Anywho, I'm using my laptop to type this. There may be a time not too long from now where I may be able to successfully type a blog from my phone and not even have to get onto the computer to post it.
That's right, another new phone.
But as I mentioned in a previous blog, I will not be getting the T-Mobile Dash; instead, the T-Mobile G1 will be my phone of choice. It comes out on October 22 of this year and is $399.99. But, if you are an existing T-Mobile customer, you can pre-order the phone online and get an instant discount of $220, resulting in the final price of $179.99.
In case you weren't aware, I got a new phone on May 10th of this year: the Nokia 6263. It's a flip phone equipped with 1.3mp camera, USB capabilities, SD memory card, and a full front-side music player with Play/Pause, Back, and Forward buttons for easy access to your music library. I didn't realize how much I would use the music player on there until I used it at PacSun in the back room when the CD player wouldn't work. It was a life saver.
You really are more productive when you listen to music.
Anyway, it is pretty basic with all of its features, including the basic t9 option when texting. Now, I know I went off about how much I dislike my phone right now in one of my previous blogs, but no worries, the G1 will be a welcomed addition to my hi-tech gadget family.
This phone is absolutely amazing. For one thing, it has a QWERTY keyboard, which is the main thing I'm looking for. It'll make blogging a breeze when unable to use a computer, it'll make texting much faster, and it'll be a real upgrade, instead of my "upgrade" in May, when I only got a new phone because the "6" button on my phone wasn't working as well as it used to. For another thing, it is Internet capable, making blogging that much easier; I'll be able to post my blogs straight from my phone, with no time wasted texting to my e-mail. Also, this phone has a 3.2mp camera. Not super important to me, considering I have my 12.2mp Canon Digital Rebel XSi [no big deal] and my Finepix z5 with 6.3mp. But it would still be a better deal than the camera on my phone now, which takes acceptable pictures when in Night Mode [otherwise there is a green speckle tint to the image], but then you MUST be stable when taking the picture or else it'll be blurry [slower shutter speed]. And, to top it off, it is linked with Google, making answering any question you have super easy, no matter where you are! ...and Google has GoogleMaps, making GPS in my hand possible. Say goodbye to getting lost! Oh, and it's a touch screen device with "desktop icons" and an instant Google search bar. Like my other phone, it too has USB capabilities and an SD memory card.
Considering the fact that I paid $216.79 for my Nokia 6263, I think the $179.99 [+tax] will be well worth it for a phone that can do everything. So, if I pre-order this today [or whenever, I suppose], I will get it either ON October 22 or the next day. Less than a month away.
Until then, I will be listening to music on my Nokia, because for some strange reason, Windows Media Player doesn't want to play anything. And I quote:
When I get home [or find someone's Internet service to tap into], I desperately need to find out how to fix this. The only thing I've done recently is re-install the newest version of BearShare that I deleted from my computer when I re-booted the system due to slow loading. It didn't say anything about sound devices when I installed it and I don't have it automatically associated with any file types.
Balderdash!
We just pulled off the freeway and are driving up and down hills in Northern Seattle. This would not be the place for a new driver of manual transmission cars to be driving at. Andrew is going to teach me [well, re-teach me and let me practice] with his lifted cow-colour camouflaged Karmann Ghia and Kelsey is going to learn in her new Dodge Neon. Look at us ladies, learning how to drive again.
As we're driving, I click on the wireless networks on my computer to see what's around. Of course, it's Seattle, so there are a million different networks available, hardly any that are unsecured [aka available for me to steal from]. Andrew named his network "Andrew's Sweeeeeeet Network!!!" and I thought it was funny. Not as funny as the second from the top:
Haha!
Today at work was the slowest day I've experienced in the month I've been there. I'm glad I have weekend morning shifts because they are extremely busy and there is always something to do. I literally did deep and thorough cleaning on everything today. The blenders got some good loving with a pipe cleaner-esque thing in the corners of the gears that were all gunky and gross. I also went through and scooted all the overhead syrup bottles to the right about a half of an inch so that the far left Almond Roca wasn't hanging over the edge anymore. In doing so, I realized that we only have one bottle of strawberry syrup left after the open one is used up.
Kiara stepped down from her manager position and is now a part-time barista working the weekend morning shifts with me. That's a completely fine and respectable move to make, but now we don't have a manager at the stand, but instead a "district" manager that runs five different stands. It's admirable to be the manager of multiple stands, but only if you can do the job as well for the five stands as you would be able to at only one. It is your responsibility as a manager of five stands to make sure that they are all running efficiently. Right now, we are completely out of powdered chai [a tragedy, in my opinion. It is an absolutely amazing ingredient to have on hand, and we have a couple customers who only come to the stand to get drinks with that in it], in the big fridge [and excluding the couple items in our small fridges] we have about six containers of half-and-half, three bottles of club soda, and maybe, MAYBE ten containers of whipping cream. There are numerous syrup flavours that we are dangerously close to being out of, and pastries have been slowly disappearing and not being reordered and replenished with the help of our friendly Muffin Man.
Instead of having the one manager of the five stands, there was rumor that there would still be the manager, but have two leads [one for the morning shifts and one for the evening shifts] who were in charge of making sure that all shifts are covered, all necessary items are stocked and ordered when necessary, and that everyone is pulling their weight as a team. There was talk that Shelley would become a lead, but that's all it was: talk. We now have no one in charge at our stand, and everything is falling apart. People are slacking with cleaning and stocking duties, and without a manager to cash in our coins for dollar bills through use of the inside of the safe, we have, for example, $36 in quarters alone when we're only allowed to keep $100 in the till. How efficient is it when we constantly run out of dollar bills and are overflowing in coinage? I took home $20 in quarters instead of a $20 bill yesterday to help out, but I shouldn't have to do that, should I?
Whatever I suppose. We'll just see how long we keep our customers and business when we are out of popular items and never get replenished.
I have nothing against this new manager of ours [I haven't even met her yet!], it's just frustrating to not be in control when someone needs to be. When I was at PacSun, I had the power to make decisions and make sure that everything was in order. Granted, I was not 100% in charge, but I was in a position to make changes happen for the better. But getting paid minimum wage, I shouldn't have to do more and not be compensated for it.
Instead, I'll catch bees and get paid for it.
The city of Mount Vernon decided to start up some traffic revisions by adding a turn lane near the corner of Riverside and College Way, where BigFoot Java is located. That's fine; it might even cut down on people who cut the traffic corner, speed through our drive-thru, and turn onto the next street. But, in preparation for this turn lane, the construction team cut down a tree that had a bee nest in it. Now these bees are angry and looking for someone to express this anger to.
And it happens to be us innocent baristas.
Apparently on Friday, Katie [co-worker] caught eight bees on her six hour shift. Saturday, she and I worked together, caught a bee, put him in the freezer, pulled him out when he was frozen, tied a piece of floss around his waist, and waited for him to thaw so we could fly him like a kite. Too bad we left him in the freezer for too long. We got a rush of customers and didn't take him out in time. He never woke up. Yesterday wasn't too much of a problem, but today, Shelley and I caught about 12 bees. We were getting pretty good at it, too. These bees are forcing us to keep the windows closed when we're making drinks for our customers instead of allowing us to converse with the customer.
At least we have burn spray which will possibly help if someone gets stung.
We used hot water to kill the bees today. It was basically the only time that we dealt with hot liquids. Everyone that came through [the whole two customers -- (exaggeration)] ordered either an iced or blended drink. I like making iced drinks best because A.) there's not a messy blender to clean up afterward, and B.) you don't have to steam milk, which takes time and also dirties up a pitcher that needs to be washed. I made a couple iced americanos today which happen to be my favourite drink to make. I don't know why, but it looks so much prettier than other drinks. I also like using either nonfat milk or soy in iced lattes and mochas because it is thinner, lighter, and looks better when it is added. There is a kind of marble-pattern to it when it is added at the end before stirring. I took pictures of a 16oz ["grande" for all you Starbucks customers] iced americano just after I added the cream. Although I think that americanos are bland tasting, they are stunning.
See? I also made a 32oz [no name, Starbucks fans] iced one while being photographed for my Barista of the Month photo. I added whipping cream and pretended to give it to a customer. I chose the one where I was whipping it up and finishing it because I looked happy and silly. What a goof, huh? Anyway, it's up on the first of the month, so come check it out if you're in the area.
Moses and Murphy will also be up for Dogs of the Month. No big deal.
I tried a drink today that Tana is rumored to have invented at BFJ. With Shelley's help, I made a 16oz iced lemonade with Raspberry and Strawberry flavouring [while we still have it!] and a bit of Berry Black Tea. It was delicious and better for me than any kind of coffee drink and I think I might make that from now on when I'm working to get me going! A.) It's cold and I prefer cold drinks to hot ones, B.) it doesn't have much ice so it won't get watered down, and C.) if someone asks what I'm drinking, they might try it too and be hooked!
Andrew just left to clean a local studio real quick. I'm staying in my car with the laptop hooked up to the car charger adapter blogging away with no Internet connection available. His next job is a coffee shop where I will be able to sit inside and possibly get Internet access. If so, I will post this from there. If I can't, I'll post it at home. Regardless, I'm going to lean back, relax, and enjoy the sunny weather that allows you to wear jeans, tennies, and a sweatshirt comfortably.
[Edit since ending the blog typing:]
I can't stand this advertisement:
A.) "You can't change bone structure" --Sam, B.) You could switch the pictures and get away with saying, "I went from sick and scrawny to curvy and sensual" but anything the other way around is just wrong, and C.) Who would WANT to look like that?!
AND I fixed my Windows Media Player. I just had to re-start my computer. It hadn't been properly shut down in about three days. Poor thing!
Posts
1 comment:
wow, i have my own weight loss website, eh? but who the hell puts apostrophes in a URL?!
Post a Comment