Chat-a-Thon 2017-18 Thread!

[walkonby]

walkonby baseball has always been my first love. When our son was 15 years old, he was looked at by Ron Piche, a scout for the Montreal Expos. Our son played at the Olympic stadium at 15 in an exhibition game and was highlighted on the Jumbotron alongside John Whettland. At 17, he was looked at again and invited to the Expos camp in Florida for 1 week and played against the best players across US and Canada. But he broke his ankle that season and that was the end of that. He continued to play for a couple of more years but it ended there. there are thousands upon thousands of kids trying to play pro baseball and only a lucky few get to do that. And Its even harder for Canadians because we cant play all year round. Such is life. Later he was asked to play for softball with major sponsors. These teams travel from town to town putting on shows, with usually only 4 players. He didnt even want to do that. Now if these teams come near our towns, he goes to watch and catch up with some of the guys he played with many years ago.

I have always loved baseball and miss the Expos, Jarry Park and the bleechers! Best times ever.

Oh My!!! @SnowFlakey !!! How incredibly exciting those years must have been for your family!! That says plenty that he possessed the talent to compete. So true how an unlucky health event ( broken ankle ) can soon create a harsh reality.
Still, that is wonderful that your DS got that taste of what playing in the big leagues could be.
Congrats to him!
Jays are in the 2nd inning atm. Mr. Tight Pants is on the mound!! ha ha

[johnb56789]

Well... It looks like I may be moving up a little in the world of retail...

I applied to a job within our Local Union last week... The posting closed on Thursday, and I got a call today while I was sleeping that they want me to come in for an assessment...

It is the same job I do now (Grocery Clerk Nights), but Full-Time instead of Part-Time. To get full-time at my store would take about another FOUR YEARS If I am lucky! So this store is about the same commute for me, just in the opposite direction...

The pay will jump immediately from $16.50/hr to $20/hr, going up to $22.60/hr + I believe a clause for increases based on minimum wage too...

I will be honest though, It will feel difficult to leave my manager behind, and the crew I work with at Superstore... But If It will take years to get Full-Time, something they've sorta forced me into as a Part-Timer, why not try to get that Full-Time while I can??

[Lynn49]

[QUOTE=johnb56789]Well... It looks like I may be moving up a little in the world of retail...

I applied to a job within our Local Union last week... The posting closed on Thursday, and I got a call today while I was sleeping that they want me to come in for an assessment...

It is the same job I do now (Grocery Clerk Nights), but Full-Time instead of Part-Time. To get full-time at my store would take about another FOUR YEARS If I am lucky! So this store is about the same commute for me, just in the opposite direction...

The pay will jump immediately from $16.50/hr to $20/hr, going up to $22.60/hr + I believe a clause for increases based on minimum wage too...

I will be honest though, It will feel difficult to leave my manager behind, and the crew I work with at Superstore... But If It will take years to get Full-Time, something they've sorta forced me into as a Part-Timer, why not try to get that Full-Time

Ok, @johnb56789 (whew).......when you EVER have an opportunity to move up, you DO IT. As, and if you want to rise within your company, you do more than is expected of you, you learn more about where your next step will take you ( ie computers, stats, details etc), you are ALWAYS prepared to say YES if called upon (for instance, the early morning calls to fill in for someone), you volunteer even if you don't have to, and you do it all while maintaining a low profile. You're friendly with everyone whether they're beneath or above your pay-grade, you show up early and you leave later than is expected of you. Yes, you've become part of a team this far, but unless they're willing to put up the work YOU are willing to do to move up, you WILL leave them exactly where they are. They're not your concern.

Moving up is always possible.....you're being watched even when you think you're "just another employee, just another number, who cares"...you're not. Make sure they see someone worthy of the choice they're about to make : you! Good luck!! 🤗

[johnb56789]

Ok, @johnb56789 (whew).......when you EVER have an opportunity to move up, you DO IT. As, and if you want to rise within your company, you do more than is expected of you, you learn more about where your next step will take you ( ie computers, stats, details etc), you are ALWAYS prepared to say YES if called upon (for instance, the early morning calls to fill in for someone), you volunteer even if you don't have to, and you do it all while maintaining a low profile. You're friendly with everyone whether they're beneath or above your pay-grade, you show up early and you leave later than is expected of you. Yes, you've become part of a team this far, but unless they're willing to put up the work YOU are willing to do to move up, you WILL leave them exactly where they are. They're not your concern.

Moving up is always possible.....you're being watched even when you think you're "just another employee, just another number, who cares"...you're not. Make sure they see someone worthy of the choice they're about to make : you! Good luck!! 珞

Thank you @Lynn49 for the words. I know all about moving on up so far. I did have my other, office job for a while "moving up" in the sense of actually starting to use my degree, but alas, that was not for me yet, I love what I do too much.

And I have been trying to take in as much as I can in my position, already obtaining two "secondary" job titles that I can work in (SAP = pricing, labeling, and planograms AND Front End Cash), I take virtually EVERY call in (Unless it is an unexpected one and I am at home visiting my family), and I am amassing people I know and am friendly with across the entire store in every single department including the Assistant Store Managers (The Store Manager is a more difficult nut to crack). And I am always early, and try to stay to finish up what I can, but it is difficult when they won't pay me for any work past the end of my shift (refused completely).

My current manager does see what I can do and what I am capable of, he would make me full-time in a heartbeat if he could (at least I beleive strongly), but he doesn't have that authority to create full-time positions at our store, nor will anyone above him... If I could, I would stay, but again, that moving up has to happen eventually, and I don't want to wait FOUR MORE YEARS for the POTENTIAL of full-time, basically "losing" pay every month once I reach top-rate (Only a few more months to top-part-time rate).

I know almost everyone wants me to stay, some people even joking around that I am not allowed to leave. But I have to do what is best for me. And it's not like I am leaving the area, I'll still be living where I am, so I can meet-up and hang-out outside of work too...

[HermanH]

Improve yourself.
Your true friends will be happy for you.

[GoJays]

[GoJays]

[Natalka]

Gee, I guess it's already Monday. I haven't slept yet, nor did I nap yesterday. I feel tired out and sleepy - had to stop reading a book because my eyes were growing heavy - but I tried to sleep and it just hasn't come.

So glad the weather has cooled off - we won't get back to the 30s until Thursday.


Such terrible news about that town in BC, hit international headlines because of their crazy high 40s temps, then two days later pretty much the whole town burned down from a wildfire. So very sad for them all. Two deaths they know of so far.
And the awful situation of that condo complex in Miami - only 20some bodies found, but we'll over 100 left to find. They exploded the other half of it today, so it wouldn't collapse onto where the recovery work is being done.

Nothing new here. Husband's horrid back has been more than it's usual awful this past while; I feel so badly for him... I cannot do anything to help him.

My oldest sister's birthday was yesterday, she is 74. She is 14 years older than me, but we have been the closest, compared to my other two sisters, since I was a teen.


Hope you all have a Marvelous Monday!




I miss having a kitty SO much!

[danger_dan]

Morning all

[danger_dan]

ooh boy....quiet day yesterday...
Guess lots of us have the week off this week.

have a wonderful day peeps, keep dry (it's pouring here).

[Lynn49]

[walkonby]

But....where's the Allen key that comes with it?? Some might prefer a skilled put-it-together guy named Allen showing up the next day! ha ha !!!

[GoJays]

I guess I forgot to post this morning...

[GoJays]

[Lynn49]