May I take your order?

As many of you know, I order what I want. Similar to the Meg Ryan of "When Harry Met Sally" I guess.

I also don't hesitate much when it comes to sending something back with meat in it. (OK, there has been a few times that I haven't sent something back, usually if my sister's give me a hard time about it...)

Either way, Jason has been witness to many of my experiences when I get a burrito with beef inside and have to either send it back or call and complain.

I sometimes get embarrassed when it happens all the time that I get meat in my food and have to send it back, but I'm not going to just eat it! Or pay for it either.

But just last night, Jason and I went to our fave Mexican food restaurant and he got his usual Nachos Carbon and I got my usual burritos. It just made me feel better, when for the first time, he actually had to send something back! He ordered his without the shrimp and without the salsa on top, and they brought it back with shrimp!

Yup! He sent it back and made them remake it.

While I may rub a little of my ordering off on him, at least we're both getting what we want to eat!

Those four little words...

Well, football season has been gone for a while, which was great because Jason and I have FINALLY been able to hang out on Sundays, but just last night, he said those four little words, that most females just hate to hear...

IT'S BASEBALL FANTASY SEASON!

When will it be over?
Never mind. It won't.

My friends' husband tried to get Jason into Hockey, but I nicked that in the butt, pretty fast!

Either way, it wasn't quite the four little I personally like to hear... (so of course, I had to share!)

Mom's b-day

Happy Birthday Mom!
Hopefully it is fun and exciting for you, even though over half your kids can't be there with you.
Oh, and I hope you get lots of presents!

Yesterday I was trying to remember how old you are going to be and with the help of my colleague and a calculator, I figured out it's your golden birthday! In a way, I guess. You are as old as the last two numbers of the year you were born!

Either way, happy birthday!

(Oh, and by the way, I didn't add a card with your present because as most of my family and friends know, I don't like cards, unless they have money in them or have something meaningful written in them, so that's why I don't give them unless I have one or both inside!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

My whole office smells of roses right now! Thank you, Jason!


He had roses delivered to my office, which is always exciting, and wrote something about "18 months, 18 roses..."


It was so sweet...


But, in usual Francie-style, I had to double check that there were actually 18 roses. And you know what? There weren't! There were only 17! I recounted. 17. I then had Sandra count them and she also counted 17. Two more checks and the final count was 17!
Then, in usual Francie-style, I made the call...
I explained to the company that delivered the roses that it just wouldn't make any sense if I kept the dried roses and the card and there were only 17, instead of 18!
(No problem. They brought the rose the next day)

The story would normally be over, but for the fact that I had taken the vase full of roses home and put them in the kitchen before picking up Jason to come to my house for dinner. Once we arrived, I knew my naughty Rocco had done something and found out what when I went into the kitchen and the vase was shattered on the floor and the water and roses were scattered all over.
I WAS SO MAD!

Either way, I had a lovely day with Jason and hope all my readers had a wonderful Valentine's too!

What's behind the refrigerator?

When I was a child, Mrs. Arnold asked me where my hat, gloves, and scarves were because it was winter out and cold.
I told her they were behind the refrigerator.
Concerned, she called my mother, and found out that in the place we lived, we could pull the refrigerator back and walk into this huge attic space that us kids stuffed with all kinds of stuff, mostly packed boxes with all the fillings pulled out. Basically, it was a mass mess, as I remember it. And it just so happened that we had all our winter items back there too.
Apparently, Mrs. Arnold thought we literally stuck our hats, gloves, and scarves behind the actual refrigerator and thought it'd be a fire hazard!

Well, just the other day, I was in the mood to clean the kitchen and rolled my refrigerator out of the way, so I could sweep back there and found about seven hair ties, which I've been looking for everywhere, and I also found a grey mouse!

Luckily, it was a fake cat toy mouse for the cats, that Natalie and I got.
Still scares us every time we see it!

Interesting apartment tidbit

After all the stories I've told about apartments, I thought I'd heard enough, until my co-worker, Sandra (who is the coolest lady!) brought this story to my attention.

In Phoenix, Arizona:
"A partially mummified body was found in a bathtub filled with dirt in an apartment that was stacked to the ceiling with garbage and human waste.
Owners of the small standalone unit thought it had been abandoned in August, when rent stopped being paid," Phoenix police said.
Apparently, "the owners didn't decide to do anything about the filthy apartment until last week."

The worst work week ever - Friday

The last day!

Brought in Panera bagels for my farewell...

It seemed that throughout the entire week, every single employee had issues.
Sir C has been by the time clock 5 minutes before time to go to lunch or home, just waiting to check out.
Sir J had been waiting and taking lunch at 4 p.m. instead of noon; therefore, we wouldn't have him available for snow removal or other help, so I had to talk to him and tell him that he needs to take lunch at 12 to 1 just like everyone else.

Today, I had to have the maintenance staff clear a spot for the new water heater to be placed when we got it today and was coordinating that while on the phone with all these water heater installers and getting them in to install it on Monday. After I was done, Madam P came into the office and told met that the delivery company was running late and wouldn't be delivering the water heater until Monday.

WHAT'S WITH ALL THESE CALLS THAT I DON'T GET AND MESSAGES I GET TOO LATE????

My boss also told me that I couldn't leave until the snow was removed from the property because the fire marshal said that it didn't meet code and had to be done by Saturday or we'd be fined.
Luckily, all was coordinated and I got out of there and came home and took a much needed nap!

But let me tell you this much. I thanked the Lord everyday that I did NOT take that job!

(btw: for all these worst week posts, spell check wasn't working, so I'm sorry...)

The worst work week ever - Thursday

Left early due to the weather. Not much sleep and they don't have liquid creamer for the coffee at the office, so I had to settle for the powered stuff.
I had a pounding head-ache all week and I thought I was getting sick.

Today is inspection day for building 8. Hadn't heard from the pest company, so I called them up and was not very happy! I didn't get in touch with anyone, so I kept calling and finally got through and the lady said that they had called the day before. OPEN MOUTH, INSERT FOOT! So, got off the phone and asked Madam B is they had called the day before and she said, yes, they're coming on Monday." I was so mad that she didn't tell me, but had to hold it in! "Why didn't you tell me that they called? I've been working on coordinating this all week?" "Oh, well, one of 5,000 calls yesterday..." Yeah, right! It was so slow yesterday that a turtle could have warped time!
I WAS SO MAD AT HER!
DID THEY NOT GET IT? I WAS THERE TRYING TO HELP THEM AND THEY WERE DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE IT HARDER ON ME!

Another incident with the check boxes. She asked me if I had checked another box that day and I told her no. Then I asked her where they keys were and she told me that she had the key, the ONLY key to the box! How am I supposed to check the box, that I don't know of, when you have the only key? Seriously! Then, instead of checking it, she went and sat at her desk. I asked her if I could have the key and she handed me the 20+ keys on her keyring and I asked her which one it was that opened the box and she said she didn't know. "Maybe this one or that one!"

I'm sorry, but I may have a lot of keys on my key ring, but I've been here for two years and know which key goes where and she's been there for almost 6 years!

There was a deadline for corporate, so I had to ask Madam B to make copies and handed her the files and the list of what needed to be copied.
She got up and dumped the pile of files on my desk.
Then a few minutes later, I reminded her that I needed them done asap! She then told me that she was working on something else (which didn't have to be done) and told me that she was only one person and what did I expect her to do? "Madam B, this needs to be done before that does. Once this is complete, then you can work on that."

Even with the list of what needed copied, she not only had to do each file twice, but over half of them THREE times because I was checking each one and had to make sure they were done correctly.

Inspections didn't go well.

One more day to go...

The worst work week ever - Wednesday

The weather was really bad so I woke up early (5:45 a.m.) and headed off to work to make sure I'd be there on time. It was slow with traffic and other early birds, but I got in around 7:30 and had a head start on a few things.
Madam P's day off, so I had to work with Madam B.
Today is the day rent is considered late so I was working on adding in all the checks in the computer system. Madam B was late into work and I had no idea how to check the messages, so I don't know if she called in or not, but the resident who lives down the hall came in and told me that Madam F was going to be late. She didn't call in to the office, but to a resident. Oh, and by the way, she didn't show up all day, either!
When Madam B came into the office, she handed me a pile of checks and I got them entered right away. Once all the checks are entered, I notify the corporate office and they charge late fees. So, while I was waiting for the late fees to be charged, I printed off the notices for those under $100 for Madam B to deliver.
"you don't expect me to go out in this kind of weather!"
"Yes. They need to be delivered today."
So, Madam B delivered the office building and then got in her car and delivered three forms to another building, taking over an hour.

Finally, the late charges were posted, so we were able to deliver the remainder of the notices, but Madam B didn't want to. I was so annoyed! So, trying to help out... I divided up the notices into two and told her that I'd go and deliver half if she could deliver the other half.

I then gave her a heads-up that I would be leaving early, because I got there at 7:30, didn't take a lunch break, and wanted to get a head start on the drive home because it was snowing about two inches per hour or more. She told then informed me, "if you're leaving early, I'm leaving early, too. I have to drive in just the same weather as you do!" Yeah, but I have to drive 1.5 hours and in traffic and you live less than 10 minutes away! So, I told her that I'd have to discuss that with the manager.

After the notices were delivered, and as I was on my way out, Madam B, all innocent like, asked me if I had checked the check box in the front of the building for the checks! No! I don't know where all these check boxes are and I figured she checked them when she comes in because that's what the leasing agents are SUPPOSED to do!

I was not happy!

Almost a two hour drive to Wendy's with many cars on the side of the road.

Two more days to go...

The worst work week ever - Tuesday

Woke up with six hours of sleep. Headed off to work.

Called the pest company to see if they got the check, and they said that they would call me when they received it.
Called them an hour later and they had received the check, but didn't call me yet, and then told me that once they page the technician, the technician has up to 24 hours to respond! So, the Thursday inspection is coming soon and I have to wait yet another day!

Bought donuts for the employees to give them some energy (and because it was fat Tuesday or something like that and I told them that because it was fat Tuesday, that the donuts were guilt-free too!)

Drove to Wendy's. Then we ate dinner and went and watched There will be blood, which just happened to be a two and a half hour butt-buster.
Went to bed after 11:30 p.m.

Three more days to go...

The worst work week ever - Monday

Last week was the worst work week! The corporate office that I work for owns many apartment communities, including one that's about an hour and a half north of where I live. I was asked to go up there and be the manager for a week and it was just awful!
This is the same property they asked me to manage and I told them no!

Since my friend Wendy lives close to the property (about 50 miles) I decided to stay with her and drive to work and back everyday versus staying in the model apartment with no TV and no one I know in the area, and then having to hide my belongings every day for daily tours! I don't think so!

I left soon after the super bowl half time show on Sunday, February 3rd and listened to the remainder of the show on my way up to Wendy's house. She lives a little over an hour away, but a snow storm decided to come through on my way up, so I was going about 40 miles or so the whole way... I was pretty stressed because I couldn't see the road and I was driving by the reflector lights on the right side of the road, driving on the bumpy vibrating things on the side of the road and a prayer.

Just a little side note... I usually get 9 hours of sleep or so at night (bed at 11 and wake at 8). And work is a 3-minute walk, on a slow day.

Monday, February 4, 2008:
Got up at 6:30 a.m. and on the road at 7 a.m.
Made it into work a little after 8 a.m. and dove right in!
The actors who make up the stage are: Leasing agents - Madam P (has worked there over 10 years) and Madam B (has worked there almost 6 years).
From the maintenance/housekeeping section there is Madam F who completes work orders; Sir J as maintenance; Sir C - the painter; and Sir A - the cleaner.

Right off the bat I had to tell Sir A to cut back on his personal cell phone use. Then, Sir J, came into my office and started telling me this story... basically, there was an apartment that had roaches (GROSS!) and the people moved out of it and the maintenance thought that they could just bomb the place and they'd go away! Yeah, they'd go away. Away to another apartment! So, obviously, when another person moved into that same apartment, the little critters came back and it just so happened that the city inspectors were coming with the fire marshal and some other professionals that coming Thursday to inspect that building! And that building only! So, I got on the phone to see when the pest company could come out and take care of it, but they told me that we owed them $180 before they'd step foot on our property. So, after many calls back and forth, I got my corporate office to cut a check and mail it out, overnight, to the pest company so they can come out asap!

This same day, I had to call contractors to get bids on yearly contracts for the water heaters and boilers and then take them on a tour to all the buildings (they have 5 buildings). Only one company actually came out while I was there. Then later on in the afternoon, someone came into the office and Madam P and Madam B told me that there was another person there for a bid. So, I thought he was a boiler/water heater bid guy and took him right down to the boiler room and was showing him around when I realized he looked as confused as I and then said that he was there to bid on the smoke alarms and not the boilers! Of course I was embarrassed!
I then took him upstairs to the office so I could get keys for a studio, one-bedroom, and a two-bedroom. Sir J was up there and being more familiar to the property, he helped me get apartment keys and then me and the bidder man headed downstairs to the first apartment.
I tried all six keys and was about to give up when finally, the door opened, and resident asked us if we needed help with anything! What! I was so embarrassed! We needed to see three EMPTY apartments! And this Sir J gave me the wrong keys and it was awful! Thankfully the lady was nice, but the bidder man told me that I was pretty red! He was very nice though and helped me knock on all the other apartment doors, just in case!

End scene.

Four more days to go...