New T-Shirt

*******

While I was at the aquarium, I bought myself a t-shirt. I think it's pretty!

~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

Back from the Coast

*******
Yesterday I went to Monterey. I went to the aquarium and to the water's edge to sit on the rocks and watch the waves crash on the shore. I actually took a ton of pictures, for once. I'll be posting them to Flickr soon. I think I need to take a photography class to learn how to take good pictures and save up for a better camera, since most of my pictures came out blurry.

Going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium makes me want to stop eating seafood completely....but seafood tastes so good! For now, I'll just be content with having eliminated tuna from my diet.

I'll post more later today, I have a lot of stuff I've been meaning to write on, but I'm hungry and want to eat. Oh yeah, I'm thinking of changing the style of my blog. The pink is too pink for me right now. I'm feeling very purple and green these days.

P.S. Did you know that my mom really REALLY likes the movie Malibu's Most Wanted? She's always going around saying "don't be hatin'" :)

~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

One Last Hurrah!

*******


The arundo project. Geeze Louise!!! It was freaking bamboo!!! Bamboo by any other name is still a bitch to cut down. It was lots of hard work and I got real dirty. But I got an awesome t-shirt for it. Sorry, no pictures, was too busy working :(


Last night I got new tires for my car. My car is very happy. "Road Trip! Road Trip!" she cries. Since this is my last free weekend before REI opens, I'm taking a time-out day trip for myself, to charge up my batteries. I don't have time to do a full weekend, because I have so much to do before my schedule changes, so I'm going to disappear for a few hours into a space where I can chill, be thankful, get focused, and get rested.

~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

Thoughts on the New Job Stuff

*******
Oh yeah, I remembered what I wanted to write about in my last post. Paperclips. I think of them as office cockroaches. They are everywhere, they mulitply, and you can't get rid of them. I also really dislike it when they slip into my keyboard. Does anyone know of a way to recycle them? I don't want to just toss them, and there is a huge drawer in the copyroom of my office that is full of used paperclips. It seems that no one likes to reuse them. I admit, I won't reuse them if they are bent even ever so slightly. But if they are still flat, I will. I want to bring in a ziploc bag and fill it up with paperclips, take it home and put it in my recycling bin. I tried doing an internet search to find out how to properly recycle them, but I came up empty handed. I must be using a lame algorithm. ;)

This past week, I attended Base Camp for REI. For an orientation meeting it was a lot of fun. No really, it was. I won't bore you with any details, it was just typical going over the manual and stuff. Today, we had our sales and service training. I won't be on the sales floor, I'll be at the front line, but still, I needed to learn the REI way of doing things. I've had sales experience in the past, but not in a way I felt comfortable doing business. What I learned today was very different, and very refreshing. I think I'm going to like it.

Tomorrow we have our first service project. We will be removing arundo, an invasive plant, that is growing along the San Joaquin River. If you care to learn more about this plant click here. We'll be doing that in the AM and then we'll have an opportunity to hang out afterwards for free canoe trips! WOO-HOO! Oh, and I'll get a free t-shirt (LOVE THE SCHWAG!!!)

I love this job already!

~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

ÕQb

I'm Such A Dork

*******
I think I should have taken an extra day off. Just a day to unwind and relax. And read.

Today I spent the entire day genuinely thinking it was Monday. My officemate Melissa had to set me straight several times today. There was no way that she was going to let me drag her back to Monday.

This morning I was seriously debating coming in late. I was in the middle of a book that I did not want to put down. It's not a big book and I'm already 3/4 of the way done. I'll definitely have it completed before I go to bed tonight. It's one of those business fables like that mouse & cheese story. I was recommended the book by a business website I visit. Pretty good so far, and practical- stuff I can take to work and really use (like that 7 habits book). Also I've heard some good things about a organization method called GTD. I'll have to look into it some time.

Before I forget, here's that picture of me with that handsome soldier I was telling you about:
Okay, I'm a bit of a tease. Sorry to those who were expecting a younger man. This is my Uncle Pete, a.k.a. father of the groom (my cousin Tony), retired Army, now proudly serving USPS. Because Pete has a niece who likes to brag about her awesome family, you should take note of the sleeve of his jacket. You can definitely make out three stripes and a tiny bit of a fourth-- Actually there are not four but SEVEN stripes on his sleeves, which means a pretty long time (at least 21 years). I'm very proud of him, but I'll be honest, I'm SO glad that he retired before all this Iraq stuff started. He looked GOOD at the wedding ceremony and reception.

There was other stuff I know I wanted to blog about, but I can't remember anymore. I'll talk about the wedding, training, and Guitar Hero another day. I really really want to finish my book tonight.

~Yvette
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

I'm Back!

*******
Hello people.I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm "back" from my vacation. The wedding was awesome and it was good to see all my family. Even had a time out for myself and spent an evening with a special amigo. Tonight I had my base camp for REI so I am now officially on the clock. I return to my regular job in cancer information management tomorrow bright and early. Hopefully soon I'll return to my blogging. I have much to blog about, and some pictures to post (especially the one with me and a very handsome soldier) but now, my available time is diminishing. Not to worry, I'll figure out a solution.

Yvette Z.
a.k.a. Judy Nails, guitar hero.
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

Calgon Take Me Away!!!

*******
Now I remember why I don't take vacations.

Next year I'm taking a vacation WITHOUT my family. Someplace far far away....


~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

Vacation, Day 1

*******

I have to admit, to not go to work today was a little tough. This morning I asked my sister to take me to the Fulton Mall to look for shoes (I admit, I won't go there without a translator). As I was driving south on 41, I felt like I was ditching work. This afternoon, as I was sitting in line at Costco waiting to get gas, my thoughts returned to work and to the piles of cases on my desk, waiting to be abstracted. Man, this is pretty bad, I can't let this job of mine turn into my life. Maybe I already have....

On the bright side, I found a purse and some shoes! The shoes are awesome and SO comfortable! I just took a picture of them with my camera phone. If the pic looks good, I'll post it. I love shoes.

Also, since I was in the Riverpark area, I did a drive by of what I believe is the new REI. I took a pic of that too, but I want to verify the address first. I would feel really dumb if I posted a picture and it ended up being the wrong building. So the next time I post, I'll let you know for sure.

Famiy-wise, my Aunt Sue is here. She arrived Saturday night. My Uncle Waldo and family should be getting in any minute now. It's so cool. :)

~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

ÕbQ

Ready, Set, VACATION!!!!!!!

*******
Okay, I am officially on vacation! I've actually taken time off from work to spend time with my family that are coming down for my cousin's wedding. I think I must be absolutely insane. No, not for wanting to spend time with my family, but for wanting to spend time away from work. I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't like to spend time away from the office because I believe it will fall apart without me. In fact, besides the occasional day off here and there, I haven't had an official vacation since I went to Michigan 2 years ago.

I think it will nice to have some time off. It's been way too long. I took a quiz at a business website that I often visit, and this quiz told me that I am on the path to career burnout. Boy, was I shocked to discover that. But, on the bright side, I read a related article that gave some recommendations on fighting career burnout and one recommendation was to start a side job or project. What timing!!! And on that tanget....

I went to REI today to fill out the appropriate new hire paperwork. The employee handbook rocks! AND..... they gave me magnets! (^ ^) The refrigerator poetry type that are words. I love refrigerator magnets. Oh hell, I love magnets in general. If you've ever seen my office, you know what I'm talking about. Anyways, I'm signed up for all my training shifts. I should be well trained in time for our grand opening. I'm really, really excited. (^ ^)

Since I'm going to be on vacation through Tuesday August 14, I don't know how much posting I will be doing. I know I won't be home much, but I hope that I'll be able to post about the wedding and my Base Camp training.

~Vet
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

ÕbQ

I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!

*******
"We inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure"

http://www.rei.com/

Yes, I got the job! I will be a part-time cashier at REI. I am absolutely thrilled! I was notified by phone this morning.

But there is no REI in Fresno. Well, not yet. REI is currently building their new store at Riverpark with grand opening September 14. At this point I don't have many concrete details, but I'll know more once I've gone through orientation. They call it Base Camp. Tell me that isn't the coolest thing!

I cannot begin to describe how excited I am to start this new adventure. I admit, I've been out of the retail business for quite some time, but I am confident that my customer service skills are still intact. I was dancing around doing the "Superstar" like a complete idiot at work today because I was sooooo happy. Quite frankly, I'm ecstatic.

I must give a shout out of thanks to my amigo Jim, who gave me the heads-up about the store opening and told me to apply. He knew I was looking for something just like this. That's what buds are for. :) We'll toast with some nice tequila. Also, I thank all my well-wishers, this opportunity means so much to me.

If you are not familiar with REI, I encourage you to check out their website. It's a Fortune magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America." Especially check out REI's Active Stewardship. REI rocks.

Tonight's quote:

"Each year, REI donates millions of dollars to support conservation efforts nationwide, and sends scores of volunteers to build trails, clean up beaches, and teach outdoor ethics to kids. Through responsible business practices, we strive to reduce our environmental footprint."
--REI website

~Yvette
"I am ready. The sky is not the limit."

ÕbQ