Well the same to you!...
My Oaklawn trip...
Part of our motley crew- Jaydee in front, then left-right
Al, Hoosier Carol, Hoosier Hubby, Kat, Warlock
Sorry, I didn't get a pic of Smith or Longshot : (
Mr. Echols would be green with envy.
Anyway, for Al & Kat I presented their artworks I did of their trotter Tom Bruce. One is an acrylic painting of him trotting in high grass, and the second one is a headshot in chalk pastel:
These are lousy photos, in the headshot you can see the hair on his face & neck, more detail than shown here. They look much better in person. Anyway, they seemed happy with the art.
And did I get my bread pudding? Of course I did! There was a wonderful buffet, and I grabbed a bowl of pudding. Then, a few minutes later a waitress came over to the table with another full bowl... courtesy of Jaydee, haha. So I had a couple bowls of it, enough to last me til next year. But Hubby's mad at me, on the phone he told me to bring him home some bread pudding... but I accidentally ate it all... and forgot to bring him any... opps. I'm not going to live this down for a while...
Anyway I won a few bets here and there. I got the dime superfecta in the 4th for $52.00... it woulda paid more but the officials declared a dead heat for 2nd place, and I didn't have it both ways in my wheel. Then I had a winner in the 3rd race until they disqualified BOTH 1st & 2nd place horses and dropped them to 6th (how unusual is that!) Also had some little exactas and such. But I made the mistake of going down to the slots room after the races... last year I won $180, but my luck wasn't as good this time and I merely lost what I played.
So in all I had an entertaining day with friends, chatting with Kat and trading quips with Warlock. Unfortunately since I had to drive home I didn't get to stay and see more folks on Saturday, there were quite a few planning to be there.
The drive home wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, I expected storms the whole way but I only hit them the last 2 hours in Dallas. I just drove directly behind the truckers, letting them lead the way on the highway. I passed 4 wrecks (in downtown Dallas, no surprise there) and one 18-wheeler in the ditch next to the highway, but I got home safely at 1AM. And man am I wiped out today! But it was worth it.
Some good news...
I was sent an email by the DFW Airport letting me know that I won a prize in the art contest I entered. So now at least I know I won... well, SOMETHING. I don't know if it was 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, (or "honorable mention" lol)... I've been to the airport 3 times this week trying to find out, but they're still in the process of hanging all the artwork for the exhibit. I talked to one of the contest coordinators, who told me why things were going so slow-
First, one of the judges was Mr. Raymond D. Nasher, a nationally recognized art patron who owned a prestigious gallery in Dallas... and who passed away on Friday March 16.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/031707dnmetnasherobit.1c83b9a6.html
Then, the other two judges dropped out and so two others from those same organizations were judges (one of the organizations is the Fort Worth Public Arts Council, I don't recall who the other is). So, the actual judging didn't occur until Monday of this week, which threw everything behind. I was there today, and they were still scrambling to hang all the artworks.
I guess I'll find out Saturday night who won what. I'm just happy I won something.
Odds & ends...
I swear sometimes it seems the light at the end of the tunnel is a train.
For over a year Hubby has been manufacturing batteries for a supplier in another state. He was filling orders and in the meantime looking for a job, since the battery business wasn't proving to be very consistant. Well, it seems the world is against him.
The batteries he's been sending to the supplier are nickel cadmium... and if you've happened to spend your free time watching the world market exchange on metals, you'd know there's a severe shortage of nickel causing the prices to soar from about $14,000 per ton a year ago to $45,000 currently. What does this mean? Finding a source to buy batteries from now is next to impossible... so Hubby is now officially out of the battery business. And looking seriously for a job. Ugh.
Then there's my job... managers are quitting left and right... it's like the ship is sinking... I'm wondering if the company can weather the storm to keep their contract with our customer. I had a dream the other night that I was fired... how would that be for bad timing? As much as I hate my job I sorta need the money until Hubby finds something to support us while I'm in school. Heck I'm just trying to figure a way to get our mortgage paid this month. Ugh.
Speaking of school, here's some more pics I did in class...
A charcoal work of a styrofoam ball in a vase of water, with some wire on top.
By the way, do you have any idea how difficult it is to draw a perfectly round ball about a foot in diameter?
I didn't quite have enough time to finish the cloth draping around it on the right side.
Marvin the Martian stuffed toy sitting in a chair.
Ugh...
To whom it may concern...
For all interested parties, it appears I probably WILL be able to visit Oaklawn this year. I know several of you will be getting together the last weekend of March.... names I've heard mentioned are Al & Kat, the Hoosiers, Warlock (of course), Shar... and I'm sure many more... if you are planning to come too let us know!
However, it will have to be FRIDAY (3/30) that I'll be there. The awards ceremony for that art exhibit I entered happened to fall on that same weekend, on Saturday night. I don't think I'd be in very good shape if I tried to stay in Hot Springs on Saturday, then drive 5 hours back to Dallas, and attend an art event. Therefore... on Friday morning I'll drive up to Hot Springs and after the races I'll drive back home. I drove up & back the first time I attended the Hottalkers luncheon a few years ago, so I know I can survive. Hubby may or may not go, just depends on what's going on with him that weekend.
One of my concerns this year was being able to afford to go... but my mother has offered to pay for a car rental as an early birthday present (b-day is in April). That makes things a lot easier.
I have some artwork to give Kat of her racer Tom Bruce, which I'm happy I can give it to her personally. (I will post a photo of it after giving it to her... I don't want to post it now because I don't want her to cheat and see it before I give it to her! haha) Plus Al promises his pants will be the pièce de résistance this year.
It'll be fun to get together with my Hottalker friends and enjoy a day of racing and losing bets. I'm looking forward to seeing you all! :)
Stop the world, I wanna get off...
Sometimes you know before you walk in the door at work it's gonna be a loooonnnggg day. It was one of those days.
Our "customer" (Verizon) has offices in our facilities and watches our every move. Well, yesterday afternoon something developed that they weren't happy with, so they *snap* their fingers and say "fix this". Anytime they snap their fingers, we jump though hoops to "please the customer". Well fixing this problem meant hiring 110 people the next day for a new "special project". And who's the trainer? ME! The other trainer Maurice took a vacation day today. Great timing.
The temp agencies managed to get 80 people in today... and I'll spare you the rest of the details of trying to train 80 people on how to use different models of cellphones and then TEST them on what they learned. Trust me, it was a chaotic cluster ****.
And then the lights went out.
Seriously, I was about to start my 2nd class of 30 people, when all of a sudden the electricity goes out in the building. Imagine me throwing my head back and starting one of those fits of insanity laughter, like when you realize everything that could possibly go wrong IS going wrong. It was about 20 minutes until the power came back on. We're all sitting there twiddling our thumbs in a dark warehouse, and I'm telling my trainees "I promise, we DID pay the electric bill this month!" How's that for a first impression of our facilities for new hires?
My poor new training manager, who seems like a nice enough guy, was like a deer in the headlights today. He told me he trained at his last company but was never in management before... he was just applying for a tech position and they asked him to be a training manager... oh great. Sounds like he doesn't know how to be a leader. Therefore I was running around like Flight of the Bumblebees today trying to organize everything, and he was following behind me everywhere trying to keep up (I walk really fast), notepad in hand taking notes for me like he's my secretary. So it's his first week, and today he asked me "is it ALWAYS like this?" I had to say"yes"- chaos is normal. I should have a brain aneurysm some time next May.
I'm going to strangle Maurice tomorrow for not being there. And I'll be surprised if our new manager shows up. If he does he's a glutton for punishment. I obviously am.
Manna from heaven...
Tonight Hubby wanted me to toot his horn (I'm not referring to anything dirty you silly people)... I'm talking about the fabulous dinner he made. All week he'd been planning it, and it rivaled any master chef... he sauteed some chicken and vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, green pepper, onions, tomato) and made a nice bearnaise sauce. He then BAKED some white bread from scratch, and cut the ends off to use as bread bowls for the chicken/veg/sauce mix. Then for dessert he made crepes, flipping them in the pan like a pro (I tried flipping one, but was worried about it winding up on the ceiling so I didn't quite get it up high enough to flip haha). He filled the crepes with cherry filling, melted vanilla ice cream for a cream sauce and put chocolate syrup on top. Mmm mmm... heck if he cooked things like this every night I might actually manage to gain a pound... somewhere... maybe... just one...
But I do have to give him credit. Since I've been going to school and working 40 hours a week, he's taken over all the house cleaning duties (doing dishes, washing clothes, etc) and been cooking dinner almost every night. I've told him he makes a better wife than me, hahaha. And it's much appreciated. :)
What will tomorrow bring...
By the way, on Friday my boss was fired. (He was a nice enough guy, so I kinda feel sorry for him.) He was the training manager for our facilities, and myself and another guy (Maurice) are the trainers under him. I have no idea what this means for me & Maurice. I was sitting there Friday minding my own business when suddenly I was called up to the general manager's office... he informed me of my manager's departure and was then given a 5 minute bullshit speech about how "valuable I am to the company" and "we are planning on moving forward with our training program" and that I'd be reporting directly to him for the time being. When I asked if a new training manager was going to be hired, he gave me more bullshit about being in the planning stages, yada yada yada, without giving me a real answer. I HATE THAT. Buddy, I've been around sales for 15 years and know when a person is deliberately feeding me propaganda without any hard facts. Don't try to dazzle me. As Jack said, I didn't fall off the turnip truck last night. But alas, I'm a mere corporate mushroom.
If you don't know what a corporate mushroom is-
Mutuel information...
With the Lone Star Park racing meet starting up next month, I received an e-mail from our Hottalkers pal "AndreBreton" (aka Donald) asking about what life was like when I worked as a mutuel teller out there. I have to say, of the jobs I've had in my life this was one of the funnest. (When people asked me what kind of work I did, Hubby would tell them I was a bookie, haha) I truly enjoyed going to work each day. But still it had its pros and cons.
I worked as a teller there during the spring and fall thoroughbred meets in 2004, which was the year Lone Star hosted the Breeders Cup. In preparation for the BC they hired something like 3-times as many people as they normally did, so they were incredibly overstaffed. The result was that a person would come in to work but after about an hour the management would say the business was too slow that night and start sending people home. It really disappointed me, because I enjoyed the job and didn't want to go home, not to mention how aggrevating it was to drive 45 minutes across town to work one hour and drive back home. Plus, it's only part-time hours.
On the good side, from the track's website it shows they're paying more now than they did that year. But from talking to some buddies still doing the job, they upped the pay but on the flip side are screwing fulltime employees out of benefits.
Tips varied quite a bit. Really, what made the biggest difference was LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. If you were stuck up on the 4th or 5th floor where the suites are at, things were extremely slooooow. Very boring. And when the suites were full of people who'd never been to the track before they didn't know it's polite to tip your mutuel teller. Therefore the tips sucked. However, I enjoyed working where the action was... in the Silks dining room and the 2nd floor where the box seating was at (both locations are for more routine patrons, higher spenders and well-versed in tipping. Not to mention superstitious about tipping too.) I wound up with a regular window in the midst of the action though, on the first floor at the entrance to the paddock. Here we had a huge mix of people, from regular horseplayers to the first-timers. One minute I'd be explaining the difference between an exacta and a quinella to a beginner, and the next person in line would walk up and start spitting numbers out at me to punch in the machine just as fast as my little fingers could tap. (10-key experience helps) Tips varied on the crowd that day... on big race days (Derby day especially) you made a pocketful of cash (literally) but on "Dollar day" when we sold $1 hot dogs and beers the cheap crowd came out and didn't tip at all.
Next, a BIG issue with the job is CASH HANDLING SKILLS. You must be able to count money accurately off the top of your head. If you make a mistake and your cash drawer is short at the end of the night, IT COMES OUT OF YOUR PAYCHECK. True story, my very first night (opening night) I was put in the simulcasting pavillion, one of the busiest areas there... and boy was I thrown to the wolves. A regular bettor there that night knew I was brand new and on purpose cashed a large ticket and then started making new bets and "changing his mind" and had me cancelling tickets. He managed to confuse me enough that I paid him twice on a $320 trifecta. He damn well knew he was taking advantage of me being inexperienced. I didn't figure it out until the end of the night when my drawer didn't add up right. I don't know if he knew that I had to pay for that mistake... I wound up paying $30 out of each paycheck for what seemed like forever. You have to watch out for the cons at the track, they print counterfeit money and hand it out at the track, etc., all kinds of games. They're sharks in the pavillion.
But I really liked working in the grandstand, it was a totally different crowd there. Few sharks, mostly fun people. A lot of the regulars are really nice guys. Even though it was a couple years ago that I worked there, if I go out there now a lot of them remember me and say hello and ask if I'm ever coming back (lol). The beginners are fun, they get so excited over winning a $2 show bet that nets them 10-cents. If a couple drunk women hit a $10 win you can hear them shriek across the room as if they'd just hit the pick-6! They come running to the window, bouncing up and down so happily and tell you their "handicapping method" of picking the horse that "looked so pretty with his hair all braided up", haha, you know the ones. What's really funny is when you explain a way to bet to them, like how to box a 3-horse exacta, and when they win they think you're a BETTING GENIUS. People just become so goofily funny when they feel like a winner, and their happiness is contageous. Then when the regular guys win it makes you happy and you celebrate with them, as if it was your own winning bet. Then they start to call you their "lucky teller" and makes you feel good. It was just so much fun.
From a handicapping angle, I suggest anyone wanting to learn different betting styles should work at least one meet as a teller. All the regular patrons have their own styles that they stick with, and you have a chance to see what works and what doesn't without having to blow your own money. And as you get to know them they'll talk to you about what they like about the horses they picked for that race, what they're looking for at different claiming levels or allowance races, or whathaveyou. It's a good way to build some handicapping knowledge. Plus from handling all the wagers and being "involved" you're able to see the big picture more clearly than just being a patron. I can't tell you how much I learned from that job.
There's all levels of people working as mutuel clerks, all ages, all walks of life. Some I worked with had never been to the track in their life before starting to work there... others like myself had worked on the backside, in fact one I knew was a jockey agent (don't ask me how this didn't classify as "conflict of interest...?" )
Just keep a watchful eye of what's going on around you, and be leary of people running up to your window yelling the numbers to you from across the room... if you get the bet wrong and the gates open before you can cancel the ticket, you'll be paying that ticket yourself (if it's not a winner). You have to think quickly on your feet whether to take a bet from a person or not, and risk pissing them off if you don't punch the bet for them. But the lead (manager) of each line of windows usually is on the side of the teller, he'll have your back in a dispute if he can possibly help you settle a dispute.
So anyway, that should be long-winded enough on the subject for you Andre. It's a good part-time job if you're looking for one, and loads of fun depending on what line of windows you're placed at.
Not to mention, occassional former HOTTALKER members who come visit you... I had several come visit while in town... Jack (aka OlMarv) and his family showed up at my window one day down from Arkansas, Spikefrost comes out sometimes, Soapy comes down sometimes, Jaydee has visited the DFW area (although not while I was working at the track), TexasHawg might swing by especially if his colts are running at LSP, and a couple others who lurked on the website said hello. And once in a very blue moon you'll see a person walk by your window wearing a Hottalkers hat... like Andre... hahaha.
Oh and one last thing... DON'T tell people "good luck" when they have you punch a ticket... the regular guys hate that. Only say that to beginners who still appreciate the wishes of good luck. ;)
Idol curiousity...
I have a question... why on American Idol when a person is told they've been voted out by America, why do they then have that losing person SING again? And worse yet, the same song! And they're on the verge of tears, can barely talk because they're upset, voice quivering, and yet they're expected to sing? It's like they're being told "America thinks you suck, but here... show them just how bad you really are!" I just think it's kinda mean. Simon must have a "torture America" vendetta.
. . .
When did the grammatics of the written English language change?
All through my years of elementary through high school I was taught put TWO SPACES between sentences. All these years of writing emails and such I've continued that rule. In fact, as I write this paragraph now it's a habit. My finger hits the period and my thumb automatically hits space-space.
When did this rule change and why did nobody tell me???
In my Digital Publishing class my instructor knocked 5 points of my project because I spaced twice. I was like, HUH? I was then informed by the younger (and obviously more "in the know") students that you only space ONCE between sentences. In fact when I looked it up on the Internet (because lord knows I'm not taking the word of a bunch of snot-nosed college kids!) there were things written on blogs about "Nobody under 40 years of age spaces twice!"
40?? Heck I'm not even close to 40 and I'm lumped into that age group? No offense to anyone 40 or more, but hey I'm not ready for being in that census group! And all because I was part of the generation that used a typewriter!
So anyway, Now I have this old habit to break. And I know what's going to happen... from now on my typing (which isn't that fast to begin with) is going to be slowed even more from me constantly typing period-space-space-BACKSPACE. lol
Making a break for it... I wish...
Next week is spring break... yahoo. Shouldn't I be going to Fort Lauderdale or something? Oh wait, that's right, I'm not 20 anymore and have to be a "responsible adult". No Girls Gone Wild videos for me thank you!
(but it was a funny suggestion Warlock)
I've framed my avatar!...
Yes, the frame's a tad big, but it's what I had laying around the house...
The exhibition starts March 23... so if you happen to fly in to the DFW Airport and need to rent a car, be sure to take a glance around at the entries. And cross your fingers & toes for me to actually win something :)
Well sign me up...
A funny note: I was on the college campus website looking up some info, and happened across the campus calendar. It showed the upcoming events for this month, meetings, etc. But what made me laugh out was a listing on one date for
"Binge Drinking"
That's all it said. But it was even funnier that it followed right after the "Christian Student Ministries meeting". Haha, I can hear it now,
"All you Pentecostals can go home, and all you Baptists & Methodists follow me..."
hehehe
(no offense to anyone, just in humor)
