Zombies & booze...

After what seemed like a lifetime, vacation season starts this week.

We have a very interesting Friday night already planned. And it's not what you might thing. No, we will not be going crazy at the bars, we'll be going on a Midnight Zombies Tour. If we happen to stop at a bar prior to, well, I'm not going to complain.

But this is suppose to be a two hour walking tour and you get to stop half way to potty & pick up more booze. Can you really beat that kind of deal?

We'll have our flip cameras so I hope to have some TMZ style video to post of the event.

I still wear my sunglasses at night...

Another birthday, another celebration for the ages. After I turned 21, the parties were never a priority. Over the past few years, just hanging out with good friends was all I needed. But, we had to have a "Dirty 30's" blow-out bash a few years ago. It was another milestone age, after all.

Last night Kelly & I were able to have another awesome joint birthday celebration. We started the evening with a simple little dinner at Brixx before all of the craziness started.

In my world, "craziness" is a relative term. I still like to have fun and not take myself or life too seriously. So, after dinner, we headed over to meet up with more people at Paul's Oasis for a little karaoke.

It's weird, I hate public speaking, but I think it's funny to karaoke. I suck really bad, but at Paul's the stage is a boxing ring. How can you beat that? The only down side is, the smoke. I hate smoke!! I took a shower when I got home last night, but can still smell the smoke in my hair. Looks like I need to find a better shampoo.

I think we should make it a point to karaoke every few months. Plus, we now have a flip camera to record the blessed events!

Thanks to everyone who came out to party last night! I wonder if Savannah can handle a karaoke night? The city may never be the same again!!

Think before you speak...

Ever have one of those "open mouth, insert foot" instances? Well, I had one today...well, not really me, but one of my employee's decided to vent their frustration in the wrong manner and I had to spend the better part of my afternoon trying to smooth out the situation.

It's day's like this, I wish I only had to manage myself and not six other people.

Here's the rundown, I had to tell one of my hardest working employee's that they will not make their full monthly bonus due to errors found during an audit. This person has not missed their goals in almost four years.

Two errors were found, and since it was the same error, I thought I could have one thrown out and still give her a chance to make her goals. I told her I'd go to my boss to see what could be done. She knew she made the mistakes and knew I might not be able to fix the situation.

Long story short, I lost the battle. But little did I know the war was about to start. I told her there was nothing I could do and to please correct the issues at hand. She did as she was asked, but when she responded via e-mail, she also e-mailed my boss, our department manager, with a smart remark that ended with, "...I have lost all respect for our leadership..."

The minute I opened that e-mail, my heart sank. I was so afraid I'd have to write her up for her actions. Before anything else could happen, I spoke to my employee and asked why she chose that route. She told me she was upset and felt she needed to let her feelings be known.

I've told my employees time and time again, if you have a problem with upper management, come to me. Let me take the next step. I don't need any of them burning bridges or saying things they'll regret later.

After that ordeal, I had to spend the next hour of my afternoon explaining the situation to my DM. Luckily, he was rather cool about the whole thing, but I was embarrassed to have to go in there to defend my employee in the first place.

I've had to go to bat for all of my employees at one time or another, but I've never had one step this far out of line. The sad thing is, she didn't think she did anything wrong. I'm hoping she's at least apologized to our DM.

Vacation season can not start soon enough for me!

A new favorite

Words to live by...

Something old is new again

I love working in downtown Knoxville, but I have one complaint, I wish we had more restaurants to pick from. Well, I'm stating to get my wish. One of my favorite local restaurants moved from the Old City to the 500 block of Gay Street.

Yup, Nama Sushi Bar is now 2 blocks from my office! That's one thing I miss about Hawaii, the food!

Jessica, Sharon & I made it to their "VIP Friends and Family" private dining event for their soft opening a few nights ago. It gave us a chance to sample the menu and help them work out the kinks.

I'm trying to expand my tastes. I normally go for the standard California Roll, but added the Crunchy Shrimp to my list. After Monday, I found a new favorite:

The Pizza Roll --> snow crab, smoked salmon, and avocado topped with TNT sauce and baked.

Drizzled with eel sauce and finished with bonito flakes and green onion.

Jason missed out on Monday, so he and I hit up the "official" opening today. I don't remember which sushi he got, but I just remember it had the fantasy sauce & it was good too!

They had a lot of their rolls on a "lunch" menu for just $8.00. You also get miso soup and choice of house, cucumber or seaweed salad. If you don't want a salad, you can substitute and get edamame. We opted for that. I had no idea Jason had never eaten edamame before and it was hilarious!

I told him not to eat the entire pod, like one of our friends had done the night before. But the beans kept flying all over the table. I wish I had taken a video of the event. I shouldn't make too much fun of him, I did the same thing Monday night.

Nama's making a huge effort to cater to the busy downtown lunch crowd. We were in and out within an hour and didn't have to rush through our meal. I hear in a few weeks, they are going to have even more items listed on the lunch menu. Chicken and rice bowls, noodle bowls, more hot items. I wonder if I could convince Sweetwater Brad to dine there too? Or would that be too much of a stretch for a country boy?

It's almost time...

...for a vacation!!

I haven't had a day off since the beginning of January! I know, what a rough life, but sometimes time away from the office and reality is good for the mind & soul.

I have never been to Savannah, but that's the next stop on the tour. I'm looking forward to just getting away with some good friends.

We have a zombie tour lined up, it should be a riot! I hope I don't wet my pants in fear. I've also been told there's no open container law...a la Las Vegas, New Orleans and Key West. Guess I'd better pack my Tervis tumbler. It's a good thing I got a lid and multi-colored straws for Christmas.

I survived...

...my first Zumba class. It wasn't as difficult as I thought. It was actually quite fun. I found myself singing along to the music a little too much, but of well. The class was packed and there where a lot of different age and ability levels. I had no idea how long the class would be, but one hour was just about all I could handle.

I do see myself going back. I never realized how uncoordinated I was. My arms can do what they need to do, but then my feet get confused...and vice versa.

My legs felt like Jello after it was all over and my arms are still sore as I type this blog. Guess that means I did something right.

I checked the class schedule for the YMCA I normally visit, but they don't offer a class. Looks like I know where I'll be on Saturday mornings...at least until the fall!

Thanks to Kelly for inviting me!

Next on the list is spinning, I think. One of my co-workers wants to give it a go, but I don't know if I can handle that.

NKOTB and BSB

Oh boy, I had no idea how the stage would be set up. I'm calling it now...someone's getting stuck or falling down.

I'm still torn on what outfit to wear. Do I make an airbrushed t-shirt or try to find my uber old school New Kids t-shirts. I don't think I have any BSB t's...or do I? Hum...

I Wanna Do It All

I heard this song on the way to work this morning. When ever I hear it, I can't help but sing along.

I wanna do it all too!! Except watch the Yankees play ball. I don't like the Evil Empire. The radio version talks about watching the Chiefs play ball. I don't like them either. I'll watch my Vols, Braves or Colts play ball.

But in five months, I'm gonna watch the Cubs play ball. Yay Wrigley!!

Do you Zumba?

I don't, but I'm going to try it this weekend. This should be the funniest thing ever! I hope the other people in the class aren't too hard core, as I will probably be laughing at myself the entire time.

I've seen the late night infomercials and thought about ordering the DVD's so I could humiliate myself in the privacy of my own home, but I never got around to it.

I wonder if I need to buy new workout clothes? I don't have baggy pants like the video. And if I get new pants, do I have to hike one leg up, like I'm from the streets?

Well, that was scary...

Breathe in, breathe out, move on...

OK, I think I've finally calmed down enough to put a post together. There was a minor issue in my utility closet this evening. Apparently there was a short, some sparks & even a few flames.

It COULD have been a whole lot worse, but with some quick fire extinguisher work, it was put out.

My Mom & Bristol actually came up to visit this weekend. And thanks to Bristol's sniffer, we figured out there was an issue before it could get any worse.

My heating unit can't get looked at till tomorrow, so it looks like we have to layer up. Thank goodness it's not as cold tonight as it has been in the past.

I have to be honest, the whole think kinda freaked me out. I kept thinking, what if I had been sleeping or what if I wasn't home when it happened. Maybe I'm just a little gun shy since we had a house fire in the past.

It was the summer before my freshman year of high school. I was in Hawaii & my parents & BoJangles were in Gatlinburg for a summer conference. There was a short in some wiring and an electrical storm. Next thing you know, our house is in flames. Someone driving by stopped and tried to knock on the door. By that time our neighbor had called the fire department.

Our house had to be gutted and we lost everything, but still had our lives. And that's all I could think about tonight. What if I didn't feel bad last night & went out like I was suppose to? What could I have come home to?

This could end in one of two ways, the first...I never leave my apartment for fear of what might happen when I'm away. The second, breathe in, breathe out, move on...I refuse to be held captive by fear. And no matter what, life is going to throw us curve balls. We can't control everything.

So, going forward...I'm going to really try and live by my favorite motto..."live life to the fullest & never look back".

I have a kid?

I have this thing, if I get a call from a number I'm not familiar with, I normally do not pick up. I screen. I've had the same cell phone # for almost 10 years. If you're important to me, I have your # stored.

I've gotten calls for someone named "Julia" a time or two. It's usually a dentist or doctor trying to confirm an appointment, so I've returned the call to advise the office they either dialed the wrong # or have an incorrect # on file. It doesn't upset me, I just want the right person to get the message. It could be something important.

But this morning, I got the funniest message for "Julia". I noticed a local # calling, but it wasn't one I was familiar with, so I let to go to voicemail. When I had a free minute, I listened to the message...and I started laughing.

Poor "Julia", she has a "problem child" at an area elementary school. Apparently my "child" is not doing his homework and when he is doing it, he is not finishing it. There are other issues as well, but the teacher did not go into further detail. So, she was trying to schedule a parent-teacher conference.

Here's my thing, #1 my outgoing voicemail says, "Hey this is Nikki...." or something like that, but #2 why did the teacher have to leave such a long, drawn out message? Why not keep it simple?

I ended up calling the school and advising the office that the teacher left a message on the wrong #. I think I started off with "...for starters, I don't have a child..."

I found the whole thing hilarious, but if I ever had a kid and the teacher needs to speak with me, I hope they would keep the message simple, just in case it fell on the wrong ears.

But overall, I hope that my kid would never do anything so bad as to require his or her teacher to call me at work before 10:00AM. Good thing I don't have to worry about any of that right now.

You only get 2...

I was reading a magazine at the gym the other day and I saw an article that caught my attention. It was talking about how many "great loves" we get in our lifetime.

I don't remember what I was reading, or how current the issue. For all I know, it could have come from 1985, but I got to thinking, what if it's true, what if we only get 2 "great loves" and what if I've already used them up?

I remember my first great love, his name was James. We were 4 and he sat next to me in pre-school. I was the only one who could call him "Jimbo" and I started putting ketchup on my hot dog because of him. During snack time, he would eat my celery after I took the peanut butter off so I wouldn't get in trouble.

Jimbo moved, I think, because he wasn't there for Kindergarten. But years later, he ended up working at the same place as one of my friend's. From what I was told, he hadn't changed much and was still as cute as can be. I think I saw him at the beach, back when I still went home every summer. It was one of those movie moments, when you see someone you think you know and time stands still. But then again, it could have been another hot surfer boy.

Who knew my second great love would come the following year. I loved Paul A from the minute I laid eyes on him. He was the cutest 5 year old ever! And for the next 3 years he was all mine. Granted this did cause a tiff between me and one of my oldest friends, she kept trying to steal him away, but it never worked. She finally got him all to herself after I moved to Tennessee. But then Paul moved to California, or something.

Paul was the first boy I ever kissed, in the doll corner...during nap time. And he was the first boy to give me jewelry for my brithday. He set the bar high for all those who attempted to follow.

So now what? If that article was true and we only get two great loves, where do I go from here? Am I out of luck? Or do we really have 3?

What we've got here...is a failure to communicate...

Seems like communication, or miscommunication is a hot topic this month. I don't like to blog about my job too much, because I like to keep this upbeat and funny, but there are some things that have really started to annoy me between the hours of 8:00-5:00.

I feel like we have a tattle-tale (TT) in our department and this is what is annoying me the most. You know, there's always one person who thinks they're better than everyone else and thinks the rules don't apply to them. Or better yet, that they're above the rules. .

Maybe some of my HR friends will have a different perspective on the TT. I was always raised to respect the chain of command. If there is a specific problem, take it up with your direct supervisor. If he or she can not correct it, take it up with the department manager and if that can't fix it, then take it up with HR.

I understand there may be certain personal issues that should go straight to HR, but I think the TT chose the wrong route, this time.

Here's the thing, we have been allowed to go "casual" on Friday's. That means jeans and sneakers are OK, but no t-shirts, basically, don't come in looking like a slob. Prior of this "casual day Friday", we were told 2 things: #1 - no Uggs, #2 - no skinny jeans.

I have no idea why we're not allowed to wear Uggs and I guess I can see that on some people, skinny jeans would not look work appropriate.

Well, we had a few people in my department wear skinny jeans. So I understand they weren't following the initial rule, but the TT went straight to HR and submitted a complaint. But they didn't complain about anything. I was expecting it to be "so and so wore skinny jeans & I don't feel they were appropriate."

But no, all the note said was something to the effect of "so and so was wearing skinny jeans on Friday, I think you (HR) should know."

Maybe I'm overreacting because the person that got in trouble is my friend, but why did the TT not take it up with one of the Team Leader's or dept. manager first. In my opinion, it could have been resolved with a simple "reminder" e-mail. Like, "hey everyone, I hope you're enjoying the casual days, but let's remember blah...blah...blah...."

Granted, if Skinny Jeans doesn't own regular jeans, they should wear the normal dress slacks, skirt or dress. But why start a war. Skinny Jeans has an idea of who the TT is...and I can tell you right now there is no love loss between the two. But all this has done is create more drama and friction within the department.

Why can't we open the lines of communication?

Think I'll brown bag it...

I work in downtown Knoxville. It's much easier for me to have lunch at any number of area restaurants, however, my wallet does not agree.

So, for the last 3 weeks, I've been bringing my lunch. It was hard at first, because I used my lunch hour as a time to take a break and get away from the office. Sadly, we don't have a traditional "break room" and if I eat at my desk, I won't have any peace & quiet.

Luckily Spring is right around the corner, or so I hope, then I can actually have lunch in Krutch Park or in Market Square. It's nice to get a little fresh air every now and then.

I think Pete's Coffee Shop is the only one missing my dining habits. Yes, I could eat there everyday, but spending $11.00/day for lunch is not good for my wallet or waistline. It's so hard to walk in there and get a salad. I want the good stuff!!

Let's see how long this brown bag streak can go.