kerewin's whine cellar

They Loves Them Some Museums

For dinner we had a similar setup. The Australians refused the small bony fish that they served us. In fact, I had the small bony fish all to myself - I am a lucky bastard I know. Virginie tried a piece of the tail, gave up on it after one bite and offered the rest to me. More luck. Where will it stop?

We saw this cat lounging in the Parc Grüell in Barcelona. I bet he likes himself some small, bony fish.

I remember a dish of small, bony fish that we ordered in Spain. I couldn't tell if you ate them whole, crunch, crunch, crunch, or picked the measly meat off the bones and they were a tad too fishy for me. The Hub got to eat the charming things.

In other news, I completed week two of my half-marathon walk training. Yay me! and yay for the lovely iPod that I got for Christmas. Maybe someday I could be the Jared (of Subway fame) for iPods. AHhHAHahahAHAHhahahahaha, ahem. Even more exciting was the box of extremely old Fortune magazines we found in the backroom while cleaning it out for the upcoming birthday party. Twelve magazines dating from 1935-40. Since we loves us some eBay, once I get off my lazy duff and post them, I will provide a link. (Can I kill a line more thoroughly???????)

**postscript - there aren't any comments because they broken and the link to the About Me, well that doesn't work right now either, because we haven't set up the used iMac I bought for a replacement server, yet. That pretty much means my personal website that is run off that server isn't up, either. If I sound even remotely techy that would only be due to the good ole Hub. When it comes to computers I am COMPLETELY gaytarded.

The Things You Think About Before Bed

Last night as we were drifting off to sleep my mind was kind of caught on this odd topic. So I decided to ask the Hub about it. He probably wasn't too keen on talking since he was almost asleep but he humored me.

"So, I was thinking, H-star (sister) was telling me how beautiful she thought I was, and I don't really feel that way. I am pretty disappointed in my body shape and weight and I think it probably prejudices people's thinking. On the other hand, I get along with people really well and I have lots of friends, so maybe there is something to it."

The Hub responded, "Oh no, you aren't getting me in that trap, you just want me to say you are ugly and then you are going to get mad at me."

"No you JERK! I was trying to get you to tell me I was beautiful!"

"Oh, well you are."

"It doesn't count if you have to be told to say it, Dumas."

The Spilling of the Guts

Now that I have the freedom to speak about it, let me just say, I don't really enjoy working in a grocery store. Being a wine buyer in an upscale chain isn't too bad. There are lots of perks: free lunches, lots of wine and beer to sample, dealing with lots of really cool vendors, selling wine to nice people. Even making displays and writing signs is at least interesting. I really loved my regulars who let me pick out interesting bottles of wine for them to try.

However, the stocking of the shelves is dull, dull, dull. Helping customers find things in the rest of the store and leading the customer to it* was sheer drudgery. But the worst, most hated part of my job was restocking the beer cooler. We carry a lot of beer and it is all jumbled together on 4-5 different pallets in the back. Monotonous, mind-numbing work. By the way, grocery stores are cold. All. The. Time.

*I HATE leading the customer to it! I hate being led to it when I am in a different store. I would prefer to be pointed in the right direction. It feels like you are really interupting someone when they take you to your destination. Although maybe that is better than stocking beer! Every meeting I ever attended focused on this idea. LEAD THE CUSTOMER TO IT! Apparently, that is good customer service. I wonder if they market tested it, if people would really much rather be left the hell alone?

Corporate big-wigs who change the store directives can be frustrating**, but what can you expect from a company where the owner would rather hide in a corner at an employee-appreciation party, than talk to anyone? Oh, and can I say, employee year-end parties? The booze should be free, at least the first two drinks!

**One month I am authorized to sign checks for wine deliveries, the next, just the Store Directors, the month after that, suddenly I am authorized again. People, get it STRAIGHT!

There were so many days when I would walk through the store and see department managers stocking shelves. Just when do you get high enough up to stop doing that? Hell, even the Store Directors have to build displays. Don't get me wrong, I think there is a beauty to the idea of, I won't ask anyone to do something I refuse to do, but puhhhuhlease!

And just WHAT is up with the grocery store-only lingo? Store Directors, internal customers, P.I.C.s (person in charge)????? Can't we all just call them General Managers, employees, and M.I.C. (or M.O.D. manager of the day)?

Until January 6, 2005, I was content to be quietly discontent about all of this ("How's your job?" "Great," I lied.). Remember back when I was so excited about my looming promotion? Each month when I asked, all the store directors would say, "Yes, you are the manager. We aren't looking for anyone else. We don't know why H.R. is being so slow." This was compounded by the fact that Store Directors were dropping like flies (hi, like 4 new ones in 5 months), so it would take awhile with a new one before I would ask about the promotion.

For four months, I hired and trained wine department staff, I made all the buying decisions, attended management-only seminars and HR meetings. I even ran two inventories! After all this, after taking us through the three biggest wine-buying holidays of the year, having the best gross margin in the company for December, turning in the best inventory of all the other stores at the end of the quarter, after working both New Year's Day and the day after for said inventory (and giving my staff those days off), after being the only store who was trending up in sales above last year, after all that I got a call.

The company finally wanted to let me know I was up for a "positive change" at the store. "We want you to keep doing what you are doing. You have such great customer service, you're so good at selling wine and your wine knowledge is incredible. You're just lacking some retail experience." My fomer Store Director turned Corporate flunky let me know that they were putting a different person into the Wine Manager position at my store. During a corporate downsizing they had this 20-year loyal employee whose position was eliminated and they wanted to keep him, and he had all this knowledge from running the wine departments in the past, and he was just SURE this guy had forgotten more about retail than most people ever know. This was the positive move they had in mind. To take away all the things I loved about my job, and leave me with stocking. After I got off this call, I cried for hours. By not giving me the supposed promotion, I actually received a demotion, because of the simple fact that I had been the manager the last four months. Not only that, I achieved miracles for them, with VERY little training. Just how did they expect me to take this well?

I still ponder this thought. Why color it pretty for me? Why not say it outright, "This is a sucky thing, and we don't have much choice, but we have a plan, and we think you are REALLY valuable and want to keep you. In 5 months time..........." No. They had to tell me how positive this move was for me. After crying, I then dusted off the resume and made a few calls. My whole family (inlaws too, of course!) were pissed for me and they all said, "This is happening for a reason." When you are in your darkest days it is very difficult to see this as true.

Before I looked for a job as a wine buyer in a grocery store, I was the manager and wine buyer in a restaurant. I decided to look for new work and instead of applying for any wine rep jobs, I felt I wasn't quite qualified and went looking for retail experience. So after January 6th, I decided to forget about retail and focus on my real desire, wine sales. Turns out that January is the perfect month to look for this particular type of job, as the slow month is when people jump around. I made four phone calls and landed four interviews. Now I have my dream job and I have to say it would have been a lot harder if I was searching any other month of the year.

So speaking of karma and things happening for a reason, I was thinking today about how, for me, karma isn't a slow process. It usually runs into mere minutes. I think negative thoughts about an employee and then burn myself at work, for instance.

So today I was moving a beer display and dropped a 12-pack of beer, which exploded everywhere. Watching was my new (as of January 7th) Store Director and new Grocery Manager (who was well loathed in his former position as head of checkers at his last store, and is BIGTIME buddies with the new Director). They saw what happened, and instead of going to get some floor signs, or a trash bag for the broken bottles, they hightailed out to the backroom to have a smoke out the door. Ass.holes. I was SO pissed! Fast forward an hour, new Grocery Manager is building a pasta and pasta sauce display. He drops a case of tomato sauce and it explodes. All. Over. Him. Do I turn away? Not a chance, why would I want to get something even worse back? Instead I head over with some floor signs as people come running to help. He says to me, "I guess that serves me right for laughing at you when you broke that beer earlier."

Off With Her Panties

I did the weirdest thing last night in the middle of the night. I woke up and I wasn't falling back asleep and I realized my unders were bugging me. So I got out of bed, took them off, and then got back into bed. As I lay there, about to fall back asleep, I wondered why I risked waking up the Hub when I could have just taken them off while IN bed.

Odd.

The Hub didn't wake up, btw.

holy side note – I was looking for a cute image of panties laying on a white background and made the mistake of doing a google image search for "panties." I even refuse to post the link, although you all are more than welcome to check it on your own, if that is what you are into.

The Open Road

Our good friends, who were recently married in France just left for an almost year-long trip around the world. Their first stop, Vietnam. Considering Paul is something like 6'4" tall, he tends to garner a lot of attention.

They have their own travelogue,. All I can say is that I am extremely jealous. They get to travel, go to places I've never been, AND they are funnier in type. Bastards!

Good luck, friends! I can't wait to hear more of your trip!

*side note - because she is from France (even though she has lived in the states for the last 10 years) they had a lot of issues with INS allowing them to go on this trip and still be able to return to the states afterwards. This made them postpone their trip about 3 months, which in turn kept them from being in Indonesia over Christmas, where they were going to do a lot of Scuba diving. Probably one of the first times that government red tape was an extremely fortunate occurence.

Ching Ching!

Just what are we celebrating? After 12 years in the Hospitality industry I have networked enough to have found a new job in 2 weeks, after just a handful of phone calls. Even more exciting, the last day of the current job is the day before my 34th birthday. The new job doesn't start until 2 days after that birthday. Party weekend???? Only if you insist!

Even better is that I will be selling wine to restaurants. Is there a more perfect job?

p.s. N.E.D. I *so* totally stole your champagne idea. Congrats to NEW beginnings!

Going for the Goal

So, I got my ass in gear this week and started working out for walking the half-marathon in Vancouver, B.C. in May. I am going to try to follow a Tue, Wed, Fri, Sun walking schedule. So far I am totally on track but I have a breakfast get-together on Friday and then work and after that. Who wants to walk for 40 minutes after 8pm in the Winter? On the other hand, I would have to get up at 6am to do everything in a timely manner. Sna.

In other news, I made up a new word: ass.hole

Anyone else have any new words they made up? (kerewin at gmail dot com)

You Heard It Here, First

Yesterday at work I was talking with my friend Michael. Michael is the effin' funniest guy I have ever met. He's so fabulous (and SO gay, in the good way). So we were talking about our current word obsessions.

I told him how back in '96 I was pushing for the word, "gay" to come back into fashion*. I mean how we all used it in 3rd grade, as in lame. I was a bit sensitive about telling Michael this story, since a former work colleague told me that he was offended by my use of the term. Well good ole Mikey uses the term GAY all the time! Whew!

*By the way, I have to tell you all that I hear the term "gay" used on the television All. The. Time. Now. You thieves! I did it, it was all me. I have the power to make words fashionable.

Then he told me about a new word he made up, and you are going to spit all over your computer monitor when you read this.

GAYTARDED.

Then he said to me, "you are SUCH a gaytard", and I swear I almost spit water through my nose (except that I wasn't drinking any at the time).

There you have it, now in a couple of years when you hear this word used on TV you know where the credit lies.

Birds flying high, you know how I feel

It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me...........

and I'm feelin' good.

You know how they say that things happen for a reason and then when all is said and done, it was a sign for you to move on? They are ALWAYS right. So I have to take this latest setback as an opportunity to change something about myself that hasn't been that great.

Was that rather vague? Good, now you know how I have felt the last 4 months. Trust me, clarity sucks.

Freedom is mine, and I know how I feel. It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me, and I'm feelin' good.

Steely Resolve

My (lovely) Aunt has offered a correction to the previous post. She doesn't care at all for Cream of Mushroom soup, she always uses Cream of Chicken.

I was at work yesterday (hello retail inventory!) and I had just spent the previous 6 hours counting wine and beer that was sitting in boxes below displays and my back was sore, sore, sore. I was in the manager's office and as is usual for me, bitching. I turned to a co-worker and said, "Okay, I am through being bitter right now."

I stopped for a moment and then followed up with, "But that isn't my New Year's Resolution!" I mean, if I resolved not to be bitter for a whole year, I wouldn't have anything to talk about! On the other hand, on New Year's Eve I did resolve to walk the half marathon in Vancouver, B.C. this May 1. I even looked up a site yesterday that had a good training schedule. Good thing Santa bought me new walking shoes this year.