Family Time

One of the biggest joys in life, for me, is when my whole family sets aside time to get together.

With the lives of families being so busy these days: both parents working, kids in school and activities etc. the time spent as a family as a whole has dramatically decreased. Everyone is too busy running in opposite directions. It's rare, and sometimes difficult, for many people to come together for a meal, let alone for a full day.

I find this time of gathering to be very important for the well-being of myself and my family, that we have kept one tradition (of many) alive... having dinner together. It doesn't matter how hurried our day has been, when it comes time for dinner, everyone is seated at the table. The cell phones are put away and  the TV is turned off. We share our day or week with each other, help each other solve any problems and just be there to listen and enjoy each others company. This has greatly solidified the bond we have with one another and I would never trade that for anything in the world.

Designated family time should be an important part of everyone's day.

What family traditions do you share? 

Wordless Wednesday

To Upsell Or Not To Upsell

On a day recently while running errands, I found myself standing in line to pay a bill when I overheard a conversation between a customer and the employee behind the counter. As the customer approached the counter, before taking a seat, she mentioned she was there to make a partial payment on her overdue bill. Key words: overdue and partial payment. The employee behind the counter, without missing a beat, proceeds to then give the spiel of all the additional products that the customer could add to her [already overdue] account. After the customer politely declined, the employee continued without ceasing until the customer got upset and walked away. Of course, not until she received her receipt - until then, the customer was trapped having to listen, unable to fend off the attempts of the upsell. Needless to say it made me a little agitated as well. When it was my turn to make my payment, I stopped the employee mid-sentence and squashed the spiel. 

I understand that part of the job of an employee is to upsell all the products they offer, but when is it okay to upsell to someone who has an account that they already can't afford? I find that to be in bad taste.

What's your opinion?

10 Reasons To Dislike Social Networking Sites

10 reasons to dislike FB and other social networking sites, in no particular order:

1. Nothing on the internet is private.

2. You never really know who has access to your profile and its content.

3. The internet is full of scammers, stalkers, Ex's, and companies all wanting information about you.

4. You can never trust someone else to keep your personal information private. Some people have no filter and post everything publicly rather than in an e-mail, even when asked not to do so. They pay no mind to the fact that you have not posted your own birthday, city you live in, family names, school, place of employment etc. yet they post it in comments for all to see.

5. People who know you know what you look like. Plastering the internet with your face only invites others to steal your photos for making fake profiles, stalkers to keep tabs on you and creeps to target you with scams.

6. Too many people post pictures of their friends, family and acquaintances without first asking for their approval, with no concern as to whether they like the picture, let alone want their picture posted. This could be a friendship breaker for some.

7. You have friends/family who add people they don't know to their profile. Some are their real identities, and some pose as someone else to obtain information about you and the people you know. 

8. You have friends/family who befriend someone they "met" on a game or elsewhere. Upon finding they have things in common,  they divulge every detail about themselves.

9. Your friends/family create their own fake profiles, adding them to their regular profile for the purpose of being deceptive. They want to increase the number of friends on their list to make them seem more popular, they use it for games or for stalking others etc.

10. The applications that are offered and can be added to your profile - specifically FB's 6 degrees of separation application - among others, is disturbing. You have no idea how closely connected you really are to people (past and present) that you don't like and have no desire to connect/reconnect with, until you use it. By then, it's too late. You've been found. 

Use caution when using the internet and social networking sites. If you add someone to your profile who you have never met in person, don't give them personal details about yourself or your friends/family. If your friends/family ask you to keep their information quiet, do so. Pay attention to and respect the amount of information your friends/family post about themselves; don't break their trust. Be smart. You can have fun and still keep yourself and your loved ones protected.

They Tried To Make Her Go To Rehab

Amy Winehouse  9/14/83 - 7/23/2011

They tried to make her go to rehab but she said "no, no, no"...

and then she died.

How sad.

E-mail Forwarding

If someone has entrusted you with their e-mail address and you don't e-mail them with any frequency, don't e-mail them forwards/junk/spam either.

Contrary to popular belief, you won't be cursed by an unforwarded chain letter, you haven't really won anything, and the stories and videos are usually only funny to you.

Don't do it.

Where's The Customer Service?

Long gone are the days when retail stores took pride in providing quality customer service.

Are retailers so confident in the products they sell these days that they feel they can take advantage of their employees and provide poor service to their customers?

I'm becoming more and more frustrated and dissatisfied that I am more familiar with the products in my favorite stores than its employees, who are usually thrown into a job with little to no training. Whenever I am searching for an item, I never ask for help from an employee because I have found that 9 out of 10 times they are inadequately trained and will say they do not have the item, only to find it myself shortly thereafter. I am either relentlessly hounded with the latest store promotions or completely ignored - there is rarely an in-between. In the instances where I do find a helpful employee, I know I will never see them in the store again; employee turnover is constant. These are some of the reasons I have left a store empty-handed. I have no problem setting items down and walking away from a purchase due to poor customer service.

The blame rests on the store owners and its managers, not its employees. Many companies (high and low end) and the managers they hire can be greedy, ruthless tyrants. Little is offered to employees ie: decent pay and hours, health insurance, benefits, incentives or praise. Ingrained in each employee is the mentality that they are a dime-a-dozen. If they don't meet predetermined sales goals, credit card /email sign-ups and aren't "flexible" in every aspect of the job ie: availability, cross training and menial tasks, they are met with a reduction of hours or termination. It's no wonder why productivity and quality of service is so low.

Retailers, shame on you! You need to treat all employees with respect and forgo game playing. Encourage customer feedback rather than biased management feedback to avoid favoritism, and to determine which employees customers respond well to.  They need to quickly filter out bad employees and be even quicker to motivate the good ones. Don't set unrealistic goals for employees. I would love to shop at a store where the employees are friendly and helpful, know their product, remember my name or face, and I them. I would personally spend more of my hard earned money in a store that truly cares for their staff and customers.

For those honest, helpful, tireless employees who work in retail... keep your head up and work hard. Know that although your store may not appreciate you, others do. Thank you. 

What's your opinion on customer service (or lack thereof) in retail stores? Share a time and/or store where you've received great customer service.

Wordless Wednesday

An "Ex" Is Called An "Ex"

An "ex" is called an "ex" because it's an EXample of what you should never do again.

National Pina Colada Day - July 10

July 10th is National Pina Colada Day.

Cheers!

Dreams

Everyone dreams.

Some people dream of being chased, of showing up to school without any clothing or shoes or are on a neverending airplane ride. Others dream of watching someone die, are rescuing someone or are being rescued and some dreams make no sense whatsoever. The list goes on and on.

I have always found weird dreams to be interesting. Do they occur because the subconscious mind is wrestling with everyday events, situations or feelings, or is it just pure flowing creativity: the weirder the dream the more creative the mind?

I couldn't care less. I've created my own strange movie in my head. To me, it's just entertainment.

What I do find humorous are the numerous attempts and various interpretations of them, and how some try to turn them into something they are not, like with horoscopes. It's all so ridiculous.

Taken from a story posted on today.msnbc.msn.com on 4/1/2007,  Lauri Loewenberg, author of “So What Did You Dream Last Night?” identifies the 5 most common dreams and her interpretation of them:

FALLING

"Since the beginning of time mankind has reported of dreaming of falling the most. First of all, it's not true that if you dream you are falling and you hit the ground you will die. Falling in a dream is a red flag from your subconscious that something in your life — finances, a relationship, career, etc. — is rapidly going in the wrong direction. It means it is time to redirect the situation immediately! Falling dreams are also common for people who suffer from depression."

BEING CHASED

"When something or someone is hot on your heels in your dream, it's a good indication that you are avoiding something in waking life. When you get this dream, ask yourself, “Self, am I trying to avoid a confrontation with someone? Am I trying to get out of a responsibility or obligation? Or is there something from my past that I'm afraid might catch up with me?” Whatever the case may be, the message is the same: Stop running! Face the situation. Get it over with, otherwise the issue will continue to follow you ... and so will your “being chased” dreams."

TEETH FALLING OUT

"This dream is not about your oral hygiene, so don't be calling your dentist just yet! Teeth — to your dreaming mind — are actually all about your words. If you dream your teeth are falling out, it means you need to take a good look at what you've been saying lately because you have been having loose speech! Perhaps you've been gossiping, or saying things without thinking about them first, maybe you are too blunt or you may have said something you wish you hadn't. This dream is telling you that some words have come out of your mouth that should have remained in there permanently ... like your teeth!"

BACK AT SCHOOL

"This is one of those dreams that — even though you graduated 10, 20, even 50 years ago — you still continue to get. Usually, this dream is all about your job! Think about it, school is your first real job where you need to be on time, you need to be prepared and “have done your homework,” you are being tested and scrutinized, you want everyone to like you and you eventually want to move on up to the next level. Sounds a lot like the same pressures of your job now, doesn't it? You'll find yourself back in those cinder-blocked hallways, trying to find your locker, realizing you forgot about your test or even noticing you've got nothing on but your Nike's, when you've got some sort of pressure or scrutiny at your job."

SPOUSE CHEATING ON YOU

"Unless you have a really good reason to suspect your mate of getting his or her pleasures elsewhere, I wouldn't start snooping through his or her drawers and pockets just yet! The cheating dream happens when your mate is spending too much time and attention on something that does not involve you. Usually the culprit is work. But it could also be the XBox or too much time with friends, etc. Whatever the case may be, this dream shows that you are feeling “cheated” out of your time with your sweetie. Let this dream be a wake-up call to you that the two of you need to find more quality time together."

After reexamining any of the above mentioned dreams I have had and the feeling I've had associated with them upon waking, then comparing them with her interpretations,  I'd say they are just one woman's opinion.

It is after all, just a dream.

It's The Little Things...

Take time to stop and smell the plumerias!

Enjoy and appreciate the beauty of life.

Thank you to pointlessparadise for the reminder.

Wordless... uh, Thursday.

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Why is it that when a relationship ends, the person with the broken heart dissects the relationship with a fine-toothed comb, trying to figure out at what point the relationship began to fall apart? Why aren't people equipped with an emotional "off" switch for just this reason?

After experiencing a heartbreak of my own, I was feeling down one day so I pulled out some old photo albums. As I sat flipping through each album, I noticed something that I hadn't before; I began to notice an ever-so-slight change in the big, happy, beautiful smile of my significant other. It began to diminish with each album, until it was almost nonexistent.

I would like to think that I am good at reading the body language and facial expressions of others, but when it came to this particular relationship and being in lust/love, I noticed the signs yet almost immediately dismissed them, telling myself that my relationship was rock solid and I had nothing to fix and nothing to worry about. Of course, I was fooling myself.

I am happy to report that since then I have learned to address the subconscious little "red flags" when they occur and have never been happier for it.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

. . . . .

Do you think you can tell how a person is feeling just by looking at a photograph? Test yourself using the photos below.

The Happy Couple
A man who is enamored or in love with a woman proudly has/posts pictures of himself with his significant other, whether the relationship is 10 days or 10 years young, and is rarely seen without a sparkle in his eyes and a smile that could light up a room.

Trouble Ahead
JG with his minimal smile and a distant look in his eyes tells me that he is not happy and his relationship could be in trouble... and she has no idea.

Going Through The Motions

While the woman in this photo looks happy, the man in the photo looks like he would rather be anywhere but here.

Checked Out
If a man never smiles in his pictures it might be that he has already mentally severed ties in his relationship, is an angry individual/emo, has a crooked smile or a mouth full of rotting teeth.

Flying High
I have no idea what BB is thinking in this photo. He's either slightly irritated, bored, medicated or all three.

ANGRY
Everyone is familiar with the face of anger. No explanation is needed for this photo.

The Player

Almost every photo of this guy is taken with a random drunk party girl, stripper or Hooters girl. You know the type. His Facebook profile photos usually look like this..

The Narcissist

The photos of this guy are always of himself. No one loves this man more than he does.

Red White And Blue

My Independence Day is being celebrated with red, white and blue...

A RED Strawberry Daiquiri...

A WHITE Pina Colada...

and a BLUE Hawaiian.

How about you?

Happy 4th of July / Independence Day !

Declaration of Independence

One Nation Under God

Happy 4th of July!

Heat Wave

Beautiful sunshine,

you know I love you, 

but why must you be so hot?

An ice cold bottle of water

on a day like today

just doesn't quite hit the spot.

Stuck in the house,

sweat pours like a river

from places I didn't know it could

I've now had enough,

I'm beyond fed up!

I CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE!!!

I'm grabbing my swimsuit,

my sunscreen, my drink and

I'm headed to the pool.

Author - WhiteOnRice