Five Steps to Perfect Customer Service

I had someone come into work today who looked quite constipated and was being incredibly rude. Whenever I come across someone like that I basically force them to be happy / nice to me. If you come into my place of work and I want you to smile, you will.

How do I do it? Here are the five steps I take:

Step One: Smile and sound genuine
If you look unhappy or grumpy it is basically impossible to make your customer happy. I've always been pretty good at pretending that I am a bubbly ray of sunshine, even when not, so it's not a stretch for me. Also, if you have a fake sounding voice, then forget about it! Honestly, if this is tough of you, as cheesy as it sounds, practice with a friend.

Step Two: Small Talk
Small talk, like asking how someone's day is going, is a great conversation piece. I almost always ask how someone's day is going. If you do happen to know the customer, make sure you use their name.

Step Three: Complement
A little flattery will go a long way. There is always something you can complement someone about, and if you can't find something, look harder. Examples: "oh, what a lovely ring," "great to see you again."

Step Four: Be personable, make them really believe they are special
Your customer wants to think they are the highlight to your day. They are the most important person to you (well... according to them). Don't shatter that illusion!

Step Five: Smile again and wish them well
Give your customer a fond memory of you. Most simple example of this is: "thank you for coming in. I hope you have a wonderful day."

Top 5 Reasons my Dog Should be President

In the midst of the chaos which is the American Presidential race I have come to an incredibly important decision: My dog, Bear, should be the President of the United States!!! Why you ask? Here are the top ten reasons my dog should be President of the United States!

10) No one could ever stay mad at Bear
Seriously, look at that face! So precious!! She's so beautiful that even grumpy people smile at the sight of her.

9) Bear does not yell
She has a very calm demeanor and the only time she even barks is if you startle her with really loud noises (really loud because she is partially deaf).

8) The sexual escapades or tasteful nudes of Bear's spouse would never come in question
Mostly because she doesn't have a spouse, and she is a dog, but seriously? Look at her face and tell me she would ever be involved in such behavior?

7) No nude photos  or sexual escapades of Bear's wilder days would come to light
Somewhat related to the the extracurricular activities of her spouse, but also separate, there are no nudes which exist of Bear because she is a dog. None would ever exist, unless you could photos of her butt shaved after she had surgery. In regards to videos, seriously? She is a precious angel! You won't find any!

6) Bear's platform is impressive: More treats for everyone!
That is an idea everyone can get behind. Who doesn't like food? Especially the treat variety.

5) Negotiations would consist of belly rubs and cuddles
Everyone wins in that scenario. Bear would calm down angry negotiators and everyone could made decisions with a level head.

4) Bear is incredibly honest
We won't ever have to worry about the President of the United States lying or doing shady backhanded deals because she is a dog and can't lie.

3) Bear has a positive attitude and loving
When she had surgery a few months ago she wanted to cuddle with me and give me love. Just hours from coming out of surgery I came home to a dog trying to jump on me with excitement because she was so happy to see me (it is important to note I didn't let her jump -- after the first leap I was basically her personal assistant).

2) She inspires me to be a better person
After a hard day at work which is sometimes overwhelming, it is comforting to come home to someone that is overjoyed to see me no matter what. It doesn't matter what happened during either of our days, she inspires me to smile and work hard so I can buy her more dog food and toys.

1) Bear has better hair than both Trump and Hillary
Bear hands (or paws) down wins this by a landslide! Bear's fur is so luxurious and soft. Everyone would be trying to determine who secret hair care regime. If you were wondering, she has fish oil in her food.

Obviously there are many more reasons that my dog should be President of the United States, but I couldn't fit them all here. Seriously everyone! Vote Bear 2016

Worst Day at Work I've Ever Had

I have been working at the same restaurant for 1.5 years and tonight was unusually busy and I was working with some slower waitresses. I work in a busy restaurant and some awful customers left a nasty note on top of not tipping on a $105.81 bill. I want to get in contact with them because I believe what they wrote is completely unfair and I would like to defend myself. I realize that it won't do anything, but I came home tonight feeling like crying because it was really hard not to quit last night after everything I had to deal with!

What happened? I'll try to keep it relatively short:

First off, at the restaurant we have no busser, host, cashier, food runner, nothing! Just the front and back crews, and we were short a girl to begin with. We have to do everything ourselves. A group of people arrived and we had no tables, so I put them on the waiting list. As soon as I saw an open table I bused, set it, and took the group to their seats. All within about 15 minutes. I got drink orders as soon as I sat them because I didn't want them sitting without anything to drink. After that I continued trying to seat people, all while running food, bussing tables, taking orders, cashing people out. I was trying to give everyone time and help, but it was particularly hard tonight.

I had the misfortune of seating the particular group in question and even got their drink orders straight away. At the restaurant we all share everything, and are not assigned specific tables, so I was not their assigned waitress, I was just one of the people helping out. Everything they asked me they got. I went past a few times asking how they were. Did they ask me for anything or complain to my face? NO! I was literally running through the restaurant, sweating like nobody's business, and was bright red in the face. I am incredibly hurt and upset that people would be that careless and rude to not say anything to my face, and call me out on something I couldn't help. It was crazy tonight. Every other customer in the restaurant was nice to all of the waitresses. They are the only ones. 

The only info I have about them are the type of credit card they have, the last 4 digits, last name, and first initial of first name. I don't think I will ever get to say what I was to them. I feel like so low right now. I am already going through a rough patch and this made me feel 100 times worse. I really wish I never got up this morning. 

How to Deal with Removal of the Ex

It's a sad fact, but many relationships don't end very well. If they don't, sometimes you feel quite alone, but there is a way to move forward. When some people break up they like to keep little keepsakes to remember that person. I on the other had like to remove anything and everything I can to somewhat erase that they were ever in my life. Seem a little harsh? Well, that's what works for me. Maybe you're different and want to stay friends, but in my experience that hasn't worked. So, here is what has worked for me. 

1) Delete! Delete every picture, message, their number and other contact info, etc. from any and all electronic devices you have. Drunk dialing is almost impossible when you don't have their contact info.

2) Burn baby burn! Okay, so I don't physically burn anything, but I toss away everything they have ever given me: cards, notes, gifts. All gone! I've heard of a lot of people burning stuff, so if that's what floats your boat, go for it! Just make sure you are safe when you do it.

3) Avoid your "couples spots." Not forever, just until you have recovered enough to not care if you eat at your date night restaurant. I didn't go into a specific city for a while because I didn't want to be reminded of my ex. Kinda over the top, but it totally worked. And in case you were wondering, I go there now. 

4) Smile! Try to stay positive and keep smiling. Don't let one person bring you down. If you make an effort to bring joy back into your life, it will eventually become genuine and easier to come by.

5) Be selfish! You're allowed to be once in a while. Focus on bettering yourself as a person: take that dance class you've always wanted to take, go back to school, join a gym. Do what makes you feel great.

This is a condensed version of what to do, but these little steps are the main things I have learned to do over time. I haven't dated a billion guys, but I do know what it's like to be hurt by one you believed cared for you. If you are going though a breakup now, take things day by day. You will feel whole and happy again! <3

Get the Body you Want!

For anyone out there wanting to get into shape, I have an amazing fitness training program for you! It's something that has been working for me. It has made me look and also feel a lot healthier. Lately I've been hitting the gym hard following the Jaime Eason's Live Fit 12 Week Trainer as a workout guide. 

It's simple to use, really effective, and 100% free. You don't have to pay a dime for expensive personal training. All you need to do is get a gym membership and exercise a little self control. I've made a few changes to the program because it is something that personally works for me and I'm hoping it's going to get me looking like Jaime Eason herself in no time. I implement 10-15 minutes of cardio as a warm up and for the last week I've also been doing 30 minutes of cardio once I'm done doing the excercises given to you for free with the program. 

I am the first to admit that I do not 100% follow the eating plan (on the inside I am a fat kid and absolutely love ice cream, chocolate, and other sweets). With that said, overall I have been making an effort to eat healthy and I work my a#@ off at the gym. I typically spend 1.5 to 2 hours at the gym every day. Of course you don't have to be quite so crazy as me. I happen to like working out and actually get incredibly addicted to it. I guess I'm lucky with that. For those who aren't likeminded, don't be discouraged! If you stick at it, I promise you will see results. You have nothing to loose. 

P.S. In case you were wondering, I am in no way being payed to endorce this product, I just want to share something free, which has been working for me.

Best Weird Metal Songs

I know Metal isn't exactly everyone's "cup of tea," but personally I enjoy it. Metal helped me through calculus in college (I suffer from chronic migraines, and it actually helped me focus on homework and studying). Without Metal, it is safe to say, I would not have graduated! To honor what Metal has done for me, I have compiled a list of the top 5, best, weird, but awesome Metal songs..

#5) Dethklok, Hatredcopter

Click on the link in the title and enjoy! With lyrics like "I, am likely to find, from my failure to fly, that I will be fired for not killing you, cause that is my job, Hatredcopter. You, will most likely die, from the hands of my arm, when I come and fly and, take off your face, with the front of my Hatredcopter." I wonder what kind of drugs were involved in the writing of this song. In all seriousness, I really like this song! The entire series of Metalocolypse is beyond ridiculous -- perhaps that's why I enjoyed watching it. They are making a fourth season, which I am excited about. I can add more songs to this list! And who can forget the Batmetal version!

#4) Avenge Sevenfold, A little Piece of Heaven

A song about murdering someone because they said no to a wedding proposal is kinda psychotic, but the beat and chorus lyrics are pretty darn catchy. I showed the video to a friend and her initial reaction was "what the heck!" Now she listens to it over and over again. I am somewhat surprised that A Little Piece of Heaven has not become more popular with the whole zombie craze that has been happening since the T.V. show The Walking Dead. Who knows, there is still time for people to become obsessed with it.

#3) Dethklok, Mermaider

With almost every song they make, Dethklok never ceases to confuse me with their lyrics. If a song about Mermaids being murdered and murdering a random creature wasn't enough, they use acid underwater... is anyone else confused by that? I mean seriously, if you throw acid into the ocean I'm pretty sure it would get diluted enough to the point that it would not be harmful. I may be wrong, but that is one of the things that boggled my mind the most about the song.

#2) Children of Bodom, Oops I Did it Again

A Brittany Spears cover by a metal band... What the heck... Even though the mere fact that this exists kinda confuses me, I do feel that this version is 100 times better than the original, which I personally think sounds like excrement. My disdain of the original song is partially based around the fact that I do not like Brittany Spears at all. Overall I would say that it is a good cover.... it's weird... but I kinda like it.

#1) Goodnight Nurse, Milkshake

This is seriously the best Milkshake cover ever! I never liked the original of this song and also despise Kelis... so the fact I like the cover makes it completely awesome. I would even venture to say that I like it more than Children of Bodom's cover of Oops I Did it Again. Excellent work, Goodnight Nurse, you have created a masterpiece out of a piece of nothing!

I'm Radioactive?

Today I overheard some idiot in a coffee shop saying that everything in the South Pacific is radioactive. Last I checked, the only recent nuclear activity was in the northern region of the pacific ocean... Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I would say that there is a big difference between north and south. If everything was radioactive, there would be some kind of restriction with travel, food, drinks, and everything else coming from and going to the South Pacific. 

To the poor fellow who has a misguided notion about radioactivity, I strongly urge you to get some form of education (regardless of whether it includes the South Pacific). I can safely say that am from the South Pacific, and I'm not radioactive! I also do not have extra eyes, toes, fingers, or anything else which may be a side affect of exposure to radioactivity.