In listening to music on Youtube.com (great site by the way), I recalled one of the best memories of my life.
My dad and I were at Mall of America. I don't remember if we went to Radio Shack (don't remember how old I was) before or after, but I do remember stopping at an icecream shop. It was one that had an old-fashioned juke box. Now don't get me wrong, I love The Beatles, but I asked my dad for a quarter (or whatever it cost) to play a song on the jukebox. I played "Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke.
D and I were playing "oldies" songs on youtube.com and I found Chain Gang. It almost made me cry with the rememberance. While those times were quite a bit difficult for me, I do appreciate the influence I've gotten from my father, music-wise.
So...thank you dad. My music tastes have changed over the years, but I'll always remember what I heard as a little kid and still, to this day, like what I heard back then.
I love the "oldies"
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, July 07, 2008
News on the job
I've been meaning to post on this, but have been way too occupied with stuff to force myself to sit here and focus on it. But, I got a comment asking about it so I figured now is as good a time as any.
I got the job. :-)
Let me give a little info. on the company. They mainly handle payment processing for credit & debit cards, electronic checks, gift cards, etc. Y'know when you slide your debit card through the little card reader machine at the grocery store? Elavon (the company I'm gonna work for) handles the information from that machine and processes the card...much like a middle man between the merchant and the banks. I'll be starting out in their incoming call center. So as far as I understand it right now, it'll be mostly people with questions about statements, verifying their transactions went through, that sorta thing.
So, after the initial interview with the temp. agency, I went in to Elavon and had like a 10 minute interview. I got asked a few standard questions and they had me listen to a phone call, and that was it for the day.
I got called back a couple days later to come in for fingerprinting. I guess because their affiliated with US Bank that their background check is a little more stringent than most. Again, I was there for about 10 minutes and was out the door. And then, a couple days later, I went to a separate facility for the drug test.
And now...I'm headed there today for training. Well, sort of. Officially I'm scheduled to start training on the 21st, but they're wanting me to come in today as a back-up in case someone doesn't show.
So...in a nutshell...I got the job. :-)
I got the job. :-)
Let me give a little info. on the company. They mainly handle payment processing for credit & debit cards, electronic checks, gift cards, etc. Y'know when you slide your debit card through the little card reader machine at the grocery store? Elavon (the company I'm gonna work for) handles the information from that machine and processes the card...much like a middle man between the merchant and the banks. I'll be starting out in their incoming call center. So as far as I understand it right now, it'll be mostly people with questions about statements, verifying their transactions went through, that sorta thing.
So, after the initial interview with the temp. agency, I went in to Elavon and had like a 10 minute interview. I got asked a few standard questions and they had me listen to a phone call, and that was it for the day.
I got called back a couple days later to come in for fingerprinting. I guess because their affiliated with US Bank that their background check is a little more stringent than most. Again, I was there for about 10 minutes and was out the door. And then, a couple days later, I went to a separate facility for the drug test.
And now...I'm headed there today for training. Well, sort of. Officially I'm scheduled to start training on the 21st, but they're wanting me to come in today as a back-up in case someone doesn't show.
So...in a nutshell...I got the job. :-)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Various thingies
So, my sister-in-law (yeah, she's D's, but I'm just gonna start calling her that) and I went to a sort of job interview today. She'd found an ad in the classifieds for a call-center (in-bound only) and we found out that it's actually a temp. agency hiring for a company. So, we got down there aobut 9:35 this morning and started filling out the paperwork. The lady in charge took us back to two cubicle-type rooms to do some testing and said we could finish up the paperstuffs after.
I took a test on call-center skills, 10-key, data entry, MS Outlook, MS Windows 2000, and general typing. It was alright...fairly easy for the most part, but those who know me will understand when I say that my palms were pretty sweaty the whole time and my heart was chuggin' along at a fair pace due to anxiety. But I made it through and obviously didn't die.
Tangent here, but it all ties in:
Yesterday morning, I got up in order to get ready for the original appointment to go to this temp. agency. Due to things with the sister-in-law and what she's been having to deal with, we had to postpone it. As a positive result, though, I was able to go out and help D on a 4 acre project. Unfortunately, about an hour after I got up I started feeling some pain in my back up where my shoulderblade is. It just got worse as the day went on. Then this morning, I realized that it was still a tad sore, but not very bad.
Tie in:
Midway through the testing I was doing this morning, I started feeling the pain coming back with a vengeance. By the time I was on the last couple questions of the last test I could hardly concentrate (though still think I did well on those). When we finally got done with the end interview and out to the car, I was ready to bawl my eyes out it hurt so bad.
Still, stubborn as I am, I went to work tonight....and lasted about 1 hour and 5 minutes before I was asking to go home. Thankfully they had plenty of people to close so I didn't have to feel so guilty.
It's now about 3 hours later and the pain hasn't lessened at all. I'm mainly just trying to ignore it and shift every once in a while to find a less painful position to sit in.
At first I was wondering what the hell could be wrong, but the consensus that I've gotten from some people I've talked to and from my own history, it's most likely just stress. I spent about 6 months feeling like I was dying from intense stomach pain that turned out to be stress. So...try telling someone prone to anxiety and all sorts of the same to not stress....go ahead...try it. *grins*
Anyway, I just hope I get this job. I don't wanna jinx it by explaining how great it will be yet. I'm gonna wait until (fingers crossed) I get the job.
In other news, I'm starting to feel like I've developed multiple personality disorder with this whole two-name thing. So, for those of you who might read this, I'm no longer going by Nikki. All my emails and calls will be from Danielle. Unfortunately it's not so easy at Lowe's, but (again fingers crossed) I won't be working there much longer.
So I guess that's about it for now.
Hope everyone in my state of birth is all well and good.
Danielle
I took a test on call-center skills, 10-key, data entry, MS Outlook, MS Windows 2000, and general typing. It was alright...fairly easy for the most part, but those who know me will understand when I say that my palms were pretty sweaty the whole time and my heart was chuggin' along at a fair pace due to anxiety. But I made it through and obviously didn't die.
Tangent here, but it all ties in:
Yesterday morning, I got up in order to get ready for the original appointment to go to this temp. agency. Due to things with the sister-in-law and what she's been having to deal with, we had to postpone it. As a positive result, though, I was able to go out and help D on a 4 acre project. Unfortunately, about an hour after I got up I started feeling some pain in my back up where my shoulderblade is. It just got worse as the day went on. Then this morning, I realized that it was still a tad sore, but not very bad.
Tie in:
Midway through the testing I was doing this morning, I started feeling the pain coming back with a vengeance. By the time I was on the last couple questions of the last test I could hardly concentrate (though still think I did well on those). When we finally got done with the end interview and out to the car, I was ready to bawl my eyes out it hurt so bad.
Still, stubborn as I am, I went to work tonight....and lasted about 1 hour and 5 minutes before I was asking to go home. Thankfully they had plenty of people to close so I didn't have to feel so guilty.
It's now about 3 hours later and the pain hasn't lessened at all. I'm mainly just trying to ignore it and shift every once in a while to find a less painful position to sit in.
At first I was wondering what the hell could be wrong, but the consensus that I've gotten from some people I've talked to and from my own history, it's most likely just stress. I spent about 6 months feeling like I was dying from intense stomach pain that turned out to be stress. So...try telling someone prone to anxiety and all sorts of the same to not stress....go ahead...try it. *grins*
Anyway, I just hope I get this job. I don't wanna jinx it by explaining how great it will be yet. I'm gonna wait until (fingers crossed) I get the job.
In other news, I'm starting to feel like I've developed multiple personality disorder with this whole two-name thing. So, for those of you who might read this, I'm no longer going by Nikki. All my emails and calls will be from Danielle. Unfortunately it's not so easy at Lowe's, but (again fingers crossed) I won't be working there much longer.
So I guess that's about it for now.
Hope everyone in my state of birth is all well and good.
Danielle
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Ganked from a livejournal I read
Close your eyes....And go back....
Before the Internet or the MAC
Before semi automatics and crack
Before SEGA or Super Nintendo...
Way back.......
I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk.
Red light, Green light.
Playing kickball & dodgeball until your porch light came on.
Mother May I?
Red Rover
Hula Hoops
Running through the sprinkler
Happy Meals
Wait......
Watchin' Saturday Morning cartoons
Fat Albert, Road Runner, Smurfs, Picture Pages,
G-Force & He-Man, Wonder Woman & Super Man Underoos
Playing Dukes of Hazard
Catchin' lightning bugs in a jar
Christmas morning.......
Your first day of school
Bedtime Prayers and Goodnight Kisses
Climbing trees
Getting an Ice Cream off the Ice Cream Truck
A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers
Jumpin down the steps
Jumpin on the bed.
Pillow fights
Runnin till you were out of breath
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt
Being tired from playin'....
Your first crush......
Rainy days at school meant playing "Heads up 7Up"in the class room.
Remember that?
I'm not finished yet....
Kool-aid was the drink of summer
Toting your friends on your handle bars
Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school
Class Field Trips
When nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got there.
When a quarter seemed like a fair allowance,and another quarter a miracle.
When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When your parents took you to McDonalds and you were so cool.
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.
Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!
And some of us are still afraid of em!!!
Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say,Yeah, I remember that!
There's nothing like the good old days!
They were good then, and they're good now when we think about them.
Share some of these thoughts with a friend who can relate,
then share it with someonethat missed out on them.
I want to go back to the time when............
Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo"
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
"Race issue"; meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handledby whoever was the banker in "Monopoly"
Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
Being old, referred to anyone over 20.
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sexwas cooties.
Nobody was prettier than Mom.
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides at the amusement park.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
Abilities were discoveredbecause of a "double-dog-dare"
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling downwas cause for giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate ultimate weapon.
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!
Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life...I DOUBLE DOG DARE YA!
Gosh that felt good! It is nice to go backand I wish we had the same for our children.
Before the Internet or the MAC
Before semi automatics and crack
Before SEGA or Super Nintendo...
Way back.......
I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk.
Red light, Green light.
Playing kickball & dodgeball until your porch light came on.
Mother May I?
Red Rover
Hula Hoops
Running through the sprinkler
Happy Meals
Wait......
Watchin' Saturday Morning cartoons
Fat Albert, Road Runner, Smurfs, Picture Pages,
G-Force & He-Man, Wonder Woman & Super Man Underoos
Playing Dukes of Hazard
Catchin' lightning bugs in a jar
Christmas morning.......
Your first day of school
Bedtime Prayers and Goodnight Kisses
Climbing trees
Getting an Ice Cream off the Ice Cream Truck
A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers
Jumpin down the steps
Jumpin on the bed.
Pillow fights
Runnin till you were out of breath
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt
Being tired from playin'....
Your first crush......
Rainy days at school meant playing "Heads up 7Up"in the class room.
Remember that?
I'm not finished yet....
Kool-aid was the drink of summer
Toting your friends on your handle bars
Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school
Class Field Trips
When nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got there.
When a quarter seemed like a fair allowance,and another quarter a miracle.
When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When your parents took you to McDonalds and you were so cool.
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.
Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!
And some of us are still afraid of em!!!
Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say,Yeah, I remember that!
There's nothing like the good old days!
They were good then, and they're good now when we think about them.
Share some of these thoughts with a friend who can relate,
then share it with someonethat missed out on them.
I want to go back to the time when............
Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo"
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
"Race issue"; meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handledby whoever was the banker in "Monopoly"
Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
Being old, referred to anyone over 20.
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sexwas cooties.
Nobody was prettier than Mom.
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides at the amusement park.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
Abilities were discoveredbecause of a "double-dog-dare"
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling downwas cause for giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate ultimate weapon.
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!
Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life...I DOUBLE DOG DARE YA!
Gosh that felt good! It is nice to go backand I wish we had the same for our children.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Seven
Seven things to do before I die
1. Accept who and what i am
2. Decide what i want to be when i grow up
3. Learn how to snowboard
4. Visit Ireland and Scotland
5. Stop biting the inside of my cheeks
6. Write a book
7. Be able to wear a bikini
Seven things I cannot do
1. Trigonometry
2. Sleep straight through the night for a whole week
3. Keep a plant alive for more than a couple weeks
4. Read music
5. Give good directions
6. Play the piano
7. Drive in a nail with only 3 hits of the hammer
Seven things that attracted me to my other half
1. His strength of character
2. His sense of humor
3. His ability to make me feel special
4. His intelligence
5. His ability to make me weak in the knees
6. His patience
7. His ability to make me smile when it's the furthest thing from my mind
Seven things I say most often
1. Nice
2. Whatever you wanna do
3. I love You
4. I'm just in a weird mood
5. I'm sorry
6. Yeah, that's cool
7. Dammit, i knew i forgot something
Seven books I love
1. Interview with the Vampire
2. Beauty's Punishment
3. Watership Down
4. Eragon
5. Harry Potter (any of them)
6. Wizard's First Rule
7. Dragon's Blood
Seven movies I would watch over and over
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Under Siege
4. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
5. The Princess Bride
6. 300
7. Pirates of the Carribean
Seven people I want to join in... I'm not tagging anyone specific, so if you've read it, consider yourself tagged. *winks*
1. Accept who and what i am
2. Decide what i want to be when i grow up
3. Learn how to snowboard
4. Visit Ireland and Scotland
5. Stop biting the inside of my cheeks
6. Write a book
7. Be able to wear a bikini
Seven things I cannot do
1. Trigonometry
2. Sleep straight through the night for a whole week
3. Keep a plant alive for more than a couple weeks
4. Read music
5. Give good directions
6. Play the piano
7. Drive in a nail with only 3 hits of the hammer
Seven things that attracted me to my other half
1. His strength of character
2. His sense of humor
3. His ability to make me feel special
4. His intelligence
5. His ability to make me weak in the knees
6. His patience
7. His ability to make me smile when it's the furthest thing from my mind
Seven things I say most often
1. Nice
2. Whatever you wanna do
3. I love You
4. I'm just in a weird mood
5. I'm sorry
6. Yeah, that's cool
7. Dammit, i knew i forgot something
Seven books I love
1. Interview with the Vampire
2. Beauty's Punishment
3. Watership Down
4. Eragon
5. Harry Potter (any of them)
6. Wizard's First Rule
7. Dragon's Blood
Seven movies I would watch over and over
1. Lord of the Rings
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Under Siege
4. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves
5. The Princess Bride
6. 300
7. Pirates of the Carribean
Seven people I want to join in... I'm not tagging anyone specific, so if you've read it, consider yourself tagged. *winks*
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