[Jaeden's Scrapbook] The Party Tent

[Jaeden Kincade]

This tent isn’t used for sleeping all that much…. Rules while inside the tent: 1) No political discussion (It eventually just turns into an Apples and Oranges argument, and bores the hell out of me). 2)No religious discussion (I’m agnostic, unless you can bring the Almighty over to my house with the spirits of my dearly departed, I won’t believe you. So don’t try to convert me, and I won’t try to prove your religion is another fancy Mythology). 3)Clothing is not allowed. 4)Tampering with the Disco Ball is punishable by death. 5)Only these ladies have escaped the penalty imposed by rule #4 (they were persuasive in their defense pleading for their life): 6)Molestation of the Tent host by female party goers is at the discretion of the host himself (normally, he’s okay with it). 7)Don’t break shit. 8)Animals are allowed, but you must clean up any deposits they leave along the tend floor, and clean it immediately. 9)More rules may be added depending on the evidence collected from a prior party night. Meet the bouncer who shall enforce Tent rules…. So, after consideration, and lack of story posts to work on, I decided to take the short amount of time I had before bed tonight to start my scrapbook. I never started one before because, well, I just never had all that much I felt I needed to vent. So this scrap book will be more or less touch and go depending on whether or not I feel like I’m in a weird mood and wish to disturb everyone’s thoughts and dreams with. Some things about me you may not know, or wish to have known after reading….. 1: I rarely, ever, get angry. Irritated? Sure. Frustrated? Of course. Annoyed. On some days, often. But I hardly ever get angry. I feel such is normally a waste of energy in the long run and am normally very laid back, or Zen, if you will. I used to get angry when I was younger, but a certain event (which I will not likely disclose because it is a big shame for me), seemed to snap my head on strait. If I were angry, it’s not likely you would see me online at all until I’ve burned off my anger through some form of physical exercise. 2: I was born with an extra rib. It’s true, and it’s still there of course. It was discovered when I got an x-ray at the docs one day as a kid after my chest was knelt on while playing football before school. My father teased me for about a month after, stating that it was a sign I should have been born a girl. 3: I still quiver like a virgin when making love. Of course, it takes a special woman to get that reaction out of me, but such is a sign that I’m very, very into said woman. 4: My family is the most important thing to me. Especially my parents, whom I hold in the highest regard. Mother and Father insults are a big line with me that shouldn’t be crossed. While I am very laid back, if you toss a “Your Mama..” or “Your Papa…” joke my way, I will take it really personally, after which you should expect me not to speak to you. At all. For a short while. Sisters, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins are okay though, since I make fun of them on a regular basis. Just. No. Parents. 5: I’m easy to entertain. I don’t get bored easily. I could normally find entertainment in most anything I do. 6: I’m difficult to excite. While I’m easy to entertain, on the negative side, I don’t find a whole lot of thrill in a lot of things. I’m not saying I’ve been everywhere and seen everything, and maybe it’s my laid back nature that’s to blame, but I’m just not one of those people who would stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon and be awestruck by it’s majestic nature. I’m more likely the one to say, “Yep, that’s a pretty big hole alright. Hope no one trips.” 7: When I’m at home, I’m usually naked. Unless it’s cold. Well, okay, maybe this is something the vast majority of people already know about me. 8: I’m an ugly fucking chud. It’s true, ask anyone. 9: What else? What else? No, really. What else? 10: I caught a fish once. Let it go though because I didn’t feel like cleaning and cooking it. 11: Oh, that’s right. I’m a badass baker. I’ve whipped up several different types of desserts in my time around the over. I guess I find it therapeutic. Well, not really. It’s just easy prepping food and the leaving to bake rather than hovering over it constantly like I would with cooking over the stove. 12: Are you tired of reading this yet? Because I have porn I need to be looking up on the web. 13: I have very, long toes. Seriously, the pinky toe alone is almost an inch long. 14: I have never broken a bone in my life. That I’m aware of anyways. Though I have had a couple of dislocations. Thumb and shoulder. 15: Yes, I post fast. I won’t give the reasons for why, suffice to say, never leave a reply behind. Hooah! 16: Seriously, internet porn? Not getting watched right now. Nuff said. Well, that’s it for now. If you aren’t traumatized after reading, and wish to know more, drop me a reply requesting info. If I feel it’s something about myself that I might be willing to share (most stuff about me I am), then I’ll divulge it in a reply. Now seriously, I’ve got porn to watch. Need to even out my arm sizes so I’ll be going lefty tonight.

[Alodian Aviastas]

Okay, I have to say that number three is definitely my favorite!

[Jilitse]

I would like to have you answer all these questions ICly as Jaeden or Seyp.

[Satu]

As the newest member to open a Scrapbook, it is only fitting that you be welcomed with grace and style. But since I don't have any of that, you will be welcomed with an "Official Jeaden Theme Song" instead.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vldh7oQD-a4&ob=av2e

[Callisto]

For Nate, from Pouty Lips.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Retail Blows I’ll admit that I’m a bit of an introvert. I find myself being much more relaxed at home than with a group of people. I won’t be the one standing amongst a crowd at a party, being the life of it and center of attention, I’ll be the guy off to the side playing darts or pool with one or two people. This could be part of the reason why I dislike my job so much. I work in a retail store, specifically in the Shoes department of that retail store. My introvert nature, is only part of it, and a small part really. My major beef with such work, aside from low pay and crappy fluctuating hours of course, are the customers who tend to have misunderstandings as to what is considered proper etiquette while shopping, or who have no respect for the people providing them a service. Now, I like to be helpful, sometimes I’ll go out of my way to be helpful, but if a customer is being a total ass in some form or another, I will do as little as I can to help them. Below I’ve listed some tips that shoppers could follow which will most often get them better overall customer service from an employee at a store (bare in mind, these are merely tips that I offer based on how I service a customer, employees will vary from store to store). 1. We’re not your mothers. Pick up after yourselves. I swear to all that can be swore to, that at least 70% of my work consists of picking up after customers. Whether they’re leaving trash along the floor, even if there’s a garbage can three feet away, trying on a shoe or other article of clothing and leaving it on the floor, or suddenly deciding they don’t want something in the middle of shopping and leaving it lay somewhere. I mean really, is it so difficult that you can’t reach out and drop a piece of clutter into a garbage can? Is it so difficult that you can’t bend over, pick up a shoe, and put it back from where you got it from (it doesn’t even have to be put back into the box correctly for me, really, but at least put it back in the box!)? And seriously, the cart isn’t going to weight that much more if you keep the item in your cart and simply hand it to your cashier when checking out and saying, “Sorry, I’ve decided I don’t want to buy this.” Hell, even most fitting rooms will have a rack where you can hang stuff you decide against and are too lazy to put back. Don’t just leave the laundry heap piled on the damn floor. You may make the argument, “Well, it’s your job to.” This is true to a certain extent. Yes, I have to pick up after you, IF you leave crap lay randomly someplace. I’ll tell you this, however, if I see that you’ve been leaving stuff lay all over, causing me to pick stuff up for you, I’ve decided that any time I would devote to helping you if you have a question or request will have been used up in cleaning your mess. I will, at best, go to the stock room, and have a seat at the desk before contemplating the riddle of life. I won’t even check for an item you’ve asked me to. 2. It’s not the end of the fucking world. Seriously. What most people don’t seem to realize in this day and age, is that in most of the major retail stores/chains, orders for stock are all handled by corporate system which keep track of what stock is sold, and what stock is in Distribution Centers. None of the employees order the product on a store level, most of the time, they won’t even know what’s coming on the next truck until they open the doors. They simply stock the shelves when they have it, and apologize for the inconvenience when they don’t. Some of the time, if you have to ask whether or not they have something in the back, chances are they don’t. Which brings me to my point: Getting pissed off and taking it out on the employee because they don’t have your shirt/shoe/skirt size or certain item in stock, isn’t going to make it magically appear. Seriously, what are you getting pissed about? It’s not like we’re stocking air for you to breath. If we don’t have an item on the shelf, I’m sure you can live without it until we do get it in. I’ve had customers tell me I was a incompetent waste of space because we didn’t have his size of a discontinued (yes, I told him it was discontinued too) sandal. When he asked me to check on another shoe, I wouldn’t even go look, I simply told him, “Nope, we’re out of that one too. I’m sure I couldn’t find it if we had it anyhow, since I’m an incompetent waste of space.” Another customer got pissed when we wouldn’t exchange a Digital Photo Frame, without a receipt, who’s screen had burned out after he had left it on, constantly, for over a year. Nor did he keep the box or warranty. He began yelling at me stating that he owned an auto-parts store, and that he always took care of his customers. I then came back at him with, “Well, what kind of person, who owns an auto-parts store of all things, doesn’t have the foresight to keep the warranty?” At that point, he simply stormed off, declaring never to shop in the store again. Have fun. Don’t go away angry. Just go away. Frankly, if you get all pissed off about something so minor, it concerns me how you’ll handle things when shit seriously hit’s the fan. I, for one, will not do anything for you if you begin taking your anger and disappointment out on me. I could direct you to a Kiosk we have, which will likely have your item available for order over our online store, which will most likely be shipped for free upon ordering as part of my corporation’s policy for kissing customer ass. I could offer a substitute, offering a comparable item even up to $100 more expensive if you really push. I could write out a rain check if the item is not discontinued, reserving that item for you at the sale price and including any discounts or coupons you would have, giving you dibs for the next shipment we receive. But if you’re all pissy and yelling at me because you have problems with anger management. Most you’ll get from me is a, “Sorry for the inconvenience.” If that. 3. Keep control of your kids. I understand that kids have impulse control problems. I understand that they’re temperamental. That they’ll cry, that they’ll pitch a fit. Kids are kids. Guess what though, your kids are not my kids. Now, don’t get me wrong. I can deal with an infant crying because it’s hungry or needs to be changed, that’s just a sign from them when they can’t say, “Hey mom, whip that bottle out and let me suckle.” or “Yo, papa, I just left a big pile in my diaper. I seriously don’t think it can fit anymore.” That I reason for crying, I can deal with. But I will seriously just leave and go someplace else if a kid is screaming off the top of their head because they didn’t get that new G.I. Joe action doll with the Kung Fu grip, well playing the “Ignore the child’s tantrum” still puts an inconvenience on those who would help you in the store and the other customers. No one wants to approach a child pitching a fit for no good reason with a voice loud enough to shatter glass, and employees will try to scatter like roaches when the lights come on if they hear one approaching. If you’re kid is that loud because you’ve spoiled them in the first place, it’s time to say “Enough shopping for the day,” and take the kid home. Sure, it may be inconvenient to you, but the kid is your responsibility. Others shouldn’t have to suffer damaged ear drums because you don’t want to be inconvenienced. As well, I can tell you how annoyed it makes me when I’ve spent a good three hours bricking (pulling shoe boxes to the front of shelves so they’re all even and looking nice) shelves of shoes, numbering in the thousands, only to have a child you’re not paying attention to walk around pushing them all back. When you step onto an elevator with your kid, do you let them press all the buttons to every floor simply because they glow? No, you don’t. Not unless you’re an idiot with a lot of free time on your hands. So don’t let them grab and push at stuff while shopping around. If I’ve found your kid is making a hellacious mess, my principle for helping you falls into the same category of you making that mess. The time I would have spent helping you is now spent cleaning up after your child, which should be your job in the end. Frankly as well, if they do get to making a serious mess, and you do nothing, then you either don’t care that they do because you figure, “I don’t have to clean it up,” which makes you a douche, or you’re not paying attention to your child because you’re more focused on shopping, making your kid a prime target for kidnapping and thus an irresponsible parent. 4. Seriously, WTF? This last one is more from a couple experiences while working in the shoes department mainly. Just because you have a foot fetish, doesn’t mean I have one. I work in the shoes department, yes. That doesn’t mean I get sexual arousal by looking at feet. I don’t really find it gross, as some people do. I just don’t really get it. I don’t see how someone can look at a foot and say, “That is hot. I am so turned on right now.” So, just for the record, if you ask me to help you put on your shoe, expect me to roll my eyes and shake my head if you begin moaning while I’m doing it, as well as to be putting on your own damn shoes from there on out. Really, how are people aroused by feet? When did the act of sex become so boring? Well, those are the major contributing factors that would impede my desire or ability to help a shopper. Essentially, remember, would you want someone coming in where you work, dumping crap all over your floor, letting their children raise hell, and coming up to you screaming in anger at you because whatever happened that is really inconsequential in the end? Of course, none of this is directed at any single individual who reads this. Unless you recognize yourself guilty of some of the aforementioned dumbassery, in which case, it is. Until next time, Mizaharians. ~The Nate

[Jilitse]

I agree with #3, and I do #1 for my mum when we go shopping, and #4 made me laugh until you told us about it in chat. I literally fell silent.

[Aella]

I would like to add the following for those going through the check-out lines:

1. When told that your coupons don't apply to the items you are trying to purchase at 85% off, don't scream at the clerk, start telling them how their company is going downhill, or throw the item and/or coupon at them and say you don't want it. Especially if it's a designer brand that you're getting for under $8.

2. Back to the throwing thing... Don't do it to your cashier. Don't do it with merchandise, money, coupon books, and especially garbage.

3. Don't expect cash back when your receipt clearly states that the return will be given to you in a merchandise credit. When told that the worker could lose their job over it, don't start screaming at them to do it anyway.

4. Get. Off. Your. Cellphone. It's rude, and it puts the cashier in an uncomfortable spot if they need to talk to you about something - Which they will.

5. If the employee tells you that they're off the clock, respect that, and don't continue to ask your question, demand they help you anyway, or tell them they're worthless. They've been working all day, likely on their feet, and technically it is illegal for them to be doing their job without getting paid for it. Go find someone else.

I could probably think of a thousand more, but I don't want to start having horrible flashbacks. Nate, I love you for posting this. Retail solidarity, brother.

[Diane]

Dear,Nate..

All attention here.Now,please..I think you're one of the less people which I know and that doesn't get angry that easy.Plus,not to mention the part of how you manage to restrain that,or -not a good word,think some more-rephrase it: how you manage to let it out not using Violence.That's a plus in my notebook for sure,a few people are doing exact the same,as the other 90% know only how to use their fists/legs or to swear to left and right.>.>

Another thing,I wanna say is that..I wanna taste your" badass baking" -droools- I am a sweet-tooth.What can I say? XD I just love sweets,you can't blame me for that..now can you ?

As another remark,kids in stores?never.I mean never Ever.why must other have to pay/clean after "other children" when their own parents don't pay attention?that doesn't suffice enough,for having a hardass job,as in the end has to deal with That to? I'll go nuts.. >_> -for real..-
In any case,nakedness is always a good sigh of some liberty and good self confidence.

The best,
Di.

[Jaeden Kincade]

The Retail Job Nightmare Little bit of a continuation from my last scrapbook post, but this time with not-so-dazzling photos. Generally, most people can only get a slight understanding of my disdain for working in a retail job where a good percentage of the customers don’t give a rat’s ass about the people who are there to help them and how some of their actions hinder that process. So, I’ve decided to give visual reference this time around in my scrapbook update. It was one of those nights where I came into work and when my supervisor tells me it’s a “Typical Holiday Night” I tend to groan a little bit before replying with, “Do I have to stay my whole shift?” My supervisor is finicky for not leaving messes for the next worker. And it took about two minutes of discussion between her and I before she went on her way. What do I find two minutes after arriving to the department to start my work but this little jewel... Secret : Needless to say that I groaned again as I picked up the lawsuit ensuing tripping hazard and went to work. Things began to get a little busier as we head into the 5pm hour as most workers are getting done with their shifts. As I’m pulled left and right to answer questions, fetch something from the stockroom, help out at the front registers or carry heavy things for little old ladies or the generally lazy, I find myself unable to give the attention to my department that it really needs. So while it comes to no surprise, I still groan when I return to find..... Secret : And…. Secret : Now, these are shots of only two areas, it’s too busy still for me to get more, but more or less imagine those two things, only spread out over 30 isles and twice as many endcap fixtures. So I’m moving a little quicker now to straiten things up while still doing the things mentioned above while avoiding screaming children and urge of grabbing mess makers by their collars and tossing them out of the store……….without opening the doors first. For those of you who read my last Retail Etiquettes post, you’ll recall I might have mentioned how lazy people are to just throw something on the floor even though there’s a waste basket like 3 feet from them. Proof of such… Secret : Oh, as well in that shot and others the laziness to not put stuff back where they belong, you have the complete lazy of hanging shoes, and the fact that they can’t put the effort forward to hang a shoe back up despite being right in front of the place where they got them…. Secret : So, as my night starts to wind down, I eventually find myself getting ahead and making the previous isles and fixtures pictured look more like this… Secret : And this…. Secret : However, I don’t feel much sense of accomplishment from such, because I know in the end, it will only last a day, at best, before it’s totally trashed once again. I am cemented firmly in that belief when 15 minutes before we close, I come back to an area I previously had looking good to find this…. Secret : Needless to say, I didn’t get everything done that night, and despite not really having a great liking for my job, that frustrates me a good deal. I may not like my job all that much, but I have a firm enough work ethic that I still want to do such good. And remember, this was a “Typical” holiday night, not a real busy one. So remember, the next time you walk into a retail store and see a mess in a department, remember that it’s generally not going to be an associate’s fault. There’s only so much one worker can cover, especially during the holiday season.