Dreams, Goals & Aspirations

I've only ever had two dreams in my life in regards to what I wanted to do as a career.

The first was to be a writer. I didn't care what I wrote about, but I wanted to write. The reason why I didn't care was because I've always felt I could write about anything. If I do enough research and learn as much about a topic as I possibly could, I would be able to write about it. I think it's important to not pigeonhole yourself into doing just one thing; but being able to do a lot of things.

In doing a lot of things you need to experience a lot of things. Things outside of your comfort zone. For the past month, I've experienced something so very far out of my comfort zone that every day I wake up with my heart beating faster than the day before.

A month ago I left my job at the hotel with no backup plan. It wasn't a surprise that I didn't like my job. It was never my dream, it was never my goal and it was never something that I wanted to aspire to. As much as I disliked it, I was great at my job. No one could fill my shoes and, as I've been told, no one has.

I remember a time when I loved going to work and as every day went by, that feeling was going away as well. It got to a point where the only thing that the hotel was doing for me was providing me with a paycheck. I've always wanted more than a paycheck from a job. I want satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness. The hotel was providing me with less than that.

I worked at a job and for a person who, for over five years, never provided employees benefits, lunch breaks, regular breaks, the money they deserved, support, security or the freedom to be different. It's a difficult thing to stomach when you want so much and get so little. It finally all came to a head for me when I realized that I wasn't taking any steps forward towards my goals. My friend, Banana, and I discussed this multiple times. We are both better than what we do and that job was doing nothing but holding us back.

The reason why I have a hard time sleeping and my heart beats faster every day is because of the fear of the unknown. I've worked (received a paycheck) steadily since I was 19-years-old. This is the first time where I'm not guaranteed a paycheck every two weeks and that's a scary thing for me. This is the first time that when I say "I'm going to work" it means that I go down stairs to my living room, make some tea and write freelance pieces. This is the first time that I can go nearly a week without leaving my house because I technically don't have anywhere to be. This is a completely different and scary situation for me.

Recently a trending topic on Twitter caught my eye, #AdviceForYoungJournalists, and I explored it deeply yesterday. I came across an article titled "39 Pieces of Advice for Journalists and Writers of Color" on Buzzfeed.com written back in July 2014. Aside from the advice being extremely helpful in regards to journalism, it was helpful to me in regards to the way I've been feeling. Instead of fearing the unknown, I should embrace it. I should embrace the fact that I'm not guaranteed a paycheck and work twice as hard to make one. I should embrace the fact that there is no hustle and bustle, alarm clocks or traffic to get to my office. I should embrace the fact that being at home makes me hungry to no longer be at home. But I should definitely embrace the fact that I no longer do something that I don't like doing.

I, in no way, am satisfied but I've reached my first goal. I am a writer. Whether it's freelance or a permanent position, I am a writer. It is what I do. It is how I make money. It is one of the only dreams I've ever had. I still want a permanent position at my favorite publications and websites, and I will continue to try to do whatever it takes to make it but I am that much closer to fulfilling my dreams, goals and aspirations by just taking one step forward.




Just in case you were wondering, that other dream I had was to be the Yellow Power Ranger.

Life Update

I'm going to make this post short and sweet. I'm going to continue to blog but it probably won't be as often.

You see, I am currently writing and publishing a series of books. A lot of these books will take stories straight from my blog and then there will be others that I have yet to post on here. I love my blog but I really want to be proactive in making a career for myself and not just a hobby.

I hope that the people who read my blog will continue to read, share, comment and tell friends about it. I truly do appreciate all of the support I've been given and I even appreciate some of the dumb comments I've received (who are probably just people that I talk about in my blog; they don't make it too hard to figure out.)

Having over 4,000 page views was more than I expected and I am so humbled and happy. I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read (even if you didn't like it, but then again your opinion means diddly squat).

Please continue reading and I will updating as soon as I have time to.

Thanks,

Working Girl

Breakfast is Free

Last week I was having an impromptu staff meeting with my housekeeping staff at 9am. As I was standing behind the counter talking to them I noticed a short woman who looked to be over the age 65 standing behind them. The look on her face was as if she smelled a skunk. Even though I, honestly, couldn't care less what was causing her to make such a face, I decided to inquire about it anyway.

Working Girl: Can I help you with something?
Woman: Yeah, this is a great hotel. Very clean, very quiet and very comfortable...

*Hmm... Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the look on her face was a birth defect and she just wanted to compliment the hotel. But then again, I'm never wrong.*

Woman (continuing): But the breakfast is awful. It's the worst hotel breakfast I've ever had in fact, it's the worst breakfast I've ever had period. The coffee tastes burnt, it was all just bad.
Working Girl: Well thanks for bringing this my attention. Have a good day.

Normally I'm not that inattentive, I usually really want to know what's wrong and why people don't like something. I love to do research. But the entire time she was speaking, I noticed that she had a cup of coffee in her hand. A cup of coffee that, before she started talking, she was sipping on. The same cup of coffee that she took another swig of after she finished her complaint. The coffee that "tastes burnt," she seemed to be enjoying as she walked over to the elevator after our encounter.

As she walked away, my housekeeping manager turned to me and told me that she had been eating plates of food for over an hour before she walked up to us. So we both rolled our eyes at the situation and continued speaking to the staff.

I get really annoyed by guests who say they don't like the breakfast because of one simple fact: The breakfast is free. You don't have to eat it. In this sense, you get what you paid for and since these complaining guests are paying nothing they are getting nothing. You can always visit a restaurant and get a breakfast that you find suitable and then PAY FOR IT. Since you're too cheap to do that, I would suggest you shut your face.

Honestly our breakfast is pretty spectacular. Even if you don't like the taste of some items, you have to appreciate the variety. Our breakfast includes:

Eggs
Omelets
Sausage
Bacon
French Toast
Pancakes
(Make Your Own) Waffle
Potatoes
Muffins
Bagels
Bread (To Make Toast)
Fruit Filled Pastries
Honey Nut Cheerios
Cheerios
Raisin Bran
Honey Bunches of Oats
Froot Loops
Oatmeal (Original and Flavored in which you make your own)
Yogurt
Fruits

And that's not even all. So roughly 20 items or so plus multiple juices, milks, and teas and you can't find one thing that you like? Not even something you can make yourself? I don't believe that. I'm not arguing that she (or anyone else for that matter) has to LOVE our breakfast but you should at least respect it. That's more of a spread than I've ever seen in a hotel that I did not have to pay for.

About 20 minutes later I walked over to the breakfast area to make myself tea and as I round the corner I see that same woman sitting at a table EATING MORE BREAKFAST!

Are you serious? Is she serious? Did she not just complain to me about the very same food she was shoveling in her mouth at that very moment?

I could not contain myself. I called my front desk agent and housekeeping manager over to the dining room.

Working Girl (speaking VERY loudly): SERIOUSLY!?

They both start laughing hysterically but run into the kitchen so they aren't seen by this woman. I, again, don't give a shit. Not only am I irritated that she would waste my time talking to me, she is eating our TERRIBLE breakfast hand over fist.

The woman caught on to my irritation and disgust and finished licking her plate like a damn dog then walked towards the exit of the dining area... but not before stopping by the coffee and filling up her thermos of our BURNT COFFEE!!

When she checked out she told my front desk agent the same thing she told me but this time she turned around and yelled it at the line of guests waiting to check out. None of them paid her any attention and some chose to let us know how much they personally enjoyed the breakfast.

I will reiterate: Breakfast is free. It is an option. No one is forcing you to eat it. Similar to the lotions and shampoos we put in the rooms, it is there for you to use at your own discretion but it is not the only choice. It's not like I'm in the kitchen slaving away at the food and therefore I am offended if people don't like it, I just don't get it. I don't understand how someone can ride off food without trying it first. I am allergic to apricots and found that out by eating one, it could've killed me but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also don't understand how someone can not like food that they have the option of making themselves. Cereal? A waffle? Oatmeal? Hell, just peeling a damn banana? Really? And you hate all of it?

But I REALLY don't understand not liking the food AND THEN CONTINUING TO EAT IT... MULTIPLE TIMES... AT NO ONE'S COERCION... BY YOUR OWN CHOICE.

Well alright then.

You're On The Radio

One Saturday night I was working the Front Desk at the hotel and I got a phone call.

*Ring Ring*
Working Girl: Good Evening, thank you for calling [Hotel Name]. Working Girl speaking, how may I help you?
Caller: CONGRATULATIONS! You are on the radio.
Working Girl: Um...hello?
Caller: This is 106.1 and you are currently live on the radio. Are you ready to play a game?
Working Girl: Um I'm at work.
Caller: Exactly. We are calling people at work and we are asking them to participate in a contest in order to win a $100 Applebee's gift card. There are 3 parts to this contest, are you ready to play?
Working Girl: Yes

*Side Note: I knew this wasn't real. The radio DJs sounded between the ages of 13 and 15 and they were giggling in the background. It was a slow Saturday night and I had about an hour and a half till I got off work. I thought to myself "why not see how far they'll take this prank call?"

Caller: Okay. So first part we give you situations. Tell us what you would do in these situations. First situation: Something you love, a pair of shoes, gets thrown away and you see them get tossed into the dumpster. Do you go into the dumpster to get your favorite pair of shoes?
Working Girl: No.
Caller: Uh...um...why not?
Working Girl: I'm not really into shoes.
Caller: Well what about slippers?
Working Girl: Not a big fan of slippers either.
Caller: Socks. What about socks?
Working Girl: No. Not into socks. I like my bare feet and I can always just buy a new pair if anything like that gets thrown away.
Caller: What will it take to get you in that dumpster?
Working Girl: Nothing I can think of off the top of my head.
Caller: *sigh* OKAY! Next situation: If you had to live in one of your slippers, which slipper would it be? Describe the slipper.
Working Girl: I don't have any slippers.
Caller: None at all?
Working Girl: None at all.
Caller: Situation 3: If you had a pizza and you had 16 friends, would you cut up the pizza into 16ths and then everyone would have a slice or would you not give certain friends a slice because you don't like them as much?
Working Girl: Cut it up to feed everyone.
Caller: Okay, great answer.

The second part of this "contest" was me having to finish the title of famous songs, lullabies, or fables like: Mary had a little ________? (Lamb, the answer is lamb)

The third, and final, part was a Name That Tune game. There was only one song I had to guess to get the Applebee's gift card. Now by this time I assumed that they thought I would've hung up a long time ago. And any normal, sane person would've; But I was bored at work and this had already been going on for a good hour and some change without being interrupted by any guests or phone calls. What else would I be doing if it wasn't for that call? So I made the most of it.

Caller: We're going to play the melody of a song and you have to guess what it is. It won't be actual music but you have to guess from what we give you. The hint is "Christmas."

Then the guy on the phone takes the receiver and bangs it on a desk to the tune of Jingle Bells.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BA-BOOM BOOM BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
BOOM!

Caller: What's that tune?
Working Girl: Jingle Bells.
Caller: CORRECT! CONGRATULATIONS YOU JUST WON AN APPLEBEE'S GIFT CARD!
*click*

He then hung up. I laughed so hard. I bet he and his friends didn't expect to have to commit to someone as crazy as I am and someone who would continue going on with their charade.

Jokes on them for wasting an hour and a half,  technically, I got paid to do that.

Missed Opportunities

This post has nothing to do with the Office Supply store or the hotel. This is specific to my dream career: Writer.

I've always wanted to be a writer. When I was five years old that is what I wanted to do. Nothing has changed (except for the fact that when I was five I wanted to be a writer and the Yellow Power Ranger at the same time). Throughout high school and college I worked on the yearbook and the newspaper because I thought it would put me in that world of a professional writer. Going to the editing room, playing with a layout, and writing features was and is my dream. I didn't realize that being a part of my high school's yearbook staff would just be us playing '10 Fingers' most of the time and realizing how.. um... adventurous my classmates truly were. Either way, my goal hasn't changed. I worked hard for my journalism degree and want nothing more than to write... about anything... for anyone.

Yesterday my employee found a video of someone swallowing food under an x-ray and she thought it was cool. I mentioned to her that author Tucker Max had a similar video on his website but the thing that was being swallowed was a little more adult than what she was watching. I showed her the 24 second video which is posted on his website and I continued to explore, what once was, my favorite online blog/website. I came across his new blog site and explored more. The first few posts were about his search for a research assistant. I read about that when he publicly mentioned it and basically invited anyone and everyone to apply. I remember being so excited about it and thinking to myself "Hey, I could do that!"

For whatever stupid reason, I didn't apply right then and there like I should have. I contemplated and waited. I finally realized that I shouldn't wait anymore and just give it a shot. The first round instructions were simple enough to where I know I would at least make it past that. When I went to look over the instructions one more time I found that due to all of the entries he had to close it early and wasn't accepting any more applications. Heartbroken.

It was my own stupid fault for not doing it the second I heard about it knowing that I would actually be really great at it. What stings even more is that on his blog he went over each round and why people were eliminated and I honestly believe I could've made it to the final round.

He had mentioned in his post that people claimed they wanted this job in order to help them become a writer but then they didn't have any examples of any of their writing because they don't write. All I do is write. Even when I'm not posting on my blog, I am writing. I write for work and, like the huge nerd I am, I write for fun. I research information about something and piece together my own article about the subject. I actually find that fun.

During the final round he asked the applicants to complete a research report on Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. SERIOUSLY!? I am such a fan of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I wouldn't have even had to do that much research, I of course would have for fact checking purposes, but I wouldn't have to go that in depth. I do this weird thing where if I watch something I normally use the Wikipanion app on my phone and Wiki all of the actors, then I go online and fact check what I found on Wiki. I DO THIS ALL THE TIME! Sometimes multiple times on the same person. Athletes, actors, singers, WHOEVER! I have watched more than half of The Rock's movies so that means I have Wiki'd and fact checked him OVER 15 TIMES. I am an idiot.

Not only could I have possibly gotten a paid job doing something I already do for free, I could've worked with Tucker Max. The man whose books I've read cover to cover multiple times, the guy whose blog and website I frequented years ago, and the author who was a large inspiration for my blog. He originally started his website for his friends so they could read his hilarious stories. I started my blog for much of the same reasons. Not only do I love to write, the stuff that happens to me at work is so ridiculous that my friends have told me they enjoy hearing my stories. I thought why not write them down and give all of my friends the opportunity to read all of my weird work stories.

I missed quite the opportunity to do something I would've given my whole heart to and because of this realization I can no longer wait for the things I want to fall into my lap. I've been very lucky to get the jobs I've gotten but I need to grab the bull by the balls and tell him to turn his head and cough because I need to do something about being paid to write. Hopefully there will be no more missed opportunities for me (or for you).

Christmas Parties

Every year at the hotel we have a Christmas Party. When I first started working here I was really surprised. At the office supply store we did no such thing and we were a family. We all genuinely enjoyed each other's company. The hotel on the other hand? Hated each other. All of front desk hated Tani and one of the Housekeepers, Mari, hated the rest of housekeeping. Even though there was obvious tension there, we all, surprisingly enough, had a great time at the Christmas party.

2009

This was the year of my first ever Christmas Party. Every year we bring food, a gift for our Secret Santa and our families. It just so happened that my Secret Santa needed a ride to the party. I tried to play it off like the gift wasn't for her. She believed me.

When we got to the party we found my boss who gets really excited about Christmas time though he and his family don't celebrate it. He was waving everyone in and hugging us, which was terrifying at first, but we couldn't deny there was something magical about Christmas time that would even put a smile on the biggest Grinch's face...or so we thought.

It turns out that Mari did not want to be apart of the Secret Santa so she didn't come to the party. Tani did not come to the party because she claimed she had more important things to do but she did stop by and drop off food but no Secret Santa Gift.

The party was fine and everyone had a good time but unfortunately the person that Tani chose didn't get to open up his Secret Santa gift with the rest of us...or ever because she never bought a gift for him. He didn't seem to care much especially because he knew that even if he did get something he probably wouldn't have enjoyed it.

2010

The 2010 Christmas Party was the same as the last year's. Pretty much the same food, same people, and same set up. Mari had quit her job by then so all of the housekeepers were present and accounted for. Tani still didn't show up but her sister, who apparently worked at the hotel years prior, showed up and she was surprisingly pleasant.

This was the first year that Sandy gave away an Employee of the Year award. I, being conceited and hilarious, knew it was me. It wasn't. It went to the most deserving person, the housekeeping manager who has worked at the hotel since the opening year.

2011

This year brought some change. There were a few new staff members in both housekeeping and the front desk. This was also the first party with a new manager. Condii and her husband, who if it wasn't for Condii would've been extremely uncomfortable, came to the party. Everyone had a great time and it was the most fun I had at a Christmas party at the hotel. I had gotten the perfect Secret Santa gift (a gift card to Subway) and the recipient of the Employee of the Year award cried when she received it.

2012

This was my first ever Christmas party as the Manager. I was nervous about it. In the past Sandy and Condii always gave speeches thanking everyone for their hard work through out the year. I am the manager who thanks you when you do something good. I don't wait to generalize it all at the end of the year, I feel a good job should be acknowledged right then and there. So it's safe to say that I didn't give a speech. But I did let the staff know how much I appreciated them working with me as the manager. My promotion was the first in the history of the hotel that any employee was promoted and I was still one of the employees with the least amount of years under her belt. I didn't know if the staff would hate me or embrace me. They embraced me and I love them for it.

2013

A little over a week ago was the most recent Christmas party. There had been no staff changes since the last Christmas party and because we are all closer now than we ever were, all of the Secret Santa gifts were perfect. There was almost no food left over which had never happened before and Sandy bought a 24 pack of beer.

Every Christmas party is short, sweet and uneventful. I wouldn't change a thing. Everyone is laughing and having a great time which is a reflection of what we do all year long. Everyday we laugh and have a great time but the Christmas party has the added bonus of no asshole guests.

"Merry Christmas, Everyone!" -  Tiny Tim

If This Is Going To Work, You Have Got To Listen

Similar to my Phone Etiquette post, I have a very hard time trying to figure out why people do not listen on the phone. When you call a business, for the most part, they tend to say the name of the business when they answer the phone. Why do you not  listen when YOU dialed the number? Seriously!?

Working Girl/All Employees: Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, Thank you for calling [HOTEL NAME] by Wyndham in [CITY]. [EMPLOYEE NAME] speaking, how may I help you?

Person 1: Can I get a large pizza with... (*sigh* Not a pizza place)
Person 2: Is this the nurse's station? (Wrong again)
Person 3: I'd like to set up 2 appointments for pedicures at 2:30. (Not gonna happen)
Person 4: Where did I call? (Did you dial and put the phone down?)
Person 5: I'm a Hilton Honors Member (Awesome. But we are a Wyndham Property)
Person 6: I read that one of your apartments is open for rent. (That's not...we're not...huh!?)
Person 7: I've been waiting for you to send me that fax. (WHAT!?)

The next time someone decides to not listen to the speech I will be glad to take their order, set up their appointment and give them the monthly rental price.

So when you show up to pick up your pizza/your pizza never comes, when you come for your appointment to find out you don't have one and when you go into the rental office with the wrong information and they look at you strange, do not be upset with anyone but yourself.

You need to learn how to listen. I will be happy to teach you a lesson as to why you need to.