Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hangin' With the Fellas
So even though I miss making money I will really miss sitting around with the dysfunctional animals in my life. There is something about taking in their daily lives that I enjoy (pretty much watching them nap all day). Also, they are so used to Mark and I being around all the time that they get REALLY PISSED when we're not around. Like...they freak out and scream and cry when they are left alone. Geez guys, you're really ticking off the neighbors.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Don't Stay Here
So I was writing a friend to give a hello and I realized that the email would do to update you all. Though that might upset the friend (no longer so 'personal') I'm sure she'll survive. I didn't want to mention this "event" earlier because I was kinda embarrassed by the whole thing but I got over it and I don't have anything else going on to talk about. So for like the 3 of you who read this blog, here's what was up:
So I went to this open house last week for a Front Desk position at this "hostel" on the Upper West Side. I thought I might as well, I'm interested in hospitality. There was a line and I waited and I met with the people and they really liked me and hired me on the spot. Woohoo, right? It paid okay, not "I can move out now" okay but okay where I can make money for a while until something better comes along. But there were no benefits (i.e. I wouldn't be giving up much if I left).
I start the next day and I get a weird feeling right away. The front desk girls are nice but the managers are weird. I'm kinda thrown to the wolves. I feel frustrated and nervous. Basically no one processes me (tax papers, what the rules and regulations are, what my schedule might be) I also had noticed that the whole process of their checking in of guests is weird. No one is assigned a room in advance which means it's kind of chaos, and I notice they are actually not that nice to their guests. I make it through the day and I'm already like "uh oh..I'm going to quit." I decide to go back the next day anyway.
I go back the next day and meet more front desk people who are nice but I'm frustrated again because the girl training me that day tells me that everything I was taught the day before was done all wrong. I'm annoyed. They don't know how to train and I have to deal with the frustration. I make it through the day and I think it will work out after all. But still that nagging feeling of I'm not loving it is there along with the reappearing Wow they're not very nice to their guests.
The third day. I'm tired. It's Sunday so a lot of tourists who have spent the weekend in the city are now checking out. Complaint galore...but with every reason.
Basically they screw over their guests BIG TIME and could care less. They kinda say sorry but not even in a convincing fake way. They make people pay for the whole stay as soon as they arrive which means if you have a shitty stay they could care less because they already got all your money. It really frustrates me. Who knew I would care about giving good service? It is especially bothersome because of two things:
1. At my last job, even though sometimes it was frustrating, we bent over backwards for our guests. But it made sense. They paid a lot of money. Here they're like "too f'ing bad".
2. I've been a tourist in a country where I don't understand the language and all I want is for someone to be nice to me so that I can have a place to sleep tonight. Everyone who worked there had never even left NYC so they don't get how scary and frustrating it is to be on the road and feel like you have no place to go and it's hard to communicate.
So basically I quit halfway through my third day. Yeah I felt weird and it's going to SUCK when I go back to pick up my check but... whatever. I don't want to be a bitch to people who have done nothing wrong. I don't like it. I won't stand there and pretend I'm okay with it. One of the girls was like "I understand but this is my job." I get that and I admire her for that..but she's never had anything but shitty jobs and I don't think she graduated high school definitely not college so to her..this is the tops. I don't think so..not for me.
So I went to this open house last week for a Front Desk position at this "hostel" on the Upper West Side. I thought I might as well, I'm interested in hospitality. There was a line and I waited and I met with the people and they really liked me and hired me on the spot. Woohoo, right? It paid okay, not "I can move out now" okay but okay where I can make money for a while until something better comes along. But there were no benefits (i.e. I wouldn't be giving up much if I left).
I start the next day and I get a weird feeling right away. The front desk girls are nice but the managers are weird. I'm kinda thrown to the wolves. I feel frustrated and nervous. Basically no one processes me (tax papers, what the rules and regulations are, what my schedule might be) I also had noticed that the whole process of their checking in of guests is weird. No one is assigned a room in advance which means it's kind of chaos, and I notice they are actually not that nice to their guests. I make it through the day and I'm already like "uh oh..I'm going to quit." I decide to go back the next day anyway.
I go back the next day and meet more front desk people who are nice but I'm frustrated again because the girl training me that day tells me that everything I was taught the day before was done all wrong. I'm annoyed. They don't know how to train and I have to deal with the frustration. I make it through the day and I think it will work out after all. But still that nagging feeling of I'm not loving it is there along with the reappearing Wow they're not very nice to their guests.
The third day. I'm tired. It's Sunday so a lot of tourists who have spent the weekend in the city are now checking out. Complaint galore...but with every reason.
You never had hot water
The elevator hasn't worked in a long time and
I'm on the 7th floor with luggage
You said I could stay in my room and now you're saying you made a mistake and instead of fixing it you're just kicking me out of my room in the next 5 minutes
Someone broke the lock on my locker and
stole my passport and all my money (apparently happens every week).
Basically they screw over their guests BIG TIME and could care less. They kinda say sorry but not even in a convincing fake way. They make people pay for the whole stay as soon as they arrive which means if you have a shitty stay they could care less because they already got all your money. It really frustrates me. Who knew I would care about giving good service? It is especially bothersome because of two things:
1. At my last job, even though sometimes it was frustrating, we bent over backwards for our guests. But it made sense. They paid a lot of money. Here they're like "too f'ing bad".
2. I've been a tourist in a country where I don't understand the language and all I want is for someone to be nice to me so that I can have a place to sleep tonight. Everyone who worked there had never even left NYC so they don't get how scary and frustrating it is to be on the road and feel like you have no place to go and it's hard to communicate.
So basically I quit halfway through my third day. Yeah I felt weird and it's going to SUCK when I go back to pick up my check but... whatever. I don't want to be a bitch to people who have done nothing wrong. I don't like it. I won't stand there and pretend I'm okay with it. One of the girls was like "I understand but this is my job." I get that and I admire her for that..but she's never had anything but shitty jobs and I don't think she graduated high school definitely not college so to her..this is the tops. I don't think so..not for me.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Some Cheer in the Gloom
There is one thing that I miss fondly from my adventures in Colombia. The juice. Specifically jugo de maracuyá en aguá or passion fruit blended in water. My absolute favorite. FAVORITE DRINK EVER. If you read Mark's blog then you've read ALL about the juice in South America.
Recently Mark and I wandered into a dollar store here in "lovely" Inwood to kill time. We were purchasing a diet soda for the fake-sugar fiends back home when a brightly colored juice bottle caught my eye. After further review I discovered that it was jugo de maracuyá!
My insides did a little spanishy dance and Mark and I quickly grabbed two bottles to purchase and inspect with our taste buds.
I would like to note at this point that the young woman who checked us out also seemed excited about the juice as she, like most people in my neighborhood, originally hail from the land of jugos en aguá.
So anyway, the juice freaking kicks ass. It tastes just like it should minus the icy shavings from being freshly blended. Mark and I promptly returned the next day and bought six more bottles. Woohoo indeed!
Recently Mark and I wandered into a dollar store here in "lovely" Inwood to kill time. We were purchasing a diet soda for the fake-sugar fiends back home when a brightly colored juice bottle caught my eye. After further review I discovered that it was jugo de maracuyá!
My insides did a little spanishy dance and Mark and I quickly grabbed two bottles to purchase and inspect with our taste buds.
I would like to note at this point that the young woman who checked us out also seemed excited about the juice as she, like most people in my neighborhood, originally hail from the land of jugos en aguá.
So anyway, the juice freaking kicks ass. It tastes just like it should minus the icy shavings from being freshly blended. Mark and I promptly returned the next day and bought six more bottles. Woohoo indeed!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
General Updates
I've decided since things aren't going so wonderfully for me right now I'd rearrange my blog a bit because I have that power over it.
I've had this Reading Right Now section for awhile but if you don't visit often or if you do visit but you don't scroll down all the time you might have missed many of the books I've posted in just a short time. I decided to move it up to see if it fosters any communication with people out there. I welcome you to email me with reading suggestions or if you'd like to chat about the books, just don't give anything away! I hate that. Unfortunately this section doesn't have a back log so whatever I've posted in the past is gone, but I'll work something out for a more thorough experience.
After sitting depressed and mopey for the past week I decided that I would go out to lunch with Mark today just to get out of the house. We went to the Garden Cafe that I visited years ago with Karolyn when it first opened. The Garden Cafe is one of those pretty little places that shows a small renaissance happening in Inwood. The garden area in the back has been updated nicely but the menu is basically the same. Our waitress was nice but really awkward. The first half of my wrap was really tasty but sadly the second half was dry and chewy. After the meal I broke out in hives and my face itched tremendously. I think the dressing on the wrap might have been left out or was in a kitchen that was too warm, I tend to have allergic reactions to dairy products that aren't properly refrigerated. Oh well, it was nice to get out!
In other news I really enjoy being jobless and then I get to watch the news and hear about the country's economy crumbling to pieces and unemployment has skyrocketed in just a month. I'd like to punch the piece of my brain that thought it was a good idea to quit my old job and move out of Tahoe. I had an apartment, a job, health insurance...I could go on but you get the idea.
I've had this Reading Right Now section for awhile but if you don't visit often or if you do visit but you don't scroll down all the time you might have missed many of the books I've posted in just a short time. I decided to move it up to see if it fosters any communication with people out there. I welcome you to email me with reading suggestions or if you'd like to chat about the books, just don't give anything away! I hate that. Unfortunately this section doesn't have a back log so whatever I've posted in the past is gone, but I'll work something out for a more thorough experience.
After sitting depressed and mopey for the past week I decided that I would go out to lunch with Mark today just to get out of the house. We went to the Garden Cafe that I visited years ago with Karolyn when it first opened. The Garden Cafe is one of those pretty little places that shows a small renaissance happening in Inwood. The garden area in the back has been updated nicely but the menu is basically the same. Our waitress was nice but really awkward. The first half of my wrap was really tasty but sadly the second half was dry and chewy. After the meal I broke out in hives and my face itched tremendously. I think the dressing on the wrap might have been left out or was in a kitchen that was too warm, I tend to have allergic reactions to dairy products that aren't properly refrigerated. Oh well, it was nice to get out!
In other news I really enjoy being jobless and then I get to watch the news and hear about the country's economy crumbling to pieces and unemployment has skyrocketed in just a month. I'd like to punch the piece of my brain that thought it was a good idea to quit my old job and move out of Tahoe. I had an apartment, a job, health insurance...I could go on but you get the idea.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Workforce Asses Strike Again
Just in time for me to get over the wonderfully rude experience that is Workforce 1 in Jamaica, Queens I received a call yesterday.
A nice, yuppie sounding, young man had just called to remind me that my interview with Whole Foods was scheduled for the next day at 1pm.
Oh, really? No one told me that. He asked if I had my referral ticket.
The poor guy got an earful about how I was told off by some ghetto trash. How everyone there was really rude and unhelpful. How I didn't sign up knowing I was going to have to go back. How I'm a smart person who was just trying to be proactive and I don't deserve to be treated like that.
He seemed quite surprised by it all, is probably just the guy who got stuck making reminder calls, he doesn't even work in the same Jamaica office. I told him that I didn't mean to go off on him but that I had to share that it's really sad that people who are teaching others on how to be 'professional' are actually extremely lacking in professional behavior. I told him to have a nice day, if he knows anyone who should know about my experience to feel free to mention my opinion, and to go ahead a check my name off his list.
I spent the rest of the night and the next day pissed off that I was missing any sort of job opportunity.
A nice, yuppie sounding, young man had just called to remind me that my interview with Whole Foods was scheduled for the next day at 1pm.
Oh, really? No one told me that. He asked if I had my referral ticket.
The poor guy got an earful about how I was told off by some ghetto trash. How everyone there was really rude and unhelpful. How I didn't sign up knowing I was going to have to go back. How I'm a smart person who was just trying to be proactive and I don't deserve to be treated like that.
He seemed quite surprised by it all, is probably just the guy who got stuck making reminder calls, he doesn't even work in the same Jamaica office. I told him that I didn't mean to go off on him but that I had to share that it's really sad that people who are teaching others on how to be 'professional' are actually extremely lacking in professional behavior. I told him to have a nice day, if he knows anyone who should know about my experience to feel free to mention my opinion, and to go ahead a check my name off his list.
I spent the rest of the night and the next day pissed off that I was missing any sort of job opportunity.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Let's Waste Some Time (Part Two)
So. I'm still jobless. Not for lack of trying. However I'm still paying for my surgery that occurred last August and I have a weak spot for iced coffee. This means that I'm still using money even if I'm pinching pennies.
I figured I'd get an easy retail type job while I was waiting for "The Big One" to come along. I mean, why not? It gave me possibilities:
- I could possibly keep it as a part time job while working full time because living in NYC is pricey.
- I'd have an income coming in to help with the essentials I still find myself paying for (train fare, deodorant, iced coffee).
- It'd get me out of the house since I'm going NUTS here.
- Maybe I need a job to get a job.
So I came across an ad for Whole Foods. As usual they are opening up yet another mega store in NYC and this career center in Jamaica, Queens was holding a 'hiring fair'. Sure it is way out of my way but I figured working for Whole Foods wouldn't be so terrible and it's not like I was busy doing anything else.
I wake up at 6am, shower, dress, and go. I have to take 3 trains to get to where I need to be for a total of 2 hours subway time. I have to be there by 9am. By the time my F train arrives in this god-forsaken land my iced coffee has already worn off.
9am
I walk into the center and immediately realize I'm in the wrong place. I don't see any friendly faces, I don't see any green aprons, I don't see this day going the right way at all. What me and apparently 3 other people thought they were coming to Jamaica for was to meet some people from Whole Foods, chat it up, fill out some paperwork, and hopefully walk out with a job.
That'd be TOO EASY!
I stand on line as two women watch everyone sign in like if we are signing in for visiting hours at our favorite penitentiary. They loudly berate someone for not knowing what to write in a line here or there, they yell across the room "You! Yeah You! I can't read your name, come back here!"
I fill out my paperwork and sit amongst the persons who quite honestly look like they either just got out of jail, or had their eighth kid, are all under the age of 28, and all of them feel that appropriate "professional attire" means that they wear the black jeans, the black underwear (fully exposed), their best baseball cap with the most recent overexposed logo emblazoned all over it.
We get mini-lectures on how to "sell ourselves" and "customer service" and the whole time I'm wondering why does Life hate me so? Why couldn't I have been raised to have no expectations of myself? Maybe then I'd be fine with mediocrity. I mean, I'm not exactly excelling anyway so I should be happy to be a Medical Assistant or a C-Town Cashier? But anyway...back to Jamaica.
10:45am
After awhile my name is called with a group of other people. We head to a computer room where we are given directions to apply online at the Whole Foods website. Something I could've done myself. I fly through the website (I have a brain, I've become very familiar with online job applications). While I wait around for the next level of hell to begin I get to observe the shenanigans going on. One guy doesn't know what it means to sign his initials. What are initials?
Another classy lady is dropping F bombs as she complains that if she had known how F'ing long this F'ng bullshit was going to F'ing take she's be sitting on her F'ing couch at home. When they going to F'in call me I finished this motherf'ing website. A few seconds later yet another I'm-an-Insanely-Rude-Career-Center-Employee loudly embarrasses her as she tells her that she hasn't completed the application process, right here on the screen it says step 3 out of 5. Her screen suddenly goes blue. Ouch.
11:15
Called as a group into another room. Some chick (yes: rude, obnoxious) asks us to take out our resumes. Most people have a piece of paper with maybe 5 lines on it. Many take out a piece of paper that was folded in four and shoved into their pockets. Since you get the picture, I won't get into detail of how insanely ridiculous some of the responses were to questions this stupid bitch had to ask. But I would like to point out that the three people in the room that did not speak ghetto were probably treated the worst by her. That would be me, Ruth, and Amina. The three of us combined could probably provide better service that this girl.
Basically we were asked a bunch of questions (why didn't you work from this time to this time? what's this on your resume?) and give "advice" (you want to work for Whole Foods? you should research a vegetable, they like healthy things there) we were told that "she" who, in such a professional way, totally forgot to introduce herself (later discovered her name was Eva...sounds like Evil!) would decide who was best appropriate to meet with the ACTUAL Whole Foods people.
I figured I'd get an easy retail type job while I was waiting for "The Big One" to come along. I mean, why not? It gave me possibilities:
- I could possibly keep it as a part time job while working full time because living in NYC is pricey.
- I'd have an income coming in to help with the essentials I still find myself paying for (train fare, deodorant, iced coffee).
- It'd get me out of the house since I'm going NUTS here.
- Maybe I need a job to get a job.
So I came across an ad for Whole Foods. As usual they are opening up yet another mega store in NYC and this career center in Jamaica, Queens was holding a 'hiring fair'. Sure it is way out of my way but I figured working for Whole Foods wouldn't be so terrible and it's not like I was busy doing anything else.
I wake up at 6am, shower, dress, and go. I have to take 3 trains to get to where I need to be for a total of 2 hours subway time. I have to be there by 9am. By the time my F train arrives in this god-forsaken land my iced coffee has already worn off.
9am
I walk into the center and immediately realize I'm in the wrong place. I don't see any friendly faces, I don't see any green aprons, I don't see this day going the right way at all. What me and apparently 3 other people thought they were coming to Jamaica for was to meet some people from Whole Foods, chat it up, fill out some paperwork, and hopefully walk out with a job.
That'd be TOO EASY!
I stand on line as two women watch everyone sign in like if we are signing in for visiting hours at our favorite penitentiary. They loudly berate someone for not knowing what to write in a line here or there, they yell across the room "You! Yeah You! I can't read your name, come back here!"
I fill out my paperwork and sit amongst the persons who quite honestly look like they either just got out of jail, or had their eighth kid, are all under the age of 28, and all of them feel that appropriate "professional attire" means that they wear the black jeans, the black underwear (fully exposed), their best baseball cap with the most recent overexposed logo emblazoned all over it.
We get mini-lectures on how to "sell ourselves" and "customer service" and the whole time I'm wondering why does Life hate me so? Why couldn't I have been raised to have no expectations of myself? Maybe then I'd be fine with mediocrity. I mean, I'm not exactly excelling anyway so I should be happy to be a Medical Assistant or a C-Town Cashier? But anyway...back to Jamaica.
10:45am
After awhile my name is called with a group of other people. We head to a computer room where we are given directions to apply online at the Whole Foods website. Something I could've done myself. I fly through the website (I have a brain, I've become very familiar with online job applications). While I wait around for the next level of hell to begin I get to observe the shenanigans going on. One guy doesn't know what it means to sign his initials. What are initials?
Another classy lady is dropping F bombs as she complains that if she had known how F'ing long this F'ng bullshit was going to F'ing take she's be sitting on her F'ing couch at home. When they going to F'in call me I finished this motherf'ing website. A few seconds later yet another I'm-an-Insanely-Rude-Career-Center-Employee loudly embarrasses her as she tells her that she hasn't completed the application process, right here on the screen it says step 3 out of 5. Her screen suddenly goes blue. Ouch.
11:15
Called as a group into another room. Some chick (yes: rude, obnoxious) asks us to take out our resumes. Most people have a piece of paper with maybe 5 lines on it. Many take out a piece of paper that was folded in four and shoved into their pockets. Since you get the picture, I won't get into detail of how insanely ridiculous some of the responses were to questions this stupid bitch had to ask. But I would like to point out that the three people in the room that did not speak ghetto were probably treated the worst by her. That would be me, Ruth, and Amina. The three of us combined could probably provide better service that this girl.
Basically we were asked a bunch of questions (why didn't you work from this time to this time? what's this on your resume?) and give "advice" (you want to work for Whole Foods? you should research a vegetable, they like healthy things there) we were told that "she" who, in such a professional way, totally forgot to introduce herself (later discovered her name was Eva...sounds like Evil!) would decide who was best appropriate to meet with the ACTUAL Whole Foods people.
In a nutshell, these retards "screen" us to see if we are even capable of handling an interview with Whole Foods, if we "pass" we have to go back to the office to get a referral letter and will be told when and where our Whole Foods interview will be.
12noon
I walk outta there stressed and annoyed and even more depressed than when I walked in. I run into that Ruth girl (who has been spending her time volunteering in Italy teaching English and is back in the US to earn some money as the dollar is worth shit over there) she too thought the whole thing was total crap and if she had known we were going to get shit on she would've never shown up. The Amina girl was a student at SUNY Oswego and was back trying to get a summer job. Ruth and I thought it very interesting that the 3 most intelligible persons in the room got crapped on the most (well except for the one guy who is truly screwed for life).
The next day I got a call bright and early (from what name? who knows) to tell me that I had been accepted for a referral to Whole Foods. I asked if I could have the letter faxed to me since it takes me 2 hours to get there and I didn't know I'd have to go back all the way out there.
She rudely (!) told me "No. You have to come here because you have to sit through a training session for your interview" I tried to find a polite way to respond, asking if I could call her back that afternoon to confirm if I could make it when she cut me off and said in SEVERE ATTITUDE "I'm not gonna be here this afternoon. You want them to write you the referral or not?"
I hung up on her.
Unbelievable.
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