Trim the tree

A family member who opened their own gift shop over a year ago decided to close the shop. They weren't getting enough sales to go on. Instead of making profits from Black Fridy and Holiday Shopping, they are having a store closing sale. Very sad when they donated clothes after a tornado hit the county next door last year. Such nice people and doing videos modeling clothes and new items. Their kids got into the videos. But all their efforts didn't yield enough results. They didn't mention what they will do now. Please remember small mom and pop shops need customers as much as corporate owned big stores. You may be the difference between presents under their family Christmas tree and none.

I got out all the Christmas decorations and roommate said it was a lot. I'm 48 and been building my collection over the years. My sister says I overcompensate for having my decorations stolen when first moved out on my own. The storage unit got broken into and my box of Christmas decorations was stolen. Made a police report, but how do I value homemade and garage sale bought items. They left behind my mini tree and Halloween decorations. Under the Halloween stuff I later found a shoe box of ornaments and made me relieved not all my dead grandma's crafted ornaments weren't stolen. I told my roommate with all the lighted decor that I can walk aroudn the house without turining on a single house light. Merry Christmas!

Joined a baking contest with photos of my cakes. Friends have to vote for the winner. Yeah, that means I won't win. I have 200 social media friends and when I enter these types of contests I get about 5 votes. I doubt I win this one either. With friends and family like mine, who needs enemies.

Happy Black Friday

Met my niece for Black Friday shopping at the mall. I had no intention of buying anything since I am broke and not buying presents for anyone this year. My sister and I agreed to a cookie exchange instead of gifts. Who knows how many relatives will want to join us. One store they had Buy 3 and Get 3 Free so we combined our cash together to find we didnt have enough. They didn't have smaller versions of the soaps, lotions, and body sprays so we had to leave them behind in the store. I did get a pair of pj bottoms with Hello Kitty. That store had a Buy 1 and Get 2nd Half Off so my niece's shirt was half off. She used her memeber discount points to get another dollar off. We had a good time.

Three Wishes

If I had 3 wishes for Christmas, I would wish for:

A husband. I finally hit menopause so will never have a family I always wanted.

A better paying job sitting at a desk. I hate my night auditor job and tried 3 years to leave it. I did for 4 months and back to a job I hate again, only for less money and loose my insurance. Finally got my insurance back yesterday. I hope the sales director makes a decision soon. I need to to declare bankruptcy soon. My credit already has taken a nosedive.

A ferret or dog. I miss my ferrets even though they pooped all over the house. I wanted a dog since childhood and roommate dog was okay, but made me itch. Plus cats kept attacking it when cuddled with me. I would get a smaller breed.

Happy Thanksgiving

Had Thanksgiving dinner at sister's house. Picked up Mom at new place and got lost finding my way back to the car. Then got lost in residential street maze trying to find the main road. Arrived at sister's house and my French Silk Pie was mush, even fridge didn't stiffen it. Oh well. Announced to family I can't buy presents from declaring bankruptcy so we agreed to have a cookie exchange. Sister will do sugar cookies and I will do peanut butter cookies with Hershey kiss. Sister-in-law who always wants to host Thanksgiving is in the hospital so brother and her didn't attend. Niece and I plan to Black Friday shop after lunch when less busy. I was amazed stores are opening at 5 or 6 AM instead of midnight or 9 PM on Thanksgiving evening. Pre-Covid stores competed to be 1st store open. I did 12AM to 8AM as a cashier for a retail store one year. I still have Christmas phobia when people get out decorations before Thanksgiving. Well, Happy Thanksgiving.

Busy Saturday night

Some people I don't get. Saturday night is always busy and the corporate front desk helper left me alone with the new gal who will shadow me a few hours. She has no training on our computer and still going through her video training yet. Excuse me, me working a busy night alone and losing my mine is not a good time shadow me. I sent her to work on her video training. She is useless on the front desk computer unless her training is finished. I told the guy arriving after me to clock in cause I needed him. Eventually it slowed down when people went to bed. Then lost internet connection for an hour and major assclown telling me to try harder to check in his family. I can't do anything when the front desk system is down, we don't do paper back up like I did at the Holiday Inn. What part of my computer is down was confusing for him. He even told me all hotels have an emergency room on hold for such an occasion. I never heard of that. We do have emergency keys, but don't know what is vacant without the computer. I even offered another hotel room that we would pay for. First they accepted it, then after I call the hotel and arrange the rooms, he refused to leave the lobby. So computer came back up I had to call the hotel to tell them weren't coming. Earlier I sent someone over cause hotel overbooked us on certain type of room so I knew they had rooms.

Want ads surprise

Oh my, looking through want ads and my old hotel was looking for a sales coordinator to act as secretary to sales and the general manager making revenue. Wait, that was my job as accounting manager. Awh, do they miss their glorified secretary who made more money than the sales coordinator will. I'm tempted to apply just to make them jump viewing my name.

Happy Birthday Niece

Niece #4 celebrated her 20th birthday with cake and ice cream. She made it from scratch. A little dense and dry but it was cake. I gave her $5 cause that was all that was in my wallet. I'm broke. I told her she is no longer a teenager anymore. That seemed to hit her like a surprise.

Happy 5th Birthday Bilbo and Misty

Got a cake for the kitties and took their photos. I ate the chocolate cake and they got catnip. I bought Fancy Feast puree treats and they refused to eat them. Bummer.

Heaven help me, Christmas is here

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!

Oh, heaven help me my hotel started getting the decorations out. Anxiety Attack has begun. Those are not the Leonid falling stars in the night sky, but anxiety exploding everywhere.

Head advisor

Oh my, have you every met someone so terrified to stand up for themselves. I mean totally full of anxiety and always worried they upset a manager. They currently are going through a lot with their family (her grandma died and her house where family lives is in foreclosure). I give plenty hugs reassuring they are a good person and they don't deserve to be treated badly by managers. I even tried to get them a job at the front desk, but they got shot down cause they are needed to drive the shuttle (and the supervisors can't stand her no matter how hard she tries to please them). Sigh. I told maybe she needs to get a job at another hotel like I did cause nobody is going to promote you if they can't find your replacement. I applied for sale coordinator last year and shot down immediately cause I am needed to do the night audit (nobody wants to work that job). So I applied for jobs elsewhere and found an accounting manager job. Granted I was there only 4 months before returning from not getting along with the general manager (I got along well with everyone else). Now that they have a new night auditor maybe I can get into the sales department this time. X fingers. I hope my friend can do the same. She applied for banquets and housekeeping to be shot down. They need her driving the shuttle. Sigh.

Anxiety has been triggered

OMG, neighbors are putting up their Christmas lights.

I know the drill, breathe and remember I don't work retail anymore.

My sympathy to all those who are working retail and hate Christmas.

Interview with Sales Director

Had my interview with the sales director. It went well like a conversation. Xing fingers and praying hard. Seems like a really nice person with high energy. She came as task force and said she was staying. She said she worked here 10 years ago. Ah, well then you know the front desk supervisors. She did. I was the first interview and have others a chance to apply so hope for the best.

Thank you for training me

I hate it when people insistly shove food in my face. I am a very picky eater and what most people love I can't stand. I can only cope by pretending I like their food so they will stop trying so hard to please me. It's exhausting.

Finishing the training of the new night auditor. He is so insecure after 2 months of training with our supervisors. Not very tech savvy and had to explain how to download a form to their desktop and add a website to their favorites. He bought a pizza I didn't like so a different day he bought another. I also didn't care for it and took it home for roommate to eat, but I said I liked it so he will stop buying me pizza. He just wanted to thank for my training that is more patient than our supervisors. Just doing my job.

He kinda gets on my nerves. How do say politely say "Quit yapping with guests and security and get the night audit done"? I swear this new auditor never shuts up. I even told them they need to be more assertive and stop ringing up gift shop purchases of guests and start the night audit. Say they are running the audit so we can only accept cash payments or room charges. Write down on paper the cash purchases and write down the room charges to enter them later. No credit card authorizations and no checking in people until night audit is ran. Believe me, Fridays and Saturdays are very busy when people leave the bars and want snacks when return to the hotel. You can't wait until they stop coming cause that can be a long wait. Once the drunks are in bed, the early risers with 6 AM flights start leaving at 4 AM. If the audit isn't done, the records will show they checked out yesterday giving them a free night cause they haven't been charged for the current evening unless you physically add the night's charge when you check them out. Then the breakfast help arrive 4-5 AM and need to know how many guests to cook for. They can't wait all night to get the audit done.

Today was my sister-in-law's birthday and I had to work so couldn't come by for cake and ice cream.

Clouds lift

Saw a sales position at my hotel so applied. It 's more of a secretary to the Sales Department sales managers. New Director of Sales replied wanting to interview me. I haven't met them them yet and only heard the old sales director left along with the Catering Manager. Trying to set up a time to meet. Wish me luck.

Saw my first Christmas commercial on TV today. Oh my goodness, my anxiety is triggered and I haven't worked retail for 10 years. If you worked in retail for 8 years listening to Christmas music from September to December 25, sleep during Thanksgiving with your family to work Black Friday all night, and handle customers screaming in your face how their Christmas MUST BE PERFECT!!! when you don't have what they want, you would have Christmas Phobia too. My phobia subsides after Thanksgiving and I enjoy it more.