Soap Box

So in 6 days I'll have been at the Record Courier for 2 months! I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by. I didn't realize how large and diverse the paper is. The Record Courier is our daily paper covering Portage County, but there are also 10 weekly papers in 3 zones that go out across Portage & Summit Counties. The North Zone is Northfield, Twinsburg, Macedonia & Sagamore Hills. The Central Zone is Aurora, Streetsboro, Mantua & Hudson. The South Zone is Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Tallmadge & Hudson... Hudson gets two papers. We also have our on-line edition, recordpub.com.

I work in the Classified department so I place ads like "Found Bike-Dog-Cat-Log Splitter on Pioneer Trail in Mantua 5-12-11 call 330-444-3932 to claim." Not really joking about the log splitter either! Oh and just FYI if you do find a lost animal, we put the ad in for free for ya :) But if you've lost an animal, please, please stop crying before you call me. I get paid on commission and listening to you sob for 15 minutes really cuts my productivity down. I feel for you, I do, but get a GRIP!

I also put in free bee ads. It's for 1 item between $10 and $99, so "Green leather sofa, Good Condition, $75. 330-987-3763." Let me tell you, it's been really tough not to call on some of this stuff! There was a wrought iron bakers/wine rack that I WANTED but I just didn't have the extra $99. The thing about free bee ads is because they are free to put in, we don't take them over the phone- only via e-mail, mail or if someone stops in and writes it down- it's so we can enter the free ads at our leisure after we're done putting in the paid ads. Generally after our 3pm deadlines. People just do not grasp the concept. Dumb Customer "I'd like to place an ad, but I need you to tell me how much it will be." Me: "Ok, what kind of ad?" Dumb dumb "A free bee." Me: after a pause..."It's free..." Dummy "Ohhhh haha." Me: "Yeah, they weren't kidding when they called them 'free bee's'."
Pretty much anything people want to sell or buy, I place ads for. Along with the ever lovin garage sale ads. I also do apartment/house rentals and sales. So pretty much if anything (legal) is changing hands in Portage County, I've got a bead on it.

I also place service ads. For plumbers, landscapers, babysitters, electricians, painters... you name it. These people faithfully run their ads, sometimes every day all year round. The amount of money they spend is astounding. I can honestly say, in our department, it's not the Doctors and Lawyers that bring in the money, it's the Painter who runs his ad every day in the Record Courier. I've already established rapport with faceless people who I speak with weekly. I'm rarely Erin but often "Honey, dear, darling, sweetie, sugar..." I guess they could be calling me worse :)

I also place Employment ads. All help wanted ads that are in print also go online under the general Jobs tab on recordpub.com, my job is to get the customer to not only run the ad in print, but to also put the ad in a preferred position online.

So if you're looking for something, be it a product or a service or a job- let me know! If I find it for you, I wouldn't say no to a bottle of wine :)

And I can honestly say, from what I see on a daily basis, I think the economy is coming back. I place ads for people who are desperate to hire every day. Right now especially if a person has a Class A CDL, can weld, is a machinist/CNC/lathe operator, or is a nurse, STNA or HHA there is no reason not to have an amazing job. Those are the IN DEMAND jobs right now.

So when I was driving to Akron recently and saw all the bums with their cardboard signs I really just wanted to hand them the help wanted section of the paper and tell them to get off their asses and go to work. I had no sympathy. If you don't have a job right now, in my opinion, it's your own damn lazy ass fault. It may not be your dream job, but you could land a job.

This weekend I ran into two kids who grew up with my brother. While exchanging pleasantries, I asked what they were doing these days... they both told me the were working in factories- but they were both almost embarrassed by it. The one said it well though, "it's not my dream job, but it pays the bill and I have health insurance." I couldn't help but think of this video I'd seen of Mike Rowe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-udsIV4Hmc

It's 20 minutes long, but worth a watch if you have the time. I wish he'd run for president, I'd vote for him in a heartbeat after this video alone. But what he says makes sense. It's about how the problem with our country is no one wants to do the blue collar jobs anymore- so there's a deficit of welders and plumbers and pipe fitters- all occupations we need to keep this country rolling. It's not really our fault, it's our grandparents fault. They taught their kids, go to school, don't be a farmer like me. Then our parents, taught us, go to college, don't be a plumber like me, be a doctor or lawyer. Now we've got too many damn doctors and lawyers and not enough skilled tradesmen.

I have a college degree, but I could be making double what I'm making right now if I could weld or drive a truck. Shit. I just realized that. Now I'm kind of bitter. Here I was trying to make a point, but I am the point! I went to college and got a degree and "did what I was supposed to do." But if I would have had to learn a skilled trade, I'd be doing better than I am now.

In the video Mike talks about following your passion. In theory, thats great. But honestly, who is passionate about plumbing? Who is passionate about driving a cement truck (though when I was in kindergarten I wanted, more than anything, to be a cement truck driver) or working in a factory? If you're lucky enough to do what you love- that's just it, you're lucky. For the rest of us, the best we can ask for is a job we don't hate, one that gets us what we need to follow our passions; be it friends, family, vacations or simply a nice home, a good meal and a cold beer to come home to at the end of a long day.

Stepping off my soap box now...

Great Ideas

How Great Ideas are born:

"We need to clean the kitchen"

"If we're going to clean the kitchen, I want a milk shake"

"Hey, why aren't we drinking? If we're going to clean, we might as well get drunk"

"Lets buy alcohol and ice cream and make alcoholic milkshakes!"

High five!

The kitchen got cleaned. We had milk shakes. And got a lil buzzed. We all won.

So side note, found out today that this could possibly go down in history as one of the best summers ever- A.) I got a new job! I start Monday at the Record Courier in Ravenna selling classified ads and help wanted ads. I get commission and bonuses and INSURANCE!! B.) I'm going to see Jimmy Buffet at Blossom!!!!!! C.) I'm going to see Journey AND Foreigner at Blossom too! D.) Do we need a D? Weren't A, B & C enough??

Side side note, I got to thinking about my favorite summers- starting with the most recent:

Summer of 2010- Had amazing pit weather, every weekend was a blast. Wasn't in a fight with my best friends! Fell in love :)

Summer of 2008- First moved into my house with the boys. Had parties literally almost every night. Was the QUEEN of flip cup! Was skinny!!

Summer of 2004- Daily trips to West Branch beach, discovering the swimmin hole at the pit, best trip to Mohican EVER, Bro's graduation party, being inseparable from my friends, knowing I was leaving in August for 5 months in Florida so just making every moment count.

Summer of 1996- Silly, I know, but I was CRAZY into softball growing up and we had an undefeated team that summer :)

Summer of 1995- Softball again- all of my best friends were on my softball team, every night was a giant sleep over at someones house, sleeping in the tent in my back yard, bon fires every night, laughing too hard and having too much fun.

Lets face it, as a kid, every summer is amazing... but for me, those were the stand out summers. Last night I slept with my window open for the first time this year, it's such a 'summer' thing to do... so I've had summer on my mind :) I can't wait, I hope this one's gonna go down in the record books as an Outstanding Summer!

The best thing

One year ago January 21, I did the second best thing I've ever done for myself. I got out of a toxic relationship with a complete douche bag. Looking back now, I kick myself for getting into it in the first place, let alone letting it last 10 months. What I learned from that experience- there is never a good time to break up with someone. There is always SOMETHING coming up, a birthday, anniversary, holiday, illness, money trouble, car trouble, job trouble... next time, it could be Valentines day, his birthday, our anniversary, the day he fell down and broke his arm and lost his job- but if it's not right, he's gettin the boot.

I also learned that life is too short to go through unhappy.

So one year ago today, February 2, I did the best thing I've ever done for myself and brought lots and lots of Happy to my life. I adopted Floyd. Well, Bro and I did it together, but he's in my name and he likes me better (I feed him more). Its kind of ridiculous if you knew how I felt about animals before, to how I feel about Floyd now. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like your dog or your cat, but I LOVE mine.

For instance, this morning I realized I had dog poop on my jeans when I got to work. It was a very small spot, but regardless, it was poop. On my jeans. Before this last year I would have wigged out, gone home, showered, changed, wondered how the hell I ended up with dog poop on me to begin with... now, I was just glad it wasn't dog poop puke and went on with my day. You haven't lived til your dog is puking up turds in your car. The memory of that evening still makes me queasy.

This last year Floyd and I have gone through some high's- he (very rarely) gets car sick anymore, he doesn't want to eat every dog he meets (just the little ones), he is awesome on a leash (with his gentle leader), he's a great cuddler, he loves to play dress up, he will sit and not eat his food until I tell him it's ok. That's our best accomplishment with him. He was starved when he was brought into the shelter. For him to trust me enough to know he'll get to eat, no matter how long I make him wait... that's amazing to me.

We've also had some lows- he ate my bathroom (including the water hose to the toilet- can we say flood?), he puked dog poop in my car, he got poop on my jeans, my boots, my socks, my bed..., he's got separation anxiety and would tear up the house, poop and piss every time we left if he wasn't crated, he tripped me when we were running and I rolled my ankle because he was an idiot on the leash, he manages to find the one protruding object in the yard and get his line wrapped around it in the rain.

Even though the lows list is longer than the highs, I wouldn't trade him for anything. I hate sounding like such a nerd, but he really is the best thing. I can't wait to see all the highs I can list by next year!

Don't believe the Bull, Adopt a Pit!

Cosmic Coincidence

So Monday morning I got in my car and there was a penny on the seat. I'm not Superstitious, but I am a LittleStitious, so I picked it up and put it my pocket. I had a really really good day- I even got a tip from a customer for an installation I worked on (which is very rare). Which is weird because I used to live on tips- but whatever. Needless to say, after the good day I had on Monday, I had that penny in my pocket again this morning!

As I was making my long, exhausting, nerve wrecking 3 mile commute to work- Tim McGraw was singing his song, "Live like you were dying" I was thoughtlessly humming along as Tim sang
"I went Rocky Mountain climbing
I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu
And man I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I watched an eagle as it was flyin"

I kid you not, just as that lyric was playing, a bald eagle flew over the road in front of me. It was a pretty powerful moment, not something that happens every day... let alone with musical accompaniment!