Princess and the Frog
Disney didn't manage to go to back to the glory days of things like Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, or Aladdin, but they've done pretty well here. It's so cute and enjoyable and it's a lot of fun. If you watch closely there is a bit of racism, but I doubt Disney was intentionally putting it in there. The whole frog catcher bit-with the backwards hicks, I think that was more of a they needed the classic dumb three villains (see the hyenas in Lion King) over portraying bayou people in that light. Plus if you think about it, it's a little off that the white girl is rich and gets everything she wants while the main black character has to work her ass off. But it's DISNEY. You don't go see a Disney movie to think very hard and it's fun and lovely and I would add it to my movie collection in a heartbeat. It's nice to see another Princess with a little ethnicity.
The Lovely Bones
I can't remember much about it from when I read the book. I remember she was raped and murdered and she lived in limbo with her friend for a long time and then he dies by way of icicle. That's literally all I remember from the book but I did remember enjoying it for the most part. The movie is cinematographically beautiful. There are all these really neat images, and the limbo land is a great mesh of the living world and the heavenly afterlife. And yet you can tell it's not heaven, that there is something better. I was glad they didn't make the rape something graphic. The murder isn't even graphic. It was handled really well. There is some blood though. And what the murderer has done with her body is obvious after a while. I really liked this movie though. Saorise Roaon (may be misspelling her name) is a wonderful actress and very real. I wished they had left off the one bit that took the movie out of the real world for a moment. There is all this nice stuff about her family and the world moving on even though she is dead and having her come into another's body for a bit made the movie more fantastical then I would have liked. I know it's in the book-I was told, but it didn't fit with them movie I felt. Also I wish they developed the icicle more. They talk about it in limbo for so long about it being the perfect weapon so it feels like a nice sort of karmatic vengence when he is killed by one and it just seemed silly in the movie.
Nine
Let me start by saying that this is one of my favorite musicals and I know it really well. I've also seen it live. I know it inside and out and there is a way I expect it to be done. Someone who does not know the musical as well as I have may watch it and feel completely differently about the movie.
Overall, I was disappointed. It is not the Nine I know. I feel as if the director thought, well this worked on Chicago so it will work on Nine. But Chicago and Nine are VERY different kind of musicals and while that approach would work on a few of the songs in Nine-and was quite successful in a few of them it didn't work overall. I'm just going to take this song by song. It will probably cover all the issues I had.
Overture: This bit worked quite nicely. The women are a big problem in Guido's life so having them all come in like that was beautiful and set up storylines quite nicely.
Not Since Charlie Chaplin: Omitted
Guido's Song: For the most part this worked. The reporters are causing him great stress and anxiety since he doesn't have a script or anything yet. But they should have kept him nearing forty rather than fifty, since forty is the "over the hill" age and the actor doesn't look fifty.
My Husband Makes Movies: Moved until later in the movie. I almost thought they left it out and was mentally screaming. This was one of the most successful of the pull backs, make the song into the characters thoughts cinematographic bits. That's what the song is, her thoughts about her marriage and it was lovely to see it portrayed in that way. This was gorgeous and Marion Cotillard is an AMAZING actress. I wish they kept the bridge in though, Guido Contini-Luisa defono actress with dreams and a life of her own. The original lyrics were better in the areas they changed as well.
A Call From the Vatican: This was also a great moment of that because it is phone sex so having Penelope Cruz dolled up and being sexy worked wonders. It's better when Luisa is in the room with him though, far more awkward for Guido.
Only With You: Omitted. I wish they would have left this in because it shows how messed up Guido is. He is promising to love only his wife and then professing his love to his mistress and then telling Claudia she is the only one. It sets up the problems later on so much better then words can and I feel like you missed out on the nuances in his marriage. Luisa knows he is having an affair and she KNOWS he is in love with Claudia and she's putting up with it because at the end of the day, it's her. And I didn't get that until MUCH MUCH later.
Folies Bergeres: Number one, Lillian Le Fluer is supposed to be his producer not his costumer and I was so disappointed to see they took away the fact she is a strong professional woman and replaced her role with a man. It's more meaningful when she's an annoyed producer promised a musical rather than she's randomly designing a folies costume. It didn't really make sense in that context and it took away the character that was replaced by Kate Hudson's Stephanie, which REALLY didn't make sense. In the musical, there is a girl that Lillian has brought in that doesn't like Guido at all. Her job is to make him more appealing to the public since his last films have flopped and she seems to be a rabid feminist lesbian and it's hysterical. They replaced her with a character in love with Guido, almost sleeps with him that has a pointless useless song praising him? It takes away from the dynamic. Would have made this number better.
Nine: Omitted in favor of a lullaby. Sophia Loren was awesome to have for the mother, but I really liked the song Nine and it plays in to how Guido is feeling and how he wishes he could go back to when life was simpler, when he was nine. And it was a much better set up for the next song then. I thought the idea was nice, an Italian Lullaby, but it wasn't executed well and I felt like I was missing something in the long run.
Te Voglio Bene/Be Italian: LISTEN UP ROB MARSHALL, YOU IDIOT, THIS SONG IS NOT CELL BLOCK TANGO. He literally tried to remake cell block tango with this song with a bunch of scantily dressed women singing and dancing. Guess what? It didn't work, it didn't make sense and it pulled you out of the story for a good five minutes. The flashback idea was PERFECT. Should have stuck with that and kept it like that rather to the bizarre cuts over to the line of girls dancing on chairs. The whole song is about this prostitute teaching these boys about sex at an early age. You took all that out of the final cut, leaving us with random ass shit. I hate you. Needless to say I was not pleased.
Bells of St. Sebastien: Not really there. SHould have been kept in it's entirety. I understand why it was cut as it's hard to make sense of in the musical but the whole flashback would have worked better with it. And given you a chance to do the whole- this is inside his mind thing.
Unusual Way: OMG OMG OMG YOU FUCK UP. This is one of the most gorgeous songs in the musical. It's one of the most well developed and by throwing it away like that you made the whole Claudia bit not even make sense. Plus then she left now rather than leaving later which also made no sense. It was like the director was all, this song is pretty but what do I do with it. And why did you take it down 18000 octaves? It was thrown away and it's so much character development. But then most of the stuff that had great character development and helped the arch of the story as thrown out the window...
The Grand Canal medley: Omitted. Okay this would have made the most sense in the world to keep rather than that silly screen test. The screen test didn't make sense. The moment between Luisa and Guido leading up to it didn't build into her song. This medley is Guido romanticizing his life while the girls involved see themselves as he sees them. It's crucial. WHHYYYYYYY is it missing. WHYYYYYYYY?
Simple: Omitted. Again, this is a great character arc/development song. It shows how far the two women in his life who he thought he loved but he doesn't really love have come. Both Claudia and Carla give him up in this song and it makes Guido so alone which builds to the moment when he loses Luisa and is REALLY alone. You never took everything from him. Having Carla take pills was stupid and melodramatic. Better to have her see that Guido sees her as silly in the above song and have her get up the gumption to say, I'm done Ciao. grrrr.
Be On Your Own: Omitted, replaced with a song that was burlesque. I understand that women dressed in their underwear sells but Be On Your Own strips Guido. It strips Luisa bare, as she leaves him and it strips Guido. Luisa has been his rock and she finally says NO MORE. You take me for granted no more. She sees herself in the Grand Canal Medley and leaves and then comes back with this tour de force. He needs her because the other two have left him but it is too little to late. The other song didn't have all those layers and it was that stupid -inside your head- crap. This needed to be sung right at Guido. He needs to know. SHE IS DONE.
I Can't Make This Movie: I honestly can't remember if they kept it in it's entirety or if it was omitted for something very similar or shortened. There is the type of moment in there that is this but THIS is much more poignant. In the stage version I saw he almost killed himself. It's rock bottom for him and I never felt he hit rock bottom.
Growing Tall: Understandably Omitted because it's child guido singing to adult guido but hinted at with the child in the last bit. This would have been a great -inside your head- moment of Guido looking back and little Guido giving him strength. I did like the little Guido in the end so it would have also tied in nicely with that. Little Guido gives him strength to continue after he loses it all and he is a changed, more honest man.
Finale: I would have liked to see him know Luisa returned to him. Rather then her in the back.
The movie was a rather mediocre version of the musical despite it's cast of very talented stars. There were amazing moments but it wasn't cohesive. I think too much altering of the original plot. Or not enough directorial understanding of it. But then, I KNOW the musical really well. Someone who has no knowledge of it, or considerably less then me wouldn't know all this going in. I tried to distance myself the way I normally do in movies but it kept being WRONG.
Sherlock Holmes
Fun action movie, bears little to no resemblance to any Holmes you might think of. Would have been disappointed if I had paid for it. There is a lot of things blowing up, it's a lot of action. Hard to figure out Holmes train of thought, he pulls it out of thin air more than I cared for. It's set up for a sequel and looks like it has done well enough in the box office in order to get one.
Up In The Air
This was good. This was very good. It's thoughtful, imaginative, real. It gets at you. And there is a bit of a surprise at the end. If you haven't seen it yet, I don't want to spoil because it was far better then I thought it would be. It's a little slow at times. It sort of has an Independent movie feel to it, but it's got big stars. It makes you think. I'm still thinking about it.
Book of Eli
If I hadn't seen it for free I would have asked for my money back. It was not good. Fifteen minutes into the movie I stopped identifying with the main character and the twist at the end never made up for it. I couldn't care about his struggles or his journey because I no longer liked him. I don't need to like all characters, generally I don't like villains. But Denzel Washington's character is supposed to be chosen by God. God has protected him all this way and knowing that made me dislike him when he didn't stop to help a man and woman who suffered at the hands of these men. It was set up so you could tell the woman was going to be raped and he walked away and at that moment I lost all respect for his character and I couldn't care about it. At the end it reveals that he is blind, the bible he is carrying is in braille, but I didn't care. He had shown himself to be able to defend himself against multiple attackers with the help of god and he could have saved that woman from harm and he chose not to. I was unimpressed. Personally I'd like to think if there is only one copy of the bible on earth and it's being carried to a place where it can be duplicated, god would bother to leave it in the hands of a good man. Not someone like that.
Wolfman
Kinda a funny story about this. I went to take my sister to Avatar and the show was sold out. The only thing playing on Valentine's day at the time we needed to see it was Wolfman. So we saw it. LOL.
It wasn't very good. It wasn't very bad either. It was a mediocre movie and it was really gruesome. Far too gruesome I think. Lots of blood and decapitation of people's heads and limbs and things in general. The twist was good but I saw it coming and I'm a girl who tries to not see it coming, so I think it ends up being painfully obvious to some. If you don't like blood and guts don't bother to see it ever. It's also fairly long.
When In Rome
I know a lot of people who weren't particularly impressed with it but I found it fun. It's not the best plot in the entire world and it's a little over the top at times. But if you are looking for lighthearted entertainment that doesn't take itself very seriously, this is it. Kristen Bell is cute and funny, the situations he gets herself into is pretty implausible but it makes for a good time and makes for some good laughs. It's not too gross or immature, there isn't a bunch of potty humor. There are a few things that wouldn't be appropriate for young children but mostly I bet it will go over their heads. I saw it twice. It was enjoyable both times. That's what I go to the movies for, for entertainment and it entertained me. I was satisfied. But it's not any great movie for the ages.
Avatar
It's Long. That's my biggest and probably my only complaint. It's fucking LONG. Cameron needs to learn to cut down on some stuff. I'm sure there were probably a few things he could have found to cut and gotten the movie closer to 2 hours. But the movie is epic. Seriously Epic. Pandora is beautiful and I would live there if I could. I felt like it wasn't just a sci fi movie. It's sci fi-fantasy which opens it up to so many more people. But I loved it. I sat through it three times. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but it's amazing. It's more than just sci fi. It's go romance and social commentary and it's gorgeous. GORGEOUS. I would move to Pandora in a heartbeat even if everything there can eat me. I like Pochanatas Stories and most plots are recycled anyway. At least the epic ones and this is epic. It's going to be a cultural phenon, so if you haven't seen it suck it up and do so. And see it in 3D, because it was created for that. But generally I have no complaints about it. I'd see it again. It was well thought through and the world was created nicely, things have similar looks and it's all interconnected. They did a really good job of putting it all together and the storyline is meaningful. It's not typical sci fi though and I don't really think it should be billed as such. It's really only sci fi in the manner that it's taking place in the future on a different planet and he's been in a cyrogenic state for years? (I kinda miss the beginning) in order to be like this. But it's NOT REALLY a sci fi movie. It has some roots there but I wouldn't classify it as that.
Dear John
One of those epic romances that Nicholas Sparks writes. It's moving, it will make you cry. And for those of us who were old enough to REALLY feel the impact of the twin towers falling...it emphasizes how much a life can change. I can't believe that this year will be the ninth anniversary of that. There are children who don't remember it, who have never seen the new york skyline with those towers. Digressing...
If you don't like romance don't see it, because that's what it's about and it's not easy clean romance. It's gritty, it's messy. It's how real romance and love is. But it isn't all about that either. It's about father son relationships and what's it like to be different, and sacrifice. It's really moving. I was expecting a slightly different ending but it kept you on your toes and kept you guessing. It's not exactly a feel good movie, it's much like The Notebook in that way.It will show you love but it won't gloss over things and you won't come out of it feeling like a million dollars.
The Crazies
I was frankly expecting this to suck hardcore. I only went to see it because my sister showed up to the movie theatre too late to see Valentine's Day. Judging from the previews I thought it would be about some neighbors who decide they want revenge on their community and they aren't quite right in the head or something but it's SO NOT. It's far more terrifying then that for good reason. I didn't walk out of it feeling scared and I managed to not scream and make the entire theatre nervous. There are a few good startle spots but generally it's not that kind of movie. There isn't too much blood and gore either. It's scary in a different way and since it just opened it I won't be giving away plot points. It didn't suck hardcore though. I'm quite glad I saw it.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
movies
I really should do a post in which I review the movies I've seen recently. Because I would have a lot of fodder.
Let's see, what movies have I seen since I started working a the theatre.
Maybe I should work backwards...or thereabouts. Probably I'll just name them as I think of them.
1. the crazies-saw this today
2. Dear John
3. Avatar
4. When in Rome
5. Wolfman
6. Book of Eli
7. Up In the Air
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Nine (Oh, look what I did there)
10. The Lovely Bones
11. The Princess and The Frog
That's not really that many, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any others. But I guess in not yet 3 months that's almost one a week. And I did see Avatar three times. And when in Rome twice.
Let's see, what movies have I seen since I started working a the theatre.
Maybe I should work backwards...or thereabouts. Probably I'll just name them as I think of them.
1. the crazies-saw this today
2. Dear John
3. Avatar
4. When in Rome
5. Wolfman
6. Book of Eli
7. Up In the Air
8. Sherlock Holmes
9. Nine (Oh, look what I did there)
10. The Lovely Bones
11. The Princess and The Frog
That's not really that many, but I'm pretty sure I haven't seen any others. But I guess in not yet 3 months that's almost one a week. And I did see Avatar three times. And when in Rome twice.
Friday, February 26, 2010
waking up in the morning
I'm terrible at it. My sleeping habits are so fucked up right now. I'm supposed to be at work at 9 tomorrow and I'm terrified I won't wake up in time. So worried about it. I'm debating staying up but I'm so tired. I want to sleep.
Let's hope I wake up in a sensible fashion. Cross all fingers and toes.
Let's hope I wake up in a sensible fashion. Cross all fingers and toes.
I have decided to quit my job (tues. 23)
...at the florist
It's too stressful. I cannot work under this manager. It will be detrimental to my health.
She's constantly switching prices and procedure. I'm a fast learner and I have excellent memory and without the changes being posted somewhere I can refer to there is no way for me to stay on top of them. It's completely impossible. She doesn't post all the changes though. She then blames us. Or at least she blames me.
I don't think she likes me much. I never get frazzled while she's losing her head. Talking to customers appears easier for me. I suspect I'm generally a person more comfortable with myself then she is. I watch her get frazzled dealing with upset customers and she takes it personally. She's a few years younger than me and it's important to her that people like her.
At least this is my assessment and I could be bias because I'm not fond of her.
I think she really started disliking me when I quested something she said. We make confirmation calls if we have left the arrangement on the porch. I call back someone who is a pickup and redelivery. The woman picks up and says it was indeed redelivered. I ask the obvious question of is the arrangement more satisfactory-since I figure that is the goal with a pickup and redelivery. When the woman answers no, my immediate reaction is damage control. What can we do to make it better?
I know people are more likely to spread bad news about a business then good and we lose a potential customer if I don't make it right. Not to mention she is most likely going to complain to the person who bought it.
Please note that I have no idea what the arrangement is, what it is supposed to look like or what the arrangement that went out looked like. I have not memorized all the arrangements-there are hundreds and I'm flying by the seat of my pants to make sure we don't lose a potential customer, since she things the arrangement is hideous.
I finish talking to the woman on the phone and go to update the order on the computer.
Manager girl comes storming out of the office where she has been making corsages off the clock (WHYYYYYY?!?!!!... oh and teaching her friend how to make them instead of teaching me who has never made an orchid corsage and letting her friend waste company money when she messes up) basically yelling that I can't do what I just did. I'm annoyed that she's yelling when there is no reason to. Her points are valid but it in no way constitutes yelling. I understand that if we have to take the arrangement out there three times that means more work and less money for us, and that she isn't the person who ordered the arrangement... There is something that I don't understand and I attempted to ask a clarifying question. I am annoyed with her and my tone may have crossed into that realm but asking-so it doesn't matter what the recipient thinks about the flowers?- seemed reasonable to me.
I figured we have two customers really, the person who placed the order and the person who receives the order. If they are both happy, they use us again. I wasn't trained to believe differently. If I should be thinking differently, the I need clarification. Does this mean we never care about what the recipient thinks, or we only care if the person who placed the order compains, or do we not care on this order because we don't pick up and redeliver more than once, or because this order is under a certain amount?
I do have to interrupt her a little in order to ask the questions because she is continuing to yell and repeating things and it's too close to closing for me to listen to her go on and on about the same thing when all I need is a clarification. It's useless the way she repeats things anyway. It's never any different, it's like the exact same words over and over which isn't a good way to reinforce information. Instead of answering my question, she's all-"are you giving me attitude?"
Gag me. If she had been paying attention...
She never answered my question. I answered no and repeated my question and she stormed back into the office saying..well you've already TOLD the customer that. Completely unhelpful. Is it any wonder I never ask her any questions when an order is unusual. I prefer to call the other store with my questions.
I'm pretty sure she started disliking me then and now she's just being ridiculous.
As soon as I get in-she's telling me she needs to talk to me. About three things that were stupid. Nitpicky. If she ran the store better, maybe she wouldn't need to mention anything...
1. She's telling me for anything put in a vase I have to charge a fill price.
I actually know this already even though she never trained me as such. I read shit on the wall and found out from another co-worker. Manager however has said that when people buy so much flowers the vase in included in the price. Without any "and I'm the manager so I have authority to do this," behind it. I'll admit I didn't charge the guy an extra $25 on his arrangement for fill because I thought it wouldn't be necessary. After all we sell arrangements in the cooler for less then cost of flowers + fill worth. Easy assumption. I work single shifts. I have to make judgement calls when I'm the only one on shift. I'm not going to call her every single order (see above) Maybe we should be trained more throughly. Or maybe we shouldn't work single shifts. Or both. Besides no customer wants me to need to call the manager on every single detail.
2. We can't give away free bears or anything.
Um What the FUCK. I never have. She's referring to a miscommunication (I'm being nice) over Valentines day. Someone called in and wanted two bears, two arrangements and two balloons. I'm pricing for her over the phone and taking her order. The woman prefers pink bears which I don't think we have. Manager girl, in typical micromanage form (which is idiotic the friday before valentines when we are SWAMPED), says we do have pink bears and then says oh, but they have baby girl written on them. The woman decides against those.
I'm being nice and calling chalking the rest of it up to miscommunication. She probably didn't hear that the woman didn't want the pink bears. Manager girl quotes me 14.99 per bear. I had already priced them at 19.99 because that's the medium sized regular teddy. But I change the price accordingly since the manager said so. I don't know all the new Valentine's merchandise by heart, we did get new bears in and it's possible they are 14.99.
She's trying to place the blame on ME! even though SHE was the one with the wrong information. She refuses to let me tag the order, even though the person is coming in in half an hour and she's already behind on tagging. She won't teach anyone else how to tag for some reason. (Because she's an idiot micromanager). Many of the order she is tagging could have been done earlier in the week...
She yelled at me about the price and then was going to give the customer the cheaper 9.99 bears until I pointed out that she quoted me the wrong price. I know in the world of the florist that the total amount of the customer's order isn't a whole lot but shouldn't we be striving for customer loyalty? (She then left the balloon off their arrangement and I had to grab one for the customer later-I'm pretty sure this was her trying to regain the money.... so unimpressed, it was TEN bucks. And she quoted it.)
Anyhow, I don't want to hear about this crap from her, it was as much her fault as it was mine. If she hadn't been trying to interfere or micromanage, they would have been priced at 19.99.
3. Don't accept orders not in our delivery zone.
This literally came out of nowhere. I have saved some orders for Long Beach for us. Some of them the owner printed rather than wiring out because of the money. And everything else has been approved by the owner. Including the order that should have gone to the newport store because it was their delivery zone. But the customer had picked out all the flowers at the irvine store and left a card there. I called the other store and asked what would be easier for them-to pick up the flowers/card from our store or if we should make up and deliver the arrangement. She said she thought that it would be easier for us to deliver but she checked with the owner. He agreed. I still have no idea what the fuck she was talking about. If everything is owner approved...he is kind of higher up then she is.
She managed to put me i such a bad mood within ten minutes of getting on shift.
I've decided to stick it out through march because of spring break while I hunt for a job. But my last day will be the last day of march. I'll ask the scheduling manager at the theatre to ensure me five days if I open my availability and I think he would. So even if I don't have a second job I'd be alright.
And then, I file a complaint with the labor board about their labor code violations. Yes, I'm going to be a bitch about it. Their own damn fault.
It's too stressful. I cannot work under this manager. It will be detrimental to my health.
She's constantly switching prices and procedure. I'm a fast learner and I have excellent memory and without the changes being posted somewhere I can refer to there is no way for me to stay on top of them. It's completely impossible. She doesn't post all the changes though. She then blames us. Or at least she blames me.
I don't think she likes me much. I never get frazzled while she's losing her head. Talking to customers appears easier for me. I suspect I'm generally a person more comfortable with myself then she is. I watch her get frazzled dealing with upset customers and she takes it personally. She's a few years younger than me and it's important to her that people like her.
At least this is my assessment and I could be bias because I'm not fond of her.
I think she really started disliking me when I quested something she said. We make confirmation calls if we have left the arrangement on the porch. I call back someone who is a pickup and redelivery. The woman picks up and says it was indeed redelivered. I ask the obvious question of is the arrangement more satisfactory-since I figure that is the goal with a pickup and redelivery. When the woman answers no, my immediate reaction is damage control. What can we do to make it better?
I know people are more likely to spread bad news about a business then good and we lose a potential customer if I don't make it right. Not to mention she is most likely going to complain to the person who bought it.
Please note that I have no idea what the arrangement is, what it is supposed to look like or what the arrangement that went out looked like. I have not memorized all the arrangements-there are hundreds and I'm flying by the seat of my pants to make sure we don't lose a potential customer, since she things the arrangement is hideous.
I finish talking to the woman on the phone and go to update the order on the computer.
Manager girl comes storming out of the office where she has been making corsages off the clock (WHYYYYYY?!?!!!... oh and teaching her friend how to make them instead of teaching me who has never made an orchid corsage and letting her friend waste company money when she messes up) basically yelling that I can't do what I just did. I'm annoyed that she's yelling when there is no reason to. Her points are valid but it in no way constitutes yelling. I understand that if we have to take the arrangement out there three times that means more work and less money for us, and that she isn't the person who ordered the arrangement... There is something that I don't understand and I attempted to ask a clarifying question. I am annoyed with her and my tone may have crossed into that realm but asking-so it doesn't matter what the recipient thinks about the flowers?- seemed reasonable to me.
I figured we have two customers really, the person who placed the order and the person who receives the order. If they are both happy, they use us again. I wasn't trained to believe differently. If I should be thinking differently, the I need clarification. Does this mean we never care about what the recipient thinks, or we only care if the person who placed the order compains, or do we not care on this order because we don't pick up and redeliver more than once, or because this order is under a certain amount?
I do have to interrupt her a little in order to ask the questions because she is continuing to yell and repeating things and it's too close to closing for me to listen to her go on and on about the same thing when all I need is a clarification. It's useless the way she repeats things anyway. It's never any different, it's like the exact same words over and over which isn't a good way to reinforce information. Instead of answering my question, she's all-"are you giving me attitude?"
Gag me. If she had been paying attention...
She never answered my question. I answered no and repeated my question and she stormed back into the office saying..well you've already TOLD the customer that. Completely unhelpful. Is it any wonder I never ask her any questions when an order is unusual. I prefer to call the other store with my questions.
I'm pretty sure she started disliking me then and now she's just being ridiculous.
As soon as I get in-she's telling me she needs to talk to me. About three things that were stupid. Nitpicky. If she ran the store better, maybe she wouldn't need to mention anything...
1. She's telling me for anything put in a vase I have to charge a fill price.
I actually know this already even though she never trained me as such. I read shit on the wall and found out from another co-worker. Manager however has said that when people buy so much flowers the vase in included in the price. Without any "and I'm the manager so I have authority to do this," behind it. I'll admit I didn't charge the guy an extra $25 on his arrangement for fill because I thought it wouldn't be necessary. After all we sell arrangements in the cooler for less then cost of flowers + fill worth. Easy assumption. I work single shifts. I have to make judgement calls when I'm the only one on shift. I'm not going to call her every single order (see above) Maybe we should be trained more throughly. Or maybe we shouldn't work single shifts. Or both. Besides no customer wants me to need to call the manager on every single detail.
2. We can't give away free bears or anything.
Um What the FUCK. I never have. She's referring to a miscommunication (I'm being nice) over Valentines day. Someone called in and wanted two bears, two arrangements and two balloons. I'm pricing for her over the phone and taking her order. The woman prefers pink bears which I don't think we have. Manager girl, in typical micromanage form (which is idiotic the friday before valentines when we are SWAMPED), says we do have pink bears and then says oh, but they have baby girl written on them. The woman decides against those.
I'm being nice and calling chalking the rest of it up to miscommunication. She probably didn't hear that the woman didn't want the pink bears. Manager girl quotes me 14.99 per bear. I had already priced them at 19.99 because that's the medium sized regular teddy. But I change the price accordingly since the manager said so. I don't know all the new Valentine's merchandise by heart, we did get new bears in and it's possible they are 14.99.
She's trying to place the blame on ME! even though SHE was the one with the wrong information. She refuses to let me tag the order, even though the person is coming in in half an hour and she's already behind on tagging. She won't teach anyone else how to tag for some reason. (Because she's an idiot micromanager). Many of the order she is tagging could have been done earlier in the week...
She yelled at me about the price and then was going to give the customer the cheaper 9.99 bears until I pointed out that she quoted me the wrong price. I know in the world of the florist that the total amount of the customer's order isn't a whole lot but shouldn't we be striving for customer loyalty? (She then left the balloon off their arrangement and I had to grab one for the customer later-I'm pretty sure this was her trying to regain the money.... so unimpressed, it was TEN bucks. And she quoted it.)
Anyhow, I don't want to hear about this crap from her, it was as much her fault as it was mine. If she hadn't been trying to interfere or micromanage, they would have been priced at 19.99.
3. Don't accept orders not in our delivery zone.
This literally came out of nowhere. I have saved some orders for Long Beach for us. Some of them the owner printed rather than wiring out because of the money. And everything else has been approved by the owner. Including the order that should have gone to the newport store because it was their delivery zone. But the customer had picked out all the flowers at the irvine store and left a card there. I called the other store and asked what would be easier for them-to pick up the flowers/card from our store or if we should make up and deliver the arrangement. She said she thought that it would be easier for us to deliver but she checked with the owner. He agreed. I still have no idea what the fuck she was talking about. If everything is owner approved...he is kind of higher up then she is.
She managed to put me i such a bad mood within ten minutes of getting on shift.
I've decided to stick it out through march because of spring break while I hunt for a job. But my last day will be the last day of march. I'll ask the scheduling manager at the theatre to ensure me five days if I open my availability and I think he would. So even if I don't have a second job I'd be alright.
And then, I file a complaint with the labor board about their labor code violations. Yes, I'm going to be a bitch about it. Their own damn fault.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
ugh-from monday 22
So my computer failed today. Well, actually the computer is fine. Hard drive still excellent. I haven't had battery life in months but as long as it's plugged in, it's been fine. Recently though, it hasn't been recognizing the power cord well and I've often needed to fiddle around with it
I knew I needed a new power cord and a new battery so I priced them about a week ago. Way WAY more expensive then I thought it would be. Coming in somewhere between 250 and 300 dollars even if I was mooching the student discount. My next action was to price a new computer. $800. Had the battery/power cord been under 100 I would have gone out the next day but with it being more than a fourth of the price I started to think maybe the better idea would be to get a new computer since mine is almost six years old. That's six years of using it every day. It's pretty boss.
Since I'm going home to visit my parents soon I figured I'd broach the matter then. I can't afford a new mac on my own and I won't buy a PC. I've been a macintosh girl since I was about six. We used to have one of those old old old green screen macs. We might still have it in the attic.
Since I was planning on convincing them to at least go in with me on a new computer I was planning on backing up my files before I went home
Guess who's computer turned itself off today and won't turn back on.
If you guessed mine you'd be right. Bonus points if you figured out my files haven't been backed up yet.
Triple word score if you guess that I can't fucking remember when I backed up.
Fuck.
Good news? My parents cleared me to get a new computer tomorrow. Maybe a mac genius will save my life. My world is on that computer and I'm praying they can do something that won't cost me a lot. I'm hoping they can make it turn on long enough for me to grab everything. And that the next post will be me cheering how awesome they are.
In other news that goes under the ugh heading, we had a new girl at work. She's a transfer from another theatre. At first she seemed fine but no one I was going to really have an opinion on either way. She was just going to be another co-worker.
By the end of the night tonight I knew I wasn't going to like her. She's young-only 18. Generally I don't like the younger ones. There is just something superficial about them. They haven't really come into their identities. yet and I don't play high school games. I'm not going to lie about being a bit agist. But there is a lot of posturing. I don't need my co-workers to think I'm cool. I want them to think of me as a team player, someone who does a good job and is generally fun to work with. I keep my opinions of my co-workers mostly to myself and don't cause drama.
This girl is going to cause drama. After feeling the waters she started posturing shit and she cocky and immature. She may have worked a year at another theatre but she's new here and has made no effort to become a team player, grousing how she has already paid her dues so she isn't going to pay them here. Her tone of voice is apparently naturally argumentative, she's a know it all and she craves for positive attention.
I gave her a test. I offered to mop the back which surface area wise is bigger and I knew she wasn't going to mop behind the poppers or the drain areas even though we are supposed to. (at two in the morning no one wants to be there longer). But my test was to see how far she would come into the back and mop.
She didn't at all. The other closer was so unimpressed he grabbed a mop to help finish. She didn't even mop all the way to the door.
She failed and I doubt she'll redeem herself.
You always have to pay dues when you are new, even if you are only new to that place.
I knew I needed a new power cord and a new battery so I priced them about a week ago. Way WAY more expensive then I thought it would be. Coming in somewhere between 250 and 300 dollars even if I was mooching the student discount. My next action was to price a new computer. $800. Had the battery/power cord been under 100 I would have gone out the next day but with it being more than a fourth of the price I started to think maybe the better idea would be to get a new computer since mine is almost six years old. That's six years of using it every day. It's pretty boss.
Since I'm going home to visit my parents soon I figured I'd broach the matter then. I can't afford a new mac on my own and I won't buy a PC. I've been a macintosh girl since I was about six. We used to have one of those old old old green screen macs. We might still have it in the attic.
Since I was planning on convincing them to at least go in with me on a new computer I was planning on backing up my files before I went home
Guess who's computer turned itself off today and won't turn back on.
If you guessed mine you'd be right. Bonus points if you figured out my files haven't been backed up yet.
Triple word score if you guess that I can't fucking remember when I backed up.
Fuck.
Good news? My parents cleared me to get a new computer tomorrow. Maybe a mac genius will save my life. My world is on that computer and I'm praying they can do something that won't cost me a lot. I'm hoping they can make it turn on long enough for me to grab everything. And that the next post will be me cheering how awesome they are.
In other news that goes under the ugh heading, we had a new girl at work. She's a transfer from another theatre. At first she seemed fine but no one I was going to really have an opinion on either way. She was just going to be another co-worker.
By the end of the night tonight I knew I wasn't going to like her. She's young-only 18. Generally I don't like the younger ones. There is just something superficial about them. They haven't really come into their identities. yet and I don't play high school games. I'm not going to lie about being a bit agist. But there is a lot of posturing. I don't need my co-workers to think I'm cool. I want them to think of me as a team player, someone who does a good job and is generally fun to work with. I keep my opinions of my co-workers mostly to myself and don't cause drama.
This girl is going to cause drama. After feeling the waters she started posturing shit and she cocky and immature. She may have worked a year at another theatre but she's new here and has made no effort to become a team player, grousing how she has already paid her dues so she isn't going to pay them here. Her tone of voice is apparently naturally argumentative, she's a know it all and she craves for positive attention.
I gave her a test. I offered to mop the back which surface area wise is bigger and I knew she wasn't going to mop behind the poppers or the drain areas even though we are supposed to. (at two in the morning no one wants to be there longer). But my test was to see how far she would come into the back and mop.
She didn't at all. The other closer was so unimpressed he grabbed a mop to help finish. She didn't even mop all the way to the door.
She failed and I doubt she'll redeem herself.
You always have to pay dues when you are new, even if you are only new to that place.
new computer
I HAVE A NEW COMPUTER.
Two days ago mine was like oh hai, oh no, I'm not going to turn on. Have fun. So I called my dad and was like...erm....new computer s'il vous plait and convinced him that this was a need. IT IS! I pay bills online. I use my computer every single day. But I was told I could get one so I moseyed over to the store and was like macbook please. And then I was like..now how do we move all my files and they were like...we can charge you a fee and then we will move it all for you. And I was like hmmmm, I could buy a new power cable and a flash drive or I can pay for them to move my files (which will be the same cost).
So I gave them both computers and they were like, you can pick it up in 24-48 hours. I was like /catch breath. FORTY EIGHT HOURS?
Luckily they got it back to me within 24 because I would have been climbing the walls before 48 was up. My computer is my life. Seriously.
But now I am on a pretty pretty new Macbook with spiffy features. I still need to figure out how to get my printer to connect but except for that it's literally my old computer but newer and more awesome. Everything I had on my old computer is on this computer. It's awesommeeeee. I'm so enthralled!
And since I wrote out the posts of the last two days longhand-I'll get those up tomorrow.
Two days ago mine was like oh hai, oh no, I'm not going to turn on. Have fun. So I called my dad and was like...erm....new computer s'il vous plait and convinced him that this was a need. IT IS! I pay bills online. I use my computer every single day. But I was told I could get one so I moseyed over to the store and was like macbook please. And then I was like..now how do we move all my files and they were like...we can charge you a fee and then we will move it all for you. And I was like hmmmm, I could buy a new power cable and a flash drive or I can pay for them to move my files (which will be the same cost).
So I gave them both computers and they were like, you can pick it up in 24-48 hours. I was like /catch breath. FORTY EIGHT HOURS?
Luckily they got it back to me within 24 because I would have been climbing the walls before 48 was up. My computer is my life. Seriously.
But now I am on a pretty pretty new Macbook with spiffy features. I still need to figure out how to get my printer to connect but except for that it's literally my old computer but newer and more awesome. Everything I had on my old computer is on this computer. It's awesommeeeee. I'm so enthralled!
And since I wrote out the posts of the last two days longhand-I'll get those up tomorrow.
Monday, February 22, 2010
idolization
Since I've been about fourteen I've idolized Bernadette Peters. For years, I even sent her a birthday card. I've seen her live on stage multiple times, once in Gypsy, a concert in San Francisco, and twice at the Cerritos Center. I have multiple autographs of hers. I own her performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London and I could spend HOURS listening to her Sondheim Etc. HOURS. I used to clean my room to it and I would just keep it on repeat. I lent it out once and someone left a fingerprint on it and it started skipping (my CD, because this was before I had an ipod or even itunes) and I cried until I figured out it wasn't a scratch and could be wiped off and the CD back to new.
I feel like I've been unfaithful to her. She was always first in my acting idolization. There were always others but she was paramount. If she plays and I can go see her, I do. I've never been to a typical concert, a rock band or a pop concert. But I've seen her three times. Once my family accompanied me, once a friend came along. And once, I bought a nose bleed ticket and sat all the way up in the back all by myself but it didn't matter.
But lately, another actress, who isn't even a theatre actress has hypnotized me. She was always on my list of actresses I admired. I tend to like quirky vulnerable people and she is that. I can't say that any of my top six are particularly famous (and these are people who are currently alive, because if I include the Hepburns well, most people know them). They are quirky. Vulnerable. Spunky. But they are not super well known names, with the exception of Idina Menzel but she's not Hollywood famous.
Bernadette Peters. Two time Tony winner and several time nominee.
Kristin Chenoweth Tony Award Winner. I've seen her live too, but she didn't give autographs.
Idina Menzel. Tony Awad Winner and probably the most famous out of them although Chenoweth is well known. But Rent...
Carrie Fisher. Yes, of Star Wars fame.
Karen Allen. Indiana Jone's Marion Ravenwood, and awesome knitress. Seriously. Google her and you will find her knitting page.
And my latest obsession. The one who has replaced Bernadette for the time being. Helena Bonham Carter. Who has never won an academy award. (Shame on the academy I say.) She's the epitome of what I want to be in an actress. She's quirky. Vulnerable, oh so very vulnerable. She just opens her eyes really wide and I want to cry. Spunky. She plays a wide variety of roles. People thought she was going to be typecast as a corset queen and how wrong she proved them. I love period pieces and she's gotten to do many of those. But she's also got the commercial thing going-Harry Potter series anyone? Or Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland to open March 5th. And she's got a cult favorite under her belt-Fight Club. She's done everything. Kids movies, to super risque, her Wings of a Dove love scene was considered the most controversial of an Oscar nominated film ever at the time I believe. She's comfortable with her life and in her skin and in her acting. Or at least she appears to be.
I think the biggest reason she has stolen my heart from Bernadette (not that I'll ever stop loving Bernadette) is that she looks a bit like me. I don't look anything like Bernadette Peters. My hair is wavy at best, and it will never be that kind of ringlet curly. And I'm not a redhead. Not even close. I'm a brunette, similarly colored to Helena's hair. I'm not pale and they both are, but my facial shape resembles Helena's more closely then it does Bernadette's. They are both about my height. But it's the hair that really does it. If my hair is at all curly, it's curly in the way that Helena's is, the sort of kinky waves and body that resembles sex hair, or not brushing it properly. It makes me feel like I'm connected.
I feel almost guilty because Bernadette was my favorite for so long and it's wrong to throw her aside like this when she is the Broadway actress. She has DONE what I want to do and Helena has never done a live musical. Also in terms of singing voices, while Helena's is passable-she did sing in Sweeney Todd and Sondheim approved her for the role of Lovett so all you critics can shut it (if it's good enough for Sondheim it's good enough for me, he wrote the musical), Bernadette is... well she's BERNADETTE PETERS. She's fantastic. Utterly amazing.
Maybe my subconscious is telling me I should try movies.
I feel like I need to reconnect with my love of Bernadette. There is room in my admiration for them both.
I feel like I've been unfaithful to her. She was always first in my acting idolization. There were always others but she was paramount. If she plays and I can go see her, I do. I've never been to a typical concert, a rock band or a pop concert. But I've seen her three times. Once my family accompanied me, once a friend came along. And once, I bought a nose bleed ticket and sat all the way up in the back all by myself but it didn't matter.
But lately, another actress, who isn't even a theatre actress has hypnotized me. She was always on my list of actresses I admired. I tend to like quirky vulnerable people and she is that. I can't say that any of my top six are particularly famous (and these are people who are currently alive, because if I include the Hepburns well, most people know them). They are quirky. Vulnerable. Spunky. But they are not super well known names, with the exception of Idina Menzel but she's not Hollywood famous.
Bernadette Peters. Two time Tony winner and several time nominee.
Kristin Chenoweth Tony Award Winner. I've seen her live too, but she didn't give autographs.
Idina Menzel. Tony Awad Winner and probably the most famous out of them although Chenoweth is well known. But Rent...
Carrie Fisher. Yes, of Star Wars fame.
Karen Allen. Indiana Jone's Marion Ravenwood, and awesome knitress. Seriously. Google her and you will find her knitting page.
And my latest obsession. The one who has replaced Bernadette for the time being. Helena Bonham Carter. Who has never won an academy award. (Shame on the academy I say.) She's the epitome of what I want to be in an actress. She's quirky. Vulnerable, oh so very vulnerable. She just opens her eyes really wide and I want to cry. Spunky. She plays a wide variety of roles. People thought she was going to be typecast as a corset queen and how wrong she proved them. I love period pieces and she's gotten to do many of those. But she's also got the commercial thing going-Harry Potter series anyone? Or Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland to open March 5th. And she's got a cult favorite under her belt-Fight Club. She's done everything. Kids movies, to super risque, her Wings of a Dove love scene was considered the most controversial of an Oscar nominated film ever at the time I believe. She's comfortable with her life and in her skin and in her acting. Or at least she appears to be.
I think the biggest reason she has stolen my heart from Bernadette (not that I'll ever stop loving Bernadette) is that she looks a bit like me. I don't look anything like Bernadette Peters. My hair is wavy at best, and it will never be that kind of ringlet curly. And I'm not a redhead. Not even close. I'm a brunette, similarly colored to Helena's hair. I'm not pale and they both are, but my facial shape resembles Helena's more closely then it does Bernadette's. They are both about my height. But it's the hair that really does it. If my hair is at all curly, it's curly in the way that Helena's is, the sort of kinky waves and body that resembles sex hair, or not brushing it properly. It makes me feel like I'm connected.
I feel almost guilty because Bernadette was my favorite for so long and it's wrong to throw her aside like this when she is the Broadway actress. She has DONE what I want to do and Helena has never done a live musical. Also in terms of singing voices, while Helena's is passable-she did sing in Sweeney Todd and Sondheim approved her for the role of Lovett so all you critics can shut it (if it's good enough for Sondheim it's good enough for me, he wrote the musical), Bernadette is... well she's BERNADETTE PETERS. She's fantastic. Utterly amazing.
Maybe my subconscious is telling me I should try movies.
I feel like I need to reconnect with my love of Bernadette. There is room in my admiration for them both.
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