The DDA Trouble Free Zone Part 29

[tinknme]

Don't forget your camera!

In case I miss you, hope you all have a magical trip!!!!!!!!

Good Evening DDA!

All the packing is done, except for our carry ons and some of our toiletries that will need to go in the big suitcases.

I think I have everything. I have gone over everything that I can think of, so if we forget something, we'll just have to either do without, or buy it there!

 

[tinknme]

Heather glad to hear RJ had his cast removed. He will be running around at full speed before you know it!

Becky hope your leg is feeling better, that sounded like a nasty fall! Look forward to hearing more about your trip & seeing some pictures

 

[tinknme]

I'm all caught up & heading to bed. 12 1/2 hours at work today has done me in & I have to be back in the morning.

Night all!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Tom - The people who quit are all the new hires! Like that poor guy who was escorted out. DH said all the guy did was tell the truth - a grown man with a family cannot live on those wages. There is no system in place to allow the guys to make more money unless they change routes, which is all ruled by seniority. With a route of your own then your only way to up your salary is to sell more product. Some of these podunky little grocery stores just flat out won't ever sell more product so those drivers are stuck until they can bid on a better route. There are no annual raises, no bonus checks. DH was placed on his route because the guy who had it moved to another position. It was "temporary" for the past 18 months. Now it "has to" go up for bid because DH didn't win the route through a bid. BUT they are also saying that he isn't allowed to bid for a swing position because that would be a demotion. Even if the swing position for 2 good routes would pay MORE than a lead position on a crappy route. So he can't keep his route because he wasn't ever REALLY a lead, but now he can't bid as a swing driver because that would be a demotion. Great. Stupid people. And he can't sew a stitch so it's not like he can start up a dress making business. Perhaps he could become a professional pin shark.

Janet - I hope Princess isn't all puffy tomorrow, too! I told Dadboss what happened so he'll be ready if she looks like an elephant seal.

 

[Steffy]

Tom... have a wonderful trip!!!​

DD, DGD and I are headed to the King Tut exhibit today.

Nite all....

 

[lovesdumbo]

I really need this trip right now. Things here are crazy.

Happy Belated Anniversary Bernadette

Thank you. Hope all is well with you!

Anne Marie - Nope. It's a Cingular phone. They have a lot of Disney tones, though. I might get Bibbity Bobbity Boo next time. Or Mickey Mouse Club March because that is Princess's favorite.
Perhaps you should move closer to me so when you need a sitter you have one available. I even do overnights/weekends. You could pay me with pins.

Couldn't you move to the northeast? I'll invest in pins too.

I just completed the LAST outfit for our vacation, I promise!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bernadette- I love your trip report and all of the wonderful pictures. You all look like you had such a great time. and happy belated anniversary !!

Thanks!
for RJ and the truck!

I would love to, but unfortunately, it ain't gonna happen. The DDA trip is at the same time Alan and I will be in New Mexico. We've been invited to attend a Storyteller's Conference in Santa Fe by a client of Alan's. Alan will have to work, but I will get to attend the conference and sight see with a friend of mine. Best of all: NO KIDS! Yup! 4 whole days, kid free!!!

Sounds fun!

I am not having a good day. I am very cranky.
I was just dreading swimming. The lesson was OK, but when I went to dress Princess I discovered someone used ALL of the diapers out of the diaper bag! So she had to go commando for the ride home. Luckily she didn't wet in her seat. I didn't even think about checking the bag - it didn't occur to me that yesterday was Monday and she was at school so I haven't used the bag since last Friday. Duh!
I called DH after I got a diaper on Princess. Tuesdays are "one on one" meetings with his supervisor. Well, lucky us, DH's route is being taken away in about 2 weeks. The supervisor just gave him this song and dance about how this is procedure and he knows how hard this is for DH (NO, he doesn't know crap because it isn't HIS paycheck at stake!). EVERYTHING is based on seniority, only seniority. Performance and merit count for NOTHING. DH is the #2 producer in his district, he never misses a day of work EVER, he picks up tons of extra shifts, goes to help other drivers when he finishes his own route, and NONE of that counts for anything. The route goes up for bid and whomever has the most seniority when the bid closes wins. Period. DH will be given a crummy route or he can become a "specialist" which are the guys who cover the routes for vacations. He thought he WANTED to be a specialist but after talking with several of them he doesn't want to after all. Well, those are his only 2 choices. He had interviewed with Blue Bell (ice cream) before Frito hired him and they didn't hire him because he didn't have route experience at the time, just retail. Now he has 2.5 years of route experience so I think it might be time to revisit Blue Bell. If Frito doesn't want to retain one of their top salesmen then DH needs to look for a company where performance DOES count for something. They obviously plan to jerk him around and they expect him to just sit there and take it. Well, since he didn't have any solid info before today (they said back in April that he MIGHT lose his route in October) I guess he will be stuck with a crummy position for awhile, but I am encouraging him to get out ASAP. As long as he can find something else that pays the same amount and has about the same benefits we'll be just peachy. If they stick him with a bad route his paycheck will decrease, which adds insult to injury. I just don't understand how a company that struggles to retain employees thinks it is good business to shaft the good people they do have.

I just don't get it! When I was an undergrad at Babson a lot of students got jobs with Frito Lay. It was supposed to be such a great place to work. Hope you DH will find someplace MUCH better real soon!!!!

Well, I have some GREAT news!!! The trial is over and Alan will be home tomorrow afternoon!!!!! I'm so excited I can't stand it!!!!! I was so worried because this morning the judge dismissed one of the jurors and replaced her with an alternate. They had to start deliberating all over again. However, they were able to reach a verdict within 4 hours!!! I was positive that Alan would be gone for another week! It looks like his boss is going to give him Thursday as well as Friday off, since he's racked up so much OT the last 2 months. I hope so!!! That would just be heaven!!!

Well, so much for my happy day.

Hope the boys recover quickly. Glad they didn't have a bad alergic reaction!

Princess was having a drink of water before bed and she tripped and banged her lip on the cup lid. Her first bloodshed when I've been on duty. I bet she will have a fat lip tomorrow. The inside of her top lip looks horrible - her tooth made a hole in it.

Poor Princess! Hope she recovers quick too!

Good Evening DDA!

All the packing is done, except for our carry ons and some of our toiletries that will need to go in the big suitcases.

Have a wonderful time!

Be sure to take lots of your own photos too. Some of the photopass photographers are GREAT. Others not so great and you could probably do much better yourself. The problem is you can't always who the lousy ones are (or which are having equipment problems).

 

[Tammi67]

Good morning!

Tom - Have a wonderful trip!!!

Chanon - My package came yesterday!!! Thanks for all the 'extras'!!!

 

[ReAnSt]

Heather glad to hear RJ had his cast removed. He will be running around at full speed before you know it!

Becky hope your leg is feeling better, that sounded like a nasty fall! Look forward to hearing more about your trip & seeing some pictures

It wasn't pretty everyone around the pool was asking me if I was OK. Of course I said I was. The initial pain was the worst, after that I was pretty much OK. I know it could have been much worse. I was having flashbacks to my fall at the MK in April 2005, where I was hobbling for many weeks after my return. I am pretty much back to normal, well as normal as I can get. I lucked out big time, as it could have been much worse.

Off to work.

Have a Magical day everyone.

 

[PNO4TE]

Absolutely, positively fantastic.

That is terrific news, Becky!

 

[PrincessLeighsDaddy]

Thanks for all the well wishes for our upcoming trip!

We leave at 0'dark thirty in the morning, so we need to TRY to get some sleep tonight. I know that we will be too excited to sleep, but we need to try.

Elizabeth, I feel for your DH. We have route drivers too, and if you get stuck with a crappy route, you just don't make any money. The route drivers come and go all the time, except for the ones that have some really large accounts and can make it on commissions.
My brother used to work for Seyferts chips a long time ago, and was stuck with a crappy route, needless to say he didn't last long there.
Hopefully your DH can find something else soon. I know that at our age, changing jobs is not something that you really look forward to.

I might try to sell some of Leighanna's things on EviilBay when we get back, and see if they actually do very well. I might just have a second job in the works, if it pans out! More Disney dollars for us!

I have the cameras all packed, notice I said cameras. We got Leighanna a digital camera, because she just HAD to have one. DW is using our old camera, since she doesn't ride some of the big rides, she wants to still get some shots of us.
My brother bought his wife a new Sony H something camera on Amazon for her birthday. I think it is the same one that Bernadette has, (after my recommendation and showing him the photos that she took )

Have a great day DDA!

 

[PNO4TE]

DD, DGD and I are headed to the King Tut exhibit today.

Nite all....

Oh, I have been trying to work it out to find a weekend that Bob and I could go see that. Have fun!!

 

[PNO4TE]

Tom - in case I don't get back on here in the next 12 hours or so... I hope you trip is full of magic and pixie dust. Enjoy!

 

[PNO4TE]

Good morning, DDA!

 

[yellowfish78]

I think the garnets will be too red, Chanon. What about citrines? or smoky quartz?

There's a nice smokey quartz necklace at Zales.com in their clearance section - BUT of course they are all sold out. I think I'm gonna hold out for that stone, and see what I'll be able to find. Overstock only had one or two necklaces in quartz, and I didn't like either of them.

Chanon - My package came yesterday!!! Thanks for all the 'extras'!!!

What extras? All the AAA benefits?? That's all standard for me!

 

[yellowfish78]

Morning DDA!

Tom - Have a great trip!

Glynis - I saw a recap on the trial this morning. Looks like the girl has come into the open in hopes that her mother and sisters will follow her. Also saw a shot of the courtroom, so I probably saw your husband there somewhere too!

I bought a new pair of Crocs (my old ones are shot and extremely thin on the bottom) and I forgot how hard they are for the first few times of wearing them! I'm hoping they'll be broken in by the time the trip rolls around in

21 DAYS PEOPLE, 21 DAYS!!!!​

 

[tinknme]

I got our sleigh ride booked for Christmas night I almost forgot & did not call till about 6:15 this morning. I told the cm I wanted to book the sleigh ride for Christmas & he said "oh I think that day is sold out" "but oh we do have 1 for 9:30pm" I was hoping for around 8, but that's ok, I took it!

 

[tinknme]

I can't wait

21 DAYS PEOPLE, 21 DAYS!!!!​

 

[tinknme]

Good morning

 

[Pooh67_68]

Poor Jacob and his friend.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Poor princess.