We put the tow rope on it and drug it the rest of the way. Cost? Up to $400, as that's what dh authorized the shop guy to do.
It's not back yet, hopefully Monday or Tuesday (the shop guy went out of town Friday thru Sunday). My rental car goes back either Monday or Tuesday (gotta call and see which), and hopefully the pickup will start and be fine. We'll be borrowing my brother's car Monday night if mine isn't ready on Monday.
No Wheels! No Fun! Expensive, too!
Well, recently we experienced this very thing--we had "No Wheels."
Last Saturday (Sept. 2nd) was our 8 year old grandson's baptism day. They live some 90 miles away at the coast, which is about a 1 hr. 45 minute drive for us. We were scheduled to leave home about 11:30, which should have given us plenty of time to get there. We actually left about 11:45, but we still should have arrived on time.
Except for one small problem...................
We were about 15 minutes away from home, everyone having a good time, traffic was a little on the heavy side because of Labor Day weekend. "Everyone" included our #2 dd and her 2 children, my husband & I, and our twin dds. As we were driving along in what we thought was a well-running car, DH said, "We have no power, something's wrong!" Well, those words are NOT music to anyone's ears, believe me. To make a long story short, we weren't going anywhere anytime soon. The twins called their friend on the cell phone, and she and her brother came to our rescue and got us back home. Once home, DH called a tow company and within the hour my beloved Pontiac Transport minivan was back home in our driveway, complete with a $97 towing bill. To make matters worse, the car started!
Not trusting it, of course, we piled into #2 DD's Sable station wagon--a tight fit for 7 people and one of the twins had to sit in the back (there is a seat back there complete with seat belts). We missed the baptism and were late for dinner, but we did spend a couple of hours there with the family.
Sunday we made do with Don's pickup to get to church and back. Monday was Labor Day, we didn't have any big plans but dh & I did a little window shopping and had dinner out. I told him I didn't need a car on Tuesday, but would on Weds & Thurs. We had plans to borrow my brother's extra car, and picking it up Tuesday evening.
DH's pickup had other plans.
I was working away at my computer Tuesday morning around 10:30 when the phone rang. It was dh. He was working in a town about 45 miles away, and he called to let me know that his pickup wouldn't start, would I please rent a car and come rescue him. Fortunately we're within walking distance of Enterprise Rent-a-Car, so I called them, put on my sneakers (had sandals on before) and walked the 4 or so blocks over to process the rental. I was on the the road about half an hour later, up the Gorge to North Bonneville. Again to make a long story short, picked up dh and we continued on to Stevenson, a bigger town than North Bonneville, complete with a NAPA dealer. He knew he needed a new battery by that time, so it should have been a simple matter to buy the battery, pop it in and be back to work. Chalk up another $45 for the battery, $199 a week or $40 a day for the car rental.
Nope, not so simple!
After jiggling wires and fiddling with his gear shift, it finally started, and we were on our way back home again. Lost: A day's pay!
After struggling off & on all week with it, trying different things, he finally fixed it Saturday morning. Battery cables seem to be the problem, at least it started every time for the rest of that day. Will it start again today? Or tomorrow? Only time will tell.
We took my car out to the shop Weds. evening. It started fine, but only ran about 10 or 15 minutes till it died. Left it at the side of the road, went back home. By that time the "working" twin dd was home, we used her car and went back to mine, with a tow rope. My car started again, but by this time dh had figured out it was only good for about 10 minutes at a time, so he took off and went as fast as he dared go. Made to within about 4 or 5 blocks of the shop. We put the tow rope on it and drug it the rest of the way. Cost? Up to $400, as that's what dh authorized the shop guy to do.
It's not back yet, hopefully Monday or Tuesday (the shop guy went out of town Friday thru Sunday). My rental car goes back either Monday or Tuesday (gotta call and see which), and hopefully the pickup will start and be fine. We'll be borrowing my brother's car Monday night if mine isn't ready on Monday.
No Wheels! No Fun! Expensive, too!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Cashier-In-Training
I absolutely HATE the training process for a new job.
This was brought home to me again a couple of weeks ago as I waited in line at my local Winco, and again a day or two later at Walmart, and observed a new cashier in one of her first days of training. I felt so sorry for both of these ladies, I remember how hard it is to train for a new job.
It's hard enough to start a new job anyway, because there's usually so much to learn. But once you've received a minimal amount of "training," you're expected to perform while being watched like a hawk by your trainer. And in the case of retail, not only are you watched by the trainer, but by every person who comes through your line. And of course you're going to be slower than you will be someday when you're fully trained and have been working for a while. And human nature being what it is, there are going to be some impatient, in-a-hurry people who want to buy their goods and beat it to their next destination.
My first real job was as a Reports Clerk and Secretary at National Auto Parts. I was only 18, fresh out of business school and ready to take the world by storm. The lady who was quitting and whose job I was taking over was older--in fact her daughter went to the same high school I had graduated from, although a couple years behind me. My job entailed being secretary to the General Manager, Sales Manager, and Office Manager, as well as compiling reports at the end of the month (and after all these years I can't even remember what this was all about anymore). As I sat at the typewriter (dark ages--before computers) and typed up the letters from the dictaphone or compiled and typed up the reports, the lady sat beside me, watching every move, correcting me every time I did something wrong. If I remember right, she stayed at my elbow for about two weeks before leaving, and turning me out on my own. I'm sure she thought I'd blow it all and be fired. But you know what?? Once she was no longer at my elbow, I was able to do the job well enough that after a few months I was looking for more work. I also learned and helped with the payroll and some accounting procedures, and sometimes went to the Purchasing room and helped post orders on the inventory cards. Co-workers told me that I was MUCH faster than "Blanche."
Fast-forward about 10 years to my next "major" job, with Hughes Airwest. I took an Airline training course, then went to work for the same school. To make a long story short, I ended up working for this airline in Seattle, thanks to my contact through the school. There was a good deal of training involved at this job--first to learn the computer system that processed airline reservations, then the protocol for taking customer calls and making reservations. Part of the process involved listening to another agent as he/she handled each call. Then he/she listened to ME do the same thing, offering comments at the completion of the call if need be. This process lasted several weeks before I was turned loose on my own. Without someone listening to my every word (besides the caller, that is), I did MUCH better.
Recently, I had the opportunity to undergo some more "on the job training." My husband's boss asked me if I'd like to make a little extra money, as he needed extra help and was hiring. One of my new responsibilites, the only one I've been trained for thus far, involves entering real estate properties onto the web site. A job I can do at home, even though now all my kids are grown that's not so important anymore. After one hour of training by a lady who didn't hover, or at least give the appearance of hovering, I was turned loose with the CD of information I needed to enter to the web site. This was probably the easiest training session I had ever gone through. Either she was a good trainer, the job was so easy it didn't take much training, or finally--after all these years--I've learned to overcome my hangups with on the job training. I suspect it's all of the above. The job IS simple; the lady probably knew after a few minutes that we had enough computer skills that she didn't need to worry; and after all of these years, I know I can handle most any job (short of brain surgery) so no worries there! And I'm now older than anyone who's going to be training me, so no need to feel intimidated.
As a final comment, if you are in a line at the store and realize YOUR cashier is being trained, please be patient! Unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you have either already undergone--or will some day undergo--the training process.
You may have been--or may become--a CASHIER-IN-TRAINING!
This was brought home to me again a couple of weeks ago as I waited in line at my local Winco, and again a day or two later at Walmart, and observed a new cashier in one of her first days of training. I felt so sorry for both of these ladies, I remember how hard it is to train for a new job.
It's hard enough to start a new job anyway, because there's usually so much to learn. But once you've received a minimal amount of "training," you're expected to perform while being watched like a hawk by your trainer. And in the case of retail, not only are you watched by the trainer, but by every person who comes through your line. And of course you're going to be slower than you will be someday when you're fully trained and have been working for a while. And human nature being what it is, there are going to be some impatient, in-a-hurry people who want to buy their goods and beat it to their next destination.
My first real job was as a Reports Clerk and Secretary at National Auto Parts. I was only 18, fresh out of business school and ready to take the world by storm. The lady who was quitting and whose job I was taking over was older--in fact her daughter went to the same high school I had graduated from, although a couple years behind me. My job entailed being secretary to the General Manager, Sales Manager, and Office Manager, as well as compiling reports at the end of the month (and after all these years I can't even remember what this was all about anymore). As I sat at the typewriter (dark ages--before computers) and typed up the letters from the dictaphone or compiled and typed up the reports, the lady sat beside me, watching every move, correcting me every time I did something wrong. If I remember right, she stayed at my elbow for about two weeks before leaving, and turning me out on my own. I'm sure she thought I'd blow it all and be fired. But you know what?? Once she was no longer at my elbow, I was able to do the job well enough that after a few months I was looking for more work. I also learned and helped with the payroll and some accounting procedures, and sometimes went to the Purchasing room and helped post orders on the inventory cards. Co-workers told me that I was MUCH faster than "Blanche."
Fast-forward about 10 years to my next "major" job, with Hughes Airwest. I took an Airline training course, then went to work for the same school. To make a long story short, I ended up working for this airline in Seattle, thanks to my contact through the school. There was a good deal of training involved at this job--first to learn the computer system that processed airline reservations, then the protocol for taking customer calls and making reservations. Part of the process involved listening to another agent as he/she handled each call. Then he/she listened to ME do the same thing, offering comments at the completion of the call if need be. This process lasted several weeks before I was turned loose on my own. Without someone listening to my every word (besides the caller, that is), I did MUCH better.
Recently, I had the opportunity to undergo some more "on the job training." My husband's boss asked me if I'd like to make a little extra money, as he needed extra help and was hiring. One of my new responsibilites, the only one I've been trained for thus far, involves entering real estate properties onto the web site. A job I can do at home, even though now all my kids are grown that's not so important anymore. After one hour of training by a lady who didn't hover, or at least give the appearance of hovering, I was turned loose with the CD of information I needed to enter to the web site. This was probably the easiest training session I had ever gone through. Either she was a good trainer, the job was so easy it didn't take much training, or finally--after all these years--I've learned to overcome my hangups with on the job training. I suspect it's all of the above. The job IS simple; the lady probably knew after a few minutes that we had enough computer skills that she didn't need to worry; and after all of these years, I know I can handle most any job (short of brain surgery) so no worries there! And I'm now older than anyone who's going to be training me, so no need to feel intimidated.
As a final comment, if you are in a line at the store and realize YOUR cashier is being trained, please be patient! Unless you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you have either already undergone--or will some day undergo--the training process.
You may have been--or may become--a CASHIER-IN-TRAINING!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Take Me Home, Country Roads.....But Watch Your Speed
One day last week I had the opportunity to go with my husband as he drove one of his delivery routes. I like to go on the Longview/Castle Rock run. It's a chance to relax, enjoy the scenery, and get lunch out. It had been a pleasant day with lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Longview. We were on the home stretch, which my husband tags "The Ridge Run." From LaCenter you take off up narrow, winding country roads; off the hurry hurry of Interstate 5. Supposedly.
A couple different times cars would swoop down on us as we were doing about 45-50 mpg (posted limit for most of the road is 45 except for the curves). The opportunities to pass are limited because of the curves, so they had to content themselves with riding our bumper until either they turned off, or there was a spot to pass.
There are several stops along this road, one called the View Market, the other Fargher Lake Grocery, before coming into the "booming" metropolis of Amboy, where there are several more delivery stops. Before we could get to Amboy, we came upon a small lineup of cars, stopped because of an apparent accident. We could see a tow truck ahead, and about 3-4 minutes into our wait, a fire truck came around us to get to the front of the lineup of cars, and to assist in the accident. As we watched and commented about what could have happened, Don could see that it looked like a vehicle had gone into a ditch. As we watched the tow truck prepare to drag it out, we realized it was a rollover accident, and it was a pickup truck. We wondered how it happened, if anyone was hurt--the usual stuff.
The tow truck driver applied it's cables, turned the pickup over and drug it out onto the road. Then he hooked it up for the tow back into town. Once he was out of the way, traffic began to move again, more slowly this time. As we passed the actual scene, a young couple stood along side of the road, looking rather dazed and stunned. Ahah! We said. This must be the people who were in the pickup. There were no other crunched vehicles along side the road, and from the number of cars ahead of us (about 8), the accident couldn't have happened too much before we got there. It must have been a case of too much speed and the driver lost control. Or, being more charitable, perhaps he dodged an animal and ended up rolling his truck.
At any rate, a sobering lesson for those of us caught up in this traffic backup. The couple appeared uninjured, for which they can be very thankful. Their pickup was pretty crunched, will probably be totaled.
There's a reason for lower speed on windy country roads. And when you come upon someone doing the speed limit on one of these roads, back off, slow down, and enjoy the ride.
A couple different times cars would swoop down on us as we were doing about 45-50 mpg (posted limit for most of the road is 45 except for the curves). The opportunities to pass are limited because of the curves, so they had to content themselves with riding our bumper until either they turned off, or there was a spot to pass.
There are several stops along this road, one called the View Market, the other Fargher Lake Grocery, before coming into the "booming" metropolis of Amboy, where there are several more delivery stops. Before we could get to Amboy, we came upon a small lineup of cars, stopped because of an apparent accident. We could see a tow truck ahead, and about 3-4 minutes into our wait, a fire truck came around us to get to the front of the lineup of cars, and to assist in the accident. As we watched and commented about what could have happened, Don could see that it looked like a vehicle had gone into a ditch. As we watched the tow truck prepare to drag it out, we realized it was a rollover accident, and it was a pickup truck. We wondered how it happened, if anyone was hurt--the usual stuff.
The tow truck driver applied it's cables, turned the pickup over and drug it out onto the road. Then he hooked it up for the tow back into town. Once he was out of the way, traffic began to move again, more slowly this time. As we passed the actual scene, a young couple stood along side of the road, looking rather dazed and stunned. Ahah! We said. This must be the people who were in the pickup. There were no other crunched vehicles along side the road, and from the number of cars ahead of us (about 8), the accident couldn't have happened too much before we got there. It must have been a case of too much speed and the driver lost control. Or, being more charitable, perhaps he dodged an animal and ended up rolling his truck.
At any rate, a sobering lesson for those of us caught up in this traffic backup. The couple appeared uninjured, for which they can be very thankful. Their pickup was pretty crunched, will probably be totaled.
There's a reason for lower speed on windy country roads. And when you come upon someone doing the speed limit on one of these roads, back off, slow down, and enjoy the ride.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
School of Life
The other day as I was contemplating an upcoming assignment to teach a class on Vital Records at my local Genealogoical Society, I began thinking about what I would want on my introductory bio. I don't know if you have been to a genealogy conference or seminar before, but the usual opening is for the moderator to introduce the speaker and give a brief resume of his or her accomplishments in the field of genealogy. This includes college degrees, advanced training, experience, etc. I got to thinking about what I would put on my resume if I'm asked to provide one.
College degrees? Does graduation from an airline school with the placement of #1 in my class count for anything? Well, probably not, as far as genealogy goes.
Am I a Certified Genealogist? Well, no, not really.
What experiences have brought me to this point? Well, I guess I could say that doing genealogy (aka family history research) for the past 38 years counts for something, and that my experiences in this field all come from what I like to call "The School of Life."
I further began to contemplate my accomplishments, and the accomplishments of many people whom I have known over the years.
Take the computer (no, please don't, I'd be lost without it). When I worked for a major airline 22+ years ago, computers and word processessing were fairly new. Towards the end of my six-year career in the airline industry, I realized that if I wanted to go to work in an office setting again, I'd probably need to go back to school for that computer and/or word processessing training. Fast-forward to about eleven years ago when we bought our first home computer, then continue fast-forwarding to present day, and I realized that through the "School of Life" I have pretty good computer and word processing skills, learned not in a classroom, but as I used my computer for various projects. I've done newsletters for PTA, church, and now for the Sweet Adelines Chorus I belong to. Better still, the "School of Life" doesn't cost much extra, unless you count for things like a computer or any other tool that you use on a daily basis.
My husband is also a graduate of "The School of Life." He's fairly handy with tools, handy enough that you could count on one hand the number of times any of our cars have gone to a mechanics shop in 38+ years of marriage, and the only time one of our appliances made it to the shop was a washing machine which was still under warranty. Has he had special schooling for this? Not on your tintype! He learned from observing his father, learned from books, learned from doing. He's one of these people who sits down with a book, then goes out to the garage and goes from there. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of money he has saved us over the years in repair bills!
My father-in-law was skilled in many areas, yet never had any special training, than the experience life handed him. He was an accomplished photographer and ran several photo processing plants for most of his career. He started off as a musician, a country western singer & guitarist. He built furniture and cabinets. He could keep cars running. Probably a lot more skills that I can't remember any more, as well. He had a doctorate from "The School of Life."
My dad started as a ranch hand before working for the railroad. His railroading career was interrupted by WWII. His war training was in mechanics, and somewhere along the way he learned welding and fabricating. He worked for more than 25 years as a welder for a steel company. He built boat trailers for the boats he owned, and for friends; they were sturdier and better than anything you could buy. He built a trailer for his 23 foot boat while it was in the water, and when it was completed and the boat put on it, he only had to adjust one roller for it to be "perfect." My dad also received a doctorate from "The School of Life."
It used to be you didn't go to school to learn something before embarking on your career. You were trained "on the job," or your skills came about because of what you had already done. And you didn't learn just one skill, but many. Much different than our time.
"The School of Life" has been around for as long as mankind has been around. Our fathers and grandfathers; mothers and grandmothers, were graduates. In most cases they have passed down to us their knowledge. I hope we were paying attention. I hope we will continue to pass on our knowledge to our children and grandchildren. Some day, we may all need the lessons learned in "The School of Life."
College degrees? Does graduation from an airline school with the placement of #1 in my class count for anything? Well, probably not, as far as genealogy goes.
Am I a Certified Genealogist? Well, no, not really.
What experiences have brought me to this point? Well, I guess I could say that doing genealogy (aka family history research) for the past 38 years counts for something, and that my experiences in this field all come from what I like to call "The School of Life."
I further began to contemplate my accomplishments, and the accomplishments of many people whom I have known over the years.
Take the computer (no, please don't, I'd be lost without it). When I worked for a major airline 22+ years ago, computers and word processessing were fairly new. Towards the end of my six-year career in the airline industry, I realized that if I wanted to go to work in an office setting again, I'd probably need to go back to school for that computer and/or word processessing training. Fast-forward to about eleven years ago when we bought our first home computer, then continue fast-forwarding to present day, and I realized that through the "School of Life" I have pretty good computer and word processing skills, learned not in a classroom, but as I used my computer for various projects. I've done newsletters for PTA, church, and now for the Sweet Adelines Chorus I belong to. Better still, the "School of Life" doesn't cost much extra, unless you count for things like a computer or any other tool that you use on a daily basis.
My husband is also a graduate of "The School of Life." He's fairly handy with tools, handy enough that you could count on one hand the number of times any of our cars have gone to a mechanics shop in 38+ years of marriage, and the only time one of our appliances made it to the shop was a washing machine which was still under warranty. Has he had special schooling for this? Not on your tintype! He learned from observing his father, learned from books, learned from doing. He's one of these people who sits down with a book, then goes out to the garage and goes from there. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of money he has saved us over the years in repair bills!
My father-in-law was skilled in many areas, yet never had any special training, than the experience life handed him. He was an accomplished photographer and ran several photo processing plants for most of his career. He started off as a musician, a country western singer & guitarist. He built furniture and cabinets. He could keep cars running. Probably a lot more skills that I can't remember any more, as well. He had a doctorate from "The School of Life."
My dad started as a ranch hand before working for the railroad. His railroading career was interrupted by WWII. His war training was in mechanics, and somewhere along the way he learned welding and fabricating. He worked for more than 25 years as a welder for a steel company. He built boat trailers for the boats he owned, and for friends; they were sturdier and better than anything you could buy. He built a trailer for his 23 foot boat while it was in the water, and when it was completed and the boat put on it, he only had to adjust one roller for it to be "perfect." My dad also received a doctorate from "The School of Life."
It used to be you didn't go to school to learn something before embarking on your career. You were trained "on the job," or your skills came about because of what you had already done. And you didn't learn just one skill, but many. Much different than our time.
"The School of Life" has been around for as long as mankind has been around. Our fathers and grandfathers; mothers and grandmothers, were graduates. In most cases they have passed down to us their knowledge. I hope we were paying attention. I hope we will continue to pass on our knowledge to our children and grandchildren. Some day, we may all need the lessons learned in "The School of Life."
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Much Ado About "Much"
I am really terrible about keeping a journal, which is a good idea if we want our children and grandchildren to know what went on in our lives. How many of us would give our eye teeth to have a journal of our parents or grandparents, to know what their lives were like, how they felt about things, what was going on in their lives and in the world? I know I would! I feel thankful to have a few writings from my mother--a couple of stories she wrote for a creative writing class, and 4 stenographer's notebooks (remember those?) where she briefly noted any exciting event in her life (got a new TV, went to the doctor's, drove to the coast).
So, here's my attempt at keeping a journal of sorts--a blog, if you will. I may not be the most clever writer, but perhaps that will come with time.
Enjoy!
So, here's my attempt at keeping a journal of sorts--a blog, if you will. I may not be the most clever writer, but perhaps that will come with time.
Enjoy!
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