The Tiffany Experience

It has been a couple of weeks since my last blog.  I have been super busy at my new job, and I love it!!!  I am currently in my second week of training and although it is a lot of information, I am doing really well and I enjoy learning about such a world renowned company.

The people that work there are all so nice.  Everyone is so willing to help you and answer any questions you may have.  They also say that they set everyone up for success.  

I never thought I would enjoy working in a big company, but I have definitely changed my mind.  I thought everyone would just do their own thing and not worry about anyone else, but my trainer Katie said today that they really worry about people in their department and if you are late or don't show up for work, they worry that you may have gotten into an accident or are sick.  As soon as you walk in the door everyone says hello or gives a smile and seems like everyone truly enjoys their job.

I am really am so happy with this job and although for the moment it is a seasonal position, I am hoping it turns into a permanent one.  It is definitely a place where I feel like I fit in, and although we are told to give the customers a "Tiffany experience" I feel as if I have gotten one just by working there!

Sports Fan

I hate when people think that just because I am girl, it means I can't comprehend sports or I can't be a sports fan.  News flash, I can comprehend and I am a sports fan.  I have always been a sports fan, and I have always played sports.  I enjoyed some more than others and spent a majority of my life playing soccer.  I have also spend a majority of my life watching the Yankees with my father.  It was the only thing on our television from April until October.  I am not a front runner, I am not a bandwagon fan, I am a true fan.  I can't help that I was brought up a team that others criticize whenever they get a chance.  I am tired of defending myself to the "boys club" when it comes to talking sports.

For the record, as a baseball fan, I would have been quite happy had the Orioles won the ALCS.  It has been 15 years since they have been in such a position and it would be exciting had they kept on going.  Am I happy that the Yankees won?  Obviously, but I would have also liked to have seen what the Orioles could have done.  It was a good series and I am hoping we can do it again next year.  It has been fun having a friendly competition with the O's fans in my life!

On to the ALDS!  Go Yankees!

Thank You!

I was very overwhelmed by all the warm wishes I received yesterday after announcing I got a job.  From the phone calls, to the texts, to the Facebook messages...it really is good to know there are people out there who are supportive.  It is good to know that there are people out there, who even though I don't talk to often, that can be happy for me.  I am genuinely happy when good things happy to other people, so its great to know that people are supportive of me as well.

I can't wait to start my new job at Tiffany & Co!  It seems like a great environment to work in and one of the women I met with the other day said that they are very supportive of their employees and genuinely appreciate each and every person.  I am excited to meet new people and learn new things, but mostly excited to have a purpose once again.  Trying to have a purpose when you are unemployed and broke is a difficult task!!

I have gotten numerous requests for use of my employee discount so I will keep you all informed.  But seeing as how over a month ago I sent my mom my birthday/Christmas wish list, and I requested a pair of Tiffany earrings, my personal shopping is first and foremost :-)

Thank you to everyone who offered up support, whether through "likes," texts, messages or phone calls.  From the bottom of my heart I really do appreciate it.  It has been a rough couple of months for me and its great to know so many people care.  Love to you all xoxo!

Positivity

It seems like I haven't written in awhile when in fact I have written, I just chose to keep some writings private.  I have decided to focus on what's positive in my life instead of what is negative.  And although there seems to be a lot of negative, I am looking past it and moving on.  Sometimes situations don't work out and there is nothing you can do to fix that.

On a positive note, I applied for a job today and got a call a few hours later asking me to come in for an interview.  I know I am awesome and make a good first impression, but I never thought I would get a call so quickly, even if the woman did say she was going to call me.  In the world of job searching, when people say they will call, they likely don't when they say they will.  I'm hoping this all works out!

On another positive I got myself a new roommate.  He is a beta fish and I named him Curtis after my favorite Yankee Curtis Granderson!  Too bad he can't pay rent though!

I am loving this fall weather!  The trees look beautiful, the weather is crisp and the weather is perfect for sleeping.  I have been sleeping so well lately.  I think it is because of the chilly fall air coming in my window.  It may get cold at night but I love cuddling up under the blankets!  The only downfall is my scratchy throat, but it seems to be typical fall allergies.  Oh, and the best part of fall...Yankees Postseason!  There is nothing better than watching a good postseason baseball game!

Apartment Living Sucks

My apartment complex obviously seems to have rules, but I don't think many people that live here follow them.  When I moved in I was told there were no dogs allowed and that there was a limit to how many people could live in a unit.  I was told that in the one bedroom apartment, the maximum number of people that was allowed was 3 (two adults and a baby, up until the baby was around 1).  There is a family that lives behind me in a one bedroom that looks to me like there are six people living there.  There are 4 adults- what I assume to be grandparents, parents and then two teenagers.  My place is not that big, so I'm not sure how they are managing, but they don't bother me.  In fact, I barely know they are there.

Then there are the people who live in the building behind me.  The building behind me is two bedroom apartments and I'm sure they have similar maximum occupancy rules (I assume 4- two parents and two children) but there seems to be a lot more living there and they have created quite an eyesore for me to look out my kitchen window.  They have lawn chairs set up everywhere, motorcycles in the yard and have even stolen the community picnic table for their own use.  And then there are the children.  The is quite a bit of lawn space right outside their patio door but for some reason the kids are always right by my front door, playing in the parking lot and screaming.  Some of these kids are quite young and yet I don't see the parents anywhere and I am afraid they will either get hit by a car or that they will damage my car in some way.  They are running around playing war games and the rocks that line my outside space are always in the road.  I'm afraid they are throwing these rocks and if one hits my car, there will be hell to pay.  

There is also a no dog policy, yet I just saw them chasing around their runaway dog, while "Dad" was driving his motorcycle around the lawn.  What really gets me is that the apartment manager lives two doors down from them and the lease prohibits anything being left outside that is not on their own patio.

I get that management is probably struggling to keep people in the development so maybe they are making some concessions, but you can't enforce the rules for some without enforcing it for others.  It makes the development look crappier than it already is and for the people that follow the rules, it will definitely not entice them to continue living here.  I do not want to have to go through moving all over again, but there are a lot of things about this place that is considered a deal breaker for me, and looking out my window and seeing a trashy-looking atmosphere is definitely one of them.  Not to mention the super thin walls and floors.

Anyone have a one bedroom bungalow I can rent?  Somewhere in the middle of nowhere so I don't have to deal with anyone?

Reading Rainbow

I don't know if anyone has read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, but I have, and although I have finished all three books, it wasn't without a lot of effort.  I had The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by my bed for about 6 months before I even got the nerve up to start it.  I took it with me three times down to North Carolina and my mom made fun of me each time for not finishing it.  Finish it?  I hadn't even started!  I finally did start on the third trip down towards the end of July.  I just finished it last weekend.

For anyone who has ever read Stieg Larsson knows how difficult it is to get through these books.  I find that a lot of characters have similar names (that are in fact Swedish) making it difficult for me to differentiate between who is who.  He also has so many characters and uses nicknames for some, so I rarely know who any of the non-dominant characters are.  Additionally, he writes a lot of smaller plot lines that could be left out of the book.  When I first started reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I was paying close attention to the beginning, only to find out it really had nothing to do with the main plot line.  The same could be said of a lot of the information in The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  He could be a fine proponent of "Less is more."  

I have become invested in Lisbeth and Blomkvist and unfortunately Stieg Larsson passed away so there seems there will never be a conclusion to their twisted lives.  I have read that Larsson's girlfriend has the workings of a fourth book, but his family will not relinquish the rights to her in order for her to complete the work.  It is a shame that we won't get to see how it wrapped up, but I don't feel like someone else completing another's work will produce the conclusion many people are looking for.

It takes a lot of dedication for me to read these books.  They are not the quick, light reads I am used to.  In fact after completing The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, I began to read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.  That book was a breeze!  I read that in only a couple of days.  It was easy, yet entertaining.  I like the way that he, as well as another one of my favorite authors Jodi Piccoult, writes from different characters perspectives.  Each chapter represents a different character, but it conveys the story fluidly and allows you to really connect with the characters.  In typical Nicholas Sparks fashion, it was sad, but ended on a high note.

I could probably read 25 Nicholas Sparks, Jodi Piccoult or Emily Giffen books in place of one of Stieg Larsson's.  I do think he is a talented writer, but like I said I get confused too easily.  I'm sure others have a different opinion, but I'll stick to my light, airy, girly books :-)

Never Forget

I remember waking up that day and just like every other day, I checked my email.  I had an email from a friend who lived in the city saying that she was safe and okay.  I didn't understand it at the time, but I was going to be late for class so I got myself ready and headed off to class.

Everything seemed pretty normal that morning, but it was far from it.  I walked towards the back of the classroom toward my roommate Adrienne, and my professor had the news on the projector screen.  That was when I realized what that email had meant.  The news showed utter destruction in a city less than 60 miles from my home, as well as in Washington, DC where a lot of my classmates were from.  Not only that, but the previous night a bunch of my friends and I were hanging out with some people who were flying back to Scotland that very morning.  Adrienne and I had told our professor about our Scottish friends and she let us and the rest of the class leave.  I can remember walking through the parking lot trying to call my mom, but all the circuits were busy and it was almost impossible to get a call through.  I was worried about my parents, my sister, and most of all my grandmother, aunt and uncle and cousins who lived just over the George Washington Bridge on the Jersey side.  I had known that my aunt had often taken Joseph and Hailee into the city because of modeling gigs and I was hoping that today was not one of those days.  Thank God everyone was safe, but since my uncle worked for the town of Edgewater (right across the river from NYC) he had been called in to assist at Ground Zero.

I heard amazing stories of how people had narrowly missed their train into the city, or decided to call in sick that day, and therefore avoided such devastation.  It's funny how some people thought missing the train into the city was the worst thing that could happen that day, but it ended up being the best thing that had happened.

I can't remember much about the days that followed.  I can't remember how long classes had been cancelled for, but I do remember going home and being with my family.  I'm pretty sure the majority of the campus did the same.

I hold a special place in my heart for the people who ran into the city and Pentagon while everyone else was running out.  I also hold a special place in my heart for all the service men and women who continue to protect and serve our country.

I walked past the Freedom Tower a couple of weeks ago while in the city.  It's a chilling experience and I can't wait until I get a chance to go to the 9/11 Memorial.