. . . Tupperware Cities . . .

Friday, August 29

 

I would like to quit smoking, but I am still using it as a crutch for my anger. Right now about 99.9% of my anger is directed at my place of employment. I fucking hate it. My computer is full of bugs, my database doesn’t function properly or within acceptable timeframes, yet…the IT douchebags declare it as “nothing wrong” constantly. This company’s new policy on returns… get this.

Scenario: you purchase a $3,000 telescope and a $100 eyepiece it. Our warehouse ships only the eyepiece kit to you. You call in to our customer service line and get one of our reps and say “I didn’t get my telescope.” Our rep can verify internally that yes, indeed, your telescope did not in fact SHIP. Well guess what we do??? “I’m sorry sir/ma’am for the inconvenience. Allow me to correct our mistake by refunding you the money for your telescope and charging you for the replacement.”

Sounds like a wash, ya? WRONG. It could take your credit card company anywhere from 2-7 business days to replace the funds onto your card. So, in effect if we send out that replacement right after your phone call, you are forced to carry a double charge of $3,000 simply because our warehouse sucks and the system this company has in place to cover its plethora of shipping errors fucking sucks. I hate working for this company not only because it’s annoying to be in customer service (that’s a given) but because of their extremely awful planning and restitution they offer customers when the company fucks up.

My primary responsibility right now for the next several weeks, possibly months…Over 2500 orders that are “stuck” and not shipping due to databases being out of synch with one another. So there are quite possibly over 2500 customers who are still wondering where their shit is, and why they have already been charged for it. Fucking insane.

Do not EVER shop at any online store that is associated with Netshops, Inc. I implore you. You will receive nothing but shitty service, despite what we try to do in the call center. We are nice people, but the system is severely flawed.
Here is a list of all the sites you should avoid:

AdirondackChairs.com
AffordableFutons.com
AquariumsDirect.com
ArmoireGallery.com
BackgammonPlus.com
BadmintonSource.com
BakersRacks.com
BanquetTables.com
BarStoolSuperstore.com
BarWare.com
BeachChairs.com
Beanbags.com
BedCanopy.com
BeddingInaBag.com
BedroomFurnitureMart.com
BedSideTables.com
Benches.com
BilliardsAuthority.com
Birdbaths.com
BirdCages.com
BistroSets.com
BocceBallSets.com
BombeChests.com
BookCasesGalore.com
BreastfeedingClothing.com
BubbleHockeyTables.com
BuyEntertainmentCenters.com
Candelabras.com
CanopyCenter.com
CarportsUSA.com
CartsandWagons.com
CatFurnitureStore.com
CedarChests.com
ChessSets.com
ChildrensDesks.com
ChildrensTablesandChairs.com
ChinaCabinets.com
ChristmasTreesGalore.com
ClawFootTubs.com
ClockStyle.com
ClosetOrganizerSource.com
ClubChairs.com
CoatRacks.com
CoffeeTablesGalore.com
ComputerDesks.com
ContemporaryBeds.com
CookWareSets.com
Cribs.com
Croquet.com
CurioCabinets.com
Dartboards.com
Daybeds.com
DeskLamps.com
DeskSetShop.com
DiningTables.com
DirectorsChairs.com
DogHouses.com
DollHousesGalore.com
EaselSource.com
eCookieJars.com
eGameTables.com
eGardenBridges.com
eKitchenIslands.com
ElectricFireplaceSource.com
ElectricGenerators.com
eRockingHorses.com
eSoccerGoals.com
eSunDials.com
eWineRacks.com
ExerciseMats.com
FamilyRooms.com
FilingCabinets.com
FirePitShop.com
FireplaceMantels.com
FireplaceScreens.com
FireproofSafes.com
FirstAidKits.com
FonduePots.com
FurBoots.net
GameRoomFurniture.com
GardenStatueShop.com
GasLogShop.com
GiftsforHim.com
GoKartCompany.com
GraduationGifts.com
GrandfatherClocks.com
GreatBackYards.com
GreatHomeBars.com
GreatPubTables.com
GreatRusticFurniture.com
GrillsDirect.com
Hammocks.com
HandTrucks.com
HearthRugs.com
HighChair.com
HockeyNets.com
HomeTheaterSeating.com
HoseReelSource.com
HospitalityDirect.com
iDraftingTables.com
iPoolTableLights.com
iRoomDividers.com
iTorches.com
iToyboxes.com
JewelryArmoire.com
JewelryBoxes.com
Jhammock.com
JumpRopes.com
JustAirHockeyTables.com
JustBathroomFurniture.com
JustBirdHouses.net
JustBookends.com
JustChaiseLounges.com
JustFoosballTables.com
KidsFurnitureMart.com
KScopes.com
LazySusans.com
LeatherSkirts.com
LeatherSofas.com
Lecterns.com
LoveSeats.com
MagazineRacks.com
MedicineCabinetShop.com
Microwave-ovens.com
ModelPlanes.com
ModelShipsDirect.com
ModernFurniture.com
ModularOfficeFurniture.com
MoreOfficeFurniture.com
MotorcycleKits.com
MusicBoxes.com
NativitySets.com
NetShops.com
NevadaPokerChips.com
NevadaPokerChips.com
NursingBras.com
NutCrackers.com
OnlyGloves.com
OnlyLeatherJackets.com
OnlyPajamas.com
OnlySlippers.com
PatioFurnitureUSA.com
PatioHeaterStore.com
PatioUmbrellas.com
PillowSuperStore.com
PingPongTable.com
PlantStands.com
PlayHouses.com
Porchswings.com
PotRacksGalore.com
PottingBenches.com
QuiltRacks.com
ReclinersPlus.com
RetirementGifts.com
RidingToys.com
Robe.com
RockingChairs.com
RockTumblers.com
ScooterOutfitters.com
ServingTrays.com
SewingTableShop.com
ShowerCurtainsGalore.com
ShuffleboardTable.com
SilkPalms.com
SimplyArbors.com
SimplyBeds.com
SimplyBunkBeds.com
SimplyFountains.com
SimplyMirrors.com
SimplyOttomans.com
SimplyPlanters.com
SimplyPlatformBeds.com
SimplyVanities.com
Sleds.com
SleighBeds.com
SofaTables.com
SolarLightStore.com
StorageBins.com
SwingSetSource.com
TableLamp.com
TanningBedBulbs.com
TeaKettles.com
TheMailboxSuperStore.com
TiffanyLampsGalore.com
TikiBars.com
ToddlerBeds.com
TonneauCover.com
ToolBoxesDirect.com
TrailerHitches.com
TrainSets.com
TrampolineTime.com
UniqueGiftIdea.com
UniqueHomeDecor.com
UtilityRooms.com
VolleyballHeadquarters.com
WalkieTalkies.com
WaterDispensers.com
WeatherInstruments.com
WeathervanesEtc.com
WickerFurniture.com
Windchime.com
WindowTreatmentsDirect.com
WoodStovesDirect.com
WorldGlobes.com
WreathsGalore.com
WritingDesks.com

Lynnette 2:35 PM

Thursday, August 28

 

Today at work I put a box of Nerds candy into descending order by size. It took about 45 minutes, as I worked slowly but deliberately. Sure I couldn't help but sneak a few in the middle, but for the most part the curved line was assembled and sorted before the feasting began.

I truly have no idea how "lifers" put up with this place. There are a few folks, some who work directly with me, who have been here for more than three years. More than three years without regular reviews, raises or improvements to the vastly overpriced "benefits". (Side note: I used my 2 months of benefits and promptly cancelled them upon the renewal date. What's the point of paying upwards of $130 a month for shitty benefits? I've never paid that much for benefits through an employer, EVER. Fuckin' grats if you have.. )

Now the Nerds are gone, and my sugar high is subsiding.

Lynnette 4:30 PM

Sunday, August 24

 

Yesterday Brandon and I cleaned the house. The amazing thing isn’t that we cleaned the house, it’s that he helped. I am very thankful for him, I can’t express that enough.

*The bookshelves were assembled.
*The boxes of books hiding in the closet were pulled out and organized.
*A goodwill pile was created, mostly of socks that were no longer needed and still in great condition. I never give my CRAP clothes to the goodwill. If it has holes, or retarded stains, that shit needs to be used as rags and then disposed of in a proper waste receptacle.
*Embryos were destroyed and we laughed.
*Floors were swept and mopped.
*Area rugs were vacuumed.
*Dishes were done.

However, all of this happened from about 3pm onward. The early part of the morning Brandon ran around doing errands for himself, and I applied at the Omaha Animal Medical Group (http://www.myvetonline.com/website/oamg/). It was suggested that I apply by two of my instructors, and hopefully due to their referral and recommendations I may get the job. I’m sooooo excited.

Everyone who has ever met me this year knows that I despise my job. It’s wretched. Conversely I love school, I love what I’m learning, and the activities I have to do. Love it. So, while there will be an adjustment to a new job, a job at a hospital will be very similar to what I do in my live labs at school, and therefore will not be unfamiliar territory. That being said I’m not counting my chickens just yet, just trying to stay hopeful.

Brandon’s mom, grandma (mom-mom) and sister are coming for a short visit this Wednesday. He hasn’t seen them since he went back for his pop-pop’s funeral in March; I haven’t seen them since Christmastime. I remember being in the basement of his folks’ house and looking at myself in the mirror and just trying NOT to bawl. You see when I was there, my psoriasis was pretty much all over my face, from my neck to my scalp line. Sure I had met his immediate family last August (2007), but for Christmas it was both sides of the family, full clan action. Nobody said a word about it, nobody. They all made me feel right at home, not like the freak I saw myself as at the time. They’re wonderful.

Tomorrow another 10-week phase at school begins. Another. After this next phase I will be exactly halfway through the program!! W00000T!!! Work. I’m at work. I have nothing to blog about, just trying to avoid work.

Lynnette 3:12 PM

Friday, August 22

 

Third Phase: OWNED

I managed to pass yet another phase in my program. Two As, and my first two Bs. I missed getting straight As by 1% in one class and 1.5% in the other class. Waaah waaaah. I am actually very proud of this.

Animal Nursing 3 encompassed ECG, fluid therapy, dermatology, oncology, and nutrition. Half of our class was repeating the class for at least the second time, some for the third. ECG readings were the most difficult part of the entire class. The most valuable lesson I learned (aside from how to calculate rhythms, rates, and abnormals) was that the only thing we are concerned about when declaring an abnormal ECG is readings that are ABOVE normal. Just under normal is still considered “normal” for the purposes of evaluation of ECGs. The rest was a piece of cake. End result = 89% B.

Nutrition? Cinch. I missed points in some of my early calculations, and from not studying enough. I know this. I have nobody to blame but myself for an 88.5% and a second B for the phase. I know now what I must do.

Pharmacology was a joke. Easiest A I’ve ever received. The class was “Here are the cardiovascular, muscular, nervous and reproductive system drugs….know the trade names, know the generic names.” Pow. Memorizing. Dude. A.

Clinical Pathology. Definitely the class I enjoyed the most, being a huge science nerd. It was microscope heaven. Granted we are not legally able to “diagnose” once we’re in practice but this class/instructor allowed us to evaluate our blood, serum, plasma levels, and cell morphology to determine what diseases or conditions our patients may have had. Fascinating. I hope some day to use this knowledge in a research setting and play a part in progressing veterinary science. Lofty goal, but achievable. The piece de resistance of the entire class was our CBC final; a 45 minute timed Complete Blood Count. In a nutshell we are given blood and a microscope, centrifuge, and slides and are supposed to count 100 white blood cells on the slide, determine the morphology of the WBCs as well as the red blood cells and platelets. To say the blood I was given for my CBC was a challenge has to be the understatement of the year. Numbered vials were passed out blindly, and the instructor called off the WBC counts to base all of our calculations on…

Normal WBC for a dog averages in the teens (x1000). So most students were getting numbers like 19,200 WBCs, 15,700 WBCs… Me?? When I called out my number, Bonnie, the instructor, paused for a long while. My heart sank. The timer had already started on my FINAL CBC and something was already wrong.

“Are you ready?”
“Yes! Bonnie you’re killing me!”
“……One point five.”
“One point five?”
“Yes.”
“As in…1500 total white blood cell count.”
“Consider it a challenge.”

Holy fuck. Everyone else in the class was like “Dude that sucks!!” So basically I had to scan my slide for nearly the entire time looking for 100 WBCs. Fortunately, due to time constraints, Bonnie came over and told me to find 25 and quadruple my results. While this would save me time, it could throw off my ENTIRE slide evaluation if those 25 cells I found were incorrectly indentified, or if my ratio of numbers was WAAAAAY off. Not ONLY did I have a low WBC count to begin with, I also started finding NRBCs (nucleated red blood cells) that had made their way into circulation. This could be anything dude… commonly indicative of regenerative anemia in dogs. It’s not good dudes. So basically if you find a certain number of NRBCs you have to CORRECT the white blood cell count. So in the end I didn’t actually have 1500 WBC blood, I had 1209 WBC…even lower!!

I nailed it. Fuck ya I pulled it off. Got my CBC back today and got a 93% on it.

I also received word from two other instructors that there is an opening at the clinic they both worked in for over a decade. I’m feeling very hopeful for this opportunity and hope it pans out. I need to get my foot in the door and start that resume!!

Wish me luck.

Lynnette 12:31 PM

Thursday, August 14

 

i am bleeding and challenged...

So I’m gonna try and type this without any spelling errors. You see right now on my left hand, the ring and middle fingers specifically, I have knuckle bandages wrapped haphazardly around the tips of each finger because I sliced them open on a rusty serrated blade. It hurts…a lot. The gaping wounds are like little mouths that go “nom nom nom” when I pinch them open. The blood gushed, I licked it up. There are NO normal-sized bandaids at this place. WTF?? Hi, OSHA? Got a job for ya… assholes.

Someone at work put things into perspective for me today when I was scrounging for dark chocolate at my boss’ desk. I rarely eat candy, so to see me looking for chocolate must have made her take notice. “Are you stressed?”, she asked. I replied calmly that I was, as I am not immeeidately stressed, rather it’s a chronic wstre3ss. Fucking fingers. Typos sry

It was pointed out that I am not only learning a new system at work (we switched databases and we’re training everyone sort of, as we go….so awful), I’m trying to maintain good grades at school, maintaining my finances, my household, my pets, and my relationship. Everything every day all at once. And I’m still standing. I’m alive. I have a lot of happy things in my lfie to keep me grounded. That should be L I F E, back there a few words.

To hear someone say that really made me feel good. It’s recognized that I’m doing a lot with my life right now. I’m balancing a lot. How did she put it…a “great personal challenge”. It’s true.

Lynnette 3:57 PM