Dolch Computers where can you eat?!

 When I was working at Dolch Computers I discovered really quick to make a brown bag and put frozen food in it and that's what I ate.  TV dinner for lunch.  However, I wanted to go out for lunch, and the only place was a deli.  You had to drive their and circle for parking.  The chairs and tables were always filled so, I chose a spot in the neighborhood to sit and eat parked in my car.   The city had a very big park with a small pond; I thought it was a huge pond for a small park.  In the distance you could see a mountain.  I would sit in my car either at this park or go and sit at work and eat my sandwich.   When I was at the park eating so, many cop cars would drive by the park.  I also saw a cop pulls overeat a sandwich and throw the wrapper away in the trash can.  After I saw this, I just started to purchase frozen food.  I discovered allot of Asians pre make their food before they have to go to work.  They were very kind to me and had me try their wife's dishes.    Because of this I ate more Chinese food from restaurants.  Enjoyed it more after hearing the stories about the food and the wife's shenanigans.

Also, there was a restaurant that catered food to our Company, and it was Subway.  I used Subway for all the conference meals for the important interviews and meetings.  I created Purchase orders for accounting so, they would pay the bill on the credit card.  My dept had a credit card and to have accounting pay it you needed a purchase order.

The Hr Manager one day decide to have a pow wow with all the Hr workers.  So, we got into 2 cars and went to a Japanese restaurant in the neighborhood, again a small parking lot.  This is where I was introduced to box lunches.  A box lunch is 4 different items in a box.  So, rice in one square, then 2 egg roles in another square, item 3 and item four are something you chose to put in a square.  You get four squares in a box and it is reasonable in size the box comes to you and you open the box and all your items are there.

It was a really neat experience.

However, I do believe that the type of restaurants around at that type of time period was nil or almost nil.

So, when I discovered a place like Google where they had a cafe in the at the restaurants and they ordered the food in advance and had preselected the food and had several cooks and one chef and you walk into the cafeteria it was like wow.  Did not have to drive anywhere and could sit peacefully at a window.  It was like they cared.

I do remember the management of Dolch had thought about doing this with their small cafeteria.  However, it was not in their budget and they had planned to do it next year.  I left them within a year and went to Egghead.com.

So, I don't know if they every did this, because Dolch is now Konica.

Jury Duty

 So, I had Jury Duty last week.  I did not have to serve on a Jury Duty, I just had to show up.

75 individuals showed up and had the lawyers had to choose who they wanted on their court case.

I did no want to take the elevator.  So, I walked up 6 flights of stairs.  I did this every day until my legs started to hurt and then I took the elevator.  The last day of taking the elevator I brought my cane.  It helped greatly.

However when I went to Superior Court I noticed several things that needed to be fixed.

Including maybe a fresh coat of paint would of spruce things up a bit.  However I did not complain about this.  I only complained about the second bathroom hook was missing where I wanted to hang my purse up.  Then I mentioned the bathroom drains needed to be replaced.

I did not tell the courts that on the extreme left side of climbing up the stairs that their were dime shaped and quarter shaped holes forming in the concrete.   Was it supposed to be like this?!

The waiting room needs paint and the windows need new window shades.

The drinking fountain on the very first day of drinking from it was horrible.  So, I complained to the City of that court system because no one ever touch it.  So, they must all of known it tasted horrible and the pipes to the drinking fountain needed to be cleaned.

The lights in the court system also needed to be replaced.  Some were turned off and others were turning yellow.  Still saw some white lighted ones on the ceiling.

I first went to the court system website and could not find the janitors email address so, I went to the contact box attached to the Gov. to complain.  Hopefully he gets someone to investigate my complaints.

Which were minor complaints.

Wen I was not working, Festeys's

 When I was not working, I went to festivals that were park related in Cupertino, Mountain View and elsewhere.   It was all the same art people and booths.   I went to one Festival in Cupertino, CA that had its first rock climbing wall for kids.   While I was there on the other side of the lake pond there was Ritchie Cunnigham and children.  I was like wow!!!!   So, I watched, and he came near me, however he was on the phone with someone, and he kept walking behind a tree so, I stood out like a sore thumb.    

I did not get to meet him because so many people were at this festival and if it was not him, he was a very good look alike and could have passed for him.

I know longer go to Art Festivals.

Egghead

 Egghead, it was Stacey persistence calls that got me to leave Dolch Computers (now Konica)and go across the bridge to Egghead.  I answered the phones at Dolch in the early mornings, and it was Stacey who contacted me and said I would make a great fit as a scheduler at Egghead.  So, when I got let go.  Yes, let go because the HR manager did not like how I paged on the intercom, and she said I kept giving the Marking Manager the wrong mail.  She was never at her desk so anyone could have put it there.  (it was an open cubicle)

So, I left Dolch(now Konica) and went to Egghead for interview.

The directions getting there was hard.    I even crossed the Bay bridge because I went passed it.

I did make a couple U-Turns in the parking lot of Jack In the Box.  I was told they were across the street from Jack in the Box.  I got an interview with Egghead and got hired.    I got hired at $20.00 an hour.

The Company did not want me to receive a check from them.  So, they hired an accounting recruitment Company to give me a check from them.  So, Egghead paid the recruitment Company who paid me the 20/hr payment.

I learned to eat at Jack In the Box once a day when I went to work at Egghead.  The lines were long at Jack in the Box.  Half my lunch was sitting in the drive thru at Jack in the Box in a car.

One day Stacey said lets go out to lunch.  I am figuring she meant Jack in the Box because it was the only place to get some food in this part of town.

So, we drive away from Egghead and into a subdivision and then to a pizza joint called Round Table.

We walk inside and there are plaid tables cloth and all the tables are round.   In the back was this giant tin soldier (a standing Knight)  

It was funny Stacey knew how to get their but, on the way, back to Egghead she got lost.  We drove around a bit and then had to stop and look at the map we carry in the car.  Also, she called someone at work asking for directions.

WHY?!   No such thing as a GPS SYSTEM?!  In the year 2000.

We figured how to get back to work with a couple minutes to spare to freshen up in the bathroom.

Egghead went out of business after I left their company 6 months later.

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The janitor at Egghead

 Egghead is long gone; it used to be one of the first online stores in 2000.  My friend Stacey worked at Dolch now Konica and quit.   She would call me up at the receptionist desk and try to recruit me to Egghead.   They had a position for a scheduler, and the pay was rather decent.   I got hired at Egghead as a receptionist and then my supervisor in HR was let go.   Immediately her responsibilities became mine and only a few of her responsibilities became Stacey's.   We were getting paid under 12 dollars.   

Stacey quit for more dollars per say.   Then she started to call me.

It turns out the HR Director of Dolch did not like how paged on the phone so, she fired me.

So, I got an instant interview with the HR at Egghead.

They liked me.   

As soon as I got the scheduling job , my HR supervisor quit and left for another Company.

Then I got her responsibilities.  

Background checks, Place job announcements in the newspaper, making sure all the job announcements on the Company website made sense and were open, Scheduling interviews just for the second floor and the CEO, CFO AND ACCOUNTING, AND CREATIVE SERVICES.    I used to stay longer than usual with creative services they all had unique personalities.   They all knew how to play ping pong and throw beach balls over their desks whenever they were trying to fix something and used the beach ball as a way to think out loud to fix the problem.  Every time the beach ball came to them, they would say something out loud and toss the ball to the next person.

My desk was made friendly.   Someone for St. Patrick day gave me a St. Patty's mobile and I hung it above my desk, and it just stayed.   I also had a frog on my desk that I put there.  It when picked up and squeezed made a sound.  It got squeezed allot.

Also, I always had licorice in a tub at the desk.  So, anyone could have some as we talked.

Well, it so happened one week I was staying late and got into conversations with the turn Indian security guard.   He would come to my desk pass 6pm and say working late.  I said yes.  Then ask for some licorice and then said it is passed 6pm you should go home and try again tomorrow.

I agreed.   but sometimes I would stay and after he walked the whole building, he would say it is late and I will walk you to your car.  I will be downstairs by the door.   Then I would pack up my stuff and my computer off and go home.

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It funny with Karma.    The last 2 years I have discovered what they put in licorice.  Won't be eating that ever again.

And the abuse those poor little beetles suffered from the love making secretions are put into licorice.

Nope.

The passed 2 years they flat cartoons have graced my room and become beetles with personality.  They seem to know English especially if you scream.............

They have been searching for something and have not found it yet.

When leaving the retail store in the night time

 When leaving the retail store in the night time, you waited until everyone was ready to leave.

We had a gate that came down from up above the entrance.   After the Store Manager made sure everybody was out of the store she pulled down the gate from above and then locked it.  She always had the key around her wrist while she worked in the store.  So, she always knew where to find it.

Then we walked to the parking lot.  We were supposed to always park in a certain area, however it was never blocked off and the customer always parked in that area.  The parking lots were always well lit and had security constantly driving around checking park cars.

My manage trusted me enough for her to get into her car with her and then drive to the bank to drop off anything that was put into the red bags during the day.

Then she drove me to my car and I drove home either by freeway or the slow way that had all the intersection lights.  I mostly hit the green lights because it was after 10pm.

Visiting Aunt M

 My parents drove me and my siblings to Kansas City to visit my father's sister.

My aunt had tickets for the Kansas Hockey team.  So, instead of going to her house we drove into a city in Kansas and went to their arena to watch hockey.

When you watch hockey your supposed to scream at the players, so they play harder.  They kept crashing into the clear barrier between all the patrons and the rink.

We watched until the hockey game was over.    Then because traffic was going to be bad.  We waited until almost everyone had left there seats for the parking lot.   Then when we got to our cars, we had less a struggle leaving the parking lot.  Then we drove to Aunt M's house.

In the 80's a carwash did not exist

 In the 1980's a car wash did not exist.    My grandfather used to get the hose out and wash the car as did my father.    We lived in the country, and the nearest gas station was the other side of town near McDonalds.  Mcdonalds was on this giant hill, and we were always looking up at when we were at the gas station.  

It wasn't until we moved here to this new location that car washes became real.   Car soap, Wax and then afterward if you paid extra the gas attendant vacuums the inside of your car.

Yep, the 1980's was interesting.

In the Fall each Year by the lake we would rake

 In the Fall each year we would rake up the fallen leaves and rake them into a pile on the green grass.

Our house had a picture window that faced the lake and there was only one tree in the backyard.

The tree had so many leaves and it took three kids to rake all the leaves into a pile.   Sometimes we would jump into the pile but then we would rake the all the leaves into a pile all over again.

In our small town we would start a fire in our small pit.  The pit had three logs to sit on around the fire.

The previous owner of the house on the lake had scooped up a hole in the ground and it was still leveled; my father would take kindle wood and put it up like a teepee and use newspaper strips tossed into balls and place them into the pit and lit a match and start a fire.

This is how we had some mores crackers, marshmallows and Hershey Chocolate bars in the nite time.

But before we could have this sweet reward, we had to burn the leaves, and it was all very controlled. 

We made sure someone was always with the pit fire and made sure it could not get out of hand.

Then the reward.

The accident in 1980 with Golf Clubs

 My brother had been talking to my grandfather the previous year about Golf.

So, in October of 1980 by brother's birthday was very special he received from my grandpa golf clubs.

They came in a wrapped-up box.  My brother hurriedly opened the box to find a golf clubs in a bag.

Two weeks after my grandparents left, my mother, my brother, my sister and I went into the backyard to try them out.

(my mother to remember the year it happened, put on a photo of Dulcy, the year 1980 .....// Darcy.)

My sister kept getting too close to my brother swinging and my mom had to keep her away.   My mom had Dulcy stand closer to Norms house but still in our backyard.

My mom got tired and went inside to get something to drink.

So, I am guarding Dulcy and keeping her away from the swinging Dan.

When suddenly my mom yells out Darcy Kim's on the phone Come Talk to her.

I put Dulcy closer to the fire pit.

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She ended up in the hospital.

She also had to see a Psychologist on a regular basis. (for 6 months)

The doctors wanted her to play military/flying games.

When the games first came into our house. Dan and I were allowed to play them each once.

Then after that Dulcy was the only person.  However, Dan and I would sneak playing them when the parents were outside mowing the lawn.

Wisconsins Apartment Home

 My grandma and Grandpa got an Apartment home near Stop and Go (which is the same as 711)

They had to Rent for a week, and I got to visit them for the weekend, and they had to pack and leave to go back to their house.  This was the weekend that my grandpa walked into Stop and Go for me and purchased Sara Lee and I had it for the very first time as a snack after lunch with sandwiches my grandma made in the apartment-house kitchen.

My Cousin Darryl and Cousin Tim and Uncle Neal had a painting business, and they said, they would re-paint the house inside and out as a birthday present to them.

So, my grandma and grandpa moved out of the house, and they painted it.   Then we waited for it to dry.

Thats why they rented an Apartment-House.   The Apartment-House was white brick with black roofs.  

It had sliding doors, and an open patio not enclosed and when you walked out onto the cemented patio beautiful green grass with flowers.  Beautiful blooming flowers near the windows and a center of flowers to walk into beautiful garden.   

My grandma and grandpa liked flowers for special occasions.

My father had allergies so he could not be near flowers.  He could go into the apartment-house but, he also sat in the car.  He still has trouble with perfume.  My mother likes wearing perfume.  But needs to do it lightly around him if they go out to a fancy dinner which they have not done in a very long time.

Companies meetings

 The Companies meeting for the whole company was always once a month unless otherwise noted in email and always on a Friday morning.  In retail it was always a Friday and after we closed and cleaned the floor then the Pizza party started, and we were always given very important information.  In retail it was also once a month on a Friday.

In big business the Friday morning meeting you had to find the ultimate best donut shop.   However, they were not donuts unless the budget deemed it.  Otherwise, you got the fancy donuts that had the jam or custard in the center.  The President really like that, and you usually got a comment for that.

Personally, I would have done cookies with special napkins and cupcakes with a filling instead.  Maybe a muffin and or something that said breakfast.

The information usually introduced new procedures and any new hires.   We also talked about promotions and any open promotions to look out for besides reading the Company's Newsletters put out on the bulletins Board in the breakroom.   Back then rarely did a company send out emails in a newsletter but now days it would be a good idea.

B.cards and V.cards and wedding invitations how are they alike?

 I worked in retail and someone assigned me to wedding invitations.   They gave me no direction, and I had to learn all on my own.  The guy who did it before me quit.   Just quit because of all the stress involved with wedding invitation.   First you let the customer review the huge and I mean huge catalogs of pages of different types of invitations.   When they finally find the one they like then they need to decide what they want to put inside the invitation.   I told them to use block formation.  That way they could not make any mistake.   Because there is no returns in invitations.   So, I had 2 days off and the Manager did a wedding invitation and didn't tell the customer to do block formation so, it got sent in their own signature.  So, when the wedding invitation came back it was all misspelled.  Oh, the customer was so, angry!!!  They talked to the owner of the store and when the owner came to yell at me Infront of the customers!  The customer said no she didn't help us it was that lady over there.   It was the store Manager.

So, I redid it with them and told them to put it in block formation.

It came back beautiful.

When it is Business Cards also known as V.Cards /B.Cards you are to tell the typesetter the style of the font.  How big is the font.  The color of the font.  The color of the business cards.  The address front or back with email front or back.   Personally, I had the names of the workers in the front with title of position and email in front.  The back was the companies name and address.   After I checked if everything was ok.  (the workers had to fill out a form every time they needed a business card.)  I would make copies and send it in by fax.   Then when I got it back my mail then I prechecked each business card to review make sure it was correct.  Then I would take the business card box to the worker and that was all it takes to do.

That is how it was done.

Nameplates

 When I worked at a particular corporation it was my responsibility to ensure that the new hires who got to sit in cubicles (when a company goes bankrupt or that certain office store sells cubicles it's the responsibility of the Human Resource Manager to buy more Cubicles for the office if it is needed.)

The cubicles all had nameplates hanging from the wall.

The name plates either were pinned to the wall or they had a backing hook that you could prop up and attached to the top part of the wall.    I had to create a nameplate using a special template in my computer then print and cut it out and put it into a plastic nameplate.  The nameplates were purchased from an office store for business such as the one I worked for in the 2000.

It always had a black background with white letters.   The name of the worker always stood out and when you walked past the cubicle you always looked and could see the nameplate clearly.   The type of nameplate we had was when you laid it down on the table it was oval.   The plastic would slide over the nameplate.   When it could not slide anymore because it was very old and needed to be replaced it snapped on.  All I had to do when I needed more Nameplates was go to the Human Resources Manager and tell her.   Then she gave me a purchase order number, and I ordered more and then made a photocopy of what I ordered and gave a copy to the Accounting, one for Human Resources Manager and one copy for myself.    I did this same act for Business Cards for the New Hire.

Business cards are really important if you are in a hurry, you can hand your business card and tell someone to call you as you run to catch your airplane.     Also, Business cards hekp you continue your employment position because you caught someone's Attention on who you are and what your Companies all about including wanting to go online and research anything about your Company.

In retail Business Cards help if you have a customer problem or you are trying to promote your dept..   Retail Managers and Supervisors should all have business cards, Name on one side with title and the Corporation on the other side with Main phone number and Store address.

Big Business it's mainly Sales workers promoting the Company and trying to convince you to purchase their merchandise.

Thats why the Nameplate is so important.