Albert get's a body mask.
I saw it on these Hairless Chinese Cresteds on You Tube, so I thought I'd give it a try on Albert. I'm a groomer, so Albert doesn't even get the opportunity to be dirty enough for blemishes and blackheads, but I thought it would be interesting to slap some Queen Halene (shhh...don't tell AVON) Mint Julip skin clarifying mask all over his little naked body. How did he do? HE LOVED IT! He sat real still for me til he was covered from tail to toe, neck back and belly. Then after it dried, I was surprised to see that it didn't rub off on the blankets we keep on our leather couch to prevent unwanted doggie claw tracks. He just ran around the house, wagging his tail, playing with his sisters (which they only do when they're all happier than pigs in mud), and gleefully strutted his stuff. I left him in that mask for hours, and his skin felt so soft after I washed it off. I just couldn't believe my little skin-care lovin' stud. A chip off the ole' shoulder.
Book: What book are you most ashamed you haven't read?
Submitted by Byrne.
Moby Dick
"The Hemroid" and I just had a major argument over our Ebay store. He almost just cancelled my unaffiliated paypal account because he "thought" he was canceling "our" ebay store. He puts me down all the time without realizing it, and I just went off on him because I hate that he never worked a day in his life for someone else. He tried, he quit, and he ended up with his businesses. After I have been slaving at factories, grocery stores, minimum wage dept. stores, other people's neglected grooming shops and being f#*ked for a living...I think I deserve my time to be independently financially on my way. And it's not happening without alot of blood and sweat. I'm becoming inpatient; I'm working everyday and trying very hard. And still nothing. And another thing....at least he has a mother who loves him and actively, unconditionally plays a part in his life.
No one even understands just how hard it is for me to get through day-to-day disappointments without winding up in that same old place of locking myself in the bathroom with a mouthful of pills. But I’m proud to say it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like doing that. I knew what with all of these new pressures, that for sure I’d crack. I’m very proud of myself that it’s taken this long and that I recognized it, and that I’ve put those feelings off for so long. But when you’ve got no one to lean on, and the only person you do have to lean on throws it back in your face by saying things like “quit then” or “you can’t handle it” or “I wish you’d just…”…how the hell does one pick up their pieces and start putting the puzzle back together again?
Everyone in this life needs someone to lean on…someone who cares enough about them to help bring them up when they’re down, help support them when they’re feeling unstable, I mean…isn’t the other person in your relationship supposed to be your backbone and vice versa? Instead, I feel like I’ve chosen to partner one of my parents all over again. Nothing but negativity. After years and years of hearing words of negativity and doubt from my parents, I’ve developed this sixth sense of negativity that prevents me (protects me if you will) from getting too close to anything good that might lead to disappointment.
So now, when someone says something of negativity to me when I’m in a positive frame of mind or excited about something…I lash out in absolute anger! If someone says something of negativity to me when I’m already feeling negative…well…then it’s a bottle and a half of wine, a very scenic fit of anger, and maybe those pills are still in the bathroom cabinet? The fact that "the hemroid" has not expressed pride in my being able to suppress the need to go all postal lately, has me really hurt. Because I feel these are major efforts especially given the fact that my stressors have been of an insanely greater level. But the fact that he said to me tonight…”well why don’t you just quit!”…those aren’t the words of an unconditionally loving partner at all. Those are the words of my mother coming back to haunt me. The words that could so much more easily be replaced with a hug and an “I’m proud of you.”
Alright. I feel that it's time I give in to my need to VENT!!! This Ebay thing. NOT working out. I created the store with my fiance. He was to be Mr. Moneybags. Would buy all the merch to sell, set up the bank account for Ebay's auto withdrawals to pay our monthly account fee for having the store. Well, I wrote down about $100 in merch from one of my business suppliers that I wanted him to order to start our store. Also, I paid the woman who made our clothes for the first bunch of garments. I'm now grooming her dog for free in trade for more garments. He never ordered the original merch. I wanted. He also never wrote a single penny for the clothing. AND...I had to fight and argue with him over the process of setting up the account to begin with because he's the most non-internet savvy person I know! The account sat for a month. So did the first set of clothing.
Today, I decide to take the initiative to do my part of the bargain which I had been dreading. Setting up the items for sale. (NOTE: I had already spent one whole afternoon taking pictures of our items, all the while chasing my not so obliging dogs wearing the MERCH around the house with a camera!) Was he there to assist....NO! After all, I was left in control of the creative end of things. So today I begin posting our adorable little four-legged models, wearing the pajamas, and after so much work, I realize, that I cannot copy/paste text to be entered in the description fields for the 12 items requiring the same descriptions. NOOOOO, by all means, make it harder for the hard working people attempting to make an easy buck through ebay. Secondly, you start realizing, it costs EXTRA to post more than one pic, add a line of text, show the item picture in searches, and of course...they charge you $.60 to even post your FRICKEN ITEM! By the time it was all said and done, one garment of clothing selling for $12.99, would end up costing me! I feel like my time has been wasted. What a scam. I guess Ebay can work for you if you've got help, money to start with, and if you're selling gargantuously (I think I made that word up) expensive items. That's why all these schmucks got me as an ebay buyer on the shipping & handling part that I always neglected to read and later found was more than the item's actual price. I'll be honest, I know there are some good things on Ebay, I love it! But I've got 4 things going on in my life right now to make money, one of them pays shitty little (for the excruciatingly hard work I put out), and the other three have (or should I say had) potential, but end up costing me so much overhead all at the same time, JUST to get going!
On top of it all...AVON screwed up my very first campaign order by neglecting to ship out my $140 of merchandise. Oh, I got my books and my bags, but no merchandise! This caused me to have to reschedule my Avon Grand Opening Party that i had originally bought, mailed and paid for postage on invitations for. Then I had to wait 24 hrs., call customer service, and have a partial duplicate order sent out. I waited 5 days. When I got my order, they jipped me on some things i was charged for and of course, neglected to include some of the helpful free things that were supposed to come to me like...um...tax worksheet? Kinda important. Then, I noticed, that my earnings level was being jipped because of the way in which I had to "re-order" my missing order. And then on top of it all, I was double billed. Yup. Charged for the order I never received. I fought with customer service for a week...all the while scared to death that if i didn't pay Avon on time, they'd hold my campaign 8 order on me, thus causing me to have to reschedule my Grand Opening Party a second time! (see there are products in both orders that i need for my party) I swore up and down that most of those customer service reps were sitting on the phone, painting their toenails or reading cosmopolitan while I spent 30 minutes on hold and then another 30 minutes pouring my heart out to them. Finally, I got my district sales manager involved, and she took care of everything within hours. Whew! So I'm still happy with AVON, but I wish they sold hair dye because I do believe they gave me a few extra grays I could do without.
One last thing to add to my ever growing anger and the challenge there lies with controlling it! I have this friend who's been my friend for several years now. She used to live in the valley ( I live near the beach), which was always a terrible drive in traffic for me to go see her and her girlfriend (the two were the hottest pair of lesbians you ever saw!). Anyhow, they'd wanna go out, they'd call me (when they felt like it...sad, I know!) and I'd battle traffic and drive up there. They never drove down to spend time with me...I think once that I can remember. They recently broke up and now this friend has moved to Orange County where she lives with her new girlfriend. Traffic is probably better, but still a grand distance. She's been after me the past week since she moved down there to get together. Since I opened my Grooming Salon one year ago and moved into my new home almost a year ago, upon invite after invite, she never once came to see either! Not even to the grand opening party at my shop at which I offered to groom her dogs! I want her to drive to see me, cause it's her fricken turn. I'm tired of driving at someone's beck and call...who do people think I am...their bitch? Oh no sirie! I have been pulling my hair out with work, while she doesn't even have a job...I just don't get people's mentality. I'm just really tired of catering to everyone else. So yes, she had the nerve to ask me to come to her and hang tonight! AFTER I had invited her up to my place which she has never seen. I just don't understand how people like this continue to advertise your friendship and how you're "best buds" and crap when that quite frankly is not true.
So, some lessons I've learned:
1. Don't EVER do business with your fiance (especially if your fiance is an ADHD man who gets these great ideas then makes you do all the work.)
2. When trying to get service and attention on a matter that might affect your business, go right to the head person, do not waste time with lazy telephone operators who sit around and eat pringles all day.
3. Put your foot down with people who claim to be your friend, but would rather text you instead of call, and always make you drive to go see them, but they can't even show to your business' grand opening party or come see your new home.
4. ALWAYS have at least two bottles of wine in the house when you're trying to run 3 businesses. SHIT! I need to go to the store.
Hey all!
Whoo! Am I a busy bee! Well I added two more jobs to my life's duty! So aside from working part time at one shop, and full time at my own...my fiance and I have now created our own Ebay store selling doggie related items! We've even been working with a friend of ours to create a new doggie line of clothing! So far she's made for our store, these adoreable one piece pajama sets for doggies. It's so exciting seeing all of the garments come together from the fabrics I've chosen.
On top of that, you are now looking at a new AVON Independent Sales Representative. I don't know why it's taken me so long to decide to sell AVON. My Grandmother sold it for as long as I could remember. I remember as a child helping her fill orders and stuffing the bags with samples. It was a lot of fun and I always looked forward to receiving the new Avon book. Well now, I'm in business for myself once again.
Things are definately picking up at work. Every two weeks, I groom on average, 3 show quality Afghan Hounds for a client at her house. On the off Sundays and Mondays, I work at the other salon. And I've repainted the writing on my windows at my shop as well as put out a brochure box so people can grab info about my place when I'm not there. Also, I put Rodney to work around the neighborhood flyering houses and businesses. You would not believe how it has helped business!
Well that's what's new in Star's doggie town this month. I am also trying to relearn the stuff I've forgotten from Spanish class in high school, so I've been taking this podcast tutorials to learn Spanish. Funny the lengths at which you'll go to be able to communicate with your gardner...lol. Kidding. Actually, I just want to be able to understand what EVERYONE around me is saying when I'm walking down the street, or standing in line at the grocery store. Also, I want to be able to cater to Spanish speaking potential clients in all of my businesses! Not to mention it also helps me read billboards around town (haha! Like who really WANTS to do THAT!)
Not much time for the guitar or the bike. Really bummed about not being able to ride! But I think my foot has healed well enough now, that tomorrow I'm going to give it a shot and ride to work. I CANNOT let what I've learned in riding slip away. Rodney's bike is still in the shop...NEWFLASH! But hopefully it will be out really soon and we can get going...it's so boring riding by yourself! Cars (or "cages" as bikers call em) dont look out for solo motorcyclists.
Well, time to go and finish up my Avon online courses. I have about 8 1/2 hrs. of tutorials to go! Wish me luck and let me know if you're interested in my Ebay store or AVON!
Hi there Im a Male Avon Rep/Lady lol :) Iv been selling the stuff for all most a year it... read more
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