girlscout93

girlscout93 @ 2006-07-24T14:23:00

2006-07-24T21:31:48Z

I'm having a crappy day. I just want to hole up and hide.

Work is sucking. I need to find different work.

Stressed about the solution to "what to do with my stuff in Oakland?"

Need brakes desperately, no money for it.

Long list of other things I'm worried about...I'm just overwhelmed.

A close look at the whole, "Service" issue

2006-07-12T21:47:27Z

Ok, I got my first full-on screaming customer today. My supervisor told me that I handled it beautifully.

I have now been initiated into the world of "babystyle"

Yee haw! As a co-worker said to me, "Oh yea! Welcome to babystyle!"

However, the JC had a point (JC is code here for 'difficult customer'....stands for Jennifer Customer because almost all of our clients are named Jennifer.) She had a coupon for free shipping and $10 off that was on her spring catalog and she had tried to use that last May on an item that we had run out of. She requested an email notification for when that item would arrive again. It's now here, but her coupon is no longer good and she never got the summer catalog. She wants me to honor the coupon anyway.

Look up her file. She made only one order with us, and that was over a year ago. This is probably why she was dropped from the catalog list. And this is also why my supervisor will not budge and let me offer her anything other than free shipping. Oh and she refused to register a email address with us so there was no way for us to communicate that we were dropping her from the list. She had put in her email for the notification of the item, however that's automated and we don't have access to it.

She was pissed...when she called in May to ask about the product and brought up her concern about using her coupon, the cust serv rep said, "don't worry, that same coupon will be on your next catalog." So, when she didn't receive the summer catalog she decided to wait for the item to arrive in stock. (This makes no sense to anyone but her. Why not call and request a catalog, which would have the new coupon? There is the assumption that we would bend the rules for her.) The customer service rep should not have said that (if indeed that is actually what happened) as the coupons sometimes change. And yet, where is the logic in waiting to request a catalog (if indeed this is such an important issue)?

All I could do was continue to offer the free shipping and keep it at that. I listened to her screams and gripes, acknowledged her frustrations, apologized for the cust serv rep speaking out of turn, and explained the process of how the coupons work here (being sure to mention that this is not to imply that its her responsibility, but just to give her information.) In the end, she declined an offer to talk to my supervisor, was quick to say that she wasn't blaming me, but blaming babystyle policies and that she probably wouldn't shop here again. (I put her back on the catalog list anyhow! >:-D he he!)

She also said that it was stupid to have her dropped from the catalog list as she just talked with us in May and the person she talked to knew that she was waiting for it. She didn’t seem to get the concept that we don’t handle actual distribution of who gets the catalogs, and we are not going to be notified when people are dropped.

And then the big blowout!….the item had gone up in price…$20! Holy cow, did she hit the roof! But babystyle is clear about not doing rain checks, so….

In the end she had another coupon that she used instead. The difference was 2 bucks and change.

*Sigh*

Now I'm thinking about how our life of automation has made things more complicated and created more problems than solutions. Things are so impersonal these days.

And then there is the subject of personal responsibility. It seems in an automated world the need for personal responsibility is even greater. No longer can we depend on someone anticipating our needs, delivering great service.

You know, even though JC should not have assumed that we would bend rules for her, and she was re-miss for being in denial about how things run within any large organization, and that it was her responsibility to give us a way to contact her via email (we specify that in giving an email address, the customer can then receive any notifications), and that if this was such a big issue regarding the catalog, why not ask for one?….even so, …she has a point. She was treated impersonally, and the systems that were in place inadvertently caused sub-standard service provided to her. Bottom line in her world was shitty customer service.

This all reminds me of that distinction “change vs. transformation”…how when we change things in order to solve a problem, we bring a bit of the original problem in with the solution. How real change can only occur with transformation. “Change” operates on top of the original inauthentic premise; transformation begins from nothing, which is capable of anything.

Example of Change (paraphrased from memory):

Some time long ago (late 1800’s?), there was a horrible problem in the streets of NYC. It was getting so crowded and the stench from the manure of the horses (which everyone used to get around) was unbearable. Then a perfect solution was discovered.

The automobile!

Anyway, the reason why I am bothering with this inquiry is because I am really questioning this whole thing about service. And often I am the first one griping when I think I received shitty service.

girlscout93 @ 2006-07-12T09:42:00

2006-07-12T16:49:29Z

No one can tell me that Mercury Rx is crap!!!

I just spent over two hours writing a post containing detailed notes on the astrology class of yesterday...and somehow hitting the backspace bar DELETED the post!

I do not have the stomach to re-type that whole goddam thing!

Doesn't lj have some kind of autosave feature? and if so how could I access it? anyone know?

aaarrr-rrr-rrggggghhh!!!!!

Brief update

2006-07-10T20:19:28Z

Well, I survived the first onslaught of Mercury rx. Got the sewing project done, against all odds. Begining to get caught up on lost sleep.

I'm going to use the rest of this retrograde period to get caught up on other pieces of my life as well. There's a report I'd like to finish, I'd like to retrieve my stuff from my sister's place and I'd like to re-group on the issue of finances (come up with a new budget and gameplan regarding paying off loans and saving for an apartment.)

FRUSTRATIONS!!!

2006-07-07T22:28:39Z

I know that in the Sidereal astrology school of thought, Mercury retrograde means nothing (or is that just a Jim-ism?), but this MercuryRx is KICKING MY ASS!! I am so frustrated right now with all the missed communications, and little things not working out! I had an important thing that I needed to get done and the goddamn machine is broken(!#@*),.... so I figure out a backup plan and that won't work, ....and I come up with another backup plan and that machine was lent out to someone who is impossible to reach, and anyway...I don't even know how to use the machine in the first place...I had it here at work because someone here was going to show me how to use it (but its broken!)...so even if I get my paws on one, who knows if I can use it...AAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!

I am so pissed off!!! And there was no other time for me to do this project other than tonight!

Free Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!

2006-07-06T16:06:07Z

Yay! I'm going to see the Indigo Girls tonight!

I am very, VERY excited about this! I came into work all bouncy and cheery just thinking about it.

And I am going with friends J and M which will be fun in itself.

This whole L.A. thing is proving to be alot of fun. In spite of my nomad existence and poverty as of late, I have been enjoying myself tremendously. Who'da thunk it? Me, liking LA!

silliness

2006-06-19T00:42:43Z

I just read the following on tribe and I just had to share...
*********************************************************************

The Situation in Hell

The following is supposedly an actual question given
on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term.
The answer by one student was so "profound" that
the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet,
which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure
of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat)
or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using
Boyle's Law
(gas cools when it expands and heats when it is
compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is
changing in time. So
we need to know the rate at which souls are moving
into Hell and the
rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can
safely assume
that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave.
Therefore, no souls
are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look
at the different religions that exist in the world today.
Most of these religions state that if you are not a member
of their religion, you will go to Hell.

Since there is more than one of these religions and
since people do not belong to more than one religion,
we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect
the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially.
Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell
because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature
and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume
of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate
at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure
in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase
of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will
drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during
my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before
I go out with you", and take into account the fact that I went
out with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus
I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.

The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over,
it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is
therefore, extinct . . . leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the
existence of a divine being which explains why, last night,
Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A."

Birthday Surprises

2006-06-02T05:27:56Z

Wow, I can't believe it. I actually had a great birthday. How was that possible? I sure as hell didn't expect much as this was the third year in a row that my birthday has been touched by death. So I really didn't expect much.

But, two of my LA brothers made a point of taking me out. I was trying to downplay the day, but they insisted. They got me little gifts and a rose and took me out for very yummy sushi. Later that night we went to the beach and recited Chapter Three (actually a conclusion of the other two chapters being read earlier in the weekend).

And then, H said something like this to me as we were coming back from the beach, It saddens him to hear stories from me where I feel that I'm not appreciated or noticed or valued. And that he wanted me to know that I am appreciated here, that I make a difference and I'm valued.

My heart bursts with the sweetness and simplicity of these actions and communications. I had said to myself that I wanted to "bring the Love" to the LA group and now I feel that "Success is my proof."

And thats not all.

Today I read my new friend, A's blog on Tribe. She acknowledged me as being a friend who wasn't afraid to speak the truth to her. She said I showed her how it is to be a Thelemite in this 2006 world. She said I shined bright and she dubbed me, "Starr."

I cried. I did. I didn't expect to be feeling this much love coming at me. Not with Robin gone. Not in a place like LA.

I guess I've found home.

Coming out from hiding

2006-02-22T02:29:11Z

Okay, I finally realized the obvious, LiveJournal is a great way to keep in touch with friends. However, I haven't been using it as such....past experiences with this forum using it that way had been painful, but I'm pretty much over that stuff now.

For the update...I have pretty much decided to move to LA. I'm very excited about this, it seems like all the signs were pointing this way. Not sure when this will all happen though, as I still have job and housing issues to figure out.

One thing that has me completely thrilled...I've re-connected with a long lost friend from Mammoth. His name is Marco and he was my best friend up there. We got our Real Estate licences together and worked in the same office (we used to be called, "the kids"). He's a Gemini with a Virgo moon (like me), but lucky him, he has a Leo rising.

It turns out, he lives down here, one town over in Carlsbad! I might be meeting him later for dinner.

girlscout93 @ 2005-12-27T22:53:00

2005-12-28T07:06:27Z

Well, that wasn't such a bad X-mas after all.....

Actually, it was alot of fun. I forgot how cool it is to be with kids ripping open paper and squealing over presents. I know its commercial and gross, but its fun getting vicarious thrills through them. And my sister and I both noted that it was a particularly stress-free X-mas. It was so nice. Go figure.

And yesterday we all went to Knott's Berry Farm and rode a bunch of roller coasters. I screamed/laughed myself hoarse!

And today, I took the kids to see the Chronicles of Narnia. I loved it and so did the kids.

I'm really loving this "Aunt" thing!

girlscout93 @ 2005-12-23T16:29:00

2005-12-24T00:30:26Z

I saw this on tribe.net and it made me laugh....

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/in_the_city/battle_of_the_giants.php

Time well spent in San Diego

2005-12-15T06:55:34Z

My seven year old nephew came home with this piece that he wrote for his class writing workshop. It made me laugh, especially the second sentence.

Spells

by Antonio Santiago

One day a kid named Jonny was dared into a house called The Spooky Mansion. He didn't believe in any monsters but he had problems.

He found a spell book. He could understand the words. He used the first spell and it worked. The spell was called Ruby. Ruby is number one in the spell book, but what about the second one?

"Hmm," said Jonny as he flipped through the pages. "It's called Emerald."

"Ahhh!" Jonny screamed as he was lifted into the air. "Man, this is not good! But why am I in the air?" he was puzzled.

After one week he came back down to the ground. "This is going to be sweet," he said. he took the spell book and had no more problems in this life.

*Ah-h-h if life were only that easy*

Thurs. transits from astro.com

2005-12-01T18:27:17Z

Every thursday, astro.com lets you see what subscribers see regarding your transits (in the "Personal Horoscope section".) Again, I'm recording it here so I can look at it later...probably boring for anyone but me...

Solid and real ***
Valid during many months: At this time in your life you will be able to get along with very little if necessary, and you will be able to keep plugging away at tasks with tremendous discipline. As a result this is a good time for getting your life ready for hard times, even if this is not an especially difficult period.
However, even if this is a difficult time, you can be sure that this influence will help you make it through. It gives you tremendous tenacity and toughness and the ability to apply constant pressure on a situation until it gradually changes. Patience is the watchword of this influence ¬ not that you need patience, but that you have it.
Whatever your objectives, you will keep working at them until you achieve them. In a slow but powerful way, this influence helps you realize your goals, and because you work so slowly, the results you obtain are very lasting indeed.
You will also probably discover that you are changing during this period, not drastically and suddenly, but slowly and at a very profound level of your being. And these changes will make your life more solid and dependable. In general your life is moving from the less solid and abstract to the more solid and real.
You may work alone for the most part now. You will probably prefer it that way, at least until you have come somewhere near achieving your goals. This is a very good time for researching alone, especially when painstaking work is required. Your ability to discipline yourself is extremely high.

Transit selected for today (by user):
Pluto Sextile Saturn
activity period from beginning of March 2004 until middle of September 2006.

Act quickly ***
Valid during many months: This influence can help you to reconcile your personal needs with those of others. If you now have the courage and single-mindedness to stick up for your own interests you can expect support from others. Having experienced that acting in your own interests does not have to mean being inconsiderate or reckless will help you greatly in the future. You won't encounter any resistance or rivalry if you stand up for things which correspond to your inner nature.
You may now have to deal with past events which undermined your self-confidence, leaving you feeling weak and inadequate. Such experiences can be extremely painful. In order to avoid similar rejections in the future many people withdraw into themselves, being prepared to go to great lengths to conceal their true feelings. Although this might help them to avoid further pain, it also prevents them from fulfilling their dreams, and decreases their vitality. You might now receive an offer at work or in your personal life which is both tempting and challenging, but also a certain amount of apprehension and trepidation. Do not hesitate! Do not miss this opportunity to finally do something that you have only dreamed of doing up until now. This could be revitalizing, helping you to place more trust in your own instincts. These will take you to the right places at the right times, helping you to express your true self, while enabling you to use your abilities in a way which is beneficial to others.

Transit selected for today (by user):
Chiron Trine Ascendant
activity period from end of January 2005 until 7 December 2005.

Considerable credit **
Valid during several months: You should formulate objectives for long-range efforts at this time. Find out what you want to change about yourself and your world and get to work on those changes. The energy you have now will allow you to keep up a sustained effort for a long time. At work you may be given an opportunity to wield more power and thereby be more effective personally. But if you work solely for your own benefit now, you will sow the seeds of your own undoing later on. You should work for your own good and for the social good by identifying your own needs with those of society. If you do this, you will be given considerable credit for what you do. Sometimes this influence brings an opportunity to understand your motivations and to operate from this new understanding.

Transit selected for today (by user):
Mars Trine Pluto
activity period from middle of August 2005 until end of December 2005.

Real Update

2005-11-30T20:33:44Z

Well, I ran away from my life in Oakland and came to my sisters house in Oceanside. I feel like I've been wasting my time trying to create a life in Oakland. I just needed to be somewere..anywhere..that would feel like home.

And...I need to be needed. To have my presence make a difference. Not so, in Oakland. But here, I am wanted.

I don't know if this visit is long or short. I don't know if I'll go back to Oakland and make a go of it. I seem to be in the enviable position of, "the Begining" and I could choose many different places to begin my life again.

But, for right now, this very moment, I am watching over my 9 mo old nephew, Jackson, and he's a handful!

first entry...looking at transits

2005-11-30T19:39:37Z

woo hoo! Internet access!

Some words from astro.com regarding some major transists of mine(all bolding is mine):
*warning---this is not necessarily interesting to everyone. I just wanted to record these transits in trying to work with them*

"Uranus square Sun: Some obstacle

Beginning of March 2005 until beginning of February 2006: During this time sudden, unexpected events will test your ability to withstand change and to stay on the path you have chosen. Each of us sets forth certain objectives that we must accomplish in order to successfully maintain our sense of being a unique and strong individual. This influence seems to ask the question, "Do you really believe in what you are doing? Can you perform your tasks in the face of upsets and challenges from the outside world and even from psychological forces within yourself?" How well you withstand this challenge will determine how well your life will go during the next several years.

On one hand you may suddenly realize that because of circumstances that have developed over the last several years you can no longer do what you want without making a lot of changes. It may be necessary to struggle and break free from circumstances that you encounter in your work or with authorities, such as employers or government agencies. There may even be limiting circumstances in your personal life, such as a bad love relationship or parental domination. At any rate some obstacle is preventing you from doing what you have to do, and you want to rebel against it.

If you are doing what you should in terms of your life and experience, these disruptive events will only be a test that you will withstand successfully. But if you find the energies of this period destructive beyond your control, you should consider what changes must be made either to minimize these effects or to turn them into positive ones."

My comment...Well, my short stint with Starbucks seems to fall in this catagory. Also my failed attempt with S in NYC seems to apply. Since this transit still feels to apply, I can't really say if I am "successful" with this test or not. I certainly have been in rebellion!

"Uranus opposition Pluto: Sweeping changes

End of March 2005 until end of February 2006: Now is the time to make sweeping changes, not only in your consciousness, but also in the circumstances in which you live. Conditions that have been developing slowly will force major changes upon you now. If you are flexible, you will be able to start a whole new phase of life, even though you may have thought that the time for new starts in your life is past. You will have a new birth of awareness, and you will be able to deal with your life unhampered by old patterns of thought that have limited you.

But if you cannot adapt and be flexible, this will be a period of great turmoil and stress as you try desperately to hold on to circumstances, possessions and relationships that no longer have any real function in your life. What you are trying to save is not something real, it is only an illusion.

The impetus for change may come through persons who present you with many upsetting surprises, all of which show that your life is no longer what is was. The key point to recognize is that this process is not bad for you, it is just upsetting at first until you get into the flow of events. It can be quite exciting and will certainly inject an element of youth into your life again, with the advantage that now you will have the wisdom to handle it properly."

My comment.....Well, I think I have the "sweeping changes" handled. ;)

"Uranus opposition Moon: Behavior patterns

Mid April 2005 until end of December 2006: This influence can signify sudden events in your personal and emotional life and sudden changes in your home. The pressure of circumstances will reveal your unconscious emotional patterns, and you will learn to handle your life with fewer habits and inappropriate unconscious behavior patterns. You may be upset by these changes, but you should recognize that this influence can free you from characteristics that you don't need.

This influence has to do with patterns of behavior that were created in infancy, which may have been appropriate then but are not now. For example, it was once appropriate for you to seek nurturing and protection from your mother, and you did what you had to in order to get that. But as an adult your life should no longer follow that pattern. This influence raises the need for you to be an independent, self-sufficient adult, to relate to others as an equal, even though you may not feel ready. But most people retain some infantile behavior patterns, which create patterns in adult life, particularly in relations with others, that make further growth difficult. You may still seek out relationships in which you have the same emotional dependency you had toward your mother. Your emotional reactions to people are only habits that interfere with communication. Or you may play a parental role toward someone else who really needs to be independent. This influence breaks up such relationships and makes it impossible for you to behave according to old patterns, which you will be forced to reexamine. Intimate personal relationships may be disturbed, because this is the area where infantile and childish behavior patterns usually surface.

Once you accept the fact that the old patterns are no longer appropriate, and you are willing to either make changes or accept the ones that have occurred, you will begin to feel liberated. You are freed from chains you have forged for yourself. You will approach life with a greater sense of freedom and a heightened ability to experience it as it is now, not as it was when you were a child."

My comment....Ouch! This one seems to be the most telling. I think it gets to the particular kind of grieving I'm doing now.

"Saturn conjunction IC: Treading water

End of August 2005 until beginning of June 2006: In this extremely important period of your life, you must pay very close attention to what you are doing, because you are beginning a new phase of activity that will have important consequences in the years to come.
The difficult aspect of this time is that the process is very subtle, and it may not be obvious that what you do now is important.

You have just gone through a period of preparation that probably seemed like treading water, getting nowhere and accomplishing nothing. Some people may experience the time just before this influence as exceedingly difficult, with one defeat after another. Others will find it less difficult, but it will not seem terribly significant.

This is the end of a relatively low period in your life, and from now on you will gradually climb to the most significant time in your life.

You should be looking to your personal and domestic life, for this is an area of great responsibility for you now. Do not neglect it in a misguided attempt to get ahead in your professional life. Make whatever changes are necessary so that this aspect of your life is secure. Personal relationships may have broken up just before this time. Now you may have the opportunity to make new ones that will fit your new lifestyle better.

You are on your way up again. The future depends upon the foundation that you lay now."

My comment...This is the one that grabs my attention. Saturn seems to have that effect. I'm afraid of getting this one wrong.

More transits and personal life updating to follow....