Who Do I Think I Am??

This one's about my personal space, yo.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm trying not to get distracted typing this while listening to the Sabres game (damn you DirecTv, and us not having Versus!!). Many of you who are friends with me on Facebook have seen me allude to this before, but today has only reinforced the need for me to reiterate the cardinal rule of retail considering myself:

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, AS A CUSTOMER SHOPPING IN MY STORE, SHOULD YOU EVER TOUCH ME.

And we're going to amend that rule, appropriately:

NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL OF EXEMPILARY CUSTOMER SERVICE I BRING, REMEMBER THIS: I AM NOT YOUR BABY, HONEY, SWEETIE, OR LOVE.

I wear a nametag, and it's freakin' big enough for even the oldest of the elderly to read. It has my name on it. That's how you address me. Please, and thank you.

And the no-touching thing, well, that should be a given. I wouldn't touch you. I'm here to take your money and hand you merch. If I touch you, it's totally accidental. And by accidental, I mean it's the "you rammed into me with a shopping cart and I fell into you" kind of accidental.

I don't need you grabbing on to my arm as you tell me how spoiled your grandkid is. You're not falling. You're not losing your balance. You're leaning into me, to tell me your grandkids are spoiled?? Step the eff you see kay back, please. I'm not gonna continue to keep showing you toys you're planning on buying your "spoiled grandkids" (from a drugstore, no less) if you keep the touchy-feely goin' on.

[SIDEBAR]: I'mma start blogging during Sabres' games more frequently if they keep scoring once I hit WDC on my address bar. For reals. Hey Julie D - PUBLISHED! , how do you like your hockey team right now? Remember Ville Lieno? Yeah, we forgot about him too, until tonight.

On a related note, my hair, while nothing special, is also off-limits when it comes to the customer/employee touching rule. You never, ever, ever have a reason to touch my head. You don't freakin' know where I've been! (It must be noted that I have not been anywhere, besides a shower, that would make you not want to touch my head. You should just know a little better...let's put it this way: you coming into the store pretty much every week doesn't give you the license to hit on and molest me, especially when you come in every week to make pictures from a camera you don't know how to operate, on a machine that has software you still don't know how to navigate. After at least two and a half fucking years!! )

Besides all of that, I kinda liked my job today.

CHRISTMAS MUSICAL BREAK!!

I love my city too.

[SIDEBAR]: The crowd's roaring...this game sounds like it's getting ugly. Sounds like the Flyers are targeting Sabres with injuries, and Buffalo's finally responding when opposing players are taking liberties with our players. 'Bout damn time. I'm anticipating a 3rd period brawl. DAMN YOU VERSUS!! But ya know, I'm totally ok with it. We've got the greatest announcer in the history of hockey, Mr. Rick Jeannerette. Youtube some of his legendary calls. Dude's a Buffalo icon.

Anyway, so this little Xmas tune is new to me. I was messin' around on Youtube and came across this tune. It's cheesy, but the visuals (well, most of them) are pretty sweet. It's the heart of a Buffalo winter. The places, the shots, the comments on the vid itself, well, that's who we are. If anything could get me in the spirit of the season, this just might be it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZgP1cKwlq4&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list...

VITAL STATS:

I'm trying pretty hard to get into this "Christmas spirit" kinda feeling. Probably harder than I should. Cuz it's not working so far.

Nothing like your boss changing your schedule for the upcoming week and not telling you. Especially when you pretty much work the same days/times every week. Look, I don't want to feel like I'm "entitled" to anything, because I shouldn't be. But at least grant me the courtesy of asking me if I'm ok with changing my schedule. Maybe that is something I've earned after being a valued employee. And if there's an issue, just effing ask me...cuz I'm easy about things like that, but when I have things coming up, don't just expect that I'll jump in the company's favor. I don't care what the season is. If I have things that need to be taken care of, I have to take care of them. If you want me to come in at 10am instead of 8am, fine. Not cool, but ok. If you want me to come in at 5:45am instead of 8am, you better fucking ask a playa first. This house has rides to coordinate, and I need to know these things. Not to sound like a spoiled idiot, but I do my work. When there's no more work, I find work. I get touched wrong by random people. Give me the respect and the benefit of having an option when you want to change things up on me. That isn't too much to ask.

[SIDEBAR]: This Sabres' game has gone to shit. Now down 4-3 after two periods. Julie, I take it back.

Normally, I have a little love for the fast-food servants. Not today. Not when I pick up lunch for half the store, get the bends from the other half of the store for not asking if they want anything, and then realize they didn't put my order in the bag once I settled in for my chicky nuggies. And ya know what? It's my fault. I briefly checked the bags to make sure I got everything. Damn near looked like it, and I don't want to be that guy that holds up the front counter. But damn you, McDonalds. You're paid minimum wage to do minimum wage tasks. If you want to get paid more, step your damn game up. And to the manager that filled my original order, learn from the minimum wage chick who let me have chicky nuggie time when I burned up my lunch break going back there to get your mistake. You wanna wear the goofy tie? Do your damn job.

And with that, I'm gonna take 27 years off my life by having a beverage, a smoke, and a listen to the 3rd period of the Sabres' game in privacy. I like that because nobody can see the worst side of me...the one that actually swears at a computer that works (for the most part). This side that you see, it's all "well, he's cute, he's kind of an idiot, he's got some issues"; no...this side would be throwing remotes at tv's if this game was in my viewing vicinity. Peace, love, and GOODNIGHT NOW!!