The Importance of Being Kate

Embarrassing situation at work for your reading pleasure:

So the other day a lady named Meg came in to work. I knew she was someone important, but wasn't sure of her job description. She only shows up every few weeks and stays for a whole day. Turns out she is the training overseer for the area. She comes to observe us all and fine tune our procedures so we are all doing things right according to the book.

I was at a register in the bakery when she came up to me and started a conversation. It went something like this.

"Hi Kate. I'm doing position reports. I've been working on yours with Tim (GM)." She shows me the paper. "We'll look over yours together, and then I show you how I do them. I want you to understand them because I'll be having you do them in the future." (surprised silence from Kate).

Meg responds to my expression, "You are looking for promotion, aren't you?"

I am actually not sure what I said to Meg at this point. Probably something clever like, "Maybe," in a dubious tone of voice.

"We want you to be the training coordinator for the store. You won't necessarily train everybody, but you will be responsible for the paperwork and making sure that people actually get trained."

Kate's mind is racing, "Me? Umm, I haven't had much training myself! Sounds like fun, though. I'll kind of do the job that Lindsay does! I enjoy training people. But how come this random chick is telling me about this and not Tim (GM) or Brenda (shift manager)? Oh well, I'll reserve judgment until I see how the wind blows."

So throughout the day I thought about it and discussed it with my Dad during my break. After work I sat down with Meg to ask questions. We talked over the condition of the store's training, the various needs, and the upcoming training time which she wanted me to observe so that I could do future sessions. Cool. But Tim never said anything to me about it, which was still weird.

Next morning at 8 am I walked into the office. Tim turned to me and said, "So, yesterday Meg thought you were Kate F- (the new manager with MY name)."

Apparently Meg had called him the night before to report about her nice talk with Kate. She went on about it and then mentioned that I had been a bit unsure of extended hours because I was considering returning to Israel. At that point light dawned on Tim's head. He told Meg she had talked to the Wrong Kate.

Shift scene back to one awkward moment in the Wrong Kate's life. She is standing on one foot in the doorway of the office, feeling silly and rather younger than 26.

Sigh. I suppose I should have known. After all, I am a mere part-time cashier who has only worked at the store for 4 months. What was I thinking?

"Well," I replied, "that was a happy mistake! I think I really could be your man for the job. I love working with people, I love to teach new things, and I have had previous experience teaching a variety of age groups! I may be new, but I learn fast, I am detail-oriented and motivated. Please consider me, in the future, if not immediately."

Wow! Sounded pretty professional, didn't it? Alas, that is what Daddy would have said if he were in my shoes. But when it comes to salesmanship I am not my father's daughter.

This is really what happened: I did some hasty self-deprecating verbal backtracking, laughed it off, beat a hasty and sheepish retreat to my corner of the bakery, and avoided Tim for the rest of the day. Periodically I would start thinking about it and get embarrassed all over again. It was a great day.

God is GOOD!

Warning- this post is all about shopping. If you find this boring you might want to just come back another time.

So yeah, Andrea and I went shopping yesterday. She wrote about it on her blog. You might want to go there first, because I'm not going to repeat what she said.

I have never enjoyed shopping so much, or had it be so productive! The best was of course J.Jill. I have always enjoyed looking at J.Jill catalogues and imagining how nice it would be to buy things from them. I was expecting to do the same thing in the store- just a chance to windowshop. But we bought so much stuff in there! We were in the store forever, looking at the racks, carrying loads of things to the dressing room, and trying them all on. The bestest for me was a cool brown skirt (retail value $99.99) which was marked down repeatedly until it reached somewhere under $20. It fit! It looked good! I loved it! I took it to the checkout and it was another 25% off! Yep, I paid under $12 for it.

We got out of J.Jill with bags of stuff and I said to Andrea, "Now I just need to sit down somewhere and cry." Cry out of sheer happiness of course!

But we kept going! More good stuff at the next store. In fact, I think I got almost everything on the list of needs I had started out with. And you should see the funky shoes I bought for $10!

Now I can actually understand all those girls who spend hours in the mall. :-)

Seven Stanzas at Easter

I wanted to post a poem yesterday but copyright laws would have been infringed. It is such a good one! So, for any who have a moment, Google this: "Seven Stanzas at Easter" by John Updike. Come back and comment here if you actually read it, and tell me what you think.

Repeat

I am almost positve (though I am too lazy to doublecheck) that I posted this sonnet once before. But, as it is still my favorite sonnet to date, and as I was freshly inspired by Bria to post literary gems, I am posting it again.

Batter my heart, three-person'd God; for you
As yet but knock; breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town, to another due,
Labour to admit you, but O, to no end.
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
-John Donne
Holy Sonnets, XIV