We wish you a Merry Christmas

Christmas Carols for the Disturbed:

1. Schizophrenia --- Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. Multiple Personality Disorder --- We Three Kings Disoriented Are
3. Dementia --- I Think I'll be Home for Christmas
4. Narcissistic --- Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
5. Manic --- Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Busses and Trucks and Trees and.....
6. Paranoid --- Santa Claus is Coming to Town to Get Me
7. Borderline Personality Disorder --- Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire
8. Personality Disorder --- You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout, Maybe I'll Tell You Why
9. Attention Deficit Disorder --- Silent night, Holy oooh look at the froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?
10. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder ---Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle,Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle, Bells,Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells ...

So bite your tongue, you're not the only one, who's been let down

I was recently accused of not working to my potential at my job. Ok, accused is not the correct word in this situation. It’s more as if I was flat-out told this. I have spent the last few days thinking about my situation here and what their reasons for believing this are.

This has been a complex problem to tackle because I’ve always been a hard worker and I am having a very difficult time seeing their point of view. I know that I am not working to what I feel is my potential and that, I feel, is due to the fact that I am simply not allowed to. I also know that there is a plethora of reasons I have a lack of productivity, again, mostly because I am not allowed to.

I’ve probably felt for about 12-14 months now, and I'm pretty sure it's because my opinions were never considered, when they were voiced in my first few months, as possible solutions to issues. My ideas on how to deal with the issues in this office, which is part of the management aspect of my job, are not valued in any sense. Often times now, I don’t bother to speak up, even when I feel strongly about an issue, because I know that my voice isn’t heard. After being shot down time and time again, one gets the feeling that they have very little worth in their position, thus creating an atmosphere of apathy and low self esteem, neither of which I have a problem with outside of this building.

I realize that I have three options: 1) If I continue on this path, I’ll probably be terminated in the next 3-6 months. 2) If I start speaking up, at least people will feel as though I’m participating and maybe they’ll take that as a sign that I’m trying, even if I know that my efforts are fruitless. 3) Point out why I feel the way I do and maybe enough of a change from others will occur that I will actually become slightly happier, thus more productive here.

I know this is not my career choice, that’s why I’m back in school. This is the “In the meantime” job to pay the bills; but I’m also using this job to gain experience working in an office environment.

When I worked in the restaurant, I was the head manager, I made numerous decisions without any supervision on a daily basis and my efforts were rewarded with raises and bonus money. I made more profit in that restaurant than they had ever seen previously. I had broken long-standing records; I created and fostered a fun, but hard-working environment in a location that had been nothing but a problem before I arrived. It’s also been nothing but problems since I’ve left. Running a successful business is very basic. It’s not as difficult as people make it out to be. Take care of the people who take care of you – your customers/clientele – they pay your salary! Take care of your employees, listen to them, and trust them – sometimes, they see areas of opportunity that even the brightest businessperson won’t see. Be honest with everyone you deal with. Whether it’s a client/customer, an employee or a vendor you regularly deal with; not being honest with those people will only hurt you later down the line. Don’t be stubborn. It’s ok to be cautious, but sometimes stubbornness is confused with cautiousness and there is a significant difference. Spend a little, save a little. It’s been said thousands of times, “You have to spend money to make money.” Not all spending is necessary. Know when to splurge and know when to pull the reigns in a bit, but never be penny wise and pound-foolish.

I know how to run a successful business. I think my record of accomplishments speak for themselves. So why won’t anyone listen to me?

With your hand on my shoulders, a meaningless movement... a moviescript ending and the patrons are leaving, leaving

Have movies priced themselves out of people’s budgets? I had a conversation with a co-worker this morning about whether I had seen a certain movie yet, to which I responded, “No, I’ll wait for that one on DVD.”

He said it was good and that I should go see it. I asked if he thought it was worth the $9 (per person, b/c who goes to the movies alone?) I would have to pay to see it in the theatre. He said probably not and that brought up the original question that I posed. That question begat a different version of the question, are movies theatres just a giant waste of money? The buildings that house the individual theatres are like warehouses now. There are as many as 24 individual theatres in some buildings with huge lobby areas for teenagers to congregate, 20 ticket windows, through which you cannot understand what the person on the other side is saying, large, somewhat clean restrooms and an overpriced concession area with 15 registers available to order at every 150 feet. The theatres themselves are built with comfortable seats, some with armrests that lift up, so you can “get cozy with someone next to you”, drink holders and spacious aisles, so as your going to the two empty seats in the middle of the aisle, your crotch/ass isn’t directly in the face of the people you’re attempting squeeze by.

All of that being said, here is my argument: A movie that comes out in, say, July/August (the summer “blockbuster” months) will be available on DVD in time for Christmas, or just after Christmas/New Year’s. You can go cool off during those months in the theatre or maybe go to a drive-in (if you’re lucky enough to live near one) and spend $9/person for tickets, $5.50 for a medium popcorn and $4.75 on a medium drink. For the same money, you could get a decent meal somewhere and enjoy the company of your friends, family, etc and in a few months rent the DVD for $5 from Blockbuster, get a six-pack of beer for $6 and buy a box of microwave popcorn for $3.50. Then you could sit in the comfort of your living room/home theatre and watch the movie in an atmosphere that is just as relaxing and may even have less teenagers hanging around! In addition, you don’t have to worry about missing anything because you can hit the pause button if you need to go to the bathroom! If your cell phone rings, you won’t bother anyone by answering it and again, you can stop the movie for any other type of emergency that might arise.

My perspective is also skewed because I belong to an online DVD rental club. I pay $20/month for unlimited movies, of which I can have three “out” at one time. Going back through my last year of rentals, I’ve averaged about 10-12 movies/month and if we do the math, that’s right, it costs me less than $2/movie. I’ve only waited 3-5 months for the movie to come out on DVD and when it does, it’s in my mailbox within a few days. The best thing I like about renting movies is that if the movie is bad, I can turn it off and know that I didn’t just blow a ridiculous amount of money in the theatre to see it. I simply eject it and send it back.

Now there is something to be said for, “it can only be truly experienced on the big screen.” I can agree with that. Star Wars, Batman, King Kong, The Last Samurai, Superman, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Apollo 13, most movies about war, some, but very few horror movies and most action movies are certainly experienced better in the theatre, but to know which ones will be worth the money is the trick.

Back to answering my original question, in my budget, movies are overpriced and I’ll continue with my rentals unless I see something that is a must-see in the theatre.