First day back at work. Fucking KILLED it. No matter my manager ordered in a $2000 frozen truck. About 300 pieces.... and no one to throw it, but yours truly.

Never mind my crew were all in bad moods after 4 days of hell. (They say it was because I wasn't there, but highly doubtful).

No matter all the cases were empty, no bread, no cookies, no pies, no pastries.... When my store manager came in on his day off for a surprise inspection, My department looked AWESOME. Everything was full, and if it wasn't, it was either cooling off, thawing out, or on the damn gigantic frozen truck. I threw.

Half of it, anyway. After the first 60 or so boxes....I straight up told my mixer and my baker, "Yo. I threw a float. Jump on this one with me."

My store manager walked my dept while I was on lunch, and I came back just before he left. He gave me a huge smile, a firm handshake, told me the department looked great, and that I was missed.... seems to be a recurring theme 'round here today.

So I'm in that awkward stage of growing my hair out that lasts about a year... It's grossly shaggy. I hate it. But it's at the length you can either cut it shorter (to make it look better) or let it be shaggy and ugh till it grows a few inches.

I have been cussing my hair for about a month now. Wearing a hat or kerchief anytime I'm NOT wearing a hairnet....it sucks.

Till last week when a customer was looking back n forth from me to my Asst. Manager pic on the wall.

She asked if that was me. I told her that it was, but two harvests ago. Harvests? She asked. I told her how I harvest my hair when it's long enough, to donate to cancer patients, and that picture was taken about 7 years ago just before my 4th harvest.

She smiled, and hugged me. She is a breast cancer survivor, she told me. And she had two wigs given to her, at no cost. She teared up as she thanked me. It hurt my heart and made me glad all at the same time.

She's the hero and she thanked me...... All I did was look goofy for a bit, and she fought for her life. So long as I can grow this mop on my head...I'll keep giving it away.

I guess I don't mind looking so goofy now....

It's been a few days. I've been stupid busy at work. I mean STUPID busy. Remember back in the day? My former Arch-Nemesis, who became a mentor? Remember how I thought he was overly anal retetive, nit-picky for the sake of being nit-picky? Yeah. He was fluff compared to my new store manager. The man is....just. OhMaGosh. He likes me because I actually get the shit he wants me to get done accomplished. My dept. manager isn't too impressed. Especially when I've been told by another department manager the phrase "You should take a page out of Kricket's book" was told to my dept. manager. By the store manager. In front of the district manager. *facepalm*

I don't wanna be *that* assistant. I really don't. I'm not trying to show him up. I take my responsibilities very seriously, and one of those is to support my manager. I also REALLY want to get my own shop again. Hopefully at the new store that's about to open....like 5 minutes away from our apartment. Rather than the hour long drive I have now. *fingers crossed*

Only problem? My new store manager wants that store too, and he seems to be pushing for me to get it. lol....catch 22. I want the store, but I would seriously love to get a DIFFERENT store manager. And I'm fairly sure he'll get it. Ugh....

Anyway.....I have a whole 3 days worth of vacation I have to burn before the end of the year. I'm one of those "You're gawddamn right I'm taking every single minute of vacation I've earned" people. True story, my mental health depends on time away from my shop. It's also nice to spend time with my Meaniebutt. So after a week of craziness at work, and busting my ass (13.5 hours the day before last, with only a 1/2 hour lunch).... I asked/begged/pleaded to use 2 days vacation + my two days off this week.

My boss said prolly not. My store manager? *grin* Approved and told to enjoy. I didn't get both vacation days. I'll take a 3 day weekend tho.

Meaniebutt has Sunday off. Trying to figure out what we'll do on our day off together, since they are so very rare. I'm impressed with him. His work ethics, how much he enjoys his work. I'm glad he's loving it down here. I'm loving having him here.

Is it bad I'm looking forward to our first Christmas? I can't wait to decorate our new place.

So today I xxxxxx my day off. Seriously, my manager wanted to switch my day off from Sunday to Wednesday. Which would have made 9 days in a row. 90 hours working, and 18 hours commute time. I.....couldn't do it. Told him I just couldn't do it.

So, I got the day off. Of course I woke up at 4:30am. Smoked a ciggy and set my phone alarm to wake me up when it was time for my Meaniebutt to wake up. Alarm went off, sent Meanie to work, went back to sleep.

I woke up again at 9:30. Decided I could totally sleep more, but my brain had engaged......making a to-do list of everything I wanted to get accomplished. .....I could not go back to sleep. So got up and got started.

I got the living room and kitchen organized. Stuff's put away. We have clean dishes. I put together our coffee table, the "media" center (aka....DVD holder), AND the bathroom cabinet/stand. There is still a shit ton of things to do. But our apartment looks less like a storage shed, and more like a real apartment.

I am loving it. Our space is so comfortable, the perfect size for us. It sucks that I gotta smoke outside, but I do fudge and light up when I take a bath in the OMG awesome tub. And it'll be nice to be able to have my parents over w/o my Mom having an asthma attack.

In other news, it's my Dad-doo's birthday today. I love that man to pieces. Anyone who wants to call him my "step"father should get a punch in the throat. He's my dad. No questions about it.

I have been onry alllll damn day. Honestly. I was scheduled to come in at 6am, but had no idea how long it would take me to get there from our new place. So left promptly at 5. Got there with 20 to spare. *groan*

It's ad change day. So I clock in early and get to changing it. Our 4 count bagels are BOGO (buy one, get one free) and we are SUPPOSTA have a bin up at the front entrance for them. They're all full. Fuuuuck. The grocery manager is off, and his assistant don't come in till 9. Gotta wait till then.

9am rolls around and I give new dude a good 30 minutes to settle in before I jump his shit. Finally, I ask him where my bin is. He says he already gave us one. I assure him this is not a true statement. So he tells me he'll look into it.

TWO hours later I still dun have my bin and page him. He calls me back and I ask about the bin. "You'll just have to wait until one of the others sell down." He tells me.

.....No. Not happening. I tell him flat out corperate wants my bagles up front, and that's where they're going. His shit has a month long or more shelf life. My bagels have a FOUR DAY shelf life. I have 8 cases priced and ready to go just sitting in a buggy. I need that bin NOW.

.....He said he would see what he could do. I told him I'd empty one of the bins for him if that's what it needed. No,no....he'll get it emptied. 15 minutes later I had my bin. *smirk*

The deli manager was the Assistant deli manager at the store I was bakery manager at when I left last. Her and her assistant are notorious for under ordering bread, because they don't want to pay for it and not use it for their sammiches. Instead, they under order, then pull off my shelf what they need. No good. I make only one or two more for MY department than I sold previously.....so when they take MY stock, I'm out and my customers don't get what they want.

Today I was on the phone with Meanie when I see a deli clerk grabbing ALL of that bread I had. He heard me..."hey. Hey! HEY!!!. No. You need more bread, you order it and you can have it later this afternoon."

She went n got the assistant store manager. I explained the situation to him. He tried telling me that the deli has to serve customers, and if they needed it then....well, they had to have it. No Sir. No. Noh. *I* have customers to serve too. Why does the deli get to screw US because they failed to order enough???

Deli manager came back saying she had ordered enough, but they were short. The bread has to be 19 1/2 inches long. So I pulled out a ruler and measured what I had left. All were consistently 21 inches long. She stopped spewing, and apologized. I took it with grace and suggested she up her order tomorrow. *grins*


Onry, I tell ya.

Woke up when Meanie's alarm went off at the ungodly hour of 5:30am. Stumbled outside and smoked while he got ready for work, and fell back asleep before he left. I'm pretty sure he kissed me goodbye. Well, I know he did, but I only vaguely remember it.

Here in a few minutes, I'll get dressed and meet up with Meaniebutt on his lunch hour. I hate having different days off than him, but it's nice to spend his lunch hour together. If I didn't work so very far away from the house, he'd come up and make me take a lunch too. lol

After lunch, I head to go sign the lease on our new place. Kinda scary, I've never signed a lease. Hell, never been on a lease! I've always either just moved in with people and chipped in on rent, or lived somewhere for free. I'm excited though. I can't wait to be in our own place. Walk around naked if I want to. Not have to worry about being loud and waking anyone up. I sure hope the walls are thick!!

Anyway, pretty lazy day. I hope everyone across the pond did okay with the storm!

First I was called an idiot. Now I'm a victim? Seriously? This has gotten beyond redicilous. I've done my dead level best to ignore those little jabs, the name calling, and the insanaty that's being spewed.

Let me tell you what I REALLY am. I am a strong woman. I am fiercely independant. When I say things like I couldn't have done it without my Meanie, I do so because having a damn good man by my side makes all of these achievements that much easier. Are you fucking retarded enough to think I would put up with being in a controlling relationship? My first marriage was like that. Never again. To think that I've accomplished everything I have thus far simply because I was allowed to is the most poposterous and laughable thing I've read all fucking year. And that's saying a LOT, ladies and gents.

So, to sum up: I am strong. I am highly intelligent. I am fantastic at my choosen profession. I am in love with an amazingly supportive, affectionate, hard working, and thoughtful man. And I am utterly fed up with your bullshit.

I now pronounce you blocked and banned. Consider doing the same for me.

It's official. They told me when I was re-hired that it would be a minimum of 9 months before I'd be eligible for promotion to assistant, despite having previous experience.

.....I did it in 4. Had the meeting with my District manager today. He made sure to tell me two or three times that my Store manager was "begging, whining, and crying" to have me promoted, and to be kept at his store.

*grins* Things have changed in the 5 years I've been gone. Since I'm at what's considered a "+5" store, I'm starting out just under what I was making as department manager back before I left.

To celebrate, I took my parents and Meanie out to eat. Holy fuck I forgot how much the 'spensive restaurants cost for 4! Lol! Worth every penny tho, to repay my parents for all they've done for me, and spoil Meanie a bit for the same reason.

So my Asst. Store Manager cornered me in the office today. And let me know I have a meeting with the District Manager at noon tomorrow.....

This means ONE thing....

and ONE thing only.....

I GOT THE PROMOTION!!!! *happydances* Me. I doo'ed it! It's MINE! TWO whole months earlier than planned!!!

Now....hopefully they keep me at the store I'm at. I love my store. I love my crew. Keep your fingers crossed they don't move me....please?

Meantime.....WHOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! *grabs you for a spin 'round the dance floor*


Couldn't have done it without my Meaniebutt! xoxoxox

I awoke with a start at 3:30 am.... thinking I had to be at work by 5. Once again, realized I was off, and snuggled closer to my Meaniebutt. I love being able to wrap myself around my warm, fuzzy, personal portable heater.

HIS alarm goes off at 5am. I wake up too and get a glass of water and smoke while he's getting ready. He took too long and I laid back down. Fell asleep waiting for him.

Woke up again at 10:30 in a panic. It's his first day and I wanted to ride up and have lunch with him on his break. Check ma phone...crap, it's dead. Put it on the charger and make coffee. Shoot him a text asking what time he goes to lunch, but no reply. By now my parents are home and Mom is eager to get to the fabric store. I've decided to get her to make personalized aprons for my crew for the holidays.

So we decide to head up to his work anyway, because even if he doesn't take lunch any time soon, I can hit a few stores in the area looking for new work clothes. He texts me back after we're almost there saying lunch in 20 or so. Perfect. I show up, meet a co-worker, and grab us a few sammiches, chips and drinks while my parents take off to do their thing for a bit.

We spend a lovely hour talking, eating, and smooching....a lot. Then I send him back to work and my parents and I head out to get some fabric. I found THIS:


They didn't have enough fabric for all 9 aprons, only 7. So I got enough of the same pattern but in red to make 2 more, for the managers. Told Mom we'd have to wait till the last minute to personalize those, because by next month I might be Asst. Manager.

Home, where my OCD kicks in and I start cleaning/re-organizing our living spaces (Bedroom, bathroom, and "living room". Meaniebutt comes home from work and I sit him in his corner of the couch with his computer and a beer to keep him outta my way. I'm pretty much done, other than folding the laundry that's in the dryer.

Hadda good dinner with the rents. Lots of convoy and hearing about Meanie's first day. Now to snuggle on the couch a bit, watch some TV, play online and just soak up each other's presence before showers for both of us and early bed. He has to be at work at 4am.

All in all, a fantastic day off. Got 3 more days of work before my next day off (Friday) which is also my birthday. His boss had him scheduled to work, but was super cool when he mentioned it was my BD and switched his days.

I'm thinking we'll spend the day fishing on the pier. Get home, shower n change. Dinner. Then, I'm not having a party kinda party, but I've told people we'll be at a local pool hall, and they're welcome to join us for drinks and such. Even if no one shows up, I'll still have a blast. How could I not? I'll have the most amazing man by my side, loving me more than I've ever been loved before. Now THAT is the way to spend a birthday!!