Life update! PROCEED WITH CAUTION. :P

I'm gone and I still have the songs I had to listen to at work stuck in my head. >.<

Anyways, I never truly explained my post yesterday morning, or school, or really anything. I think I owe y'all another mild life update. Or maybe I shouldn't post my entire life on here..... Lol. I think it's a little late for that. xD

So yeah. Lex and Los are gonna compete AGAINST each other on DWTS this September! :D Yes, I am going to go twice as crazy as last time. No, I honestly do not care what you think. Do I need to remind you what Carlos, James, Kendall, and Logan mean to me? They saved my life. The least I can do is support them. That sounds weird, doesn't it? Well, I'm not the only one who supports them individually as well as collectively. I honestly would not be who I am today without them. So yes, I am going to be going crazy with this. Just a little. :P

And yes, I am going to post highlights/reminders to vote. Just accept that as a large part of this blog. :P And did I mention Los AND Lex are BOTH doing this? :D So votes are gonna be split down the middle. OMG! what if they both made it to the finals?! xD One week at a time I guess..

ALSO: Life. Gah. Like, EVERYTHING shifted. And I knew it would. I was ready. I think I was ready for a long time. Maybe. And the strange part is... it's easy. Okay actually I take that back. Math is a B*tch, but I knew that was coming. Which is why, as hard as it is, I'm sitting and doing two hours worth of math EVERY. NIGHT. Ugh.

But... I can do this. I have to do this. I WANT to do this. Yeah I'm thinking too much. :/ And then on top of it all, like everything that could have hiccuped this week did. Nathan was to the ER (Bladder infection and other issue I am not even going to mention), the wall in our living room had to come down, and yeah. And job hunting, can't forget that. :/ No, I don't regret leaving my job. It had to be done. It just had to. There was no way I could handle what I was dealing with and school. But I HAVE to work. There is just no way around it. But the nice thing is, I'm so qualified now, I can apply and interview and get pretty much any job I please (At least one good thing came out of my last job).

So yeah, that's where I'm at right now. Also, if you are a new reader, HI! :) I feel like we might have one..... So I am off to try and do homework (It's not hard, just tedious), and I will talk to you lovely people later! :D

sincerely,
-Katie

OMFG GUYS!!!!!!

LEX AND LOS ARE ON DWTS THIS SEPTEMBER!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D

I REPEAT! CARLOS AND ALEXA ARE *BOTH* GOING TO BE ON DANCING WITH THE STARS THIS SEPTEMBER!!!!!!! I CANNOT EVEN!!!!!!

Expect me to go even crazier this time. :D Also, life update: Everything is going crazy. I'm actually about to head out the door for class (MADE IT THROUGH THE FIRST WEEK!), and I will fill you in on EVERYTHING when I either get out or get back. ;)

Love y'all!


Sincerely,
-Katie

The three days that change everything.

So a lot is about to culminate at once for me.

Some (if not all) of it is very good. Some of it is hard. And some of it is just plain rude/stupid. But, ready or not.... here it all comes. Oh boy.

I don't think I ever truly shared this, but I start school (college) on Monday. This is long overdue, but whatever. It's HAPPENING. Remember when I didn't care if I lived long enough to actually GO to school? And now here I am, actually doing it. It's.... It's a crazy feeling. But I think I'm ready. The schools I'm going to are actually pretty cool. Oh, yeah. I'm attending Collin County Community College. They have three different Campus' (That is how you spell that word, right?), and I'm attending the one in Frisco (not too far of a drive). But then, as soon as class let's out there, I have to RUSH to get to McKinney (A substantially farther drive) to attend my math class. Yeah. For those of you unaware of how far that is.... Well, it's pretty far. And I have an hour to get from one class to another.

I'm really hoping someone drops at Frisco so I can take both classes there. :/ And then work. Um. I quit. Today is my last day. I honestly have no idea how to feel about it. Mostly because, well.... last night.... I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to say this, but I found some stuff someone stole while I was cleaning up the back room. Um.

Y'all know I'm a goody two-shoes. Well, actually, this isn't even that. This is about honesty and respect in the workplace. That's what all those posters in the back SAY we're supposed to do. But oh GOD was it hard to keep my composure after I told my manager. She was really chill about it all (well, as chill as you can be in that sort of situation), but something tells me that A: District manager, and possibly Loss Prevention, are going to be there today. And I have to CLOSE with suspected thief again tonight. And B: What if my district manager wants to TALK to me?! I've tried really hard to make it so I only have to talk to her when I absolutely HAVE to. Like, she has to initiate conversation, and usually it's just business-y, or about work. :/ Idk guys, maybe I'm stressing over nothing....

And finally.... Idk if I'm ready for all of this. I mean part of me is as prepared as I can be. I know where (at least one) classroom is. I have all the supplies I can reasonably get until I can get the syllabus and text books and figure it all out. But... idk how to FEEL about all of this. Does this mean I am, finally, a grown up? Am I ready for that sort of title? Or have I already been one and this is just cementing the fact?

Idk. But.... I know I want to figure out the answers to those questions. And I want to go to school. I haven't been able to say that before, but now... now I can. And I hope that maybe this makes everything less scary. At least on some level. :)

Now then, I have to go and get a new backpack (the zippers on my old one are completely broken), and then go to work. XP One more day.... and then I get Chipotle afterwards! :D lol.

Sincerely,
-Katie

A bit of job/career advice....

I am probably gonna have to write this in bits and pieces. I get so worked up over it as I recall it all...

I have not masked my distaste for my job. And in all honesty, I've put up with far more bullshit than I really should have had to. From hostile work environment, to bullying, to now unrealistic expectations and unfair standards, and inconsistent training and being understaffed.

So, for those who live in the US, you know it was tax-free weekend. For those who don't, now you do. Well, I was scheduled Friday and Saturday night. I had orientation Saturday morning. At nine in the morning. Anyone want to guess we got out on Friday night?

MIDNIGHT. Do you know how many shots of espresso it took to keep me going yesterday? FOUR. Words cannot describe how much I hated my boss. Actually, no. I didn't hate my boss per se. I hated the store manager. And our District manager. And then, as if I didn't have enough bullshit to put up with, there were only four people closing. I was told we would get SEVEN. And then, we had five racks of put backs and NO ONE was running them!

And, I am not one to typically judge or criticize people, but one of the girls closing SUCKS AT FITTING ROOM AND GO BACKS. She just does. And when she's closing, nothing EVER gets done. And she was closing. It took my mom calling and yelling at my boss for me to finally get out of there. But here's the thing, before you go crazy: I GOT TOLD WE WOULD BE DONE BY ELEVEN. It got so bad I was pulling my hair. That's a form of self-harm and it's in reaction to stress and that is SO BEYOND not okay.

They want us to do four racks of go backs AND expect the store to look spotless AND get out of there at a decent hour?! WE'RE NOT MACHINES DAMNIT!!! Which, is why, I drew a line last night. I'm putting in my two weeks notice next time I go in. You should not be put in a place where you are exhausted, mentally and physically, and not get adequate support/compensation. I learned at orientation if I work on campus, I'll make $10.25 an hour and I'd be working about as much as I do now (except for the getting out of work at midnight bullshit). AND I'd be able to study and do school stuff AND I wouldn't be under an awful amount of stress to the point I'm sick all the time.

It's just not fair and it's not a healthy environment. What this all boils down to is honesty and respect. And I'm not getting either of that where I'm at now. I'm just so beyond fed up, and I think this was coming, and it was just a matter of time. How frequently have I debated leaving in the past year?

And what's the worst they can do for my mom? Tell me to talk to her? Write me up because my mom bailed me out even though they told me I'd be out by a certain time? Nope. Nuh uh. I don't take bullshit from people. I have spent too much time being trampled and bullied in the work place and I swore to myself a long time ago I would not put up with it again. And I won't. I wonder if broken, sixteen year old me would be proud. If she would watch my guts and go in and stand up for herself. Maybe not. But.... I can only hope this helps someone. Maybe.

Sincerely,
-Katie