Busy...

So things have been busy lately, with work, the studio, and everything piling up at once it seems.
I have been able to get some good quality time with my hands in the clay, but I always can be there more it seems! So many ideas to be working on.

Here are a few photos of my newest work out of the kiln... or you could head over to Zibbet.com (see the banner to the right) and see my work for sale there! I finally took the plunge and after a long debate decided to set up shop at Zibbet. We'll see if I get any sales out of it, but hey, it's good experience!

So enjoy the new work... :)

Tomorrow...

So tomorrow I have an interview with two store managers and our district manager to continue the process of getting promoted. Hopefully it will go well, and I'll get a permanent manager position soon... I'm kinda tired of the waiting.

But seeing as my mind is full of numbers and situation/behavior/outcome scenarios for questions tomorrow, I'm not too tired right now.
Well, rephrase, my mind isn't shutting down... lots of spinning numbers.

As for the studio, lots of stuff going on... I have lots of stuff to glaze and need to spend some time doing that. Maybe this weekend!

long time...

and things just continue to progress.

- the quilt is growing at a rate which is slower than I'd like, but it grows.
- pots at the studio continue to be made and I'm taking some new directions in handbuilding... we'll see if I put up some photos once something gets finished.
- work continues, and pays the bills.

that's all for tonight. I promise, more in depth update and pictures soon...

Updates

- Grad school is a go: including 2 10hour a week GA positions, one in ceramics, one in fibers. Meaning lots of time spent in the studio, lots of work, less tuition, a bigger stipend, and amazing providence providing for me!

- the Spring Guild sale is over and done, and I did well. Better than in November in fact. Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you! Here are some photos of me sanding, pricing, and packing my mugs.

Those big bins and box are what I used to transport back and forth
All 3 were full there and only 1 1/2 were full on the way back, which is pretty good all things considered!

- New work in the studio: large planters. Thrown from two pieces, a large 'bowl' on the bottom and a bottomless ring on the top. needless to say they're super fun to make (big things usually are) and even more fun to carve into. There is a 3rd one in the works, but I'm still working on it. the first and second one here you can see 'finished': they still need glazing and final firing. some of the in progress shots.

1st one bisque fired on it's shelf with all sorts of other pots (not mine however)

1st one on the table, gives you an idea of its rim...
I kinda like the larger flat rim for a planter and more shadow on the carved design
(took about 4 hours total carving)

2nd one about 1/3 done
design drawn on & started
added clay to the surface to bulge out, as well as carved away parts of the design

2nd one all done carved and added to
green, but ready to fire.
(carving/additions took about 5 hours)
I think they kinda look like pebbles... but not necessarily what I was going for.
I was thinking seeds/bacteria... who knows

3rd one, freshly thrown.
it's the largest and has a much longer neck to carve/draw upon
the design I've started looks kinda like grape hyacinth
the stems are carved out, and the 'flowers' are added on clay
I haven't added leaves yet, but I think they'll be a combo of added clay and carved

- work and teaching going well. but ready for a vacation and to see the whole family in a few weeks.

- that's about it for now, I'll try to update more often... and get more photos up soon... I have things I still need to photograph.

I GOT IN!!

just a quick note, I'll tell you more as I know it.

I just got my acceptance letter from EMU's art Department.

I still have to have the actual graduate school review my transcripts/whatever but the art dept is recommending full admission. 

So needless to say, that hurdle where the art professors look at and judge my work has been crossed.  

I am way to excited now to write more, I'll let you know more as I find out!

President Jimmy Carter!

So, you are all aware that the DNC is happening in Denver this week. And if you aren't, open a newspaper, please.

Anyway, so one of the dignitaries that is making an appearance is President Jimmy Carter. I'm bringing this up, not just because I like peanuts, but because on Wednesday, Carter, his wife and a few other delegates are taking time out of their busy schedules to plant some trees in Aurora. Specifically at Bicentennial Park, home of the Bicentennial Art Center where I teach!
No, I won't be able to go as the Secret Service is closing the center for safety, but if you watch your local or national news, I'm sure you will see some footage of Carter et al. planting trees and if you look carefully you may see the BAC, a small brown building with perhaps a mural on the side, which is where I work!

So stay tuned and keep your ears open! Its day one of the DNC and things are already crazy!

Abject loathing: a story of my feelings

So again, no posts for a month and then this.

Today was the worst day of retail I've worked. It was our 'Denim Event' with low low prices and even lower customer IQ's.

My question is this: What is so hard to understand about '3 pairs of jeans per customer'?

No, you may not get in each line and buy 18 pairs of jeans. No, you may not have 3 boys, 3 girls, 3 mens, and 3 womens jeans. No you may not give the lady behind you 20 bucks to buy your 4th, 5th and 6th pairs of jeans.

And finally, when I call you on cheating (ie breaking the rules and in essence stealing) don't call me stupid, interrupt me and talk down to me; don't glare at me and keep insulting me because I didn't let you get your way; and you better not lie to me and tell me 'I'm just holding these for a friend' when I saw you buy them 20 minutes ago in another line.

I'm not stupid, and telling you the rules is not a sign of stupidity. Your refusing to listen to them and interrupting me and shushing me and treating me like crap is unacceptable.

Hi there! I work retail, but I'm still human and have feelings. Calling me names and treating me poorly is not right. Part of me wants you to come back to the store, just so I can so everything in my power to give you as hard a time as you gave me today... oh yes, karma's a killer, and you will get yours!

Can you tell 9 hours at The Shirt Folding Store took it's toll today?
Maybe I'll get some photos taken of my recent-ish work and get those posted later this week. That will at least be happy!

Woo!

Well, I got good news today!
The promotion I knew was kind of in the works, finally went through and was approved by the district manager and her boss (welcome to a month of bureaucratic figuring out!)!

So while I'm not sure what the entire job will entail, I know that next week I'll be opening the store by myself and trying to keep things in order while I'm in charge!

So while things will be a challenge for a while, it should be good and kind of fun.

back in Denver

Well, aside from a little bit, ok a lot, of turbulence, my flight got back to Denver ok. It is nice to be back in Denver, where I have a bed and bathroom of my own (but thanks Alisha and Chris, and Scott for use of yours!!) and there is a nice comfortable familiarity to ones own bed.

My trip was in a word, wonderful. I got to see friends that I didn't realized I had missed as much as I had. I got to see family, including Kim's new house! and hear Mike's proposal story. And I had WAY too many dinners out. :) Not that they weren't appreciated!!!

The art show was amazing, and I am so proud of all the work that the BFA grads had done. It was amazing to see all the work in the gallery and get a little glimpse into the art I've missed being made.

I also got a shot in the arm and a great pep talk and critique from Anna, and there is no doubt in my mind as to the direction I need to keep going in... back to gradschool. Hopefully it will be sooner than later, but one day at a time is all I can do.

Some days

Some days, I'm just really tired.

And next week, with two 4am's and a couple of 6am's will probably be just as tiring.

But that's the way it is, and I better just get used to it for a while!

Oh, and good news, in a week, after our crazy shipments are over, I'm meeting with my manager to discuss 'the next step' in his words, which means possible promotion and/or pay increase! Woo!

Enjoy what's left of your weekend... I know I will, because 4am Monday morning will come around too soon!

a list

things that made me laugh in the past few days:
- the 'ladies' at Potter's Guild on Tuesday night telling me not many men last working with them in the evenings. this after a 30 minute discussion of menopause and the temperature of the room.
- the dog last night, upon receiving new toys and a new kennel pillow. hopefully she will not destroy the pillow in a day or two.
- finding Mighty Morphing Power Ranger valentines to give to my coworkers for only $1.99. at least they were better than 'Bratz' valentines.
- the way in which the weather can be sunny and 60 degrees in the afternoon, and cool down and snow later that evening.
- Hal the cat chasing shadows.
- emailing my friends and catching up on how things are.
- attempting to explain what I'm doing with my ceramics to other people at the art center. 'But that's a lot of work for a vase' or 'How many hours did you spend on that?'

Super Tuesday

Today will be a first for me. Later I will participate in a caucus. I have no idea what to expect, and really am more interested in the process... though I do care about who gets nominated. Should be interesting at least!

Hal is in a very cuddly mood today. Beth said he was like that when she got home this morning, and indeed he's been on my lap, attempting to interfere with my typing and surfing for the last 20 minutes. But it's an alright interference; the purring is relaxing and like a mini-massage. And it's better than the playful biting that sometimes comes out (not often, but man he has sharp nippers!)

Work was just that, busy (not with customers, but with shipment) and difficult. The downer was dropping a heavy (read VERY HEAVY) MDF shelf on my left foot. The corner hit my second toe right at the cuticle, and it's still hurting. I guess the nail bed is uber sensitive or something, but man it smarts....
I'm in for a later shift tomorrow, so I'll be able to sleep in, but that means I need to do my laundry and empty the dishwasher this afternoon. Perhaps I'll even sneak in a nap.

It snowed again today, or maybe it was just leftovers from yesterday, but needless to say, it was pretty. And pretty horrendous driving again at 3:45 this morning before the plows got going. But the sun's out now, and it's starting to melt away even as I speak.I love the blue sky, and open space behind our house... hard to believe on the other side of the house is a metropolis of over 3 million people...

And this angle is just to show the crazy trails the dog makes running around playing. She likes to eat the snow in addition to just going insane in it.

Long Overdue...

Well, the title says enough. I have no real excuse for the fact that I haven't posted lately.
But, in my defense, somedays the only things that change are the clothing I wear. And that's a good thing.

At times, retail can become very routine. You get new clothes in boxes, you unpack the boxes, you hang the clothes on fixtures, customers come and mess up those fixtures sometimes even choosing to purchase the clothing, and you ring the customer up, and wish them a good day, and then clean up the mess that the customers made. All in all, that's the retail routine.

However, due to the impending holiday season (i.e. Black Friday) things have been a little more exciting at work. I've learned to 'cash handle' and that lets me count in and out drawers in addition to being able to do more with the registers. It's more responsibility, and actually a lot of fun. I was trained for this because I'm full time, and next Friday, my job will be to stay up at the front by the registers and help the sales associates who are ringing on the registers. I will get quarters for them if they run out, I will get them more register tape when they run out, and I will be able to take over for them when they need breaks. I will also be auditing their cash drawers after they clock out, so another person can come in and take over at the same register. (we audit so that at the end of the day, the last person to ring doesn't get stuck with a mistake someone else made... usually its only a penny or two, but sometimes it can be more...)

And aside from the crowds and inevitable insanity that should be accompanying retail work this next weekend, it should actually be kinda exciting. At least there will be lots to do!

Aside from that not too much else happening. I did spend my last day off sitting at the DMV to get my Colorado plates, and now have to figure out how to attach the green and whites to the front of my car where no plate had gone before!

Oh, and here are a couple of pictures from the first snow of the season a couple weeks ago... and hopefully we'll soon have more... this endless summer/fall is kinda confusing on what to wear, compounded with the fact that I get up in the frigid early morning hours and sometimes by the time I 'm home in the afternoon it's very warm... so needless to say, layers are a good thing, but not always easy.

Updates...

So things here have been busy.
The past few weeks I have been working 40 hour weeks, and keeping on my toes with all the fun things that that entails.
Today I found out that I'm officially full time starting tomorrow!
- While I was working 'full time' before, the difference includes benefits, assured hours (they can't hire someone and drop me to 20 hrs a week) and an increase in pay! I also get more responsibilities and tasks to do including some supervision of others and such...

Announcements aside, I'll catch you up to date on the few eventful things of the past weeks.

Last Sunday evening, I drove up to Silverthorn, CO to assist with the transition of the Old Navy Outlet there into a regular Old Navy store.
Aside from a meeting with the Arapahoe County Police mere minutes after leaving the house and getting pulled over, the ride was uneventful. (needless to say, the ticket was minimal, and I think he pulled me over because of th FL plates that are still on my car. The SUV ahead of me was pulling away from me, and the car behind me was catching up, yet I got the ticket... hmm) In my defense, it was the first ticket I have ever received, and I was mortified. Come to think of it, that was the first time I had ever even been pulled over. So is that a 1/1 a good thing? :)

Anyway, my little car made it over the mountains well, and I'm glad I had gotten an oil change and tire rotation on my day off the week before. The aspens in the mountains were just starting to turn gold, and as the sun was setting, I made it safely to the hotel that I was staying in for the next two nights. I had a room to myself both nights as they had extra rooms, and my manager Justin, who I was to share with got one of those! So I had a whole extra bed to lay my things out on and spread out.

Monday morning I was up early, 4:30am to grab some coffee on the way to the store. We had our first truck arriving at 6:00am and so we needed to be there a little earlier to set up and such. Silverton and Dillion, are really not much more than ski lodges and the rather large outlet mall that Old Navy was in. Supposedly the cities become more busy during ski season, but to me it looked absolutely dead while I was there. I met some nice people from other Old Navy's as far away as Grand Junction and Pueblo, along with the majority of workers coming from the Denver area stores. The nice thing was that the people who were there were all extremely hard workers and we got the mountain of boxes unpacked relatively quickly. The second semi truck of the day was only half full (the first was jam packed) and so I was out and back to the hotel by 4:30pm. I was sore, tired and ready for dinner. I went out to Ruby Tuesday's with a couple of the managers from other stores and two others from an Old Navy to the North of mine. It was a nice dinner and relaxing, which was needed after running (literally) for 9.5 hours of work.

Tuesday was basically a repeat of Monday, with the main difference being that I had to scrape my windshield before being able to drive to the store. After the single (full) semi truck was emptied, signs were put up, manikins clothed, and extra clothing backstocked, I was on the road home, enjoying the rather relaxing drive home through the mountains.

All in all, it was a really fun, but extremely busy trip. One of the side benefits to the trip was that I got to spend time with my store's DM (or District Manager) who is an extremely nice woman who I got to know and who even had me doing a few tasks for her, like moving things and setting displays. It's always good when an upper level person sees your Calvinist Dutch work ethic and realizes that you don't things by halves and then asks you do some more complicated tasks. Never hurts to show one's best to Management!

So now things are settling back to normal at my own store, and I'm getting back to the routine of the weekly schedule. It was fun to be away but coming back makes you grateful for the things that go better in your store. And it's always nice to have people say they are glad you are back. Even if I was only gone for a few days!

Notes From Retail...

I've learned a few things the past few weeks working retail. Here they are in no particular order.

1. Bad customer service, usually is caused by bad customers. (Seriously! though not necessarily the one being served at the moment, it could have been the crazy lady ahead of you.)
I know, people say no one is polite in stores anymore, but did you ever stop to think that maybe it's because the customers themselves are so rude that helping them is off putting? I am an intelligent person. I have a college degree. I'm a human being with feelings and emotions. There is no reason to get so upset and call me names when the computer has a problem, or the policies of a corporation which has to look out for itself (especially from people who want something for nothing) go against what you want, or when your card doesn't swipe or even enter manually and you blame me. I'm sorry, but if you are rude, mean, or grumpy and you lash out at me, you can bet I'm gonna ask you for 4 forms of ID and a blood sample, just to make you more ticked off.
Bottom line: Be nice and friendly to me and understand that while most things can be gotten instantly, it still takes a few minutes to ring up your purchases, and if there's a problem with your credit card, maybe it's because you didn't pay your bill (and don't get all mad at me telling me it's my fault you can't purchase your skanky tank top).

2. Read the signs!
Big one here. Just because the sign says 50% off or Two for $20, doesn't mean that it applies to everything in the store. Often, you have to buy two of the same style, and even if there is another promotion going on with a similar shirt, it doesn't mean you can mix and match. All the signs are (or should be) clearly labeled and reference the style numbers to which the sale applies, but do people read? No! In addition, sometimes people put things away in the wrong place, or even more common, other shoppers leave things in different areas of the store than where they are really from. Don't assume something is a certain price... because when you do, and then argue with me at the register and you're wrong because you can't read a sign, you make an ass out of u in front of me (and other customers... and then we roll our eyes at you when you leave).
Bottom Line: READ PEOPLE!! Admittedly sometimes things are mismarked, and you do need additional money off, but before you act all defensive and accuse me of cheating you and not giving you your money off, READ THE SIGNS!! It makes all our days a little better.

3. Screaming children, throwing temper tantrums, make me laugh.
I know, mean to the parents, but it just makes me giggle watching the parent struggle with the child and attempt all sorts of ways to stop the embarrassing display!
Oh, and if you want to spend hours in the fitting room, maybe leave the kids home and come another time when someone else can watch them. This mostly applies to the parents who are only buying things for themselves, which the kids see and being bored, usually start whining (leading often to the obligatory tantrum). Lady, if you don't plan on buying Johnny a shirt too, do your shopping when he doesn't see all the things you're not buying him, and definitely don't blame him for getting cranky when he has to spend an hour in the fitting room watching you try on everything, while he gets nothing... I mean $0.25 will get him a bouncy ball from the machine... at least let him be entertained while waiting for you to try on your mountain of clothing that you don't end up buying anyway. You see, to a kid, that was all just a waste of time! They just don't understand!

4. Just because you think you deserve the world handed to you, doesn't mean it will be.
I can't give you a discount just because you tell me too.
I don't need you to tell me that this shirt was on the wrong hanger. (It wasn't)
Don't tell me the girl in the fitting room told you these new shorts were on sale (she would have told you to bring them up front and have the price checked. And do you think I won't ask her what she said to you later anyway?) And when I won't give you the new shorts at clearance price, don't act like a brat and complain to the manager; they're gonna tell you the same thing as I did.
I don't need you to tell me how to do my job. I've had register training and you haven't.
Even though I don't like it, sometimes I have to stop and answer the phone. It's as much part of my job as helping you. Give me a second, and I'll put them on hold. Don't bark at me that I"m supposed to be helping you. (That person is important too!)
Returns are easiest when you keep your receipt, and don't try to exchange things over 90 days later for full price when you know full well that it's now on sale. I just can't do that.
If you tell me you know you're right in a snotty voice, I'll do everything I can to prove you wrong. Ask me nicely, I'll probably give you the benefit of the doubt.


Ok, so there it is. A smattering of things I've learned working retail, a few rants, and some interesting hints. Maybe people will be nicer in the future. Because believe you me, no one wants to help a mean jerk. And smile at your cashier! It just might make their day that much better!

Work

So far work has been really good. I enjoy the people I work with (those I've met so far) and my managers are quite good to work for. No one takes themselves too seriously, and everyone tries to make things fun.

I work with a wide variety of people, from 15 year olds on their first job to some older gentlemen and women who just do this part time. And a whole range of people in between. Oddly enough, I am actually on the older edge of the age spectrum, at least in numbers of people who are younger than me... lots of college kids and high schoolers. But it's lots of fun.

So, I'm learning the store fairly well now, and while I occasionally have things I can't do on the floor, I am not able to direct people where they want to go, look up on the computer if we have merchandise, and price what things are. I also can markdown clearance items, stock shelves and racks correctly and I know the color order that the clothing is supposed to go in.

So lot of fun so far, and it has yet to be boring... which is a great sign, since I've only been working 2 weeks!

What to wear?

So for my interview tomorrow, I'm not quite sure what I should wear. Do I go with tie or no tie, black, khaki, or charcoal grey pinstripe pants, plain shirt with a tie or colorful shirt with none?

So I thought, why not give you examples to help me out with. So here they are:

Charcoal grey pinstripe with blue and green button up

Charcoal grey pinstripe with light blue and white strpied button up

Charcoal grey pinstripe with solid light blue button up with pink and blue tie

Charcoal grey pinstripe with solid light blue button up with yellow tie

Khaki pants with solid light blue button up with yellow tie
(could use pink and blue tie here as well)

Khaki pants with yellow and blue button up
(this shirt didn't look good with the charcoal grey pinstripe)

And to make matters worse, I also have plain black pants which would go with any of the shirts that I wore with the charcoal grey ones...

So my questions are as follows, and please answer:
1. Tie or no tie? if no tie, my shirt options open up more, but is it not as professional?
2. Which pants? the Charcoal grey ones are dressier, but are they good for an interview?
3. shirts galore! which one?

As of right now I'm leaning to the first one, the charcoal grey pinstripe with the blue and green stripe button up. But I'm nor sure if I need a tie.

So there's your mission, help me figure out what I need to wear.

Oh and one more thing, I'm interviewing at a national clothing store, not too dressy style, but still nice, so I do need to look like I have some sense of style!

Thank you Bee!!

So after some editing help, and some serious applying with assistance from Beth, I've added three more applications to my list of applied for Jobs.

These jobs are all in the secretarial line of work and are at hospitals in the area. With needing only a GED, I'm fairly confident that I have at least a shot at getting an interview.

I'll let you know what happens.

Resume and Cover Letter

Well, I just spent another two hours putting finishing touches on my resume and cover letter. It's a funny thing because the resume and cover letter that I worked so hard on in my senior seminar class is mostly useless in applying for real jobs.

Who wants to hear about the art shows I've been in when what they really want to know is if I can type and have people skills.

Thankfully I've had enough varied jobs over the years that I feel I am qualified for most of the jobs for which I am applying to.

Now let's just hope the employers think that!

I am also, in addition to the seeming legion of retail establishments, applying to Parker Adventist Hospital. Yes the same one Bee works at part time. But I'm applying for a Unit Nursing Secretary position which actually sounds like a lot of fun. They are the ones answering the phones on the floor, and no, I would not be on the same floor as Bee. :)

We'll see how things pan out...