Welcome To My Thoughts

Welcome To My Thoughts

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Interview Tomorrow

Since I don't want to work at Subway anymore I've been avidly job hunting and tomorrow I have an interview for a Personal Assistant position for a woman who owns two real estate agencies. I know next to nothing about real estate, but I feel like this woman might be a good connection to have for the future. I also have a hunch that she pays more than minimum wage and will not make me mop her floors. Basically anything is a step up from Subway, unless I become a janitor at Penn Station. Yesterday my boss told me he is going to start paying me next Tuesday, that's two weeks of unpaid on-the-job training and I don't even feel like arguing about it. I'm just going to kill this interview tomorrow and hope I get the job, any suggestions are welcome!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Customer Appreciation Day

So all week at Subway we have to prep massive amounts of food for Saturday. What is Saturday you might ask, its Customer Appreciation Day! Yes! Just kidding, all subs are buy 1 get 1 free which means I have to come in early and stay for the entire day of annoying little kids and obnoxious fat people buying two subs for themselves. Listen just because Jared lost weight doesn't mean that if you stick to a Subway diet that you are miraculously going to lose the 200 extra pounds you've had since freshman year of high school. Snap back to reality and go get some McDonalds.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Bartender or Tanning Salon

Since I'll probably be quitting Subway within 2 months, I figure that I either want to go to bar tending school or work at a tanning salon. I need to do something relatively simple where I can meet a lot of cute girls. I feel like that would be my ideal job, so any other suggestions are welcome. I'm off to apply to Beachbum Tanning and Hollywood Tanning and to sign up for bar tending classes, yeah buddy!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Short Dad and Ugly Son

So, Tuesday was my very first day and I didn't think my boss would have me making sandwichs, but a large crowd came in so I did my best to help. At first I was slow, really really slow, I didn't know where anything was and I couldn't even the cut bread right. Most people understood my situation and didn't mind waiting for their food, since I was just learning. However you always get the one person who wants to give you a hard time. As I was about to leave, in walks this short (probably 5 ft.) dad and his ugly son with a mullet. The father stood impatiently as I tried to gather their order and I explained that I would need a minute to figure out how to make the 3 sandwichs they wanted. The pathetic excuse for a dad grunted and mumbled profanities under his breath; I found this hilarious, so I made sure to move extra slow. I could care less if I get fired, so customers like this are going to be fun to mess with. The sad little guy with the Napoleonic complex is probably only the first of many dissatisfied customers that I will get to deal with.

Not A Great Job

Well for minimum wage I think this job is overall terrible. It's not that any of the tasks are particularly difficult, but you would think that after sweeping, cleaning, prepping all the food products, and making sandwichs that Sandwich Artists could at least earn $10.00 per hour from one of the most successful franchise chains around. I have no real attachment to the job and just decided to work there to shut my parents up about not having a job, but in all honesty anyone thinking of applying to Subway should probably just look elsewhere.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Starting Subway Today

So the online courses for Subway were pretty extensive and at the end of them you have to complete short quizzes. Needless to say I skipped through a majority of the slideshows and just answered the quizzes based on guessing and infinite retries. They really expect you to know their stuff which is why Subway is such a well oiled franchise. Since I'll only be working part time in the afternoons I really did not pay much attention to the breakfast menus or the policies for opening the store. I also found it kind of ridiculous when one slide explained that Subway has over 2 million salad, wrap and sandwich combinations. 2 million?! Well I'll keep you all posted on the hands on training this week and I'll be sure to include any strange customer interactions!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Subway Insider

So I started the 10 hours worth of online training for Subway and I wanted to share my thoughts so far. I think it is relatively useful, but extremely repetitive. The way they present the information is in series of slideshows with short quizzes at the end. Anyone with an IQ above 75 could answer the quizzes without actually reading the slides, so all in all I've been flying through the training. After I get certified I have to go in on Tuesday and start on the job training. This should be interesting considering my coworkers are two 50 something old Indian men and I'm a 21 year old white male. I have a feeling this job is going to be very interesting to say the least!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Physical Endurance

http://www.break.com/index/soldier-flips-table-over-his-head-with-his-teeth-2036484
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/7/dude-smashing-a-windshield-with-his-head-821968
These two videos are prime examples of sheer endurance. The amount of pain I would experience from even attempting one of these stunts, is not even fathomable. I think these are prime examples of mind over matter.

Funny Ad

http://consumerist.com/2010/02/the-greatest-craigslist-room-rental-ad-ever.html
Check out this hilarious Craigslist Ad. I do not know what this guy was thinking when he posted it, but anyone that went to live with him is probably equally crazy as he is. I couldn't help, but chuckle at how absurd this guy is and I hope it provides you a laugh as well!

April Fools Day Origin

Since today is April Fools Day I wanted to provide you with a little background information about its origin. April Fools Day or All Fools Day has always been a day to play pranks, jokes, hoaxes on anyone and everyone you encounter. I was shocked when I found that the earliest references of April Fools is from 1392 in Chaucer's Canterbury tales. One of the main "pranks" involved in Canterbury tales is the proud rooster that is tricked by a fox. I guess you could say this was the "first" April Fools Day prank, but surely far from the most interesting.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Commercials Get Me Thinking

If you watch even a small amount of cable TV you will see accident litigation lawyers who always want to help you if you've been diagnosed with mesothelioma. I have heard these ads 100s upon 100s of times so I finally decided to do some research about mesothelioma and figure out exactly why it is such a big deal. Apparently mesothelioma is a rare for of cancer that starts forming in the protective sheath that covers the majority of the body's internal organs. This lining, called mesothelium, starts failing when the irregular cell division occurs. Exposure to asbestos (a naturally occuring silicate) is a fibrous crystal and inhalation of these fibers often causes severe illness (mesothelioma). Common areas affected by mesothelioma are the outer lining of the lungs, the lining of the abdominal cavity, and the pericardium (the sac that encapsulates the heart). After thorough research I now understand how devastating this condition can be and see why lawyers want to capitalize on cases associated with this malignant cancer and help facilitate the collection of compensation for the unfortunate victims of asbestos exposure.

How To Avoid Online Scams

I wanted to talk about this briefly because I'm tired of my friends and family wasting money on useless scams. 99.9% of the time anything online that seems too good to be true, is too good to be true. People who are either uninformed or just plain careless, click on everything haphazardly and end up giving personal information to marketing organizations. My family and friends CONSTANTLY do this and then I hear them complain about telemarketers and spam. Where do you think the telemarketers and spam are coming from? Oh that's right, the 200 websites and phony sweepstakes you signed up for, gave your phone number/address/social security number (just kidding). But seriously only provide information to legitimate organizations, I really cannot stress this enough. Also avoid signing up for stock tip newsletters even if it is $20 for a year, those are all garbage scams that just try to get you to spend more money on other newsletters and sign you up for automatic billing without you even knowing.

Working at Subway

So, tomorrow I start training at a local Subway. I got the job just to make some money on the side while I go to school. I'll provide some inside info about Subway once I learn the ropes. For starters you apparently need to take an online course and once you pass that you receive a certificate and can actually start on the job training (none of which you get paid for). Then after those steps are complete your boss can issue you hours. I also discovered that you can eat a 6 inch Sub (not a full footlong) if you are on a 6 hour (or more) shift. I guess they give you an inch an hour...no homo.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Craiglist Rant

So I've been looking for local jobs, just to see what my best options are and I thought craigslist would be a good option to explore. I found quite the opposite, I submit my resume to nearly a 100 legitimate looking ads only to have my inbox spammed by scam artists who want to send me 8 million from their Nigerian accounts in exchange for my personal information and a 200 dollar money order. Listen, this is a good lesson for everyone who submits their information online, don't just send out info. to people unless you can verify that they are a reputable source. I am sure these scam artists get desperate people everyday who submit more personal information simply because they don't know any better.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The Chat

So I was walking to class and happened to bump into a family friend of mine. He is a fairly successful individual and works as an elevator accident lawyer in New York. We were having a casual conversation about the commercials I constantly see on TV about settling mesothelioma and asbestos claims and he was sharing his opinions on this topic when a random woman approached us. She literally forebode us from continuing farther up the block and warned that this "realm" was not safe for us. Naturally we continued our talk about mesothelioma claims and she ran after us explaining that we would "contract" mesothelioma if we didn't immediately stop and turn around. To this day I see this woman outside of Chase bank ranting and raving about nonexistant evils and problems on the block.

Pipe Dream

I was getting off the Subway at 34th Street (heading to Penn Station) and I noticed a homeless man fully clad in a newspaper helmet and jumpsuit. This guy was decked head to toe in the NY Times dating back to 1972. I witnessed this man reach up towards the pipes on the roof of the Subway, I shrugged this off assuming he was looking for warmth. He went on to rub the soot from the dirty pipes all over his face...I stood in awe and felt such a mix of confusion and pity that I gave the poor man 5 dollars. But to this day I share this story because it really left an impression on me.

Homeless People in NYC

So I go to college in NYC and I felt like sharing some of the interesting/bizarre encounters I have had with the homeless and will add new posts as I remember them. One occasion that stands out in particular for me is the time when I watched a barking homeless man get restrained by 6 police officers. He was not making coherent sentences and was screaming at the top of his lungs. The cops proceeded to put a dog muzzle on his face and cuff his wrists/ankles. I stay away from that block now when I walk to the Subway.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

This Guy Got Wrecked

http://www.break.com/index/delayed-reaction-faceplant-ko.html
you have to love this one, its like his brain thought about it for a second and said, "yeaaa goodnight"

Trip To Italy

I am really excited to share my worldly knowledge and experiences from traveling the world. Recently I got back from Italy and I have to say it was a life changing experience. Venice, is a city unlike any other I have visited. The vast network of canals under the narrow streets can be overwhelming and getting lost is as easy as it is fun. Meeting new people and exploring is one of my passions, so I do not mind going of the beaten path when I am in foreign countries. I also have passion for good food and Venice/Lake Como certainly do not disappoint. If you have the chance to visit Italy I strongly recommend these two locations because the art, history and quality of food are simply unparalleled.