Day 10 Without Facebook

Hello All!  I am back from a few wonderful days off!  Check out my posts prior to this one…I had a HILARIOUS situation happen!  Funny enough that it deserved it’s own blog!

I am partially avoiding a work task.  It’s going into a website and entering our occupancy #s from the last month.  It’s rather tedious and I don’ t have a good attention span for that type of detailed work.  It’s only my second time doing the task, so I want to be sure I’m ready to pay attention when I start!

I’m happy to say that I am in my third time “Acting General Manager” role while my General Manager is on vacation.  I say 3rd time because this time is dead serious about not being called for anything–not even an inspection! (*Gulp*…pray we don’t get that!) So far it’s been going really good, except my whole “Being late into my shift because my keys were locked in a friend’s house of which the friend was gone” scenario…which you can read about in my last few blogs).  What a way to start out as an acting GM huh?  I’m happy to be back on morning shifts, though.  It is a HUGE difference working in the daylight (if you can really call it ‘light’ in Minnesota winter, lol).  I had to work a back to back (I worked 3p-11p last night and 7a this morning) but I relaxed so much during my days off it wasn’t a big deal.   I’m working longer than planned today to help out an employee, but it’s okay because my 3 days off will probably affect my next paycheck; I will try to have my cake and eat it too!

Lately at work, without facebook, I have been re-vamping forms the hotel has used that haven’t been revamped since the 80′s.  Classic typewriter style with wording that problably wouldn’t flow these days.  For instance, a contract parking warning sign read “The Management” at the end instead of “Best Western Management.”  While “The Management” sounds much more stealthy and intimidating, it also makes us sound like we are trying to be too cool.  Add in some sweet fonts, page borders, and print it out on BW paper and VUALA!  Fancy, updated forms   I also got to go through our Contract Parking Ledger which, on the dorky side, makes me extremely happy because the majority of the dang thing was people who haven’t parked here for at least 3 years!  Amazing how much organization and re-vamping hotel properties can use…especially those that love paperwork!  And that is something most don’t know about me, I LOVE to re-organize and make things better!  I can’t do it at home as much because it takes decorations, time, and money, so the office is the perfect place for it!

I had spent my days off at a farm which hardly got cell phone service and the only thing I needed my friend’s computer for was to check my bank account.  I saw my friend on her facebook on her phone and honestly I did not miss it that much!  It is nice to have one less thing to be “dependent” on.  Sometimes when I come home from work I want nothing more than to hop on facebook, but then wonder “Why?!” Honestly.  When you’re on facebook, what is the point?  People often say “To keep in contact with everyone!”  But I have been keeping up with my friends and families the same amount as when I was on facebook, without facebook.  I don’t spend hours stalking people’s lives that I will never be a part of and I now don’t find myself wishing my life could be like some that I see.  It’s very rewarding, actually, to be one of the few of us who have given facebook the boot.  It’s not like smoking or drinking habits, where you just need to have one more…it’s more like feeling the urge to check it, realizing you can’t, and moving on.  But then again, as I’ve said, I’ve been debating about it for a long time and now that I have done it I don’t mind at all.

My current debate is if I should get my own internet service.  I’ve been using my neighbor’s ever since I moved in, which I’m extremely thankful that they’ve let me.  But I also feel very selfish by doing that, plus the connection is not always there when I want it the most.  It’s actually whenever I want to bum around online or watch my shows so it’s ended up helping me because I do other things, but without cable AND internet life is *REALLY* quiet, even finding your own things to do to keep occupied.  But then my debate is that I want to watch my shows online with the internet service.  And the itch for  cable tv is coming back.  It usually does most winters and I try to stay busy enough during the summer to not need it.  But then I realize the shows I’d watch on tv I can get online, but I’m trying to move away from constant online use besides e-mail, blogging, and school research;  the few shows I do keep up with (One Tree Hill on the CW, Grey’s Anatomy sometimes, and One Life to Live on Youtube).  Because I don’t have cable I can’t tape them and watch them later so I watch them online, but if I get cable I can have the opportunity to tape them and might not need the internet service as badly (getting my own connection would provide a stronger one).  Can you see my dilemma?  There are PLENTY of movies I haven’t seen and could watch, but it’s hard to get me to sit down and watch a movie.  I’m much more of a TV watcher.  But then I know during Spring Semester I won’t have a whole lot of time because of the homework load…then come summer I definitely don’t want to be inside.  But dang it, it really SUCKS when you just want to flip channels and relax!  I go back and forth with being okay without cable…usually I like not having it.  Then again it could be just winter.  ANYway.

So yeah…life without facebook is going just fine.  I heard it is being deleted in March?

I thought I had more to write but I’m all typed out now.  I should get back to my work task anyways.  Thanks for reading, if you do!

Tracy

Never Give RandiSu and Tracy Housekeys…Part 2

RandiSu didn’t get pulled over for anything except her license plate wasn’t hanging from the holder, which was getting fixed.  However, the pulling-over/talking to the cop process was quite stressful at the time but comical upon reminiscing.  Her phone was on the fritz, which meant her Pandora Music Player decides to bump the tunes whenever it wants.  Which it happened to play as the cop started to talk to RandiSu.  I was panicking because I did not want the cop to think we were psychos, plus RandiSu was frustrated while telling me to try to get it to stop.  It wouldn’t stop playing; I pulled the battery out.  RandiSu, very clearly frustrated, asked me why I did that.  I thought that’s what I was supposed to do, however in this situation we didn’t have her friend’s address yet.  Forget the fact the cop was standing right there during this fiasco of us ‘talking’ with each other!  The cop takes forever in his car with RandiSu’s license, which for a moment we panicked because we at first though she gave him mine.  Awesome, way to add to our already interesting scenario with the cop and our mental stress.  We were thankful to see my ID in her hand.  You see, she had my ID from when I tried to break into the house (I didn’t want to lose my ID or check card in the snow).  While we were pulled over I was trying to text different co-workers to try and get someone to cover some of my shift as I know I will not be in Duluth in time since my car keys were in the locked house. In the meantime I found out this also is my official “Acting General Manager gig” as my GM is on vacation and “Tracy, you are charge, do not call me for anything!”  But I didn’t feel right texting or calling while the cop was in the process of maybe giving a ticket.  Which made me more frustrated because it was already 11:30pm and I had to work at 3pm the next day, which didn’t leave me much time to get things figured out that night!

The cop came back with a written warning for RandiSu (that didn’t go on her record).  He was a very generous cop and asked if we knew where we were headed yet.  We received the address but told him we didn’t know quite where it was.  When the cop asked who we were staying with RandiSu said the name of her friend, which made this part of the evening feel like a 1950’s family-friendly movie.  The cop says “Oh, so-and so?”  “Yeah!  That’s him!” “Oh, well I can take you there, not a problem, just follow me!”  RandiSu rolled her window up and we breathed a sigh of relief, almost giggly from the stress.  Well, I should rephrase that I was giggling because we were getting a police escort to RandiSu’s friend’s house to most likely partake in our drinking activities.  (The other ironic moment of the night was I had always wanted some sort of police escort!  I have no idea why, I’m just weird like that!)  We follow the cop, to which I was sure to remind RandiSu to use her blinkers and make complete stops at the stop signs, also stopping in enough time as to not slide into the cop.  (She of course was well aware of these things, but I had to add to the hilarity of the situation).  The cop was even nice enough to get out of his car and point out which house her friend was at.  In a big city this would be translated as “Hm, it is maybe not good the cop knows exactly where you live,” but in a small town such as Blackduck it’s more like “Oh yeah, I know that cop from such-and-such and he’s a really good guy.”  I was relieved to finally be at a destination and some sort of clarity moment during the crazy night!

We met RandiSu’s friend and we all enjoyed some brewskis together as we relieved the last few stressful hours of the night, while sharing different shenanigans of our lives. I was extremely thankful to RandiSu’s friends (both in Kelleher and Blackduck) for their generosity.  While there are always solutions to a situation such as ours, it is scary thinking of the what ifs.  ‘What if we didn’t have cell phone service?’ ‘What if we didn’t have gas in our cars?’ ‘What if we forgot our phone and keys in the house, momentarily stepping out?’  It really put into perspective how necessary and important having a home is and not only that, but what is in our homes that we use on a daily basis!

Oh, I was able to make it to Duluth by 5pm only a few hours into my shift.  My epic co-worker Sue was able to stay later for me, which was incredibly awesome of her, especially considering she has a fractured rib received over the weekend.  I apologized to Eric about his now-broken window screen; I especially felt bad because the break-in attempt was failed.  But he was fine about it.  At least I will leave him with an interesting way to remember me: “Oh yeah, you are RandiSu’s friend, the one who broke my window screen at a failed break-in attempt when you guys locked my spare house key in my house…”

…And that is the rest of the story!  Good Day!

 

Never Give RandiSu & Tracy Housekeys…Part 1

To start off this story of true events, I would like to use a quote said by Paul Harvey, which is very fitting for the events of which RandiSu and I experienced.  He says: ““If there is a 50-50 chance that something can go wrong, then 9 times out of ten it will.”  And that it did, that…it…did.

I am very happy to report that I am back in Duluth, not locked out of someone else’s house in the middle of nowhere!  Wow, what a weekend I just had!  It was most definitely fun, but the craziest situation happened my last night in Kelleher!  Kelleher is a very small town—you blink and you miss it—about three hours from Duluth.  Mostly farmers occupy the town with fishermen, snowmobilers, and hunters passing through.  Townsfolk have the Minnesota accent “Ya sure ya betcha / oh ya don’t ya know,” and know everybody.  Everything about this story is epic…so epic it is going to be told in part 1 and 2 blogging style!  Believe it or not it did not take me long to write this and unfortunately it is not an over dramatization!

I had three absolutely glorious days off from work.  I could not stay in Duluth wasting them away; RandiSu invited me to her friend Eric’s farmhouse for a weekend of smores, drinking, relaxing, drinking, relaxing, and more drinking.  Duluth departure time was around midnight on Wednesday.  Roads were not in the most favorable condition, which made the 3 hour drive seem much longer.  I arrived to the country roads but from there Eric was gracious enough to give me directions at 4am.  The funniest part was “What road signs do you see?” Me: “Um, well, none!  Wait…I am seeing a ‘Bump’ road sign!  Oh, wait…nope, it’s ‘Scattered Bumps!’  I made it to my destination, where Eric and I bonded over 4am beers and attempting sleep around 7am.  (RandiSu was attempting sleep on the couch, but due to our chatter she moved to the room.)

We three enjoyed days of relaxing, sleeping, and drinking, and spent our nights at the Muni, Kelleher’s Municipal Liquor store and bar.  It’s a cash-only bar, the only bar, with an ATM.  Keep in mind the only other atm is inside the gas station across the street.

Saturday night, my last night at the farm house, RandiSu and I decided to head to the Muni being as we relaxed all day (I have never watched so much Comedy Central!).  The home owner, Eric, was gracious enough to leave his spare key for us as he was in Bemidji for the night.  We gathered our check cards, IDs, and started to head out… as soon as we shut the door we both stopped dead in our tracks.  A very familiar four letter word escaped our mouths….to keep this blog PG we will refer to this word in A Christmas Story Style…”F dash dash dash!”

I immediately tried the door and sure enough, it was locked.  The key?  Inside RandiSu’s purse, on the counter, in the house.  We were going to bring purses, but decided to simplify our lives by just carrying what we thought were our necessities.  (Heavy sarcasm on simplify due to the irony).  We had come up with three different options.   1)  We call Eric, see if there’s any way to break in.  2) We call our contacts in Kelleher to see if we can stay with them for the night/contact Blackduck friends and last resort head to Bemidji (a 60 mile drive just to drive back in the morning).  3) Call the county sheriff and see if he or she a) knows Eric and b) would be willing to break us back in.  We had tried to call Eric, who wasn’t answering at the time, so after some debate and a few frustrated tears (mind you we were in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold) we decided to head to the Muni because we have nothing else to do at this point.

Upon arriving at the Muni I remembered the cash-only policy, heading to the ATM with determination only to be extremely disappointed.  ATM SERVICE TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER.  The  infamous word of the night “F dash dash dash” was on the tip of my tongue to be repeated, but all that came out was “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”  It was 10p, I desperately looked to see if the gas station was open, which lights were still on.  The ever-so-gracious bar tender tried calling the station to see if they’d stay open so I could use their ATM, but of course they would not.  (Forget the fact the ATM use would help their small town’s economy).  And if you thought “This town must not have any other outdoor ATMs,” you are very correct.

By this time Eric had contacted us with a way to break in.  This break-in involved me balancing between a very tiny, snowy and icy deck rail with one foot and on a snowy and icy well-house roof, of which we had to shovel snow off.  Keep mind there is nothing solid to grip; the ledge of the house was snowy and icy as well.  I felt like James Bond’s female Minnesotan counterpart.  It was also debatable how stretchy I could be considering how cold it was outside.  It took some mental strength to make the lunge, but I did it; it felt like I was stretching for track!  As we all know it is usually an easy task to jimmy windows.  However, during temperatures of below zero and all the other fun weather Minnesota Winters have to offer, a person forgets how stubborn a window is when trying to say…move it!  I tried and tried, but was unsuccessful in my Minnesotan Bond style break-in.  My fingers were so cold I could not tell if I was gripping the window and yes, I was wearing my gloves!  The scarier part was trying to get back onto the deck.  Having a well roof, while snowy and icy, is much easier to balance on than a stick-thin, snowy and icy rail.  With RandiSu’s help I made it back to the deck safely.  This break in attempt was scarier than my apartment attempt, which is crazy because my apartment attempt was much higher with much less room to work with (about a foot’s width of shingles to balance on).

RandiSu does have contacts in Kelleher that we could have stayed with, but we also wanted to partake in drinking activities. Our failed break in attempt, the dire situation, and my last night there heavily influenced the desired activity.  Blackduck is about 20 miles away from Kelleher and Bemidji is 60 miles in the same direction.  By the time we contacted her Kelleher contact they were just as far away as Blackduck except on the opposite side of Kelleher.  RandiSu has contacts in Blackduck, but it took some time to find their number.  So we were on our way to Blackduck with Bemidji as a backup plan.  We get to Blackduck and pulled over to wait for the address to be sent via text message.  We see flashing lights of blue and red behind us, to which multiple “F dash dash dashes” were said.  Yes, we were pulled over.

TV Remote Saga / Day 4 Without FB

A situation at work happened where the guest’s tv remote wasn’t working.  I thought it would be an easy situation to fix, but I was horribly mistaken!  So instead of getting frustrated, this is what I wrote in our log book instead:

114 Remote saga: A long, long time ago..in a galaxy far away…there was

a remote control in room 114 who’s batteries gave way.  The galaxy was

out of batteries, so therefor a switch in remote batteries was

attempted.  This mission failed miserbaly.  Jedi Heather tried many

different remotes in search of the correct one, until she used her Jedi

mind tricks realizing that the television in 114 is about as ancient as

the Galaxy and requires a different remote as none of the Zenith brands

were working.  From the flag ship we printed directions for the front

desk tv remote in a desperate attempt as it was RCA brand.  This mission

failed as well.  Jedi Heather and Captain Tracy are deeming it the

ancient television’s fault.  We have given up on our mission, leaving

the front desk remote with inhabitants of 114 and the printed out

directions for universal code search useage (powers of the force we have

not yet learned).  Due to the fact they are passing by our galaxy at a

reduced cost (Medical stay) I did not discount them any further.  The

mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fix the problem of having

to change the ancient television seriously.   Thank you, and may the

force be with you!

***************************************

Day 4 without facebook is going good as well.  No real urges to log on yet.  It is kind of hard to describe what it feels like besides ‘more quiet.’  I wonder what’s going on with people, but then I feel silly realizing I used an internet website to find out instead of just asking people.  I’m even further into Decision Points, at 217 pages!  It’s been interesting and hard to put down as it’s covering September 11, 2001 and the war in Afghanistan.  I’m able to knock down about 50 pages at work and would continue to read more at home, but considering it’s mostly politics and war I don’t read anymore once at home.  I’ve been watching Dawson’s Creek lately, but like One Tree Hill I’ve seen the seasons that I own many times.   I’m thinking of buying Law and Order SVU one season at a time, those episodes I could watch over and over!

 

Anyway, not much else to update on.  Adios!

Day 3 Without Facebook

I’m not sure how much longer I’ll do a “daily” without facebook, but I think it’s fun to track the progress.  I’m not sure if it’s really this easy being without facebook, but it is really easy! I have noticed that I have not been on my computer as much without facebook too.

I have been working which is just like being at home (it’s really slow during our winter season) so I bought Decision Points by George Bush Jr.; his 500 page book has been keeping me occupied at both places!  I’m about 150 pages into it and really enjoy it so far.  It is really interesting remembering the last 8 years in terms of political events.  Considering I was in 8th grade when he took office and didn’t give a rats ass about politics, it’s been fun actually remembering certain things.  By his 2000 election I was more interested ,but not a psycho about politics.  Yes, I do support him, but please, keep your political bashing to yourselves.  I have received somewhat disrespectful responses to my choice to read it.  I respect everyone’s opinion and choice of politician, I can’t respect people who criticize me for a choice that they have too.  I just dislike arguing about politics.  You have your choice of candidate and I have mine and because I’m reading the book is not saying I think any candidate is better than the other.  What’s been the most fun is having it sit at the front desk and spark up conversation with my guests.  I’ve enjoyed talking to different adults about it because just like me they’re reading it because it contains interesting information about our country’s history.  Nothing political has been discussed, just different points that we’re at in the book and why we decided to read it.  Ok, enough about that.

I have three days off coming up here and am trying to get to Bemidji for them.  It’s right before payday so I’m still debating if I can go with what bills I have to pay, but I am a fan of escaping town when possible

That’s about all I have to say ladies and gents!

I Miss My Dad Sometimes…

This June will have marked the 9th year anniversary of my dad’s death and while it’s 5 months away it is burned into my brain forever.  I was 16 then and am 24 (almost 25 now).  He was 49 then and should be 58 now.  He was alive then and isn’t now.  And after 9 years one would think the pain and feeling of loss would get better, but at times it feels worse. 

It is even more difficult when the relationship was as troubled as the one with my father.  But as I grow older I find myself growing more fond of my father.  I’m not sure if it’s a false creation I’m making in my head or perhaps a complacent “growing witih time” relationship that should be happening should he be alive.  While I try my best to believe my life is emotionally easier with him gone, it’s painful to remember he actually is.  While time has definitely helped the pain of feelin his loss every day, it hurts just as much when I remember.

My birthday is hard for me to fathom.  Part of it is because he’s half of the reason why I’m here today and the fact that he isn’t is just hard.  The holidays is always hard because December makes me think of Christmas Eve at my grandma’s and the turmoil of “will or won’t he show?”  Then comes January which holds my mom’s birthday (who thankfully is still with me today at age 56…I think? haha) and my dad’s.  Then comes my birthday in February, which again he’s half responsible.  Then comes June which is his annviersary month.  And in November is his father’s, myg randpa, death anniversary.  It just gets hard having these constant reminders throughout the year.  As I said it does get somewhat easier with time, but it’s always give and take.

Now as I get older it’s easier dealing with it, I mostly just cry to myself.  Most don’t know the background or the emotions I experience.  I am hesitant to tell others if I’m feeling sad about it because to them 9 years should be enough time to be over the most difficult thing I have ever experienced to this DAY.  The hardest part is just feeling like he should be here.

Then I try to think of why I am still so affected by his death, as in I *should* be over it.  I promise I don’t sit and dwell on it everyday, but man the time that it hits that I’m this far into life without him, it hurts.

Then I wonder what the purpose of his death was.  To ease the emotional pain?  To teach me how to not live my life (OR rather how TO live my life)?  I’m only 24, how am I possibly able to figure out the purpose of his life and death?  Of course he and my mom brought my brother and I into existence….

I think I need to go to bed!  I’m on this late night schedule which prevents sleep before 5am these days.  That’s when my brain really gets thinking into the depths of….thinking.

I know I shared this link with certain family and friends.  Mostly it is for a means of contact while I’m taking a indefinet break from facebook.  But you should also keep in mind to not worry if posts like these come along.  This is my outlet for these feelings.  (Granted there are people reading!).  I just don’t want to cause worry, because usually on facebook people are used to the more peppy side of my life

Love you all.  I’m okay…just got my thinkin’ cap on!

Tracy

Day 1 Without Facebook

Well, after months of deciding to delete facebook I finally did it!  I was hoping to have a little more of a “goodbye ceremony” but my co-worker came in sooner than expected, so it was just ‘click, click, delete.’  I didn’t have too much time to think about the fact I just deleted a huge portion of my post-high school graduate life on the internet as I had a New Year’s Eve/Going Away Party shinding to celebrate.  I realized how correct I was in my reasons for deleting facebook as all of the friends I saw there are in my phone as well.  The party (for me) lasted until 8am New Year’s Day, followed by an intoxicated Perkin’s Run (which was absolutely amazing food after not eating anything all night), and bed time.

The first thing I wanted to do when I woke up was check my facebook and life seemed already more quiet without it.  However, the first step I took to make it easy on myself was change my homepage to Google.  (I can’t log into facebook for 14 days to delete the account).  I decided to check my e-mails, which was another realization of life without facebook as my inbox was completely empty.  I meandered over to Youtube (it was an internet type of day today) and caught myself up on my favorite couples from tv shows and watched Friends bloopers (hilarious, by the way!).  I was up New Year’s Eve from 1p to New Year’s Day 8am so was fairly exhausted and have been napping intermittently. (It sucks because while I have gotten enough sleep, it is 3:30am and I have to work a 7am shift.)

You don’t think you use facebook as much as I do.  The sad part is the urge to post a facebook status, of which in my head had no real significant content because I didn’t do anything all day.  Of course I would’ve posted statuses about the New Year’s Eve party, but really what benefit does that have?  Because I was slightly hungover and exhausted, I didn’t feel like reading or using my brain too much so therefor Youtube was today’s main page used.  I realized how boring the internet is for me without facebook.  I don’t play internet games (it goes in waves of getting obsessed with them, but they do start to feel the same no matter which site or game it is), I google different questions to see people’s response, but then get irritated with people.  Tomorrow’s work shift will be especially boring, but I’m sure it’ll turn me into a better worker!  (Or at least make me look smarter when I’m reading).

Overall, though, it really isn’t as much of a shock without fb.  It’s just getting used to a new routine.  It’s not like smoking where the craving is nagging away.  It’s more like “Oh, nope, can’t do that.  Ok, let’s do something else.”

I’m trying to decide if I should get anymore sleep for tonight (if I can, I’m fairly awake right now) because I can’t think of what else I’d like to watch on Youtube (it’s like channel surfing for me).

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and even though I brought it in with a hangover, I had a great time with good friends in Duluth!

Happy 2011 Everyone!

 

Tracy