Some of you may remember this from back in the spring. It still chokes me up when I see it. Regardless of thought on the 'issue' please remember those in harms way and their families.
10.31.2007
I forgot how easy and great my life was.......
Some of you may remember this from back in the spring. It still chokes me up when I see it. Regardless of thought on the 'issue' please remember those in harms way and their families.
Bits and Pieces
I'm using my passport for the first time since 2000. Let's just say, I look a little different. So different that people have to stifle a laugh when they see it so as to not make me feel embarrassed. No matter, I am. But I'm also not. That's who I was, the girl with the bangs and unruly eyebrows. Yeah, it's all been brought up to speed but eh, at that time in my life all I cared about were what mattered. Funny enough that then I had more manners. Odd I know. But it's true. I lived and worked with my family then and cared about what others thought about me on the inside. Now I tend to care more about first appearance more than first impression. My manners have not be totally shot, but let's just say, there are times when I look back and thought, "crap did I really say/do that?". I'm slowly changing that again (without going back to the bangs and fiasco brows). Now I listen more. Now I think through my actions more. Though, these are baby steps. Keep that in mind.
10.29.2007
Realization
I'm in sales. Sacry right? Right. It's really just hit me that I've moved from my world of sales/marketing to strict sales. And to top it all off, it's international sales. Yes, I have a few domestics that I'm working on but I was hired primarly to handle the export market. With this realization it just makes it more apparent that my level of responsibility is risen by 300% from my last job. It's cool. But by gosh, I'm happy that I've already started to dye my hair because I'm sure the grey will start creeping in soon. So as a salute (or cheers) to the start of my third week on the new job and soon departure for Egypt (Thursday) I am going to make a list of *eek* that I need to know before I jump on the red-eye come Thursday.......
- All of the special blends AADPI does (fyi, we're not normal....we specialize)
- Domestic sale prices for me to buy to turn around and compare after tariff, CIF, mixing & VAT is added on to compare to the int'l price
- Automatic converting of domestic (in lbs) to MT (1 MT = 2204.6 lbs)
- Specs for 25 different products (specs are the breakdown of the product - i.e. % protein, fat....humidity level....storage....etc)
- World market for product movement
- CIF rates to 5 differnt ports in the Middle East
- 25 INCOTERMS (Int'l Commerical Terms) - I bought a book to read
- H.S. codes for specialized products (silly port authorities actually care!)
AND
- I'm learning some Arabic too. Well, I can say, "Hello, I am ....." in Arabic at least. Anything to impress them and make a sale.
***PHEW***
- All of the special blends AADPI does (fyi, we're not normal....we specialize)
- Domestic sale prices for me to buy to turn around and compare after tariff, CIF, mixing & VAT is added on to compare to the int'l price
- Automatic converting of domestic (in lbs) to MT (1 MT = 2204.6 lbs)
- Specs for 25 different products (specs are the breakdown of the product - i.e. % protein, fat....humidity level....storage....etc)
- World market for product movement
- CIF rates to 5 differnt ports in the Middle East
- 25 INCOTERMS (Int'l Commerical Terms) - I bought a book to read
- H.S. codes for specialized products (silly port authorities actually care!)
AND
- I'm learning some Arabic too. Well, I can say, "Hello, I am ....." in Arabic at least. Anything to impress them and make a sale.
***PHEW***
10.25.2007
M.I.A.
I absolutely despise the 'song' Boyz by M.I.A.
The Current over plays the damn thing. It drives me nuts. It's not even that great of a beat. It's more like an annoying mosqito that's stuck in your ear. Lovely...no? And just because they played that song today, of all days, I will NOT be donating to MPR for their big 50K drive. (well....at least not until I'm perky again and have recieved a pay-check.)
Speaking of paychecks. I want one. I went from a 2 checks/month to 1. And word to the wise. Never quit your old job and then start a new one (that requires you to move - moving = a lot of $$), unless you have dollar for dollar planned out. I'm living on scraps at the moment. Luckily, my first check will be decent so I won't be in poverty forever. It's just that these last 3 wks have been rotten expensive between car payments, a security deposit, new fees for moving, renting to move stuff, 'celebrating the move' (I kept that to a min.) and then the whole new 'wardrobe'.
And yes, the wardrobe upgrade was necessary. I absolutely cannot be traveling and meeting new clients in the drabby/small wardrobe I had during my last few years of at home contracting and being an assistant. Nope. I needed a major 'chic' upgrade. That required a massive trip to the King of Prussia mall where I spent two, too many hours in 3 stores. If you know me, I love stuff, but I hate shopping. I'm a snobby shopper to add to that. If I don't get the kind of service I expect (it varies from store to store) I will walk out and not come back for many weeks. I understand the whole commission thing people. You don't deserve it unless your customer is happy.
Get with the program you commission high associates! That note goes out to the sales associates at the following: Vickie's Secret, Balbinos and Nordstroms.
Oh and by the way....I found out that my boss wants to hire me an assistant. Don't worry, I won't get one till I actually start moving a crapload of product. And looking at wk no. 2....it's gonna be a few months. Oy.
The Current over plays the damn thing. It drives me nuts. It's not even that great of a beat. It's more like an annoying mosqito that's stuck in your ear. Lovely...no? And just because they played that song today, of all days, I will NOT be donating to MPR for their big 50K drive. (well....at least not until I'm perky again and have recieved a pay-check.)
Speaking of paychecks. I want one. I went from a 2 checks/month to 1. And word to the wise. Never quit your old job and then start a new one (that requires you to move - moving = a lot of $$), unless you have dollar for dollar planned out. I'm living on scraps at the moment. Luckily, my first check will be decent so I won't be in poverty forever. It's just that these last 3 wks have been rotten expensive between car payments, a security deposit, new fees for moving, renting to move stuff, 'celebrating the move' (I kept that to a min.) and then the whole new 'wardrobe'.
And yes, the wardrobe upgrade was necessary. I absolutely cannot be traveling and meeting new clients in the drabby/small wardrobe I had during my last few years of at home contracting and being an assistant. Nope. I needed a major 'chic' upgrade. That required a massive trip to the King of Prussia mall where I spent two, too many hours in 3 stores. If you know me, I love stuff, but I hate shopping. I'm a snobby shopper to add to that. If I don't get the kind of service I expect (it varies from store to store) I will walk out and not come back for many weeks. I understand the whole commission thing people. You don't deserve it unless your customer is happy.
Get with the program you commission high associates! That note goes out to the sales associates at the following: Vickie's Secret, Balbinos and Nordstroms.
Oh and by the way....I found out that my boss wants to hire me an assistant. Don't worry, I won't get one till I actually start moving a crapload of product. And looking at wk no. 2....it's gonna be a few months. Oy.
10.22.2007
Big Fear
I swear one of the biggest fears you can have as a female is when you walk into a restroom stall and see the toilet seat up. The immediate thought you have is, "Oh, crap, I walked into the Men's bathroom!" It happened to me today. I almost walked right back out to check the sign on the door, but I risked it (nature was callin!). Luckily it was the female bathroom and I was fine. But seriously, that is the cleaning people's way of messin with you!
(And if you're wondering why it's a big fear? Sorry, but that's a whole other story from days gone by.)
***************
On a lighter note:
Here's some things, comments and/or moments I've had since my move to PA......
- Our UPS man will have HUGE dip in his mouth but is still able to smile all pretty at me (do they teach that somewhere?)
- New Boss:*looking at Goldy Gopher on my desk* "That a badger .....? Michigan?" *and he was serious*
- "You talk with a south/northern drawl" (translates to "You talk weird")
- In PA they give you 20 days to registar your car and 60 days to get a license. BUT you must have a license in order to registar your car. To top that all off, you need to have two forms of new residency (i.e. tax statement, utility bills....)to show the Drivers License Center in order to get your new license. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but in order to get a utility bill you need to make it through a billing cycle which is typically 30+ days from when you move-in. It doesn't add up correctly. You do the math.
- The place to be in the morning is the Wawa or Dunkin' Donuts
- PA people DRIVE EVERYWHERE (I forgot what that's like.....I guess walking to the bank 3 miles away is kinda ridiculous!)
- I'm in Eagles territory. I shall have no other team. (No, I have not drank the kool-aid, yet)
- Werder (I like to call it 'water')
- I am in love with PCR (local tv) shows about PA companies. My roommate....not as thrilled.
- Every day I realize how much I don't know about this part of the U.S.
(And if you're wondering why it's a big fear? Sorry, but that's a whole other story from days gone by.)
***************
On a lighter note:
Here's some things, comments and/or moments I've had since my move to PA......
- Our UPS man will have HUGE dip in his mouth but is still able to smile all pretty at me (do they teach that somewhere?)
- New Boss:*looking at Goldy Gopher on my desk* "That a badger .....? Michigan?" *and he was serious*
- "You talk with a south/northern drawl" (translates to "You talk weird")
- In PA they give you 20 days to registar your car and 60 days to get a license. BUT you must have a license in order to registar your car. To top that all off, you need to have two forms of new residency (i.e. tax statement, utility bills....)to show the Drivers License Center in order to get your new license. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but in order to get a utility bill you need to make it through a billing cycle which is typically 30+ days from when you move-in. It doesn't add up correctly. You do the math.
- The place to be in the morning is the Wawa or Dunkin' Donuts
- PA people DRIVE EVERYWHERE (I forgot what that's like.....I guess walking to the bank 3 miles away is kinda ridiculous!)
- I'm in Eagles territory. I shall have no other team. (No, I have not drank the kool-aid, yet)
- Werder (I like to call it 'water')
- I am in love with PCR (local tv) shows about PA companies. My roommate....not as thrilled.
- Every day I realize how much I don't know about this part of the U.S.
10.19.2007
Here I Am
I've moved.
I'm stressed.
I'm going to Cairo to sell products I don't know anything about in two weeks.
And my boss now wants me to go to S. Korea.
What have I gotten myself into?!
Oy.
I'm stressed.
I'm going to Cairo to sell products I don't know anything about in two weeks.
And my boss now wants me to go to S. Korea.
What have I gotten myself into?!
Oy.
10.16.2007
I'm HERE!!! (or there....or everywhere)
Well...I've made it through TWO full days at my new job. With that I give you the rundown of my last 36 hours:
Monday morning:
8:15 am - 45 min commute to work (in at 9 am)
9:30 am - Go over the products I'll be selling (ahem, exporting)
10:30 am - Introduced to the desk (table) that held my computer (e-mail NOT working), phone (can't RECIEVE calls) and printer (not hooked-up)
11:00 am - Sign a contract
11:05 am - Told I need a passport (DONE!)
11:06 am - Told I need to find a lead overseas
11:07 am - Searching for prospects to visit overseas
LUNCH (OY!)
2:00 pm - Still nothing functioning at my desk but I did manage to find something in Cairo. 5 mins later....approved to go to Cairo, Egypt in less than 3 wks
2:30 - ? Spent rest of day working on Cairo
6:20 pm - Leave work exhausted
Tuesday morning:
Walk-in "Hey....today you are booking Cairo."
11:30 am - I booked Cairo
12:30 pm - Visa photos taken
1: 30 pm - Printer & E-mail finally functioning
2:30 pm - New Blackberry (a.k.a CRACKberry)
3:30 pm - Answered three trade leads
4:30 pm - Yelling at my printer
4:45 pm - I have a backache
5:00 pm - Thinking that "Oh goodness....I have TOO much to do!"
Now: Going home
Monday morning:
8:15 am - 45 min commute to work (in at 9 am)
9:30 am - Go over the products I'll be selling (ahem, exporting)
10:30 am - Introduced to the desk (table) that held my computer (e-mail NOT working), phone (can't RECIEVE calls) and printer (not hooked-up)
11:00 am - Sign a contract
11:05 am - Told I need a passport (DONE!)
11:06 am - Told I need to find a lead overseas
11:07 am - Searching for prospects to visit overseas
LUNCH (OY!)
2:00 pm - Still nothing functioning at my desk but I did manage to find something in Cairo. 5 mins later....approved to go to Cairo, Egypt in less than 3 wks
2:30 - ? Spent rest of day working on Cairo
6:20 pm - Leave work exhausted
Tuesday morning:
Walk-in "Hey....today you are booking Cairo."
11:30 am - I booked Cairo
12:30 pm - Visa photos taken
1: 30 pm - Printer & E-mail finally functioning
2:30 pm - New Blackberry (a.k.a CRACKberry)
3:30 pm - Answered three trade leads
4:30 pm - Yelling at my printer
4:45 pm - I have a backache
5:00 pm - Thinking that "Oh goodness....I have TOO much to do!"
Now: Going home
10.09.2007
Kidnapper Van
I drove a kidnapper van. You know, one of those big white ones that just seemed to be used for all 'hiests'? My roommate convinced me of renting one to move my limited amount of stuff to my new home in Manayunk. It was great and sadly, my entire life that I built-up over a year and a half could all fit in one trip.
I have yet to officially move into my new digs but just hanging out there for a short amount of time was just like deja vu. I'm living in a smaller verision of a place like I had in St. Paul. Though I only have one roommate - she is SO much like the one I was closest to on Saratoga. It frigthen's me that even our neighbors are alot like my old neighbors. We have the older couple on one side and a younger family on the other.
The one major difference is that there is a local park across the street. But I found it quite convienent seeing that in my young neighborhood there are always league games going on (a.k.a prime time for me to watch from the comfort of my front porch).
Well....I must finish up my final week in the Commonwealth and prepare for the City of Brotherly Love (that is just so STRANGE.....).
I have yet to officially move into my new digs but just hanging out there for a short amount of time was just like deja vu. I'm living in a smaller verision of a place like I had in St. Paul. Though I only have one roommate - she is SO much like the one I was closest to on Saratoga. It frigthen's me that even our neighbors are alot like my old neighbors. We have the older couple on one side and a younger family on the other.
The one major difference is that there is a local park across the street. But I found it quite convienent seeing that in my young neighborhood there are always league games going on (a.k.a prime time for me to watch from the comfort of my front porch).
Well....I must finish up my final week in the Commonwealth and prepare for the City of Brotherly Love (that is just so STRANGE.....).
10.04.2007
Headache.
Some idiot of the past decided to send this to me with the "It's like looking into your future." Yes, this idiot is someone I actually know, but long story short his favorite joke towards me is saying I'll grow old to be some crazy cat-lady. hahahhaa. yep. I don't own a cat now and I have no intentions to (they leave hair everywhere - I'm too clean for that crap).
Anyhow it was crazy. You must see it. Laugh. Cry. Gag. I did them all. Well, not really. But seriously it's messed up.
Anyhow it was crazy. You must see it. Laugh. Cry. Gag. I did them all. Well, not really. But seriously it's messed up.
10.02.2007
Ice, Ice Baby!
I am sitting in spot no. 4 at my soon to be 'ex' job in 2 weeks. Seriously....I'm sitting at a desk amongst 30 boxes of stuff. I am feeling a tad claustrophobic. To stay sane I listen to music with headphones on and lose myself in the music and rhythm of work.
I forgot how much I hate the last few days of a job....that is because you have a bipolar outlook on your job. You can A) say screw it and half ass it seeing you are busy trying to get normal stuff done (i.e. find a place to live) or B) work extra hours to cover EVERYTHING you've been putting off for a 'rainy day' that never came and fret over the personal stuff that you will never get done.
I'm doing B more than anything right now. But I'm afriad that will mean I need to start collecting extra 'packing' boxes to convert them into a nice little hut to live in when I do move.
This fretting has made me extremely obnoxious at moments but thank the Lord I have three of the most awesome friends out here (yes roomie - you're included!) and two people from back home who will take a call at any moment to settle my nerves. Somedays I feel like I have them working overtime. Then I (annoyingly) start to apologize like I would back in the day (note: I used to say sorry for everything and actually meant it....sad, but so true). Next thing you know I realize how much more obnoxious that's becoming so I apologize AGAIN! And that is when you're suppose to just slap me cause I'm going crazy.
So yeah, I'm a crazy woman right now. I need to move soon but have no place to live and I am very, very sick of people asking about everything. Sush...I know what you are thinking and I don't care if that is considered mean...when you're stressed about moving (i.e. where to live in a new place where you know NO ONE, changing all your information over, car repairs...etc..) and how to finance it on a very SMALL budget because your car decided to die right beforehand giving you no option but to buy a new one.....heads will fly. (right there I deserve an award for the longest run-on sentence.)
Anyhow between my personal moving and having to pack and unpack my office at work (4x, but who's counting?!) I have officially lost 'it'. So you may wonder - "How are you handling this?" I wish I could say that I merely pick up the phone and solve all issues in a few words in a nice cool and calm fashion. But no, I'm taking a much more passive route that involves me sitting numbly infront of the tube, having a soda and playing spider solitaire.
As bad as that sounds I would like to say that it's the best way to get visitors (so lazy I am!) and well....I did discover the awesome mini-series "The War" on public television.
And now you may be thinking - "Why did I just waste 5 minutes of my life reading this?!"
I did see Vanilla Ice on Saturday night. I got to skip the line into the host bar because I am THAT tight with him! Or it could have been because my friends girlfriends sister had danced on the bar of this place and they gave her a free pass.....
Oh and I almost got kicked out that night too. Not because I was loud and obnoxious, ironically because I looked sleepy. But I told the 'dish boy' who had the nerve to kick me out to go back to his own business and that "like hell I'm leaving!" He left me alone after that.
I'm bad.....almost Vanilla Ice bad!
I forgot how much I hate the last few days of a job....that is because you have a bipolar outlook on your job. You can A) say screw it and half ass it seeing you are busy trying to get normal stuff done (i.e. find a place to live) or B) work extra hours to cover EVERYTHING you've been putting off for a 'rainy day' that never came and fret over the personal stuff that you will never get done.
I'm doing B more than anything right now. But I'm afriad that will mean I need to start collecting extra 'packing' boxes to convert them into a nice little hut to live in when I do move.
This fretting has made me extremely obnoxious at moments but thank the Lord I have three of the most awesome friends out here (yes roomie - you're included!) and two people from back home who will take a call at any moment to settle my nerves. Somedays I feel like I have them working overtime. Then I (annoyingly) start to apologize like I would back in the day (note: I used to say sorry for everything and actually meant it....sad, but so true). Next thing you know I realize how much more obnoxious that's becoming so I apologize AGAIN! And that is when you're suppose to just slap me cause I'm going crazy.
So yeah, I'm a crazy woman right now. I need to move soon but have no place to live and I am very, very sick of people asking about everything. Sush...I know what you are thinking and I don't care if that is considered mean...when you're stressed about moving (i.e. where to live in a new place where you know NO ONE, changing all your information over, car repairs...etc..) and how to finance it on a very SMALL budget because your car decided to die right beforehand giving you no option but to buy a new one.....heads will fly. (right there I deserve an award for the longest run-on sentence.)
Anyhow between my personal moving and having to pack and unpack my office at work (4x, but who's counting?!) I have officially lost 'it'. So you may wonder - "How are you handling this?" I wish I could say that I merely pick up the phone and solve all issues in a few words in a nice cool and calm fashion. But no, I'm taking a much more passive route that involves me sitting numbly infront of the tube, having a soda and playing spider solitaire.
As bad as that sounds I would like to say that it's the best way to get visitors (so lazy I am!) and well....I did discover the awesome mini-series "The War" on public television.
And now you may be thinking - "Why did I just waste 5 minutes of my life reading this?!"
I did see Vanilla Ice on Saturday night. I got to skip the line into the host bar because I am THAT tight with him! Or it could have been because my friends girlfriends sister had danced on the bar of this place and they gave her a free pass.....
Oh and I almost got kicked out that night too. Not because I was loud and obnoxious, ironically because I looked sleepy. But I told the 'dish boy' who had the nerve to kick me out to go back to his own business and that "like hell I'm leaving!" He left me alone after that.
I'm bad.....almost Vanilla Ice bad!
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