Timelies, everyone!! I should be gronking, but I'm too revved up on caffeine.

I got together with ChiKat last night, and as usually happens when we get together, I didn't leave her place until the early hours of the am--this time, it was 4:45 am!! She was very nice in letting me chat, because I had to go to the bookstore Christmas meeting at 7:00 am, and I figured I'd just stay awake all night, so I was just staying amped to keep myself up. I got home by 5:30, and then turned around and left for the store at 6:30.

They gave us breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon, and pancakes from Denny's, fruit and bagels, juice and coffee), and then we had to sit through a DVD on shrink (aka theft--they had actual shoplifters with faces fuzzed out who had stolen over $40,000 in journals from B&N stores and sold them on e-bay for $20-25,000 telling what made the stores such easy targets), a little tour of the new displays and where all the big-name books were at, and a quiz for the six teams they split us into. My team ended up getting the most points, so we had first pick of the books, CDs, and DVDs they had available for prizes--I ended up getting the David McCullough 1776 in hardcover, but I did debate on getting the Dirty Jobs DVD instead.

I've got myself a reputation there already (in the four months I've worked there) as being tops at selling the membership cards, and I mentioned to the manager after the meeting was over that I wanted to see someone beat my record of ten cards sold in an 8-hour shift, so I was willing to buy that person a cafe drink of their choice. Jim thought a challenge was a good idea, but doesn't want me to spend my own money for it, so he's thinking about using my record as a benchmark and paying for it out of promotional/motivational funds. The thing is that even though I love being #1 at the card sales, I'm tired of them relying on me to push the cards when I come in to work an evening shift. "Kathy, we really need card sales, so really try and get 3/5/8/as many as you can tonight!" I got 7 of the 21 we sold yesterday, which I thought was pretty bad if one person can dominate the sales like that.

The thing is that even though I love being #1 at the card sales, I'm tired of them relying on me to push the cards when I come in to work an evening shift.

Just like how the Bulls used to rely too much on Michael Jorden - it wasn't until they all played more as a team that they started winning championships.

So the moral is that Scotty Pippen should sell more membership cards....

It's a sports metaphor! You can sell anything with a sports metaphor!

Airliners with odd/psychedelic paint schemes: [link]

The article takes the point of view that they're all ugly, but come on - who can resist the charm of a 737 painted to look like Shamu the killer whale? Or the "Salmon-thirty-salmon"?

So the moral is that Scotty Pippen should sell more membership cards....

Exactly!! And John Whats-his-name can work the music counter and get more back there, too.

I know I'm whining about this, but I always set myself a goal of one card per hour I'm on the register. Everyone else is happy if they can get half that, but I've been achieving my goal every shift I've worked for three weeks running so far, and about 80% of my shift before then. It's the Christmas season, and cards are even easier to sell now then they are in the summer, so what's the damn problem, people?!?

The Hello Kitty plane in SCARY.

Sports announcer guy takes a few bites out of the worlds hottest chili pepper: [link]

Wackiness ensues.

The Hello Kitty plane in SCARY.

Suzi, you misspelled SUGAR!

I get the shoe obsession. But the HK obsession...not so much. All the more for you, though...right?

Well, HK is included in my obsession, but it's more a wacky Japanese cuteness obsession than specifically HK. I actually like San-X stuff better than Sanrio stuff, because it's a bit twisted while also being very adorable. HK just comes up more than say, Algae Boy.