I'm discarding this DA account. Currently, I'm in the process of transferring most of my deviations to my new account, E-Less. I feel it is a more appropriate name for my account. Since DA won't let me change my account name, I just started a new one.

So all you guys that have been watching me on this page, please go to my new one and comment on some of my old stuff as I add it. Maybe some of it you've never seen... or maybe you'd like to give me another comment on something you didn't notice before.

I'm currently adding a lot of deviations so prepare to have a high count there when you me again.

Thanks you guys! I hope you'll follow me over to the new account. I will delete this one shortly after my transition has finished.

I should be headed to bed but I'm too exhausted, if that makes any sense.

I haven't been submitting much photography as of lately and I'm rather bummed about that. I feel like I haven't been working at it as much as lately. In fact, I'm quite disappointed that my skills have taken a slump. Or at least I feel so. I suppose it started with Stephen's wedding. I was late getting there and was unable to find a good spot to take photos from. The very few shots I did take came out horrible. The lighting was bad and I didn't compensate correctly so all the shots have quite a bit of graininess to them. Shame on me.

And since then, things haven't improved much. I get so angry about lighting. The motivation to actually go out and take pictures of stuff has literally died. I hate going anywhere because I'm just too tired to. Or, funnily enough, I feel awkward taking pictures. In particular, I still don't have the nerve to just drive around here by myself to random places. I'm quite worried something will happen. And, as I said, I feel exhausted all the time. I don't quite know why.

I don't believe its lack of sleep. I seem to get about 7 hours every night. I know my eating habits haven't been quite great lately. I am unable to get into my fridge since my landlord was trying to install a dishwasher only to realize they didn't have the necessary parts. Hence, the dishwasher is sitting right in front of my fridge, leaving me maybe a wide enough opening to get out my Brita Pitcher with some effort or a gallon of milk after punching in half the container. Needless to say, whenever I get into the fridge there'll be some cleaning out to do.

I also am disappointed in the fact that whenever I'm off work I don't have time to photograph anything or go anywhere because I'm trying to catch up on everything else like laundry, trash, cleaning, etc etc. So, by the time I feel like I've done something its already dark out and really not ideal time to photograph much of anything let alone go looking for stuff to shoot. This really depresses me.

I've also been considering changing my DA account to a new name. I wish DA would have an option to change your account name. Artists grow and change, why can't their screen names? Honestly, my little sister came up with my screen name and it particularly means nothing to me. In addition, sometimes I get weird looks when I tell people in real life what my screen name is on DA...

But, there's too many things to change over. Too many photos and journals. Albeit, there aren't many watchers on my account and very few people consistently visit my page. I suppose I'm not really that interesting... wow now that's depressing...

Ahh and I should go to sleep now.

The new store I'm working at is making me feel like an uber-noob. It took me a few days to finally figure out at least how the sections are organized. I'm also finding out that this particular store carries a lot more variety of things than the last two I've worked at. It seems so much bigger as well. Granted its a 30 mile drive (40ish minutes) one way, I think it'll be worth it. I was told my pay rate should change as well since I moved from a lower volume store to this one. I would sure enjoy the extra income.

Its actually quite great working there. My first few days went pretty great. In fact, the first day I officially worked there (Monday) I sold more that day than I typically did in a week at my last location. How sad is that?! And then, how great is that?

PM, the manager, and I get along pretty darn well. Both of us are pretty sarcastic and, as he said it, I "can dish it out and take it". I guess I'll consider that a compliment. Maybe I'm not so thin-skinned afterall? In other things though, he's doing pretty good so far in getting me used to the store and training me in what I need to know for all the Asst. Manager meetings. This is honestly the first time in the entire (almost) year I've worked for this company that I worked for someone who wasn't a brand new manager (as in assigned their first store when I started working with/for them). So, I'm sure he'll have a lot of input for anything I may have questions about... plenty... in fact he's the senior manager for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. So, yep, a wealth of information in that head of his.

SB, the other asst. manager (besides me), kind of worries me. I didn't really work with him before but we've been carpooling to the classes in Pensacola together every week since the beginning of February. He seems like he's in some sort of funk or state of depression of sorts. What's weird about that is he should be one of the happiest guys around. He got married about 3 weeks ago and yet he seems really gloomy or 'emo' as he said one day. I'm hoping he'll pull out of whatever this slump is he's having and get himself feeling better. I don't know what'll happen if he doesn't. Needless to say, I was hoping my move to the store wasn't depressing him since I've been having such a stellar week and I've pretty much been very animated at the store and as productive as I could be. Someone said, "Maybe he's feeling intimidated" by me. But I guess we'll find out...

DD, a regular associate, is kind of different than a lot of people I've gotten used to working with. He'll ask me for something to do, I'll assign him a task, he'll do it, and then ask for something else. Granted his selling skills could use some improvement, he's not that terrible of a guy. With a little bit of motivation and training, I think he'd be okay but I've been told otherwise by everyone else... so maybe he's just doing stuff for me because I'm the new person and my badge says asst. manager... who knows...

LT and I have similar mentalities. Both of us must consistently do something in the store. We both are pretty animated and keep ourselves working on something in the store. And I am extremely grateful. She's not a prissy stuck up girl like the ones I used to work with at my old job. She and I will get along perfectly fine and maybe I'll actually make a friend down here now. Her husband and kids came in the store the other day so I got to meet them. One of her kids was sort of quiet around me but if IRC LT said she's like that around new people so I guess I didn't scare her or anything. LT said that later on her husband asked how old I was and was glad that there's someone at the store who's old enough to drink if invited over. Apparently, her husband has BBQs every now and then and I guess he was wondering if he should invite us. Yay for being over 21!

We finally hired on a new full-timer to take my position at the store I've been working at. As of last Saturday, I am officially on the payroll of the D-ville store. I've been told it'll be a great relief for the manager there since he's been short staffed for quite a while. Ironically, I'm still working at my store I was initially assigned when I moved down here. Essentially, I've been traded stores but 'borrowed' back by my 'old' store until the new guy is trained well enough to be on the sales floor. That should be by the end of this schedule (Friday) and I should officially start in the new store come Saturday or Sunday.

JS, at my 'old' store, has been trying to send me on guilt trips for leaving then. JH (the manager) said he'd love to keep me there but can't afford me in such a low volume store. He also commented that he'll borrow me back once a month to help him with paperwork, organization, and restocking the store. JM (I really think) is glad to see me go for the fact that it means he gets back second in command again.

I'm quite excited but rather worried to go to this other store and 'start over' again. Granted, I was borrowed at this store for a day about a week and a half ago, I'm still a bit worried. I already know there are a few things that are going to irritate me (i.e. the stock room) and I'm not too concerned about the employees since I never had a chance to work with them. The only person I worked with there was the manager, PM. He's an old school manager and very sarcastic. I think things will work out well.

SB (who I've been carpooling to Pensacola with every Monday) seems to get along well with me and I suppose I can help him out a bit when I get to the store since he's said he's had particular issues with certain people there because they don't listen to him. Which, it is hard going from being a regular associate in a store and being buddies with everyone to being in charge of them. Its especially since certain people in that store have worked there longer than he has and well... it just doesn't occur to them for some reason that, yes, he is in charge and is responsible for the store.

I suppose I can just observe for the first few days and see how things go. Then I may have to start being more assertive with everyone once I figure out how they all act around me and with eachother. Oh, but I know I will probably have to do A LOT of training. A LOT...

Things have changed a bit at work since I got my promotion. I'm officially now the Assistant Manager for my store. This entails a trip to Pensacola, Florida every Monday for a training class. All AMs have to take these clases. They're basically preparation for taking over a store as a manager. Its several weeks long and I have to take several tests. Then I'll be put on a 'list' of managers waiting for a store.

According to the DM however, as of lately that list hasn't been that long because 1. not as many people are completing the classes and 2. there has been a huge turnover of managers in our district. In fact, the manager I worked for when I moved down here was shifted to another store and a new manager took over the store I'm in now.

They want to move me also because I'm in an extremely low volume store but still manage to rank within the top 20 sales associates in the district. Now, imagine if I was actually in a high grossing, highly productive store. I think I could do a lot better... a lot better than having 10 customers in the total of a 6 hour shift.

So work has been rather unusual lately with all the changes I'm having to go through and train for. Then, as I said, they're in the process of hiring someone to take my place in my current store so they can move me to the 1Million$ store not much farther away than I am from home now.

That makes the manager of that store very excited because he was trying to steal me from my previous manager before I was even promoted. Now that I've been promoted, they can't afford me in my store anymore and need to move me so that I can perform better. So, we're just waiting for this new guy to start and train a little before I swap stores.

And my current manager will have to find someone else to do all his paperwork (since I primarily do it now). But it is lots of fun and a few of my coworkers are a little upset that I'll be leaving but they'll be okay.

----------------------------------------------
At home, we finally installed the projector. We also got a Nintendo Wii about 2 weeks ago. We also hooked up our surround sound system that we can now actually turn up because we no longer live in that stifling apartment where neighbors complained because my dog barked when someone came to the door. Yes, it is so much better here.

Oh, and I got electricuted!

But I'm okay... nothing major... just got zapped for a minute second or so... in my attic...

I've been trying to install an all-in-one printer my parents brought down here for me last month. I've been working on it for what seems like forever. As far as I can tell and as far as I can remember, they didn't bring the installation CD with them and its been a major pain in my ass trying to find the drivers and software to set it up. Every time I use the drivers from the manufacturer's website, the installation seems to go haywire and then conk out on me. Thus, it still doesn't recognize the printer or scanner.

Its the bane of my existence for the time being... I have things I need to scan for Bert grandmother and well that's not happening until I get this retarded HP all-in-one crap to work... But I guess it could be worse!

I still haven't put up my wall paper in the bathroom or the kitchen... My car is making weird noises when I drive. I believe it either has something to do with my front caliper on the passenger side or the wheel bearings in the same location... and yet, I haven't the money to repair it.

What will I ever do? I know what you should do though! You should give me money!