11.29.08

Got M.U.G.ged again today. This one reads, “I love your concentrated efforts to enhance your personal knowledge as well as our customer’s. 🙂 You’re doing a great job and it’s a pleasure working with you!” My apron is not big enough for all of these M.U.G. awards. 😮

The store is so festive and packed with red and gold Christmas trimmings! We even got a live Christmas tree last night, donated by a Barista who works for us and also works at a Christmas tree farm. It’s an exciting time of year and I can only but think that January, when all this stuff is gone, is going to be pretty boring!

The 1/2 Marathon on Thanksgiving morning went pretty good. No PR here but I was just happy to be able to complete the course considering how little I’ve run lately. It may very well have been my last race for a very long time at best. Standing on my feet all day and working 50-60 hours a week has taken it’s toll. I just don’t think I can work running in there as well. We’ll see… BTW, the shirt we got this year is a SUPER NICE, long-sleeved, technical shirt. I really like it.

Thanksgiving Day at my uncle and aunt’s 3-story log cabin on the BIG Cotton Indian Creek was a wonderful time with family. I think though that someone tainted the turkey with tranquilizers!

This is basically what most all of us did [or felt like doing] after the big meal in the afternoon– including me. I was worn out!!!

Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year, meant extra hours at the store. We opened at 3:30 a.m. which meant my feet hit the bedroom floor at 2:15. It was a nice steady rush most all day [I wish it were like that every day!] and we beat our closest competitor store in sales for the day by only $39.00!!! YEAH!

I opened again this morning and will open every morning, Monday – Saturday, next week. Our probably most reliable shift is going to have a baby this next week which will more than likely mean more hours for some of us over the next 6 weeks while she’s out on maternity leave.

Any day now I should receive my “official” partner card in the mail! I can hardly wait and am looking for it every day. On Monday I can sign up for the stock options program — Bean Stock. I feel it’s really a good time to do so as Starbucks stock is at it’s lowest point ever I believe. It’s 1/2 of what it was the day I was hired– probably all because I don’t buy my drinks any more. 😮

Today, I had my store manager go to the Newnan store and pick up my Christmas present. It’s better that way. I can purchase it through our store and it looks good on our books.

She was REAL happy to do so. There’s a special going on now through the end of December and if you purchase this Starbucks® Sirena™ Espresso Machine you will save $110.00 on the Burr Barista Coffee Grinder– it’s regularly $150.00. + starting next week, our discount increases [just during the holiday season] to 40%. So, I’ll get a $150.00 coffee grinder for about $25.00. I’m not sure who needs a $150.00 coffee grinder. I was planning on getting one that cost $59.95, but this one ends up being even cheaper and I guess it must be pretty nice– you’d certainly think, right?

Anyway, I’m excited about my Christmas present. I’ll wrap it and put it under the tree– that is IF we put the tree up, and open it on Christmas morning– or Christmas afternoon… Actually, I think I might be working Christmas morning. Since we don’t do the BIG “Christmas morning” thing any more– the kids being all grown up and all they don’t want to get out of be too early. So, I signed up to work at the store– it’s time and a half.

And the whole Christmas tree thing… Well, I just haven’t been in the mood to drag all that stuff out the last couple of years. So, if nobody else does, well… it just probably won’t get done. But trust me, somebody WILL! Then I’ll just have to put it all back. But that’s ok. I don’t mind that too much. I just don’t like messing with all those tangled lights and trying to figure out where to put everything and all. I’ll hang the stocking– at least I’ll do that much. 🙂

I wore my Santa hat to work today! 🙂

This is the BEGINNING OF TECHNOLOGY for me.
I think I was in like the 3rd grade and this is my very first TRANSISTOR RADIO!
Whoo Hoo!!!

(STARBUCKS)RED– Do Something Good Everyday

Starting November 27 till January 2, every time you buy a (STARBUCKS)RED EXCLUSIVE beverage: Espresso Truffle, Gingersnap Latte, or Peppermint Twist Mocha from participating Starbucks locations, Starbucks will give 5¢ to the Global Fund to help save lives in Africa. And in support of World AIDS Day on December 1, Starbucks will donate 5¢ of every hand-crafted beverage we sell that day. Buy (RED) Help Save Lives. At participating Starbucks locations, 11/28/08 to 1/2/09. World AIDS Days excludes Ready to drink beverages, Ethos® Water.

11.25.08

I got M.U.G.ged again today. Now I have one for every day of the week. Next goal= every week of the year. he he he… This one reads, “I just wanted to say thanks for all of your help. You are a wonderful partner who always does a great job. You are truly an asset to Starbucks.” 🙂

I wasn’t schedudled to work today but worked for 2 hours this morning to help out another partner that needed to leave early. The cafe was full when I arrived and we stayed steady and with a pretty much full cafe the whole time. We have a billboard on the highway so with the holiday travel season in full swing we get lots of holiday travelers. It’s nice to wish them a safe trip.

Tonight we do the set up for Christmas and I am SO excited!!! All the Christmas stuff is SO beautiful this year. Maybe I’ll post pictures here later. We “officially” roll out the Mint Brownie, Ginger Loaf and Cranberry Bliss Bar tomorrow morning, although we “unofficially” served them today. AND, we [4 of us] get to wear RED aprons beginning tomorrow as the new RED Campagin begins on Thursday.

“…(STARBUCKS) RED. Starting November 27, every time you buy a special (STARBUCKS) RED product, a contribution will be made to the Global Fund, to help save lives in Africa. It’s all part of our commitment to give back to the communities where we do business, which is a key component of Starbucks™ Shared Planet™.” read more…

Other retailers like Dell, Microsoft, Apple, GAP, etc., etc., etc. are also participating in the RED Campagin.

Starbucks set up

11.24.08

Work today was slow. I guess with school being out, people have already taken off for the holiday. We had several regular customers come it and say, “goodbye”. They were off for their holiday traveling and wouldn’t be back until next week– one even tipped us $20! The rush was late today and didn’t come until about 10:30-11:00 a.m. I guess people were sleeping in. Speaking of sleeping in– I plan to do that myself in the a.m. 🙂

I’m going to work tomorrow for a co-worker from 10:00 a.m. – noon, then tomorrow night, starting at 5:30, the set up!!! I can hardly wait! The new Christmas stuff is SO beautiful. The Cranberry Bliss Bars and Mint Brownies are in along with the Ginger Loaf, and so is the Christmas blend and all kinds of nifty Christmas gifts.

BIGGER Tom is coming home tomorrow but he will head off to PCC on Wednesday with his second family We will miss him at Thanksgiving. I’ve had to get REAL creative with our Christmas card this year since it has been nearly impossible to get us all together for a photograph.

Thursday morning’s weather looks chilly but clear for the 1/2 marathon and I’m so excited. It may very well be my last race for some time. This standing on my feet is really tough on the running. We shall see…

LHC restart date now June at earliest

The world’s most powerful particle accelerator will go live again in June at the earliest, following the fault that shut it down in September.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern), which runs the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), previously suggested the apparatus would be restarted in April. On Monday, however, it emerged that June would be the earliest possible date for operations to resume fully.

read more

How Facebook nearly bought Twitter

When it comes to Social Networking sites, Facebook is the current undisputed king. When it comes to microblogging and ‘status update’, however, Twitter rules. Facebook knows this, which is why it offered US$500 million’s worth of stock to Twitter, three weeks ago, to buy it.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your perspective, Twitter rebuffed the offer. There were concerns that $500 million of Facebook stock wasn’t actually worth $500 million, as well as worries over how Facebook would integrate the service into the site.

Lastly, it seems that Twitter wants to have a go at seeing if it can make any actual revenue itself first, before letting someone else try. After all, despite having considerable outgoings in server, SMS and staff costs, Twitter doesn’t actually make any money at all. Yet.

Twitter is a great app… I already sync it with my Facebook status, and I’d love for more of my friends’ Facebook status updates to show up on my Twitter feed. For that reason, I have no real objection to Facebook owning it.

That said, there’s plenty of people I know who keep their Twitter and Facebook accounts very separate. I’m not sure they’d be too keen on the services merging. It’s likely that Twitter will eventually be bought by someone. Just not yet.

source: TechDigest

Sweden approves Lisbon Treaty

Sweden has become the 25th EU member state to approve the Lisbon Treaty.

The treaty was approved by the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, yesterday evening.

According to the Swedish Parliament’s rules of procedure, adoption of the bill requires a two-thirds majority in the chamber. The bill was adopted by 243 votes in favour, 39 against and 13 abstentions.

José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, described Sweden’s move as “an important step forward.”

“The Treaty of Lisbon will make the Union more democratic, transparent and stronger on the world stage. It would certainly have helped during the Georgia and financial crisis.

“We now await the approach that the Irish Government intends to take at the December European Council so that we can move forward with the ratification process,” he said.

Last week, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said the Government will make a decision on whether to hold a second Lisbon Treaty referendum before a meeting of EU ministers next month.

source: IrishTimes.com