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.