garage sale language blunder

i don't know if i can relay this in writing as funny as it was in person, but i'm gonna try...

a lot of our customers on Friday were Hispanic, stopping by with their children, droves of families who didn't know each other, all looking for a great deal. i was attempting to help an older lady and her family while using the selling method better known as bartering. as i quoted prices in Spanish, my grandma sitting nearby would ask me in English, "how much, Jenny?"

after three or four times of her asking me that and me repeating the same answer, i FINALLY realized i was talking to my grandma IN SPANISH and the reason she kept asking me was because she didn't know what i was saying!

once i got it, i apologized, "oh, Grandma, i mean FIFTEEN!" and laughed for a while. i thought it was hilarious that i was in Spanish mode and didn't even realize it. i guess that's what happens when you get focused on trying to sell a bookshelf! *LOL* :-)

garage sale

i've never had a garage sale before. i've never put one on and i've never even gone to one to shop. but yet i've found myself sitting with my grandma trying to sell our "junk" to the neighbors. we've marked everything, set it all up on tables, and got it ready to sell. now we just have to wait for passersby.

it's hard work though ... i never knew that. it takes time to go through every little thing, clean it up a little, and then think ... i wonder what i should try to sell this for? a dollar? five dollars?

it takes time and energy, both of which i've exerted quite a bit. but i've learned a lot so far in case i decide to do it again one day. i usually just give my stuff to Goodwill or some place, but i guess i should try to sell it more often ... people really will buy just about anything.

crystal clear

i want to be crystal clear about something... it might seem random, which it is, but i don't need to explain why. i simply want to share my heart to clarify my experience with Sonic.

though i'm not Sonic management material, in no way have i shared my heart through my work experience in order to "bash" the business. Sonic has been very good to my family for many, many years, and i never intended to imply anything bad about Sonic as a whole.

today's life brings challenges in the business world. every place is run however it can succeed. and every Sonic store is run different. as i've said before, maybe another store would make a difference, but there are no guarantees. today brings teenagers who use every cuss word in one sentence. it brings five different problems to fix in one hour. it brings stresses of a volume that's just too much for me. these are things that just weren't good for my heart. i'm not made to take all of that in for 10 hours a day and go home happy. it wasn't a relfection on my cousin and his store. it was simply the work and what it took to stay in business and succeed.

the particular store i was in is great. the busiest in Texas, i think. they cook the food properly and serve it quickly. they're kind to the customers. and the managers always handle issues correctly. everything business there is proper and i was proud to be involved with them.

as i've said before, the work just wasn't for me. it's a lot of work and a lot of stress and i just feel i'm not cut out for it. but if i were, Sonic is where i'd want to work.

that is my heart. it always has been and always will. i encourage all ten people who will read my blog to go eat at your nearby Sonic today. order tots with cheese for me. it will always be my favorite.

Europe

yes, i'm still going to Europe. i've finally made a decision and booked it. here's what it's gonna look like...

July 11 - fly to Zurich, Switzerland, and spend the next 5 days with Susanne, the friend i made in Guatemala. the plan is to recover from jet lag and see as much of Susanne's world as possible.

July 17 - fly to London, spend three days on my own, enjoying my space, mastering the Tube, seeing all the wonderful sights.

July 20 - join the tour group on a bus and head across the channel to see ... France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.

August 1 - make my way from Paris to London, get on a plane and fly home.

August 2-6 - recover from jet lag

August 7 - look for a job

oh, i guess i can stop the timeline now... :-)

anyways, i'm very excited, though nervous about traveling somewhat on my own in countries i've never been to. but i know i'm going to see so many things i've wanted to see for SO LONG, that it'll be well worth it all. now i just have to figure out what to pack!

movies

i don't remember if 8 years ago when i moved to Colorado i was SHOCKED when i went to the movies for the first time. shocked over what? over the prices of admission! i don't remember, so i can only assume that the prices weren't too much more than my hometown theater of three screens, or even the College Station Cinemark theater.

when i left Colorado (only a few months ago, mind you), prices for a matinée admission was $5.50. i've always been a firm believer in attending the movies during the middle of the afternoon anyways, so that's the only price i really care about. at Brenham's theater, now renovated and containing six screens, i paid $4.50 for the matinée last weekend.

what's my point? well, in Houston, the two times i went to the theater, i had to pay ... drumroll please ... ... .... $7.00 for matinées ($9 for showings after 6)!!! for a lover of the theater, i was willing to pay the $7 twice for the time i lived there ... but on an ongoing basis? i think not.

i guess, for curiosity sake, i should find a theater in New York City and see how much they have to pay. i know i'd be grateful for the Houston price. but still! big cities have their luxuries, but i'd much prefer the small town prices.

chinese buffet update

my first chinese experience was really back in the day in my hometown. my oldest friend, Dawn, and i would go once a week or so to the buffet here in Brenham. they were never really busy, but they're still in business. the food was always decent and enough to fill us up.

so, i thought it fitting that my next chinese buffet attempt be at the original location. last weekend i had Saturday to myself, so i decided to do things that i would enjoy and that my mom wouldn't be jealous of. i had chinese buffet for lunch and went to the movies and saw Ocean's Thirteen (she doesn't like either).

when i walked in, i was pleased to see more people than i'd ever seen before. i was greeted with a smile, ordered my Mountain Dew, and made my way over to the buffet. my first surprise were the donuts WITH sugar. my second surprise was chicken on a stick. and my third surprise was steamed rice. (please revert back to the previous buffet post to see the difference.) these things seem small, but believe me ... it makes a huge difference in an appetizing meal.

everything was going fine until i got over to the beef with broccoli ... there was no broccoli! instead, there were green peppers and onions. very odd. the chicken with broccoli had broccoli, but also contained shrimp. again, odd. ah, but what's over there? BBQ chicken pieces. yum! that's new to my palette at a chinese place, so i tried it, and of course, being the BBQ lover that i am, enjoyed it. there was also the normal looking sweet and sour chicken and lo mein noodles. so all in all, i enjoyed my experience.

i wouldn't say that it was wonderful enough to go back to on a weekly basis, like the places in Colorado i became spoiled by. but, maybe once a month or so for a chinese fix wouldn't be so bad. at least they had food i recognized. and ... at least they had donuts with sugar! :-)

what am i doing?

for the next month i am working out (with the goal of losing weight), tanning (cuz i feel better about myself if i'm tanner and skinnier), and helping my mom get her house in more in order. then, in July, my plan is to go to Europe on a tour for 18-35 year olds. it will cover Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and the lovely city of London. the friend i made in Guatemala lives in Switzerland, so i'll see her and maybe travel with her for a little bit as well.

after that ... i will get a job, of course. don't know what i will find a job doing, but i will find one. i also don't know the location of that job search right now, but hopefully in August i will have it figured out.

until then, it's all about diet and exercise for me. i am feeling way icky about my body right now and will not go to Europe with strangers feeling the way i'm feeling about looking the way i'm looking. it's just important to me to travel while feeling good about myself.