1.26.2008

The Status of Today's Society Society is going to hell. This has been the case for some time now, and I must say that business is helping it get there. I have to say that by and large, I am an honest person. I try not to lie, I try to give it to you straight. When i was younger, I couldn't understand theft and why people would steal from another person. It didn't make sense to me, because I was kind of sensitive in that I never wanted to hurt anybodies feelings. Well, obviously THAT'S changed, as I don't care what you think now, I'll do something despite what people say about me, but I always try to do what's right. And one thing I can't stand is a dishonest person getting away with something. People today are selfish. Everyone is out for themselves and to hell with doing what's right in getting there. But looking at Business, they are doing nothing to prevent people from shoplifting these days. I have been in a store countless times and I can see how freakin' easy it would be to lift a high dollar item. I could be a shoplifting pro if I wanted too, because i've worked retail so much that I know what to look for, and what you can get away with. And in this day an age, you can get away with stealing $100 worth in CDs and have the cashier give you a 'have a nice day' and not do anything about it. Why do stores not do more to help keep customers honest? I have noticed it more and more that it is more important to keep a person as a customer rather then prosecute a shoplifter in fear of losing their business when they are not getting any business from the shoplifter anyway. The shoplifter is robbing you blind. Have a nice day. But it seems like it might be against business to prosecute shoplifters because laws these days are more in favor of the shoplifters then the businesses. You just accused me of putting this cd in my pocket? Do you have proof of this? It is fully one hundred percent substantiated? Hah, you didn't get me on camera, I'm going to take you to court for defamation despite the fact that indeed, I stole the CD. But the court is going to back me because you don't have enough proof. So if you have an employee, such as me for instance, that can't stand shop lifters and want to see the whole lot of them burn in hell, when I get on the case of one and save my employer money by doing a little research to discover that indeed, this product was stolen, guess what happens? The Employee gets fired and the shoplifter walks away, scott free. Even though, the employee can verify that the product the shoplifter returned was not product properly purchased. So, the lesson that business is teaching us today kids, is that they care more for keeping you happy then keeping you honest. You see a CD that you like but you don't have the money to purchase it? Just grab that CD off the shelf outside of the camera and employee's view, walk up to the counter and ask to return it. When you can't produce the receipt, and you won't get cash back, tell them you changed your mind and they'll let you walk right out of the store with the product you tried to 'return'. Indeed, that would be my former employer's policy. Me? I find that bloody ridiculous. Labels: angst, Stupid, Work -Risawn: # 8:15 PM - |

1.25.2008

Honesty Policy I had an incident at work that rose all sorts of red flags for me. See, I've been working in the retail business for a long time, and so I've kind of clued into the warning signs of what would be known as thieves. I may have mentioned once or twice that I hate thieves. In that I can't stand them. If everyone was honest, we wouldn't have the ate up world we do, but there are a lot of dishonest people who are only out for themselves. So we had this customer do a return that I can pretty much say with great certainty was stolen. In fact, I should go back and ask to look at the cameras as this customer went through our store and see if I can see her pick up the stolen product. But, alas, in this day and age, most stores are more concerned with the mantra of 'the customer is always right' rather then 'we prosecute shoplifters.' January is a sucky month to look for a job. But I need to get out of retail anyway. Labels: Doh, Work -Risawn: # 7:19 PM - |

12.13.2007

Pay vs Pay I just realized I make more money in two days of drill pay then two weeks at my current retail job. Yes, good money on the army side (money is always a motivating factor) but the civilian job is quite lacking at the moment. Does the fact that I need a better paying job more evident at present? Yes. Three more months there and I think I'm done for good. Now I just have to find another job that can work around my military obligation. Labels: Work -Risawn: # 8:20 PM - |

12.05.2007

Drill Sergeant Relapse So, I work in a retail outlet that sells stuff, like retail outlets do. Since I've been back I've been trying to work the retail gig by being nice and smiling and being overall helpful. 99% of the time I'm really helpful, though I've been told that I may be a little to serious and intense sometimes and I need to lighten up and smile more. So anyway, the entrance is a one way, we ask our customers to go around and use the exit doors to get out of the store because you have to walk through the anti theft device. Before I continue, I need to make it known that I do not like thieves and liars. They will set me off. So when this guy asks me for the time and I give it to him, he decides its time for himself to leave the store and he tries to go out the door and I politely tell him "sir, you can't go that way." He becomes insistent and when he fiddles with the door again I make it a little bit more apparent "SIR, that is an entrance only." So he gets the door open and heads out the door, which generally means he stole something. I chase him down and go drill sergeant on him, threatening to call the police on his ass and wanting to get in his way just so that I can say he had to touch me out of his way so I can freakin' go apeshit on him (as you aren't allowed to touch shoplifters, unless they assault you first). Of course, I don't have my cell phone and the guy isn't listening and just keeps walking (but truthfully I don't think he'll come back after having to deal with me). So I head back to the store because a 5'3" girl wearing a santa hat isn't all that imposing, no matter how mad I get. Granted, this is the wrong mentality to have and when I went into the yelling frenzy my coworkers all thought to themselves, "hmm, that must be the drill sergeant side of her", which they haven't seen before. Of course, I was reprimanded because I didn't handle the situation the way they would like me to handle it. I'm thinking after BNCOC, I'll work there for about three more months and probably put in my two weeks. I like working there and all, but I really do need to get on with life, and the retail gig is not my choice of a place to work. Labels: Drill Sergeant, Work -Risawn: # 8:51 PM - |

9.14.2007

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? Somebody showed this to me and I looked into it and this is what popped out. Hmm. I think I need to take it again because I have a tendency to be somewhat vague with my answers. Since I'm constantly wondering to myself what should I do with my life, I found it to be beneficial information. 1. Go to http://www.careercruising.com/. 2. Put in Username: nycareers, Password: landmark. 3. Take their "Career Matchmaker" questions. 4. Post the top twenty results (in order). Number 40 was Infantry. I find that amusing. 1.Horse Trainer 2.Professor 3.Horticulturist 4.Kinesiologist 5.Zookeeper 6.Website Designer 7.ESL Teacher 8.Foreign Language Instructor 9.Desktop Publisher 10.Animal Trainer 11.Animal Caretaker 12.Shipping and Receiving Clerk 13.Music Teacher / Instructor 14.Industrial Designer 15.Computer Trainer 16.Corporate Trainer 17.Animator 18.Cartoonist / Comic Illustrator 19.Criminologist 20.Interior Designer Horse Trainer was the number one pick, which is interesting because when I was a girl of 12 and a complete horse nut, that's what I wanted to do. Obviously I love animals and everything. Art Teacher didn't come up, but Music Teacher did, considering my musical skills are limited this was amusing to me. I should take it again in a few days, see if something else comes up. See if I can't get Drill Sergeant in there. Labels: List, Meme, Work -Risawn: # 6:42 PM - |

4.15.2007

Part Relieved, Part Distraught, Completely Unmotivated So, I've got a little problem currently. A few months back, I was set on what I wanted to do, I knew what I wanted to do, and was just working on getting there. A few things came in the way and I adjusted fire and everything was looking good. Well, suddenly, things aren't looking so bright anymore. I'm frustrated with school and feel like I'm not learning what i need to learn with my current program. Suddenly I realized that school isn't working. I'm not learning anything, and furthermore, when I'm not having a good day, I tend to get into a mindset where I just don't care anymore. And with the events of the last few days, and heck, over the last week, I've realized that I'm just, well, bleh. I don't care. I'm not motivated. I don't know what I want anymore. Good news is my foot should be completely healed in four weeks, and I can work on it as much as I am comfortable. Just no heavy running or jumping or other forms of impact on it. Sounds good. Which makes that it is a good thing that I'm going to DSS in July instead of May, I wouldn't be ready. Strange, right now Drill Sergeant School is the only thing I'm realy motivated about. School is no longer keeping my interest and I've got this feeling that I'm going to be stuck working a mediocre job for the rest of my life if I don't get my attention focused again. I think I need to call about that one job again. Find out where that's going. And maybe, just maybe, I can find a way to recover some of the info on my two hard drives that won't end up busting my bank. But strangely, a part of me feels relieved that the information is gone. Another part is a little distraught. Labels: Life, Work -Risawn: # 11:55 PM - |

3.20.2007

Job Offer Over the last few days an amazing opportunity came up for me, but I kept fairly mum on the subject for fear of getting my hopes to high in regards to whether or not this would pan out. A friend I've had for about twenty years is married to a guy in the gaming industry, and they are looking for female designers. Although I don't have any prior experience in game design, I was offered the opportunity to apply for it based on my creative side, gaming history and writing abilities. When doing research on this field, I have discovered that this is a very unique and rare opportunity for me. I filled out a resume and sent it in with my various job skills that fit the job and they offered me a phone interview (this job is out of town and would require me to move). Before the interview, I was also given a series of questionares in regards to the gaming industry and I had to fill them out and send them back, using this as the basis of whether or not I was a fit for the job. The questions were. . . interesting to say the least. When I initially looked at them, my first reaction was 'huh?' Because of the highly competitive market that is the gaming industry, publishers are constantly looking for new ideas for games. As such, a designer has to be able to figure out a fun and creative game with what appears to be a really stupid or strange idea. I was warned that they can be borderline crazy at times. Whatever the case, I was given a bunch of questions and a few premises behind some possible games and I had about twelve hours to come up with something and get it back to them. The fact that I had to stay up all night long working on this made me think that this was also part of the interview process, what kind of ideas I could come up with when under a crunch. And I had to come up with something creative while displaying my writing skills. I think I did ok with it considering I had to pop NO-Doze and by the time the interview rolled around, I was going about 25-26 hours without sleep. Again, I suspect this was part of the interview process, but a couple of the questions they asked I fear I may have been bordering on incoherent. I was told that they liked my stuff, but before I can get hired, I have to be interviewed by the president of the company. So I'll know sometime later this week. I'm excited, this is a very rare opportunity for me and I will be paid to actually play video games regularly. This is kind of the field I wanted to break into with my animation degree so overall the fact that this opportunity landed at my feet is amazing. Yes, I will keep you posted. If it does happen, I have a few cool ideas for some video games :) Labels: Video Games, Work -Risawn: # 4:43 PM - |

12.27.2006

Still Amongst the Living, I Promise Ok, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth, I promise. I've just been. . . busy, that's all. Busy doing a whole lot of nothing. Coupled with working retail during the holidays. Yep, THAT was fun. So, a quick rundown of my life in the last three weeks. Blaine had a un X-rayable ear plug in his stomach, which caused him to lose a half a pound in about three weeks, which is a lot for a ferret. I finally took him to see a vet again (foregoing the emergency routine and scheduling an appointment this time) and a little Boriam and Xrays confirmed that there was something in there. Surgery was necessary to save the ferret. These are turning into some expensive pets. *sighs* Blaine is recovering well. But he's looking a bit scruffy and his shaved belly is kind of interesting. Abby, meanwhile, is really fat and fluffy now. I am now floating around my store, working a lot in music lately, which I find interesting that I'm progressively becoming a music associate. The elusive Tech N9ne and Nickelback Cds that our system says are in our store that I cannot find do plague me however. Christmas was nice. I'll post about it in its own post. There has been snow on and off again, but the mountains have been open for nearly a month now. And I haven't gone snowboarding once. . . I think I can attribute this to having nobody to go with me. *sighs again* Labels: Ferrets, Meanwhile, Work -Risawn: # 1:18 AM - |

11.25.2006

Job Woes I have made up my mind when I'm called in regards to taking a shift I wasn't originally scheduled for. First, I will consider what shift I am working in the future, such as if I'm opening the next day which is a Saturday, and this shift is a closing shift on Friday. (That's always bad news). Then I will ask who I'm taking over the shift for. There are a couple of people who I have noticed have a tendency to call in. . . all the time. (why do you work here, buddy?) And last, I will ask who the manager on duty is. I can work this job, and I don't mind it (especially for the whole retail gig) but I have definitely learned that retail is not what I aspire to do for the rest of my life (must . . . acquire . . . degree . . .) and until that happens, I have to do something to pay the bills and put food in my stomach. And right now (unfortunately) this means retail. I may have mentioned I'm back at my old job, mostly because its something I can do, but I am getting reminded on why I quit the first time. Honestly, I'm 26 years old, I'm working on a college degree, I've been there, seen that and put up with a lot of bull. I honestly don't do well in the peon jobs like I used to do. This job included. Honestly, if I were to be too serious in my employment, I'd have to shoot myself. I was having troubles before I quit the first time, and I've given myself some breather space so I don't unintentionally kill somebody. And I deal with things my own way. In this work environment, I intentionally act goofy, make jokes, and sometimes poke fun at myself just to keep the atmosphere light. I have to try to have fun and act like a total goofball because otherwise I would come across as the heinious bitch that people were accusing me of being the last time. Although I'm pretty sure I'm very competant in this job, I keep getting these other employees who keep talking down to me on basic stuff that a newbie might not know but HEY, I DID THIS JOB FOR A YEAR AS A MANAGER!!! I know what I'm doing, thanks. But then I remind myself that things have changed and so I shut up and just try to listen. Plus, this is a different store then the old one, so I try to keep that in mind as well. Things run differently. . . So far, I think I'm doing ok, as long as I'm not being treated like a newbie and a complete idiot. If I have a question, I'll ask it (and I've had a few) but for the most part, please let me do the job. Now that I've survived Black Friday (actually, wasn't all that bad, until I agreed to come back to work in the evening), I have to negotiate the rest of the season with my sanity intact. Oh Look, MT Spokane is Open! I can work on my angst by taking advantage of that season pass I purchased last spring! Labels: Work -Risawn: # 12:52 AM - |

11.22.2006

Work and Movies You know what I discovered? I'm too nice. Yesterday, I got a call from my boss asking if I would come into work today. I said "sure" So I worked from 11 to 7 today. On my birthday. I'm just too nice I tell you. Al Gore's an Inconveniant Truth came out yesterday. I haven't seen it, and I don't think I will. What cracks me up about the title is it is supposedly about the truth of global warming. I might be wrong about this and all, but as far as anybody can tell, Global Warming is still theory. So it should by all rights be called an Inconveniant Theory. I was also considering seeing Happy Feet (being an animation major) until I learned that the UN comes and saves the day at the very end. Huh? The UN comes and saves the day? Having worked closely with the UN last year and seeing the fine job that has been done in Kosovo, yeah, the UN has the answer to EVERYTHING. I got some movie tickets for my birthday, I think I'll see something else, like Borat, instead. Labels: Movies, Work -Risawn: # 10:58 PM - |

11.20.2006

Do I Really Look This Stupid? I swear, do I have the word 'Idiot' written on my forehead? I get this kid in line today that hands me two Cds, one's Pink Floyd and the other is Nas. I really didn't pay attention to them at first and just rang them up. Nas, being rap, is in a long box and I pull it out, only to realize that there is a sticker for 3.99 on it that says 'Various artists'. I take a good hard look at a CD that is clearly marked as being Nas. So I took that sticker and peeled it off and low and behold, underneath was the real sticker with the real price. "Um, looks like you grabbed a CD that somebody had put the wrong sticker on. I can't sell this to you at the other price." I'm really good at playing stupid. "Oh, I don't have enough money for it then," he says. Slyly, I ring up the Pink Floyd, which has a Used Generic CD Sticker on it, for .99 cents. I give him his money and before I give him the CD. . . "Oh wait, this one has the wrong sticker on it too! I'm sorry, I can't sell this for you, I have to do a refund." So I refunded his money, and got his name and phone number (which is procedure for refunds). Sent him packing. We keep both CDs, with both pricetags revealed for a much larger price then what he had placed on them. Sadly, if he had tried that on another associate, he might have gotten away with it. I've just been doing this for to long. Anyway, the kid actually GAVE ME HIS NAME! He changed his phone number by at least one digit. We looked him up, he has a rental account, and almost $200 in late fees, and the account is locked up. I think it might even be in collections. Smart, kid. Way to go. I know what he looks like, but I have a feeling he won't be back for a while. Hopefully he got the hint. But could he have been any more obvious??? It's to bad I'm not authorized to say "hey stupid, I know you're the one who did this and tried to rip us off, get the hell out of my store" but I'm just a lowly peon. So the boss told me to call him next time I see anything like that. Sure thing, Boss! Labels: Idiots, Work -Risawn: # 12:34 AM - |

11.19.2006

This Week All three of my classes have major projects due next Sunday. I think this is a conspiracy to ruin my Thanksgiving Day Weekend. Not to mention, Black Friday is this Friday and I work Retail. (And my B-day is on Wednesday) *Crosses fingers and hopes that I can survive the week* Labels: School, Work -Risawn: # 6:43 PM - |

10.14.2006

Ho-Hum So lately my life is encompassing school and a couple of ferrets. Every now and again I get the privelege of going to an army drill, but all in all, my life has become rather mundane. The search for employment continues. I'm looking at getting a job through the VA Work Study Program (I can do it as long as I have GI bill coming in) which is tax free. And tax free is good! I've also looked at other things to do to occupy my time. The CERT course (Community Emergency Response Team) has been helpful in taking up a portion of my time on Mondays, and I can use it as Volunteer points. So far I really enjoy the class. In regards to the army, nothing like getting hazed for delaying your entry into Drill Sergeant School. They would prefer I go in January. I keep insisting that I've been there and done that and would prefer to go in March. So that's what I'm doing. I was half tempted to change my mind and go in January but I decided to stick with the March date for three reasons. The first, its bloody cold in January. As I said before, been there done that. The Second, it fits so nicely in with my schooling to wait until March. When I come home in May, I can just transition back into school. The Third, well, being a Snowboarder and all that purchased a season pass. . . I would prefer to be able to use it and not cut my season short. So that's it in a nutshell. Me and the army and the rest of my hum-drum life. Labels: Army, Drill Sergeant, Volunteer, Work -Risawn: # 8:26 PM - |

4.14.2006

More on Work, complete with Art News! My laptop is working great, well, the hardware is. I still need to reformat it and get it running smoothly again, but overall, I'm just delighted to have it back. Meanwhile, in the realm of work, a friend of mine is commissioning a piece of art. All I can say is 'Yay!' I've also got a couple other ideas to brainstorm in other art projects, and these projects will be blogged. I need to blog about something, it might as well be art. I've got a friend who is requesting some art pieces from her friends for a Reptile Rescue she's doing, to earn funds for her critters. Eh, she's a friend, its for a good cause, I'm game :) Further more, in the realm of even more work, I've got more news on my summer job issue. See, I was originally scheduled to work in Glacier National Park in Montana, and though I was excited about the opportunities and the job, it really wasn't what I wanted to do. But I felt it was important to at least secure the job in case something else didn't materialize. Well low and behold, I got a job off in Yellowstone National Park, doing what I wanted to do originally! It looks like an awesome opportunity, its only for the summer, I'll be out in the middle of one of the most beautiful areas in the country, and I'll be working with horses doing trail rides and learning how to drive a stage coach! This is one of those experiences that I'm taking soully for the experience and the little money I make on the side is nice to keep the bills paid, but I can't begin to say how excited this job has me feeling right now! I should have done something like this years ago, but the army has always kept me from doing something like this. This is the first true opportunity where I have the freedom to pursue a job like this. Its great work around school and army drill as well. I just have to talk to my command about negotiating around drill this summer, and hooking up with one of the two units in Montana. Hey, what can I say? I'm excited! Labels: Art, Work, Yellowstone -Risawn: # 12:21 AM - |

4.03.2006

Current 'Jobs' On top of staring at my blog (and personal website for that matter) and realizing that it is in dire need of severe updating, I am working on other matters to make money, though I am guessing my current project might make me ten bucks a month or so at most. *sighs* But I can't get to down on myself, these things happen. Meanwhile, I've got my online comic strip up and running. Again. I've got most of my few loyal readers back on board. And I learned how to create a forum. Through phpBB. I'll call this good news and move along. I've also started my subscriber services. I'm not sure how well that will do, I'm just hoping that I can get about ten or so people on board so it will make me about, oh, ten bucks a month. Oh, Yellowstone called. I might have a job there this summer, doing what I originally wanted to do. And that's work with horses. I'm not sure if I have the job yet or not, if not, I'll have my other job to fall back on at Glacier National park. Whatever the case, I'm excited about that. I was going to go to Karate tonight, but I failed to account for daylight savings. Labels: Work -Risawn: # 10:57 PM - |

3.15.2006

Work Issues Resume Well, cleared the air with my boss, I gave her my two week notice, we had a conversation straightening out misunderstandings, I gave her some observations that I had witnessed over the last five weeks, and now we're on good terms. I felt for the most part that I needed to quit, I had moved on from that work environment truthfully. It's time for me to move on to other things. I've also discovered that, yeah, I have gotten a lot better at communicating. I just need to take a breather sometimes, clear my mind and think about what I need to say. Now I'm working on finding another job for this summer, which I have mentioned a couple times. This is something I've wanted to do soully for the experience mostly. I'm looking at employment opportunities through various employers such as Dude Ranches and/or National Parks. I want to get a job as a wrangler. Hard work, a lot of labor involved, I have no idea what kind of access to the internet I'll have and quite truthfully, that's all right. I think I can do something like this, grow from it, and have fun. Mostly I just want to work with horses out in nature. I need something like that. Let me rephrase this, I really need something like that. Something that's physically demanding, give me a task that gives me time to think. For now, the rest of my life seems to be pretty ho-hum. I'm taking a CPR class tonight, which I need to leave for here in a few minutes. I think I'm starting to get a clearer view of what I want to do now. Maybe I've got a track on what I want to do with life afterall? Labels: Work -Risawn: # 4:20 PM - |

CPR and Karate Hmm, my blog is once again living up to its name, I'm ranting. Once upon a time, this blog was full of rants all the time. Right now I'm job hunting. Actually, I'm job hunting for this summer, which I think I may have mentioned in my last full blown rant. For tonight, I have to take a CPR class so I have a certificate telling everybody that I know how to do it. Because you know nothing unless you have something telling everybody you know it. Anyway, for the job I want, I have to know CPR and First Aid with proof that I know it. So, yippy for me, this week I've got a CPR class and next week I go in for the first Aid class through the American Red Cross. I'm actually looking forward to it, it should be lots of fun. Tomorrow I'm checking out a Kenpo Karate studio to see if this is the form of martial art to take. Somebody from work suggested it. So far I like it better then the other martial art class I was looking at. So basically, with life I'm falling back into a routine. I had several road trips planned, but those might have to wait until the spring. For some reason, March = Snow this year. Which I'm not complaining about! I think I'll hit the mountain tomorrow if the roads clear up! Labels: MartialArts, Work -Risawn: # 10:17 AM - |

3.14.2006

Work Sucks A lot can happen in 15 months. Things change, people change, and I certainly know that I've changed. Well, a lot has changed at my place of employment. I've been working on getting accustomed to these changes, sometimes with a lot of frustration, though I've come to note that things have not necessarily changed for the better. For one, the new Vice President, or somebody way up there in the chain, used to run a dollar store. So now they are trying to run our store like a dollar store because apparently its very efficient. Well, there is a problem with that scenerio. A Dollar Store's selling point is its cheap. People shop there because everything's a dollar. My store has competition. You can rent movies from Blockbuster, Hollywood or Safeway for crying out loud. You can also buy books and stuff from Borders and Barnes & Noble. Buy movies and CDs at Best Buy, Walmart, and Target, all within a driving distance from my employer. Our rates are relatively the same in comparison. People come to us because we have selection and service. However, if you give somebody crappy service, long lines and what not, they aren't going to keep shopping at your store. And dollar stores are not known for their quality service. Our mantra is Best Service in Town. Yeah, right. Lately we've been severely understaffed and what not. Policies have changed and I'm trying to figure them all out. Meanwhile, I'm not having a very fun time, because Hey! I remember the good old days. Now I'm jumping in the middle of things and I'm seeing changes all over the place. Well, I tried to adapt and get along with everything, but a couple of times I slip up and do something wrong. A couple of the people above me keep reeming me out and chewing me out and what not and I'm fed up with it. So I mentioned this to my boss, who wasn't there in an email, just asking her not to have me working under them anymore. I also got rid of my shifts for the rest of this week because honestly, I wasn't feeling very good and I needed a break. Well, the boss calls me telling me that I can't switch out those shifts like that without her approval. I'm listening to this and trying to explain the circumstances, and then she brings up this other issue of me not wanting to work under these two people. She tells me I have to deal with it, and then decides to take that moment to tell me that I have no place complaining about people since she's had seven people complain about me and ask not to work with me because of my attitude and what not. Wow, that's news to me. Ok, how am I supposed to fix this situation if I don't know about it? Ok, people have been irritated by me being a heinous bitch because I'm still trying to figure out the policy but aren't telling me that I'm being a heinous bitch. Sometimes you act a way you don't realize you act like that. If I knew I was bothering people, I would have made an effort to correct it. Apparently my boss decided to correct it by not working me with these people without telling me that there's a problem. But then she tells me to 'Deal with it.' I told her that I'm putting in my two week notice and included a one finger salute. I probably would have worked with them today and tomorrow in regards to the shifts I switched out if she hadn't chosen that moment to throw the news in my face. My year in Kosovo has probably not made me a better person in that regard. Anyway, I guess I've come up with an attitude problem because I really don't put up with a lot of crap these days and, heck, sometimes I likely come off as a heinous bitch without realizing I do that. Although, without sounding too hypocritical, communication has never been a strong suit of mine when dealing with problems I have with people. Now I'm looking for another job. I'll probably not go back to work here for a month or so, I'll do eBay or work on my comic and trying to make a few bucks doing that. I'm thinking of getting employment at a national park, like Yellowstone or something. More news on that later. . . Labels: Rant, Work -Risawn: # 9:08 PM - |

3.03.2006

The last Three Weeks have Signaled Career Change In relation to the last post, I've come to discover that my current job is not right for me. There is a handful of reasons why I went back there. I need just enough money income right now to maintain my current lifestyle, which includes a car payment, insurance, rent and that kind of stuff, and I just want to do something I enjoy, while getting a nice little employee incentive on the side (in this case, kick ass discounts!) Well, since coming back, I've found myself working there more then I want to, and after a couple weeks of work, I got paid today. For the last year, I've been getting a pretty comfortable paycheck. I took one look at this one, realizing I was dealing with idiots that were making me highly frustrated, and thought to myself 'what am I doing here?' I guess one of the reasons for me to come back and work at this place is to help me realize that I need to move on and find something better. That will, you know, actually make me happy. In other words, I need to find something I actually enjoy doing as opposed to doing something that is moderately enjoying at times and other times makes me want to bash skulls. This paycheck isn't worth the stress. I think I'm going to say no to anybody who asks me to work more hours, while I focus on doing several things, such as A) find a better job and B) go back to school. I'm thinking of hitting the community college for Spring Quarter, pick up a few extra credits on the side while I fine tune some of my skills. My parents have told me I may have a knack for free lance journalism. Hey, I've maintained a blog with some readership for over a year. It might work. I just have to sharpen my skills a bit. Labels: Rant, Work -Risawn: # 10:13 PM - |

6 Degrees of Adam Morrison I graduated in '99 from Mead High School. While I was at Mead, for three years I did stats for the men's varsity Basketball team. Being short, I think I was largely invisible to most of them. A couple of years after I graduated, a kid named Adam Morrison came to Mead. From what I hear, he helped take the team to state, which is more then can be said for the three years I was doing stats for them. He got a scholarship to Gonzaga University. He's currently on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a consideration for player of the year. When a local kid makes the cover of Sports Illustrated, this is undoubtedly big news. We got a huge shipment of Sports illustrateds in to meet the demand. And how we did the wait list was retarded. We kind of got a late shipment in, so we started taking down people's names and told them to call us back. Now, when you just take down people's names for a magazine that can be bought just about anywhere with a newstand, there is a good chance that these people may end up getting this magazine somewhere else. Unfortunately for me, I looked at this issue with logic, and a thought about Customer Service, as opposed to the brilliant item at hand that would undoubtedly leave a couple people pissed. We took down the names of about 12 people, when the first shipment of magazines came in. It was our regular shipment, and totaled about nine magazines. We were expecting more, we just didn't know when they would come in. One gentlemen came in looking for the magazine and put his name down on the list, at number 13 or something. He said he would be back around noon, though of course, there was no guarantees that we would get more magazines by that time. He mentioned that he lived kind of far away and it would be inconveniant for him to come back after he was done with his class. Well, luck be have it, we hadn't gotten our second shipment in yet, and out of the nine people on the list, one person had claimed the magazine. Statistics would show that of the original nine people that put their name down, some will not come back to get it. Especially when we took down their names and expected them to contact us. I even told the GSM (Guest Service Manager) on duty that I would bet him money that those people would not come back. The gentlemen came back to get the magazine, he was number 13 on a list when we were expecting more magazines in, and the GSM refused to give him one. That customer knew we had magazines and left very irritable. I would wager that he was at a point where he wouldn't come back to the store. So we lost a sale and potentially we also lost a customer. So, here is where Kami Logic comes in. We have 9 magazines. We have a list of over thirteen people on a list. We are expecting more magazines, one gentlement not in the nines comes back before we get the shipment. So far, of the nine magazines, we've only had one person come back to claim it. This is the gamble. Do I guarantee to piss this customer off in favor of 8 customers that may or may not show up, or do I make the effort to please the customer that is right here in the store at the risk of pissing off one of those eight customers that I sold the magazine to? Now, keep in mind, this is to assume that all eight of these customers will be back in the store before we get another shipment in. Does my logic make sense? I would rather take a risk and please a customer that is right there with money in hand wanting to make the purchase rather then slap him to the side in favor of making sure 8 out of 8 customers have their magazine in case all 8 people make it before the next shipment arrives. Guess what? My odds were correct. Within an hour of that customer leaving, I think 2 people came and picked up the magazine before the next shipment arrived. So we lost the customer, in favor of pleasing 6 other customers that never showed up before the shipment. I wasn't suggesting we do that for every customer, I've just known in my experience in retail that you often have to deal with your customers on a case by case basis. Some customers need to be treated differently then others. And seeing that this man came in the store, put his name down, left, and then came back makes him a special case. When I left, our shipment of over 50 magazines came in. Overall, about 15 people vouched to put their name on a waiting list. Five or six came back before the rest of the shipment came in. We denied at least one the sale. I discovered, after getting really irritated with this whole process, that maybe I need to get out of the customer service business. Becuase I discovered that I don't deal well when I'm working under somebody I disagree with. Especially since technically we are actually in the same position (I'm a GSM too, I just wasn't working in the capacity of the GSM at the time, and I've held the position longer then this other guy has). When other people came in, he started ranting about the problem to them. I'm beginning to suspect that I might not be working there much longer. I have several reasons to quit. Labels: Rant, Work -Risawn: # 9:34 PM - |

2.27.2006

Work is Life I have a confession to make. I'm a sucker. Right now, I am basically working just what I need to work to maintain my bills. Which doesn't require me to work that much. This gives me some free time to sort through my stuff and get my affairs in order while I prepare to go to school and what not. I do have a plan however, it involves getting my own place, after I have significantly downsized my current possessions. Meanwhile, well, I'm a sucker. I don't have to work that much, but if somebody comes up to me, begging me to take a shift that they are trying to get rid of because they are sick/ the shift conflicts with school/ they just want the day off, I undoubtedly grind my teeth, give them a dirty look, and tell them I'll take it. What's wrong with me? Why can't I ever tell a person 'No! I don't want your freakin' shift! I just want to sit at home and burn crap in the fireplace I've been hanging onto for the last ten years for closure! I don't need hours!' Well, actually, the burning of stuff in the fireplace is a bit more information then they need to know (but it has proven very theraputic!) but still, for some reason, I can't tell a person no when they ask me to cover a shift. But hey, its not so bad, right? I mean, it could be that I really do need the money and I can't get enough work, so I'm counting my blessings in the meantime. Now, I have to mail out the last parcel from my first eBay sale and get the ball rolling on my next one. Meanwhile, the army overpaid me on my last paycheck, so for the next year or so of drilling, a portion of my drill paycheck will be going to paying back that debt. How am I not surprised??? Labels: Rant, Work -Risawn: # 10:16 PM - |

Woes from Work When I was looking into a job change with the US Army, somebody mentioned if I wanted to do LPN. To tell you the honest truth, I would like to just get out of the Medical Field altogether. I don't think I could ever do the LPN bit and I'll tell you why. I don't do puke, crap, urine or mucus. Which brings up the question of what will I do if and when I come upon having kids of my own? One thing I don't like about people in the people pleasing business of customer service, is when we offer a public toilet and people decide that they need to use our facilities to do a doozy of a number two, so much so that it plugs up our plumping where we have to get the plunger out. Gross. I don't get paid enough to deal with other people's poop. In a lot of ways, that is where I cross the line. But when we're closing, gosh, we got to clean the bathrooms too. I walk into the male restrooms and low and behold, some customer left me a present. I overhead paged some back up assistence while I started trying to unplug the thing. People, if you really have to go and you know you're going to clog up the toilet, don't go to a public restroom to do it, please for the love of all that is holy. Just do it in your own private toilet. Don't leave it for some other poor soul to have to clean it up after you. It just plain stinks! Labels: Rant, Work -Risawn: # 12:11 AM - |

2.15.2006

Work and eBay eBay items are going well. It makes me happy to sell off practically my entire collection of Dragonlance novels. I collected them for years, one of my happy little addictions. But I haven't read them since the War of Souls novels really. Kept the hard covers, got rid of everything else. Its all just peachy. I'll be putting up more items this coming weekend. Gotta go through my things and just start dumping it. I think clothes are going to be the next thing I sort through, and more books. Meanwhile, it is the first week I started back on my civilian job again. For those of you who don't know, I work at a retail joint that sells books, movies and music, along with other miscellanious items of note. For a long time (well, before i got the job) i saw this place as primarily a bookstore/rental place. Anyway, my first days back has me helping them reset the store. We just started buying back used books, however the store is not currently set up to really adequately take in the used books, so they are resetting the book section. I'm helping out by helping take down things so they can remove the fixtures. I nearly got killed by a fixture. It fell on top of me, but somebody caught it before it could adequately squash me. I'm ok. I think. Funny, my favorite part of my job is helping the customer find whatever they need. When they are happy, I'm happy. I've discovered a long time ago that I really enjoy making somebody's day. It makes me all warm and toasty inside. I'm still working on the schooling issue. I just have to finish filling out info for financial aid and apply to my school of choice. I have decided to set aside a day next week to do this, cause it looks like I'll have some free days coming up next week. This week, I'm just going to focus on not getting killed by any fixtures. Labels: eBay, Work -Risawn: # 9:39 PM - |

2.10.2006

Good Times So, work is back on. Go back next week and help shift the entire book section. I'm just excited to get back to work. In other news, came over to the parent's place and ended up spending the afternoon with my mom as she shopped around for an external Hard Drive and a new camera, as we dropped her other camera yesterday when she was taking pictures of things to sell on eBay. When we took it in, they took a quick look at it and deduced that it had broke in half. Or something. Something not good anyway. So, External Harddrive, eBay, cameras, yes, I feel like I'm back at home. Now I'm moving onto Gargoyles, the animated series. Good times. I'm trying to get Creature updated again too. Labels: Life, Meanwhile, Work -Risawn: # 4:16 PM - |

1.29.2006

Semblence of Life So, I'm back home, catching up on things, and knicking away at that to do list. Buy Car, Check. I went with a little Mazda Protege. Its a great little car and has everything I wanted. 5 Speed, great gas mileage, four door, front wheel drive, and a bit of a kick on the road. Me likes. We will see how much me loves when we make it up the mountain this coming week. I've seen most of my family now, its strange how a part of me feels like I haven't been gone for very long at all, but then I sit down and think about what happened over the last year and realize that indeed, it has been that long. I've got my job back at my former employer. So they are again my current employer once more. Its strange to think how much I actually missed that job. I think I missed the people I worked with, I don't know if I'll go back to that location for long, I'll likely transfer before to much time passes to a location closer to home. Got a few more items left on my list. One of them includes acquiring a bed. There is also the pleasure of taking care of medical coverage, in case I knock my head upside a mountain and come back with Global Transient Amnesia after a day of free snowboarding. Again. I also have to go through a lot of crap. I think I'm going to have a yardsale on eBay. Um, I guess I can alert everyone as to when that happens when the time comes. And I'll be in the army reserves for at least another year and a half, or so I've discovered. What else can I say? Well, it feels good to be home. Now I'm going to continue this trend of staying off the computer and having a semblence of life. Labels: Car, Work -Risawn: # 1:20 AM - |

11.24.2005

The Damage to my Pop Culture Knowledge is Apparent So I was waiting in line for the phones watching the football game (sidenote, yes I tried to call home, but all the lines were down, so I'll try later tonight) and it made it to the Half Time show. I was just listening when it mentioned something along the lines of a 'Female Artist with the number one selling album of 2005', and I casually wonder who this might be. I'm a little out of the loop, like I mentioned, I was wondering if it was somebody like Beyonce Knowles, who knows. And then they say "mariah Carrey" and I do a double take, thinking 'huh?' Mariah actually made a come back??? Then I heard a song she was singing, one I've heard in the Coffee Shop one to many times, and then thought 'that's Mariah Carrey?' What am I going to do with myself when I get home? I have to work at a job that depends on me knowing what's current, what is going to happen when somebody mentions a movie and I go 'huh?' *sigh* I guess I'll manage. Labels: Music, PopCulture, Work -Risawn: # 12:45 PM - |

11.12.2005

Army Time So, where am I at in my military career? I'm not sure. But looking back on this deployment, I can tell you what I like and don't like about the military. I've often griped about my job here, especially within the hospital, and muttering how much I hate my task force. And then I thought about it and discovered 'you know? Maybe I don't hate my task force. I just don't like working in a hospital, and that's where I'm at.' Because the people within my task force are by and large really good people who work hard at their job (and most of the time I don't even know what they do exactly) But the problem with the Hospital is that a hospital in teh army is not the army. Its a hospital. I love the army for the army, not because I wear green everyday and go to work in a clinical environment. Gag. Several people have told me that I should work in the S1 shop or do something more with a computer and I'm thinking "are you crazy? I don't want to work on a computer 24/7, that would drive me nuts! I enjoy working on the computer on my own terms, but making that my job would make me loathe it. And I think that's part of my problem here. I literally work in an office on my deployment. True, I get out of the office to do things with my work, but it isn't work I like to do. Mostly because I 'HATE' inspections. But my idea of enjoying my job means not being in an Office. And that has been a problem. Kosovo wouldn't be bad, if I were doing something else. I have a computer, I could get online anytime I want on my own hours. Several people have mentioned that they would prefer to have an office. I generally get bored in one if I'm not busy with a handson assignment. Well, working in the SAV-T will always remind me of what I love about the army. I loved Basic Training, didn't mind AIT but wish we weren't in the classroom so much and then I got back to my unit and thought 'this is it?' I love the army to do army things. I think that was one of the reasons I was drawn to being a drill sergeant, not because it was an excuse for me to yell at people (though that's got its perks) but because if I were to do that, I would be doing what i love to do. And that is the army. I think actually my ideal job in the army would be a basic grunt, or even a training NCO or something along those lines. But since 11B (infantry) is closed to women, I have to look at other options. I don't know if I'll reenlist or not, I'm doing to go home, let my family try to talk me out of it, take some time off and relax while working a simple but relatively easy job at the local Hastings for a few months and maybe explore some options. We'll see if the army can successfully talk me back into the fold. Or one of those recruiters can sweet talk me. Just as long as I don't get caught up doing a job I don't want to do. Or getting stuck in a hospital again. Labels: Army, Life, Work -Risawn: # 8:21 AM - |

11.04.2005

Did I mention November would be Nuts? Latest on Nanowrimo? I don't want to even mention where I'm at in this story. But I'm not going to sweat it, I have a tendency to write a lot when I'm in the mood. I wrote 15,000 words in a few days once (during this deployment), so if I can focus on it, I think I can manage. Its just that procrastination trait that is so prominant in my personality that I have to keep an eye on. Meanwhile, the army is keeping me busy this month, which is a good thing, because if they keep me busy, the time goes by quicker. This month I'm basically helping out with the Urinalysis again (our section has it) and I'll be doing that every few days, along with manning the hearing booth. I'm also helping out with the Year Book and managing the Task Force Slide Show for Thanksgiving as well as helping conduct the Christmas Party for December. Then there is the usual reports, such as the DNBI report among other things. And we're getting ready for our replacements for 'when' they get here (that's classified) Man, I'm busier now that I got fired from my regular job then I ever was before! (er, I didn't really talk about that for good reason) And if I'm lucky *crosses fingers and hopes*, I might get a slot for the Schutzenshnur. What is that strange german word you might ask? Its a German Marksmanship badge. Which would look freakin' SWEET on my Class A's (that I will never wear now that I'm getting out of the military, for now) But it is a big maybe. If I can get to the range, I think I can get it. I just have to hope that I can get a slot. And as it appears, there is a good chance I might get a slot, if things work out alright. Its on my calender, just in case. And between all of this, I'm trying to write a 50,000 word novel and do a bunch of art exchanges just to keep my time occupied. HAH! That's real funny. Now about that 50,000 word novel I'm 'working' on. . . Labels: hobbies, Life, Nanowrimo, Work -Risawn: # 1:04 PM - |

8.03.2005

Blogs and Technical Difficulties My Laptop is going into "I must baby this poor sucker with every resource that I can muster" mode. . . It's gone through quite a beating on this deployment, and I started with 3 USB ports. I'm down to Two left (and those two are on again off again) Lesson learned, USB ports are the most important piece of your computer in this day and age. So you need to baby them. You must nurture them, and take extreme care of them. So, as soon as I get back to the states, this laptop is going to be taken in to be repaired, because I need those USB ports to do about 80% of the things I do on the computer. It's my PRECIOUS!!! Ok, that's going a bit far I suppose. But anyway, now that I'm finding myself in the role of OFFICIAL WEB DESIGNER of TASK FORCE MED FALCON *bring out the trumpets and roll out the red carpet* I'm finding that I have to revert back to using my laptop to update the website. And it makes it difficult when the USB ports don't want to cooperate. *sob* Which reminds me. I've got another blog now. . . sort of. Its actually the unit blog, so it will be a milblog geared to the unit, not me. And you can't make comments on it because its not set up like that (I wanted to set this thing up through Blogger or some other Blogging service but the FTP server doesn't like Blogger) Its the Task Force Med Falcon Newsbox. On top of having uncooperative software and webserver changes and logging problems, this website has been kind of a plague to my existence since I was tasked with putting it together. Anyway, my current dilemma is getting the rest of the task force on board. More on that later. Meanwhile, I have to go to work on that DNBI stuff. And then I have to write a report on the efficiency of the sections giving me information for the DNBI report. And then I have to work on the Unit Website. Again. Maybe I can find some time to commit the NCO creed to memory sometime between all of these tasks, but we'll see. . . I wonder if I should get a new computer??? Nah, I'll just have to baby this one a few months longer. Labels: Blogging, technical difficulties, Website, Work -Risawn: # 12:32 AM - |

6.29.2005

DNBI is going to be the end of me. . . To understand what this means, you'll have to understand what exactly the DNBI report entails. You see, DNBI is Disease and Non Battle Injury, its a report of all of the people that come in through the hospital on account of things that were not caused by direct warfare. Sickness, injuries, things of that nature. Most of the time its preventable. Anyway, Preventive Medicine was the one tasked to take all of the information from various sections and different Troop Medical Centers in the Theater and compile them together to make the report, which gets sent up to higher. I'm the one that got tasked to do the report, and i've been doing it ever since I got here. Now, granted, you can see that there is some sensitive information that goes along with the DNBI report, and therefore, I can't illude to too much information in regards to what happened to whom or what not. But basically, I'm the eyes of whats going on in the task force and the purpose of the DNBI report is to keep an eye out for trends and such things, especially in regards to illnesses and communicable diseases. Which is a preventive medicine function, hence why we are tasked with compiling the report, as we use it ourselves. Most of the time its pretty ho-hum, just gather the information (when you can get it on time, which most of the sections have been very good about) but what gets me is that lately everyone is thinking "oh, you're doing that, how about you help us by giving us THESE numbers" and so on and so forth so a report that was initially consisted of just taking information and putting it on a spreadsheet has now spawned into taking this information by individual Task Force and giving it to whom ever. I found out today that I'm getting a hair overwhelmed in this tasking. So I put my foot down and told my NCOIC about it. He kind of looked at me and then said "if anyone else gives you any grief over this, send them to me." This is what my day has come to consist of. Hence, why I don't tell you a lot about whats going on in theater. It ain't exciting! Ahh. . . gotta love paperwork. . . Labels: Army, Kosovo, Work -Risawn: # 3:01 AM - |

4.19.2005

Lack of Post Leads to Lack of Sympathy Soo. . . I was talking on the phone with my family a few days back and my brother made an observation that I don't update my blog as much anymore. That updates are becoming fewer and fewer. Well, I tried to update yesterday and the Blogger Server couldn't be found. So I didn't. But I assessed my situation and wondered out loud to myself, "why is it that I don't post as often to my blog anymore?" So I thought about this and what had often influenced my blog before and realized that, well, here I've been talking a lot about what's going on in my life here in Kosovo, and how I write, with my frank and honest depictions (including at times a certain lack of tact) that I would more then once get called into the Commander's Office and told to watch what I say. And, well, right now, Kosovo hasn't proven to be particularly exciting. Especially this last week or so, we went and inspected some places yesterday, whoop-de-freakin-do. That, and if I inspect some place and something is wrong, I can't really talk about what's wrong with the place. Inspections are one of my more visible job functions, but it basically boils down to me going around and inspecting various places to make sure they meet the sanitation standards of Army Regulation 40-5. Needless to say, the job lacks glamour and drama. I'm not dissing it by any means, because it is an important job, but its just not something I wish to talk about on my blog. I mean, how exciting can you make "today I inspected the Northtown Gym. It was clean, no grub or dirt I could find. Then I moved up to the Thai Massage place and surprised them with my early showing. Inspection went well. I did have some questions on the disenfectant." I think I would put myself to sleep. Anyway, job done, next up is a power point presentation on heat injuries and preventing them, because the army has a love affair with Powerpoint. Anyway, so my life is not filled with drama, I'm not shooting at anybody, my job, though important, lacks the luster to talk about on a daily basis, so that means what's going on in the rest of the world? Yeah, every so often, I would write my take on current events in the rest of the world. The thing is, I've got three sources of news here. Military Newspapers (which consist of the Army Times and Stars and Stripes), The Television (brought to me by the Armed Forces Network and they're chosen news stations), and the internet. I read the Military newspapers mostly for news on the military, because that's its primary focus. AFN I tend to avoid and only watch during meals, because from what I can tell they seem to be talking about the same thing over and over again, and the internet, well, my internet is still limited. I check my email, look at a few pages, and then get to work. And quite frankly, nothing in current events seems to strike my interest that much. Sure, there's the Michael Jackson trial, but that is getting more exposure then it needs already. There's the Terry Schiavo case, which I had mixed feelings on and quite frankly, felt that it was blown out of proportion as well by BOTH sides. And thankfully, the Pope died to take the news off of that mess. Which brought us to the Pope. I'm not Catholic, so I don't have that effecting me as it is so many other people. But come on people, he was old, he led a very rich and full life, and he's now some place better. So as you can see, my interests are rather mum on the issue. He was a good man, a very visible leader, and he died like millions of people do every day. I hold no sympathies, because of the fact that he died of natural causes after leading a very long and rewarding life. Now I'm getting plagued with the question "who will the new pope be?" as that is all the news has a desire to talk about. Well, either that or reverting back to the Jackson case. Um, yeah, ok. But, well, who will be the new pope has little effect on me, however. I just find it ironic how people want the catholic church to pick somebody who goes against catholic teachings in an attempt to modernize the church. But they *gasp* picked a conservative! How could they? Well, there, now THAT'S something I could talk about. The leftist take on religion and the 'modernization' of. Oooh. . . I'm rubbing my hands together in anticipation. I guess that leaves the last thing I can talk about. My thoughts on issues. Whether current or not, just my rambling thoughts on political issues. Well, I guess I could talk about extracurricular activities. Yeah, that's another source of posting pleasure. And of course, there's my unwritten motto 'alienating the world, one person at a time'. I'll just say I'm working on the posting issue so that there is actually something to read when you come to my blog. Labels: Current Events, Deployment, Opsec, Work -Risawn: # 11:02 PM - |

11.20.2004

The Goodbyes Start Today is my last day of work at my civilian job. We had a store meeting at 6:30 this morning, which was difficult for me because I'm not a big morning person and I stayed up really late the night before. First of all, let me explain something about my work. I work with a bunch of people that lean to the left of the political spectrum. Now, don't get me wrong, their are some really cool people I work with that will give you the shirt off their back if you need it, and they are all really kind to me despite the fact that they know I voted for Bush, their enemy number One. This is probably due to the fact that I live by an important rule while at work. Don't talk about Politics. Still, it's kind of hard to ignore where they stand some times. Everyone knows its my last day, and they are all wishing me goodbye and good luck, and a few 'see you in 18 months' and handed me a card. Everyone scrawled their thoughts and well wishes in it, and of course, the usual sentiment. And then there was a simple message. "Good Luck in Bush's Invasion!" I thought everyone knew I was heading to Kosovo. Strange, in this day and age when you say you're in the military, most people immediately place their sympathy with you and hope you don't go anywhere (despite the fact that I DO want to go somewhere). When they hear your deploying, their first thought is Iraq. Then Afgahnistan. Not a lot of people think about Kosovo, its apparently pretty quiet. Which I find in this scrawled statement a bit of irony. Kosovo has nothing to do with Bush, other then that we were in the middle of this issue when he took the presidency. Kosovo spawns from Clinton's era. And what's more, its a NATO mission. The US has approximately 2500 troops over there right now. A small number. Otherwise, Kosovo is a huge multinational task force, I think they said about 30 nations are involved, with the US of course having the largest force there. I guess the guy jumped to conclusions, thats all. But still, what a thing to write on someb