ive never been this tired in my life

I JUST NEED SLEEEEEEEEP. I honestly feel this last week of the semester is gonna kill me. I'm so overtired that I can barely keep my eyes open. I wake up bright and early and go to class and then right after class I go straight to work till 11pm. It really is wearing me out. Now lets make things worse my car broke down today. It had been acting funny for awhile now and this morning it finally died. Ive only had it for about a year so I hope its a fixable problem. But I know nothing about cars so who knows what really is wrong with it.



So back to the whole me needing sleep thing, yahh I really need sleep. It seems like I'm always tired. and I just can't get passed that. Im also stressed with finals coming up, even though I only have 2 of them one is a program class that Im not doing to good in and I dont wanna get less than a C because I dont want to retake it. It's stressing me out the idea of having to retake something. I just need winter break to be here. This whole college thing is tiring.



So, After everything I'd say the semester went pretty well. I only crashed once, and didnt fail any tests, I hopefully wont fail any classes and I still have a job. So even though Im the most tired person in the world, I'm still alive and I guess I can't really complain to much.

so wisconsin we really need to talk about this winter thing...

ohhh snow!I can't take this anymore. I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life and the winter never seemed to bother me until recently. Ever since I've gotten older I've hated everything about it. The cold, the snow, the ice, the driving! It all drives me crazy. My driving sucks to begin with and now that the roads are icy and snowy my driving is even worse. I wish that we could have a snow-less winter, an 80 degree winter without having to move to Florida or somewhere strange like that.

So cancelling of classes on wednesday was fantastic! I was so excited to not have to drive down to campus.I wasn't neccessarily excited about not having class I was just excited about not driving. I still had to go to work which was quite the challenge. I for one got stuck in my drive way, then I got stuck in my alley. After I got out I slowely made my way to work. Once there I found out that every single cashier we had for that day had called in because of the snow. So it was only me and 3 other employees in tyhe whole store. That was very interesting because it was somewhat busy for the weather being so bad. We thankfully made it through the night and the store was still in one piece at the end of it all. This was a great way for me to really show myself as an employee and prove that I could handle things on my own. I know that anything that happens I can handle.

what a joke...

Sometimes everything just seems to bother me. It can someting as small as a song i didnt like came on the radio, to something big like failing a test. Lately for me i feel like if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. Everything is going wrong, my class are piling on the homework, my work is making work till 11pm for holiday hours, my parents are complaining to me, I just want to step back and tell everyone to back off for a bit. In my last blog I wrote about working black friday and how excited I was, well I got to be the door greeter this year. And lets just say I was less than thrilled about that. So there I stood from 4:30am-1:30pm saying hello and making sure no one stole. I love my job and all but that was the most boring thing they have ever made me do.


Since I'm on the job kick I might as well complain about my night last night. A customer comes in with a thing of medicine, and tries to return it. I try scanning it and the computer tells me it has already been returnd and it wouldn't let me return it. He then hands me some make-up his girlfriend had bought and gave me the same receipt from the medicine. I look at the slip and I can't find the make up on it anywhere. So, I tell him that the make-up is not on the slip. He grabs it and walks off and I assume it was the end of that. A few minutes later I hear a woman swearing and yelling at the top of her lungs. I instantly know this must be the girlfriend and she was not happy that her make-up couldnt be returned. I try to explain to her what happened and why I couldn't return it but she still wanted none of that. She is calling me every name in the book, every customer in the store is staring up at the desk because she is yelling at me so loudly. My supervisor says "ma'am" and the customer swears at her. The customer then grabs the make-up after yelling at me some more saying I was calling her a liar, she starts walking out and stops. Turns around and says "It's cuz he's black isn't it?" I'm not even kidding when I say that it went dead silent and everyone turned and looked at her. To accuse me or even my store for that matter of something so obviously un-true was just shocking to hear. I try to do my jon the best I can, and getting yelled at is something I have come to expect.

end of the semester&black friday

I cant believe it! That my first semester of college is almost done. Its crazy to think that in a few weeks ill be signing up for next semester classes. Im glad that I past the first semester because starting out i was so nervous. I didnt think I would be able to handle college work but its really not that different that high school. Id say the major thing is you really have to pay attention and with high school you can kinda just skate by, not pay attention, here if you do that it wont turn out well. I was surprised as well about how I handled work and school. I knew that would be my biggest challenge going in. I work full time and trying to find the time to do all my homework and still have time to rest was difficult at first. I found a nice comprimise between work and school and was still able to be full time in both.



BLACK FRIDAY! I wanna switch gears from talking about my first semester to talking about the biggest day in retail, black friday! It really the most exciting, busiest, hectic, fun day of the entire year. Waking up at 5am to work is tiring but so fun as well. You get there and see all the people standing in line and it really puts you in the christmas spirit. That may be why i like it so much, because nothing gets better than christmas for me. This will ne my third year working black friday, the first year i cashiered at 5am, last year i worked as the css 2-11 and this year i will be helping bag&sell warranties. Three different years, three different jobs. I love my job and am so happy to have found something I love at such a young age! Black friday.....here I come!

Taylor Swift: Entertainer of the year?! Are you kidding me?!!!

I was beyond excited to watch the CMA awards last night. I was especially excited because I got done with work early so I was actually able to watch them this year. The show started with Taylor Swift, which was very annoying for me because she drives me crazy. I think all her songs sound the same and are all about the same thing. I dont think she is deserving of any award let alone all the awards she took home last night. There are so many talented country artists out there and for Taylor Swift to be the one who takes home the top honor really got me mad and the fact that all the other awards she won, should have gone to other people who actually have talent.

Every single award she was up for I sat there and said "please dont let it be Taylor Swift" then they always said Taylor Swift. She didnt deserve to beat out people like Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood...ect. Everyone who was up for an award last night deserved to win over taylor swift. In my opinion she should crawl back into the hole she came out of.

Well it was the end of the show and they were announcing entertainer of the year and I was certain that Taylor wouldnt get this one, there was just no way. But once again I hear them say....and the winner is Taylor Swift. Are you kidding me?! There is no way she deserved to win over legends like Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney. It was obvious this year more than ever that the days of actually having to have talent to win are long gone and that its all about popularity, not skill. I think Taylor Swift sucks and didnt deserve any of the awards she won.

Peanut M&M's...ohhh yeah :)

So at wrok we have this drawer at the customer service desk where we keep candy. Now, we had a ton in there from halloween and what not so I was always excited to come to work knowing that I would have candy to snack on all night. Well, I get to work the other night and I open the drawer to find no butterfingers, no reeses, no twix, all I saw was Peanut M&M's. Now at first thought I was angry because, I thought I didnt like them. So I went the whole night without eating anything from out tasty candy drawer. Till about 9pm when my hunger really started getting to me and I opened the drawer and grabbed a package of fun size peanut M&M's. I open them and think....this better be worth it. Once I eat the first one I realize, these things are delicious! This whole time I was missing out on these things because I thought I didnt like them, to find out I love them. I really did make my night, and before I left work and Grabbed a big bag to take home.


This realization of my love for Peanut M&M's was quite exciting. Another not so much exciting thing, but funny thing also happened the other night at work. It was about 9:55pm and we always get the late shoppers who come in 5 minutes before we close, so of course I go up and ask him if he needs help finding anything. He then asks if we have a latter. Im thinking ohhhh man what does he need off a top shelf. So me and another teammate go and grab one and meet the man back by the toliet paper. He goes on to tell us how Charmin 24 packs gives you 900sq feet per pack and that the new Charmin 24 pack only gives 750. He was outraged that they would do this to the public and with that rage he bought out all the 24 packs with the 900sq feet in them. He was determined to get those extra 150 sheets of toliet paper. In his toliet paper shoppig spree of 15 packages of toliet paper he ended up spending $209. It is safe to say I have never had someone spend that much on just toliet paper,ever. It was an interesting way to end and interesting day.

i just need a break from everything....

Have you ever just wished you could take a time out from your life. Just drop everything and take a month off from school, work, bills, drama, just everything. Man, I need that right about now, because honestly college is kicking my butt. I am so surprised to find that I am so un-motivated to actually go to class. I never thought that would be a problem for me but I keep finding more and more that its hard for me to get myself to class, I'm either not feeling well or I just don't want to go.

Another thing that has been stressing me out is work. Don't get me wrong I love my job but sometimes I just wish I could come home from class and just sleep, or lay around and watch tv, but its always right from class to work till 10 everyday. I think about how nice that would be but then I think about all the bills I have to pay and how me "resting" would just make things worse in the end.

Since this post is coming across as me "venting" I might as well talk about what else has been bugging me. Parking! ughhh!! I cant even begin to desribe how frustrated I am with the parking at TC. Even now, 8 weeks into the semester Im still having parking issues. I refuse to come to class 2 hours early just to find a semi-resonably good parking spot. To me thats just crazy, I also can't understand how the school doesn't see the problem and doesnt want to fix it. Because honestly, I makes TC look bad with such crowded lots and messy streets. I hate coming to class everyday because I know I'll have to deal with parking. Hopefully by next year things will improve, but Im not holding my breath.

Jason Aldean Concert Oct 22nd 2009=The best night of my life

I am a HUGE country music fan. Anything country I love, I have been a fan since I was a kid. One of my all time favorite country artists is Jason Aldean. His voice, his looks, his songs, everything about him is amazing. That's why when I found out he was coming to La Crosse for a concert I was more than excited. I got down to the La Crosse Center hours before tickets went on sale and got the G.A Pit tickets because I wanted to be as close as possible. When the day finally came for the concert I was more than ready. My camera was charged and I was ready to go. I got down there 3 hours before the show to secure my place in line to guarantee me a good spot. I was there with my friend Kim and we were both super excited about the show. Once the gates opened we went and bought shirts then walked down to the V.I.P section. The show began with opening groups Love and Theft and Gloriana, which were both very good. Then the lights dimed and it was time for Jason Aldean. My excitement at this time was uncontrollable. I couldn't believe I was front row at a Jason Aldean Concert. I was so close I could touch the stage. The show began and he sounded and looked as amazing as I had expected. He played hit after hit and I didnt want it to end.

It was towards the end of the show and he was singing Summer of 69 by Brian Adams and he came over and stood on the speaker right in front of me, reached down and grabbed my hand. I almost died. I couldn't believe that my favorite country artist was grabbing my hand. That made my night. Anything bad that had been happening didn't even matter. I just stopped worrying about all the bad stuff and got lost in the moment. He stood on the speaker for a bit and shaked the fans hands, I also got to touch his jeans and boots, which I know sounds creepy, but I promise I'm not a stalker just a very big fan. This concert was one of the best shows ive ever been to. Counting the fact that I was basically front row and got to touch Jason Aldean but just the atmosphere was amazing. I will always remember the Jason Aldean concert, it really was the time of my life :).

The things I watch

When it comes to tv i have a very wide selection id say. I can watch anything from ghost hunter shows to a family show on tlc. But there are definately some shows I love more than others and some which I don't think should be on tv at all.


One of my current favorite shows is paranormal state. I never had been one to be into ghost shows or even believe in ghosts for that matter. But,there was something about this show that drew me in and ive been hooked since the first season. It must be something about how they do it that makes me watch every episode. I would recomend this show to anyone,even if youre not a ghost person,you should really give this show a try. It shows college students who formed the paranormal research society and how they go to different homes across the country that claim to be experiencing paranormal activity. Overall there is nothing I dislike about this showm, it's amazing.



The top 20 countdown is more of an addiction for me, I can never miss an episode. Its a way for me to keep up with my favorite country stars and watch some good videos in the process.


Out of everything I really enjoy watching these days project runway has to be my favorite. I had always liked watching design shows and this one had everything I liked. The challenges, the designers, everything about it keeps me interrested. This season I absolutely love Logan, He by far my favorite designer and definately the cutest of them all. I myself don't have the skill to be on a show like this but its always fun to just pretend,right?!

I am also addicted to HGTV,FOOD NETWORK&TLC. I can't say television is my life because I work 99% of the time, but when I do get the time to relax,watching something entertaining is always nice. I just wish life could be like tv sometimes. They never talk about all the bills they have,or lack of sleep they get or the mountains of homework that never disappear. They always have all the nice things, the money and the boys. I guess thats why its tv,right.

Till next time,take care!

In the News....

I don't know about any of you but I cannot pass up a good tabloid. Whether I'm checking out at the registers or surfing the web if I see something about celebrities and news I automatically click on it.



"Kate Gosselin: Jon Stole $200G"- Titles like that I am automatically sucked in because just like the rest of america I'm additcted to Jon and Kate plus eight, or I guess I should say "was addicted" because now its just Kate plus eight, and thats just not the same.



Another well known tabloid family that I always have to read about "Brad and Angelina." Every news article about them I have to read to see whats new in their lives, sometimes i feel like a loser because its not like I know them but I just cant' help but feel obligated to keep up with their lives.


Now Lindsay on the other hand....this girl is a hott mess. She is just a big joke to everyone these days. What happened to the Lindsay from the parent trap and disney channel. Now days you have the drinking and smoking Lindsay. I personally think its rather sad the way her life has turned out.

Now after talking about my love of celeb gossip I look at my own life and how if someone were to make a tabloid magazine about the things that happen to me. No one would read it because my life is rather uneventful, and would make for some very boring reading material. I guess in that aspect Im glad I'm not famous but I sure wouldn't mind the money these people have.

A little history...

After making a few posts about things that have been happening in my life I though I'd back track and talk a little bit about myself and my life. I am nineteen years old and I currently live in La Crosse,born and raised. I attended Immanuel Lutheran School for grades k-8. From there I went on to Logan High School where I graduated from this past year. I am Currently in my first year at Western Technical College and I love it, now a little bit of info from my past.


I always tell people growing up as a kid of the nineties was the best time to grow up. The tv shows that were on during that time were amazing such as rugrats,doug,hey arnold, are you afraid of the dark. Shows like that aren't around anymore and it's a shame because they were some good television.


Another thing I loved about being a kid from the 90's were the toys! Such as the sit and spin I have pictured. This toy was so fun and although spinning on it for too long didn't have the best outcome it was still one of my favorite toys growing up.


As a kid growing up I was also involved in martial arts. I joined Nicklaus Martial Arts America at age 6 and remained in it till I was 16 years old. In that time I became a second degree black belt and learned so many valuable tools in life,not just about defending myself but about conducting myself. It was such a great experience that I wouldn't take back for anything.


If I could've had the choice to pick a profession when I was a kid I most definately would have picked to be a "Mighty Morphin Power Ranger" when I got older. To me nothing got better then the power rangers. I wouldn't go anywhere if I would miss an episode, I would even make my dad tape the new episode if I had karate class because I refused to miss it. I'm also pretty sure that I was a pink power ranger for 3-4 years for halloween because thats all I ever wanted to be.


Almost as amazing as the power rangers to me was Billy Ray Cyrus. I grew up listening to country music and still love it to this day. As a kid when I would hear "Achy Breaky Heart" I would instantly drop everything and start dancing. This song was the most amazing thing that could've happened to me. I listened to it all the time,it didn't matter to me that Billy Ray Cyrus had a mullet,to me he was the cutest thing in the world. And I'm pretty sure I once said I was gonna have this song at my wedding, now keep in mind I was very young when I said that. Even now if I catch this song on the radio I was turn it up and sing along with Achy Breaky Heart.

There are so many other things I could talk about from my past but I'll leave that for another day, take care!

a "Bat-tastic"night!

Imagine a bat like that swooping at your head,all while trying to stay calm and ring up a customers purchases. Let me tell you, it doesn't work that well. I can honestly say seeing that bat at work on tuesday night was one of the scariest things ever. It was just a normal night until about 7pm. I was ringing up a customers purchase when i look up to see a big brown bat swooping past. I immediatly panic and my first thought was to run and hide and in the cash office which is connected to the service desk. I started to run because the bat was flying at people when I realized I have to finish ringing up this customer. So, with my hands shaking and heart racing I quickly finish the transaction and lock myself in the office. Now,the cashier during this time was scared to death, as was everyone else, but I was honestly more worried about not getting attacked by the bat then anything else. After i emerge from the office it seems to be safe. Mary, my co-worker who works at the desk with me had returned from her break and I informed her of what had happened. Now, Mary and I are the two worst people to have working when theres a bat, because we are the biggest chickens who work there. Right after I finish telling her about the bat it swoops out from around the corner. We both scream and run to hide in the cash office. During this time there are still people in line both at the registers and at the service desk but we booked it anyway and just left them.

I really can't even begin to explain how terrified I am of bats. I had never actually seen one up close until then and I came to a conclusion, they are the scariest thing in the world. One of the few times I was locked in the office crying because I was laughing so hard and because I was so scared and I also realized how bad I was shaking and how bad my heart was racing. I really did think I was gonna have a heart attack or die of fear. Finally after scaring us for over and hour the bat flew over to our pharmacy and then down the hallway. We quickly locked the doors and shut the pharmacy gate so it couldn't return, at least tonight anyway. It's safe to say it was one of the scariest nights ever at shopko and I hope it never happens again because I dont think I could do it again.

It should be illegal for me to drive.

So, I was just going to continue on about my spendid adventures in the land I call Shopko,however the events of the past few days are very fresh and easy for me to vent about. Ok, so for those of you who don't know my past I am a horrible driver. Now thats not just me being dramatic I really do suck at it. I have been driving since i was about 16 and since that point I have now raised my total number of car accidents to 5. If i were to do the math that would be 0.6 accidents per year since i have began my driving career. Now, the people I have talked to about my accidents are stunned as to one, how I got my license in the first place, and two how I still manage to have it with all those accidents. I myself am surprised as well that I still have my car in one piece with little damage to it. Before I go on a rant to far I want to talk about my latest accident. First thing I want to say before i start my story is to note that WTC parking is horrible. After saying that I will begin my story. I had gotten out early of my selling principles class and was headed to the parking lot to go home. As I was driving through the alley I thought to myself "its really hard to see if cars are coming I hope I hope I don't crash." No sooner had I finished thinking that BAM. I was exiting the alley and a car came down the road and we collided. I have to note my car received very little damage as did his due to the fact we were both driving relatively slow. The reality was still there that I had indeed had yet another accident. We both proceed to pull into a side parking lot and examine the damage. Seeing there was not a lot done and with no tickets issued we both left. To the average person this day would be considered bad, but wait it gets worse for me.

After going home and telling my mother that I had done it again, I got ready and went to work. It was a regular night untill about 9:30. My supervisor comes in from getting the shopping carts and says "Sam,which side of your car did you hit?" I repsond "The left side,why?" She then goes on to tell my left tire is completely flat. First thought I had was "I have no idea how to change a tire." So, I get on the phone and call my father. After getting chewed out by him for crashing again, he came and helped my switch my tire. Through all these events of this day I learned severeal things. One, I suck at driving and I should find other modes of trasportation. And Two, I learned that there are several different kinds of screw drivers, where as I thought a scew driver was a screw driver. All in all my day was horrible and I hope that my bad luck is running out soon because this is getting really old.

A night at Shopko

Expect the unexpected. That is the moto I repeat every night when I walk into work. I never know what to expect,though the job tasks I do will be the same the customers I interact with make each night different. For example last week I encountered a patriotic packer fan and his son. He walks in and says "I'm not shopping here"while he's yelling he's pointing to the Brett Favre Viking shirts we just put out. "Tell your manager you just lost business." That is something not out of the ordinary. We get the people who say "your bags are too small, how come your bathroom isn't in your store, how come i didnt get a discount?" However, the people I deal with aren't all bad. I get the good customers who are beyond friendly and carry with them a good sense of humor. For example I had a man come up to me about a month ago to check out at the customer service desk. He looks at my name tag and says "Sammie B? What are you a rap star?" I respond "Why yes sir I am. Now you can tell people you knew me before I was famous." He laughs, and adds "Yeah, I can say I knew you before you went double platinum." Customers like this make my night because they make my job even more enjoyable. I always tell people I have the best job at shopko. I get to interact with the customers, do their returns,and exchanges. Ring up their purchases, and show them where our product is. I am a Customer Service Specialist and I take that position very seriously. I am representing the store, I am what the customer see's when they first walk in. I make it my first priority to deliver great customer service every day I work, and I feel I do that very well. By working at the customer service desk I get to develope a relationship with not only my co-workers but the customers as well. We get what we call "the regulars" who are customers that come in several times a week,or almost every night. These people are great,they are happy and always come in with a smile. We have Don,who always buys a diet mountain dew,and makes sure to write his checks for ten dollars over. There is also Fran, who never leaves without trying her luck at one of our scratch off tickets. I love not just seeing them as another face but as people I have come to know. The things that happen at the k.o(aka shopko) are the reason I work there and I wouldn't change it for the world. It is the best place in the world to work.