Chilli's Update with a surpising twist at the end!

Firstly, before I start on the main subject of this blog post, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year with the exception to those who screwed me emotionally and tried to take advantage of me financially just to meet their own needs in their selfish way. To those, a big FUCK YOU this year goes out to you and I hope you don't make it next year but that last part would be a selfish thing of me to say so I'll just leave it at a big FUCK YOU to you because, someday, you'll get yours at the end and I just may be around to see your ass tumble to the ground. To those of you who find the words, "Fuck You" offensive, just be lucky you won't have the opportunity for me to say it to your face.... unless you make me angry (which takes a LOT of pissing me off to do!) of which I went through already in my previous post!

Now, onto the meat and potatoes of this post...

As you are aware of from my previous blog post, I mentioned my unfortunate circumstance I had at the Chili's restaurant on Monday, December 12th 2011 (posting was on Dec. 15th). If you didn't read the previous post, read it now then scroll back up here. I'll wait.....




Back? Good! Let's get started!

I have posted the previous blog update onto my Twitter account so @Chili's themselves can review it and maybe, just maybe, make an unfortunate wrong into a right.

Barely a day letter, I got this surprising direct message on my Twitter account:

 I was pretty impressed they got back to me in such a timely manner! I sent them a response back...

 About five days later, I got an email response: (Black boxes to hide last names and such for obvious reasons. I am very serious when it comes to the protection of others privacy.)

I sent this response back:

So, as you can see in the above email response, I gave my reasoning as to why I just had to do what I had to do.

After I sent that message, I assumed they were going to send me a gift card or something similar just to compensate for the "Triple Dipper" (TD) appetizer I did not feel obligated to pay for as I mentioned in the previous blog post. The  TD was $10.59 so I figured I'd get a gift card for $10 which was fine with me. Boy, was I wrong!

Ten days later, I received this letter in the mail:

In the folded letter were these:

Not only did I get the $10 I believe they were obliged to send to make right what was wrong but, as you can see from above, I got TWO certificates, totaling $20, which covers close to 100% of the bill that night!





Even though we can't travel back in time to make wrongs into rights (or can we? Maybe there are time travelers around us but "they" are not revealing the truth to it yet.), I like to go out of my way to fix any wrongs I did with someone, professionally in my computer business and, especially, personally in my life. Unfortunately there are companies and people out there who could give a damn which doesn't make this world a pretty place to live in as we all know. There are also people out there who become belligerent and lash out because a mistake was made by a company or person they had no control over at the time. I'm glad Chili's went out of their way and went beyond what they needed to to satisfy their customer (myself).

Because of Chili's quick response to a dissatisfied customer's blog post, timely email responses, and MORE THAN a reimbursement for a meal the customer didn't feel obligated to pay for, I'd like to say their customer service is top notch in my book and will recommend this restaurant to anyone because if something does go mistakenly wrong (even though it was a douchebag customer behind me who acted like a fool!), Chili's will do more than they can to make you satisfied and keep you coming back for more excellent food and service. Unless the customer is a belligerent douchebag, don't expect anything good in return because your crappy personality towards life deserves nothing but crappy service! Unfortunately, though, being in retail for over eight years, I still had to give superb service to super crappy customers and most companies such as Chili's are obligated to do the same and I feel their pain which is I why I am my own companies boss and I don't have to be obligated to feel that pain as much anymore. ;-)

I'd like to thank the people behind @Chilli's on twitter. I highly recommend you follow them if you have an account. I'd also like to thank Amanda from Guest Relations and last but not least, Julee, the Guest Relations Manager for their sensational response in the matter of which preceded this blog post!! I'll be heading back again soon for a great dining experience!! I'm sure, after reading this, others will do the same if they haven't done so already!

To the others reading this out there, make it your New Years resolution to speak your mind when you feel something went wrong. If you don't feel comfortable at the time to speak your mind (I'm that way myself, although, depending if the situation isn't that bad, I resort to some goofy sarcasm as shown in the previous blog post.), resort to a blog or, if you want to go old school, write a letter about your experience and send it through email, snail mail it (it's not going away anytime soon no matter what is being said.), or, just drop the letter back to the location and tell an employee to hand it to the manager/owner of the establishment. If you don't speak your mind about these unfortunate circumstances we all face in life, how do you expect them to be prevented in the future? If it was too horrible of a circumstance for you to not want to go back at all, AT LEAST still let them know what went on so the same thing doesn't happen to others so you're not a selfish and inconsiderate bastard.

On that note, thanks to all of you who came across and read my blog and I hope this post taught you a valuable lesson today. After all, that's the purpose of my blog; to give people some ammunition they need to get through the bullshit in life we all face once in a while. Your mileage may vary with my advice on here but where else can you go to find out how to get through interesting conundrums such as mine? ;-)

Until next time,

Justin Rocque

From my chump change to the chump who ate my food! - Part 2

This blog post is part two of the previous post, regarding the chump who ate my food and things in between. The above video clip reflects that a little bit.

First, before I mention the chump who ate my food, I must mention what happened when I was driving on Port St. Lucie Blvd on the way to my cousin's house at around 5:30 P.M, which, as you know, is a pretty busy time at that intersection.  I was in the right lane waiting for the light to change on Gatlin to make a right turn as shown in the image below.

As you can see from the image above, I was in the right lane which is a right turn only lane depicted by the arrow on the street pointing to the RIGHT (left here but the image is from the opposite angle). There is also a sign posted on the sidewalk. I noticed I was waiting there for a bit and then realized the cars in front of the one car in front of me already went and made the right turn. I then noticed the car in front of me put their turn signal on to turn LEFT. That's when I got pretty upset, as well as the cars behind me, and beeped my horn once. I am usually pretty lenient when it comes to mistakes people make on the road in front of me but this was the extent of my leniency. It was rush hour in traffic and the person was in the turning lane. If they did not want to turn right, they shouldn't have stayed in that lane. If they couldn't have gotten over in time, too bad, so sad. They need to keep going and make the right and THEN make a U-turn. It's as simple as that!

It is rude for a car such as the one I was in front of to hog the WHOLE lane so they can try to get out and go straight when EVERYONE else behind them wants to go right and have the right to, in THAT LANE, to go right with no questions asked! The passenger in the car in front of me, a nice new Black VW Passat or whatever VW it was, put their arm out and flipped me the bird. The Dragon doesn't like getting the bird flipped his way for doing nothing wrong on his part so I beeped the horn again. Then, the person in the drivers side put their arm out all the way and flipped the bird as well. Furious, and with the others behind me beeping, I put my hand on the horn again and KEPT that bitch pressed to show the bird flippers who was boss and to not make the Dragon angry because they wouldn't like the Dragon when he's angry...





Slowly, but surely, while both birds were out, they started to move up until.. they FINALLY made the RIGHT-TURN, which is what they were supposed to do all along. I kept the horn pressed when they made the turn and was right on their tail until they went to the median to make a U-turn. Then I beeped it again and floored it out right around them.

It's assinines like the ones above who make driving the streets a pain in the ass for all of us. Did they surely think the people behind them were just going to sit back and relax and wait for them to get out of the turning lane during rush hour which is pretty much impossible to do at that time? Of course they do! The world revolves around these fools, in their eyes. It's pretty sad, it really is. I love to drive but it's people like the ones mentioned who just make me want to just drive at midnight when the streets don't have as much fools.

Now.... onto the Chili's Chump...

It was past 6 P.M. and I had nothing to eat yet so my cousin said we should all go out so I can eat dinner and they have dessert. My other cousin didn't want to go so it was just me and my one cousin. We decided on Chili's because we went there last time and we both like the atmosphere and the food is pretty good.

I was looking at the menu to decide what to get. I decided on the triple dipper of chicken crispers, potato skins, and fried CHEESE (why they call it that instead of mozzarella sticks is beyond me and my cousin and I were pondering this odd thing for a few minutes. I also ponder about other odd things in life.) because we can both share some of that and she'll get her dessert when we're done with that.

The waiter came and took our order. We sat there and waited, and waited, and waited. We started to converse as to what was taking so damn long. My cousin saw the table behind me get some stuff already which looked similar to what we had ordered but I didn't turn around to get a closer look. So, we waited some more....

About thirty minutes passed until the waiter came back and asked how we were doing. We both said we were doing great but I said in the calmness voice I usually have, "We've just been waiting for around forty minutes for our food!"

The waiter then said, "I know, I'm sorry about that. Your food was ready and they brought it out from the back but gave it to the table behind you by mistake so they took it."
I said, "Oh, ok... but they are at least going to pay for it though because they ate it, right?"
Waiter: "No, it was our mistake."
Me: "Well, that's just stupid. If they took it, they should pay for it."
Waiter: "We just put the order for you in again so it will be out soon. Sorry about that."
Me: "Ah, it's OK. Thanks."

So, justin case you didn't know what just went down; our food was ready and was brought out to the table behind me. The two people at the table behind me just decided to accept the food instead of saying, "We did not order that." No, they just accepted it, even probably saying, "Oh, we didn't order it but we'll take it anyway." so they did, therefore, not having to pay for it! Ain't that some shit!?





     So, the food eventually came but I was expressing my feelings about what just happened because of the inconsiderate bastards behind me like I never have before...

"MMM....this is some mighty fine fried CHEESE right here! I wonder if their FRIED CHEESE behind me were just as good!! MMM....... DAMN GOOD!!"
"These chicken crispers sure are CRISPY!! I wonder if the ones behind me were just as crispy!!"
"One should not take that which does not belong to them! It's just a foolish and inconsiderate thing to do!"
"MMMM........ these 'tator skins sure are yummy! I wonder if their tater skins were just as good too!"


Each time I was saying the above, I was doing it loudly and while my head was turned to the side so the douche bag with his date behind me could hear it. My cousin said they weren't really paying attention much because they were probably engulfed in their conversations just like they had engulfed our food of which they DID NOT have to pay for of which I DID, even though my cousin and I were the ones who were INCONVENIENCED because we had to wait over thirty minutes for it! 


So, here's what should have been done on Chili's part and should be done in the future:


If they serve the order to the wrong table and the person at the table chooses, for whatever selfish reason, to accept it and eat it anyway, that table should be the one who pays for it. It's just a matter of common sense and business practices; he/she who eats something in a restaurant should, in return, pay for what has been eaten unless the order was not satisfactory or not correct, of course. It's as simple as that.


Now, for the other table who has been waiting LONGER than USUAL for the order to arrive because the selfish morons at the other table chose to eat their food, the other table in which the order has been intended for should NOT have to pay for the selfish table's mistake on their part because they have to wait LONGER to serve whatever they have been ordered. The rolls should have been reversed; the selfish table should have paid for what was not intended for them but consumed anyway and the other table who did not receive their order on time because of such incident SHOULD NOT have been obligate to pay for the order sans drinks and tip. Now, you tell me, would this not be the just thing to do in any establishment?

Your input would be appreciated! I'm sure Chili's will read this post about them so an update with their feedback and how they resolved this minor issue will be posted in another blog post.

Until next time,

Justin

From my chump change to the chump who ate my food!

The above video correlates a bit to my money pit:

Business has been slower than expected during the past week so I had to resort to my "Holy Shit! Funds." This is my emergency fund set aside which consists of change collected in a container during the span of many months. I do not use change when I purchase things so when I pay for things with paper money, I keep the change and just stick it in that container you see above and fill it up to the rim until a situation like this arises.

I grabbed my container of HSF (Holy Shit! Funds) and headed to my bank, Bank of America. Yea, I know what you are already thinking after what has been going on lately but I'm not going to open that can of worms... or am I?

I arrived at the bank, parked, grabbed my HSF and headed through the door... only to find a man who already beat me to it, although I didn't expect this at all when I walked in. There was an older man with the bank greeter lady standing next to a table, putting his change in those "rollers."

*The following quoted texts are near identical to what has actually been said.*

I asked the lady, "Hello, I'd like to deposit this here."
The lady responds, "I'm sorry, we can't take it like that. You have to put them in rollers."
I then said, "You don't have a machine here?"
She answered, "No, we don't have that here but you can take it to Publix but they'll charge you a fee or you can put them in rollers and deposit it here."
I said, "OK, thank you!" I was about to just head out the door and she interrupted, "Do you want to get rollers and deposit it here or take it to Publix?"
"I guess I'll do it here."
"Ok, you can get the rollers up front."
"Ok, thank you."

So, I went up to the front, got a crap load of rollers, left the bank, and went back in my car and said, "WTF?! I don't have time to sit here and roll all this shit nor do I want to! This is justin sane!" I decided to then take a trip to the credit union down the road my mother and sister have an account at because they have a machine thing there.

I arrived at the credit union, grabbed my HSF, and walked in. I got on line and after less than a minute, a man left the line saying, "Have a Happy Monday!." I thought that was pretty stupid then went to the next teller available. I said, "Hi, I just have a quick question. I just came from my bank and they don't have a machine to put the change in. My mother and sister come here and they told me there's a machine here. Can you take care of this?"

She said, "Do you have an account here?"
"No."
"I'm sorry, the only way I can use the machine is if you had an account here. The money goes in the machine and gets deposited into the account and you can withdraw it."
"Oh, alright, thanks anyway!"
"You're welcome. Have a nice day."
"You too!"

So, I grabbed my HSF and headed out the door and back in my car. There I sat, HSF sitting in the passenger seat wondering what the heck to do now. Sure, I could go to Publix and have the machine take care of it for me but I don't feel I should pay for such a "convenience" of something so simple. It was now a little after 3PM and I was running out of time. Maybe my family can assist with the "rolling" of this change so I can have it all finished before the bank closes. I gave a couple a call.... no answer. So, there I sat, in my car with no choice left but to dump the HSF on the car seat and start rollin.... some coins! So much change, so little time. I took care of all of the quarters then some dimes, ending up with a total of $65 in rolled HSF. During that time, I got a business call and told him I'll be there within an hour. So, I put the rest back in the HSF container and deposited the rolled coins through the drive thru. Of course, I needed a deposit slip. I didn't have a deposit slip. I got a deposit slip. I filled out the slip, gave back the slip, then got back another slip with the deposit amount. I was all set... all to prevent my account from getting a $35 charge for dropping down to below 0. With the check I got from the customer, it was enough anyway but I didn't know that until after the rolling started.

Now.... to get to the meat (or, if you're a vegetarian, tofu) of the story...

Coins (also called "change") is a form of money just like paper bills are. Money, no matter what kind it is should be deposited at any bank with no questions ask. A person should be able to take a container, box, or sac of any amount of coins to either deposit or get some other form of cash or even a money order or cashier's check. If the bank does NOT have a machine to put the coins in, such as the case with BANK OF AMERICA, they should PURCHASE one to make this task simple instead of making it the customer's obligation to roll the damn coins themselves, which, as you know, is time consuming. And, before you mention it, I know there are "consumer-based" devices out there which do this task for you automatically but I don't believe we, as a consumer, who are even paying banks monthly fees, should have to purchase such a thing if the bank should do it for us with no questions asked.

Teller: "Good afternoon, sir/mam. How can I assist you today?"
Customer: "Hi, I would like to deposit this bag of coins."
Teller: "I'll be happy to assist you with that."
Customer: "Thank you."
Teller: "I'm going to put it all in the machine over here and deposit it right to your account or if you cash back, in any form you wish, back."
Customer: "Sounds great, thank you!"

Badda bing, badda boom, done! How hard is that, Bank of America? Is that really too much work? I'll tell you what, I'll even buy the machine for the bank for you. Oh, wait, I already have! I'm already spending $144 a year for the "convenience" of having MY money in YOUR bank. I also, a LONG while back, spent over $500+ in overdraft charges so that should cover the price of the machine you fail to have in your banks as of yet.

Or, if you don't want to provide a machine in your bank, hire a "change roller." This person's job will   specifically be to just roll change:

Teller: "Good afternoon, sir/ma'am. How can I assist you today?"
Customer: "Hi, I would like to deposit this bag of coins."
Teller: "I'll be happy to assist you with that."
Customer: "Thank you."
Teller: "I'm going to hand this bag to our change roller, who is sitting in the room right over there. He/she hasn't had much change today, so he'll/she'll be glad to roll your change.
Customer: "No offense, but how can I trust he/she doesn't take any of my change while he rolls?"
Teller: "I understand your concern and there is no need to worry. We have multiple cameras in the room above and under the desk. If he/she slips some change in his/her pocket, he/she will be terminated and the money he/she took will placed into your account where it belongs.
Customer: "Sounds great. Thank you very much."
Teller: "It's my pleasure. Would you like to wait for the roller to be finished with your change to get money back or would you like the amount to be just deposited into your account?
Customer: "You can just deposit it into my account."
Teller: "Ok, you're all set. Have a great day!"
Customer: "Thank you, you too!"


There, so there are two options for you. I'd say, the better option, in my opinion, would be to hire "change rollers" because that will put more people with jobs instead of without. They must be able to pass a change rolling test though which will consist of being able to roll quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies. They should also be paid at LEAST $10/hr so they can afford to live in this area somewhat comfortably.


That's it! So, Bank of America and the other banks out there who still make your customers roll the change to make it more convenient for YOU, get to it!


This concludes the first part of this two part blog post.

After all these years, I thought being a Nice Guy was a good thing.

As you can see from my previous post, it has been a month shy of a year since I posted an update here. One of the main reasons will be revealed in this post.

I usually mention any updates about my life and rant about things I come across in life and around me in general. This time, I am going to change it up a bit and write about the type of person I have been for as long as I can remember and mention a few specific reason as to why I, as of a couple nights ago (Tues), have decided to do my best to not be affiliated with this type of person anymore. As you can see from the title, this type of person is the "Nice Guy."

That's right, you read that correctly. I have decided to NOT be a Nice Guy anymore and am going to do my best from now on to steer away from many of the "Nice Guy" traits I've had for as long as I remember so I can be a "Better Man."




 

I'm sure a lot of you are a bit confused and are wondering why a Nice Guy would not want to be a Nice Guy anymore. After all, everyone love's a Nice Guy and everyone raves about how Nice Guys help everyone else, puts their needs after everyone else's needs are met, are good listeners, keep their cool, and so on and so on.

But have you ever wondered how a guy was developed into a Nice Guy? Have you ever wondered what was going through the mind of a Nice Guy? And, most of all, have you ever wondered why a Nice Guy would always help you in anyway they can without even bothering to help themselves first? Until after you read those questions, I highly doubt you ever did.

Just a couple nights ago, I decided to pick up one of the three books I ordered from Amazon a week ago and start reading it. The book is titled, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Dr. Robert A. Glover. After reading the first few pages, my eyes started to water sort of like when my contacts have been in for too long or it feels like there is a foreign object on them and I rub my eyes for a quick fix... causing them to water. My eyes rarely water or tear for so-called emotional reasons so this was a rare and unexpected thing for me to have experienced that night. For those who know me, you must be thinking, "Justin got emotional over a book? Nah, he doesn't get emotional!" Well, let's look at a few excerpts from the book then, shall we?

Here is part of the introduction:

Nice Guys are concerned about looking good and doing it “right.” They are happiest when they are making others happy. Nice Guys avoid conflict like the plague and will go to great lengths to avoid upsetting anyone. In general, Nice Guys are peaceful and generous. Nice Guys are especially concerned about pleasing women and being different from other men. In a nutshell, Nice Guys believe that if they are good, giving, and caring, they will in return be happy, loved, and fulfilled.

 Notice that part I colored in red? Let's continue.

Nice Guys have believed a myth.

This myth is the essence of the Nice Guy Syndrome. The Nice Guy Syndrome represents a belief that if Nice Guys are “good,” they will be loved, get their needs met, and live a problem-free life. When this life strategy fails to produce the desired results---as it often does---Nice  Guys usually just try harder, doing more of the same. Due to the sense of helplessness and resentment this pattern inevitably produces, Nice Guys are often anything but nice.

For many years, myself and a lot of other guys out there have believed this myth. After all, to me, being a logical thinker and all as you know, it seems true from a simple logical standpoint: If one is good, caring, and giving, the one who received those things will return the favor to the one who gave it to them. Although this has happened in my life, the results are, unfortunately, pretty slim.

Let's move on. Some excerpts from Chapter 1:

More than anything, Jason wanted to be liked. He saw himself as a very generous, giving person. He prided himself on not having many ups and downs and for never losing his temper. He revealed that he liked to make people happy, and that he hated conflict.

“I do a lot more than most guys. It seems like I’m always giving so much more than I get.” Now, looking like a little boy on the couch, Jason pleaded, “All I want is to be loved and appreciated. Is this too much to ask?”

Well, holy shit! Do you see that there? You might as well replace "Jason" with "Justin" because that sure as hell explains me to a T! And, after all these years, I thought "Nice Guys" were rare commodities. I guess we are not as rare as I thought.

Let's move on to Omar:

Omar’s number one goal in life is to please his girlfriend. Nevertheless, she complains that he is never emotionally available for her. In fact, every one of his previous girlfriends has had the same complaint. Since Omar sees himself as such a giver, he can't understand these accusations. Omar states that his greatest joy in life is making other people happy.

Well, look at that! Omar has the same greatest joy I have. Ain't that something?


Let's check out Todd's story:

Todd prides on treating women with honesty and respect. He believes these traits set him apart from other men and should attract women to him. Though he has many female friends, he rarely dates. The women he knows tell him what a great listener he is and often call him to share their problems. He likes feeling needed. These female friends constantly tell him what a great “catch” he will make for some lucky woman. In spite of the way he treats women, he can’t understand why they all seem to be attracted to jerks rather than to Nice Guys like him.

Well, holy shit on a shingle; I too wonder why I'm still single.


Hey, Bill is next to check out:

Bill is the person to whom everyone turns when they need something. The word “no” just isn’t in his vocabulary. Even though it makes him feel good to give to others, he never seems to get as much as he gives.

Even though, "no" is in my vocabulary, it is rarely used for the reason stated with Bill above. Those were just some examples of "Some of the nicest guys you will ever meet" found in Chapter 1.

Though all of these men (including myself) are unique, we all share this common life script: They all believe that if they are “good” and do everything “right,” they will be loved, get their needs met, and have a problem-free life. Dr. Glover calls these men "Nice Guys." I actually understand why.


 Another snip from Chapter 1:

• He is the buddy who will do anything for anybody, but whose own life seems to be in shambles.
• He is the man who lets people walk all over him because he doesn’t want to rock the boat.
• He is the dependable guy at church or the club who will never say “no” and would never tell anyone if they were imposing on him.
• He is the man whose life seems so under control, until BOOM, one day he does something to destroy it all.

I'd have to honestly say I agree with everything above except for not wanting to "rock the boat." ;-)





Now, let's go on to the Characteristics of Nice Guys:

• Nice Guys are givers
• Nice Guys fix and caretake
• Nice Guys seek approval from others
• Nice Guys avoid conflict
• Nice Guys believe they must hide their perceived flaws and mistakes.
• Nice Guys seek the “right” way to do things.
• Nice guys repress their feelings.
• Nice guys often try to be different from their fathers.
• Nice Guys are often more comfortable relating to women than to men.
• Nice guys have difficulty making their needs a priority.

So, there we go again. I, being the "Nice Guy" I am, fit the characteristics. I am a giver, avoid conflict, repress my feelings, etc. I guess you can say I'm like the character Kwai Chang Caine from Kung Fu...




  

And, I always wanted to be some sort of hero figure hence the reason why I always wanted to get into law enforcement and why I was in security for a few years....





And I love being that one man who is making a difference in people's lives for the better. I'm sure that's the main reason why I created my own computer business.







Also, having the computer business can be considered to be my "saving grace" such as with Jose in Chapter 2:

Jose considered his natural intelligence, work ethic, and ability to solve problems his "saving grace." He believed these factors allowed him to escape his family dysfunction and make something of himself . Without them, he was convinced, he would have ended up just like his parents and the rest of his siblings.

What’s wrong with being a Nice Guy? From Chapter 1:

The term Nice Guy is actually a misnomer because Nice Guys are often anything but nice.
Some not-so-nice traits of Nice Guys:

Nice Guys are dishonest. These men hide their mistakes, avoid conflict, say what they think people want to hear, and repress their feelings. These traits make Nice Guys fundamentally dishonest.

Nice Guys are secretive.  Because they are so driven to seek approval, Nice Guys will hide anything that they believe might upset anyone. The Nice Guy motto is, "If at first you don't succeed, hide the evidence."

Nice Guys are compartmentalized.  Nice Guys are adept at harmonizing contradictory pieces of information about themselves by separating them into compartments into their mind.

Nice Guys are manipulative.  Nice Guys tend to have a hard time making their needs a prioority and have difficulty asking for what they want in clear and direct ways. This creates a sense of powerlessness. Therefore, they frequently resort to manipulation when trying to get their needs met.

Nice Guys are controlling.  A major priority for Nice Guys is keeping their world smooth. This creates a constant need to try to control the people and things around them.

Nice Guys give to get.  Though Nice Guys tend to be generous givers, their giving often has unconscious and unspoken strings attached. They want to be appreciated, they want some kind of reciprocation, they want someone to stop being angry at them, etc.

Nice Guys are passive-aggressive.  Nice Guys tend to express their frustration and resentment in indirect, roundabout, and not so nice ways. This includes being unavailable, forgetting, being late...

Nice Guys are full of rage.  Though Nice Guys frequently deny over getting angry, a lifetime of frustration and resentment creates a pressure cooker of repressed rage deep inside these men. This rage tends to erupt at some of the most unexpected and seemingly inappropriate times.

Nice Guys have difficulty setting boundaries. Many Nice Guys have a hard time saying "no," "stop," or "I'm not going to." They often feel like helpless victims and see the other person as the cause of the  problems they are experiencing.

Nice Guys are frequently isolated.  Though Nice Guys desire to be liked and loved, their behaviors actually make it difficult for people to get very close to them.

Nice Guys are often attracted to people and situations that need fixing.  This behavior is often the result of the Nice Guy's childhood conditioning, his need to look good, or his quest for approval. Unfortunately, this tendency pretty much guarantees that Nice Guys will spend most of their time putting out fires and managing crises.

Nice Guys have problems in intimate relationships. One example: It is not unusual for Nice Guys to form relationships with partners whom they believe to be "projects" or "diamonds in the rough." When these projects don't polish up  as expected. Nice Guys tend to blame their partner for standing in the way of their happiness.

Unfortunately, the negative traits listed above find a way to ooze out into Nice Guys' lives and personal relationships. As a result, these men then to swing back and forth between being nice and not-so-nice. 

So, I must learn, from now on, to be an "integrated male" instead of a "Nice Guy."

Nice Guys tend to be very black and white in their thinking. The only alternative they can see to being nice is becoming "bastards" or "jerks." I frequently remind Nice Guys that the opposite of crazy is still crazy, so being a "jerk" isn't the answer.

Being integrated means being able to accept all aspects of one's self. An integrated man is able to embrace everything that makes him unique: his power, his  assertiveness, his courage, and his passion as well as his imperfections, his mistakes, and his dark side.

One pretty neat thing Dr. Glover mentioned in chapter one was about the Seinfeld episode where George decided to change his life by doing the opposite. As you know, Seinfeld is one of my favorite shows. If you didn't know that, now you do.

Here is the part where George does the opposite. Unfortunately, I am unable to embed this one in the blog.

Of course, doing everything the opposite is not the answer for breaking free from the Nice Guy Syndrome, doing some things different is.

Dr. Glover wrote about paradigms as well:

A paradigm is the road map we use to navigate life's journey. Everyone uses these road maps, and everyone assumes the map they are using is up-to-date and accurate.

The working paradigm of the Nice Guy is this:

If I can hide my flaws and become what I think others want me to be then I will be loved, get my needs met, and have a problem-free life.

Even when this paradigm is ineffective, Nice Guys only see one alternative: try harder.

It looks like my paradigm isn't up-to-date and accurate anymore. It's funny how I always try to keep my computer up-to-date but not my own road map to navigate in my life. That, obviously, must be addressed then, don't you think?

Dr. Glover also went into detail with the making of the Nice Guy  and the origin of the Nice Guy paradigm in chapter 2. I'm not going to go into much detail about that but he mentions a little Twentieth Century History 101 - the loss of fathers, the female dominated educational system, the Vietnam war, and women's liberation.

Obviously, if you know me well enough and have read my other blog posts and essays, you pretty much know my background.

So, after all of the above, why have I decided to not be that "Nice Guy" everyone has grown to love? Here are a few main reasons:

Trust in people - I had a tendency to trust and have faith (even though I don't like using the word "faith" because I'm not a faithful person and it ties into religious stuff of which I'm not a believer in but... it fits well here) in people who said they will take care of something for me but either take too long to take care of what I need or just end up not taking care of what they said they would, which in turn costs me a shit load of money and expectations of something complete of which it never is.  (hint: FUCKING TRANS AM!) 

Being nice and kind to the lovely ladies out there, even ones I barely knew. What has this gotten me? A thinner wallet, waste of my time, and more emotions being repressed inside. (hint: Recently, this one girl I had mentioned on a Facebook post this month who has all of a sudden decided to move out of the state without giving me any warning and..... best of all.. not even giving me the chance to see her one last time. Funny, seems like everything was going so well until.... she ends up being a selfish c--t and packs her shit and leaves. She had her reasons but were her reasons really justifiable to leave her family, friends, and good job? And just to clarify, just in case you people already probably assumed: she was NOT girlfriend material and never was going to be. Why? Because she's gay (not that there's anything wrong with that!) We both didn't mind this and I didn't especially because I didn't have a reason to impress her so I didn't. We both didn't which made everything much more relaxing) I, of course, won't do the opposite of being nice and kind but I will be bending that rule around a bit for obvious reasons.

Jerry and George's gay moment, not that there's anything wrong with that! Another one I unfortunately can't embed so you have to click on the link.

Another one which was similar to what went on during the first time we met.... (not the falling in love part, of course, but the similarities with ourselves.)

 Business - I have had a couple customers who I used to be "very" generous to when it has come to my business. These few people do not have the privilege of using me for my services anymore. One of the main ones I had which pissed me off to no end was when I made it to their house a couple times on time and the customer was not there.... having me wait over thirty minutes or so because they said they will be there but never showed. I don't know about you but I can't afford to waste my time like that especially since my time is the only way I am able to make money.

 Doing things I honestly don't like to do to please others - I choose not to do things I don't like to do which doesn't make me happy anymore. I understand I make the other person happy doing what needs to be done but in the end, did I benefit from it? That's what I think I should be focusing on these days. Life is short; why waste my time doing something I don't like to do? To make the other person happy? There are some exceptions to this rule though but there are some things I need to "address" for my own well being.

So, there are a few direct examples I have. There are more, of course, but those are probably of utmost importance.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wish I can just pack up my shit and leave as well and just be a nowhere man....




I guess this is it. I hope a lot of you "Nice Guys" and even girls who are like us "Nice Guys" read this and learn from it. I haven't finished the book yet but, after reading what I read so far, I highly recommend it to you "Nice Guys" out there!

Thanks for taking your time to read what has been in my mind and stay tuned for more updates soon,

- Justin Rocque - former "Nice Guy"

Just a question which puzzles my mind and makes me want to go, hmmm?!!

I haven't updated my blog in quite a few months as you can see but this is a message I sent to someone who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons and to prevent me from getting my ass kicked when we see each other in person again one of these days. It is just one of those rare works I write when I have things on my mind and thought I'd share it here because it's just a rare analytical thing coming from the heart and not just words typed around from a keyboard.


Comments are welcome. Maybe if we all pull ourselves together, we can find the answers I seek to this mysterious question.


And of course, I must mention, I am no expert or professional in this topic so everything here is my own opinion and based on my experiences and things I saw and learned from around me.

So, you were not single for however long, which meant you were in a relationship, correct? After being in said "relationship" for however long, the dude says, "Sorry, I'm not ready to be in a relationship with you so we must break up."

How can one say he/she is not ready to be in a relationship when, in fact, they have already been in it? That's what confuses me.

Also... is being in a relationship that hard? Obviously, I barely have any experience in this subject matter but, how hard can it be to be in a relationship with someone? They meet, talk, become friends, hang out, if there is a connection, intimacy (most of my shitty so-called relationships back in the day mostly started and ended with the latter and there was barely anything of the former but this isn't about my shitty, er, acquaintances.) ensues to a certain degree or whatever then they decide on whether to take things forward and become a "couple."

So, now they are a "couple" and in a "relationship" and do not fuck around with others of the opposite sex. This, from what I understand, is called a "committed relationship." Unless, it is an "open relationship," one should not fuck with others of the opposite sex because that would be considered "cheating." In a "committed relationship", there is friendship, intimacy of nobody else but the two in the relationship and the male one in said relationship does his best to make sure the female is happy and buys her things at random times just because.... and when they are together, makes sure he puts himself before her when it comes to safety and other bullshit around them in this area with lack of common courtesy and common fucking sense! The female, just does what she does and continues to show affection at random times and, well, whatever the other things the females do in the relationship. Surely I can go on about this but this isn't really the point I'm getting at.

So, I don't want to bring this up because I'd like you to get over the bullshit things in your life and move on but it just boils down to....
Why would a man not want to be in a "committed relationship" with an amazingly beautiful female who is getting an education, works, has a killer personality, lovely hair, beautiful smile, doesn't smoke, do drugs, and isn't a stuck up, skanky ass hoe like I see in the lovely bars, malls, and walmarts around here??

You said he was a really nice guy. Coming from a nice guy, why would he let a woman most nice guys would do almost anything to be with but just sit around and dream about it instead?

That is the main question right there which just makes me sit back and go, wtf?! Does he have a secret he is hiding? Is he fucking gay where he has to break it off before you find out? Is there someone else which is why he isn't ready to be in a "COMMITTED relationship?" Would he rather still just be "free" instead of "hooked" to one girl? Sure, there are many more beautiful girls out there but how often do you see ones with the qualities you have I mentioned above?

Anyway.... I can go on and on and come up and add 20 more questions but I guess we'll never find the answer unless you ask him to give you a more detailed explanation besides the bullshit line many have heard before.... "Sorry, I am not ready to be in a relationship, [even though I've been in a relationship with you for a while now, I just don't want to do it anymore. I hope you understand. I'm not going to bother to tell you why, that's for me to know and you to just ponder about and tell all your friends and post it on facebook so everyone can find out what a dumb ass I really am for letting an amazing girl like you go.]"

I wasn't going to bother even sending you a message such as this. I find sending long ass messages like this to girls I barely talk to is a waste of both of our times but all of these thoughts came up so instead of letting them linger on in my analytical head of mine for who knows how long, I'd thought I'd let it all out on you because you started it. lol! j/k. Nah, but seriously, I just get pretty damn confused with the kind of things I see happen to girls like you so I'm just looking for some kind of answer, an answer, like many, I doubt I'll find. But maybe, just maybe, if you ask him to be more specific, we'll both find an answer to this mystery and we can put it to rest but would it be worth opening this so-called "can of worms" again just to satisfy my curiosity? Nope. But I'm sure you'll like to find a "true" reason, whatever it may be so you don't just sit around and wonder why for days to come....

If you read all this by now, respond back with, "You creepy doofus" so I know you read it and didn't just go, "What's this shit! [delete]"

Have a good day, night, or whatever,

Justin - the man seeking to find answers he may never find.

Major blog update on Knight Replica's Blog site

Just a note to everyone who checks this blog out, I have posted a major blog update on the Knight Replica's Blog. Check it out for some exciting news!

Later,

Justin

Small thunderstorm caused a 3+ hour long power outage in my area.

I got home yesterday at around five or so in the evening only to realize the power went out. There has been a thunderstorm during that time in Fort Pierce and in Stuart so it was understandable for the power to go out. Problem is, the storm eventually cleared up, yet the power was still out for over three hours. A phone call to FPL resulted in a recording saying this outage was caused by a "branch" or "tree" hitting a power line and it has affected the small area of PSL near Floresta and Prima Vista, totaling around one hundred homes. This hasn't even been a hurricane yet and it took this long for the power to be restored. Imagine if a slightly bigger and longer thunderstorm or even a small hurricane were to pass by. How long would it take for the power to be restored then? A whole damn day? And what would be the cause again? Another small ass BRANCH or TREE PART?

Here's a tip for FPL and the FANTASTIC city of PORT SAINT LUICE to work on....
Maybe you guys should trim the trees near the power lines right before the hurricane season starts to at LEAST six inches or so BELOW the power lines so a BULLSHIT issue like this does not happen again? Sure, this will cost some man labor but don't you think it will pay out in the long run during the storms? I understand a lightening strike can cause the power to go out by hitting that resistor thing or whatever it's called on the pole but when it comes to something as stupid like a tree? Come on now. Also, when the power does go out from whatever issue, get your asses on the ball and have it restored within a reasonable time frame, such as close to the thirty minute mark. Think of peoples livelihood here. People have babies around here who need to be fed. The bottles needs to be warmed. People have food stored in their freezers. Do you know how much food will get wasted in 3+hrs of a power outage? Are you going to reimburse people for that food and money wasted because of your slackness in getting the power restored in such a small area?

So, FPL and the wonderful city of PSL, get your damn act together and do it NOW! And don't go telling me about the other countries out there who have no electric and how we are spoiled because we do. I'm sure they don't have a use for oil like we do either. Unfortunately, having what we need, we suffer the consequences, such as screwing up the environment around us and instead of destroying and ridding what is destroying our environment, we must "fix" it so we don't lose all that wonderful money of which most people will see none..... I can go on but that's a whole different subject not to be discussed here....

I'm too tired to have that last paragraph make more sense but I'm sure you know where I'm getting at!

Questions, comments? I'm waiting!

- Justin Rocque

The start of Dragon PC Training & Consultant, the end of Dragon PC Training & Consultant, and the beginning of Dragon PC Training & Repair with NO end in site!

Wow, I think that is the longest blog title I have ever created so far but I think it fits in quite well.

As you can see above, my computer business did start out as Dragon PC Training & Consultant in October of 2003. If you want to go WAY back to the history of Justin Rocque, you can check this ol' blog of my other half: Masteryin's Blog and see where I came from in the past seven years and then go back to this one to see where I stand in the present. It kind of reminds me of those Back to The Future movies but  in a blog form, which was pretty much nonexistent back then online.






So, check out the older blog above and get back to this if you want to catch up so we are all on the same page or, if not, then continue reading. To be honest though, what I have said from this past April to now and going forward is what you really need to be concerned with because a lot of changes have happened more now than before and are continuing to happen and I'm telling it like it is. The truth, the whole truth, and other things to keep you entertained while learning the truth will be presented here. So, the question you have to ask yourself is..... can YOU handle the truth, along with the entertaining "crap" thrown in here, of Justin Rocque? That is the question!! Feel free to let me know what you think about this blog and let me know if there is anything you'd like me to add. Maybe I'll take your advice or maybe I won't because it's my blog and I'll do as I please with it to please my own self and nobody else because, like I have stated in a blog post from a LONG TIME AGO, I am a selfish bastard. lol!

But, in all honestly, I'm doing this mainly for you guys and girls out there so you can learn from my foolish mistakes and smart (ass?) accomplishments. Hopefully, you will learn from them but if you are one of those who don't learn from YOUR past mistakes, how can I expect you to learn from mine after I made them and gave you my results of said mistakes I have made? It reminds me of this quote I have used in my BIG college essay " "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana (1863-1952).

Now, back to business, or should I say, "my business." That will be continued in my next blog update!!

Stay tuned,

Justin Rocque

First things first.....Is Justin Rocque still working for Best Buy?

That video above is the remix of Notorious B.I.G's song "One More Chance." I am a fan of his work and think he is still one of the best, if not the best, rappers out there of all time. 

No, I am not working at Best Buy anymore. Well, there is my update on that one!

Have a good night,

Justin

Ok, Ok, calm down. I will tell you why and what I am doing now.

As all of you know by now, I have been working at Best Buy for a little over four years. I have blogged about it here many times. A couple years ago, as you saw in the latest blog update before these current updates, I moved on up to the loss prevention part of the store, which has been renamed to "ASSet Protection." Don't ask me why because it's really not important.

I have been working in ASSet protection for close to two years. As you can see in the previous post about the LP position, I started in around December of 2007. I ended it "officially" on December 8, 2009. The last day I worked was November 26, 2009, the day before Thanksgiving. I did not expect, nor did I want, to leave so abruptly, especially right before the wacky Black Friday. I honestly enjoyed the other times I was up there in store during the morning of Black Friday. But, due to bullshit circumstances, I truly felt (literally) it was time to leave. What happened, you ask? Well, to try to make it short and sweet.... my left kneecap popped right out! Oh, what a feeling!



Surely, it didn't feel so good or look so good like the song and video by Irene Cara but it was a feeling, nonetheless! 

Basically, I walked to my car that day before Thanksgiving and all was good like every other day. I sat in my car, looked out at the windshield and noticed some paper or some shit. I got up and reached over to grab it but it was a bitch because it was raining and the paper was sticking and tearing as I pulled it. During this bullshit time, I heard some odd "pop" sound. I then looked down at my left knee and noticed it was outa whack then the pain just kicked right in like a Chuck Norris kick! After standing there for a few seconds, I eventually just dropped myself down to the wet ground and laid there in agonizing pain for ten seconds or so. I knew I had to asses this unexpected and VERY unprepared for situation. I stretched my left leg out, took a deep breath, put my left hand on the sideways knee, then put my right hand on it and.... popped it right back in place. Then I did the hokey pokey and shook myself about and that's what it was all about!



I dropped off the friend I drove home and managed to get myself home and hop inside. I quickly grabbed a bag and filled it with ice and went straight to my room. It didn't feel that bad. It was starting to swell up like a bitch though. Later that night, the pain kicked in. Boy, did it kick in. It was during this time I realized I was done working at a place where I was required to stand in one spot for over 8hrs a day, 5 days a week, with a shitty thirty minute break. It was then I knew I was done with the whole "retail" scene. Eight years total (with a two year break in between) and it was time for me to get the heck out. I told the manager about the crappy situation and to make a long story short.... I went in and put in my separation notice. Although I had no problem with the store or the people who worked in the store, this "freak accident" just told me it was time to go, even though I knew when I left, there would be trouble, but I also knew if I stayed, there would be double.



After a few weeks of the so-called accident, I was able to walk around more and go out and do stuff, not that I really did anything anyway. During the time I was home though, with my leg propped up, I went through all of the steps like I did before and then some to get my computer business back up. I knew it was something I had to do again and I had to somehow bring it back full-force if I wanted to make this my full-time and only job right now. The week after I left the Best Buy, I registered and got my business up and running again. The name of it, however, has been changed from Dragon PC Training & Consultant to Dragon PC Training & Repair for obvious reasons. More will be discussed about this in the next update because it's time to put this one to a close.

I would like to thank Youtube for the possibility of making my blog more entertaining by the use of their videos and I would like to thank Lenders New York Style Bagels as well as Nutellla  for giving me some late-night fuel while I worked on tonight's blog update.

Now, time to publish this bad boy and head to bed. Feel free to send me some comments to let me know what you think about these new additions to my blog. I will be doing more like this from now on.

Have a great night,

Justin Rocque

So, what has Justin Rocque been doing these past couple of years?

I have been around. I guess the more I thought about updating my blog, I guess I kind of felt a little disgusted because there seems to be more bad and negative things to talk about than good and positive things. So, after exactly two years had passed and I mentioned my blog to a woman, and after a friend of mine kept telling me to update it and the site or why bother having it, I decided it was time to do a big ass update. So, here is some of it and more will be continued in separate posts because I'm going to try to keep each post somewhat short and each topic separated. I also had a couple people email saying they go to some of the link sections of my site and want me to add a couple of links they recommended, which will be done soon, as well as revamping all of the links on the site because I do have a lot of links bookmarked a lot of people will find useful in some way. As far as the content, well, that too will be updated as well to reflect some more of the steps and results I have taken in my life these pasts few years. I'm sure someone can and will learn from that as well. That is the main focus of my site and blog; not to brag about Justin Rocque, the most handsome, interesting, unique, and complex man alive, but so people can learn from the actions of this amazing man, whether they are good or bad.

That is all I am going to say for now. Another post will be added soon to discuss the topics from the previous post.

Stay tuned for the exciting ride,

Justin Rocque

A VERY MUCH needed update!

It has been a little over two years, two years and eleven days to be exact since I have updated this thing. Many of you, I'm sure, are wondering what the heck happened. Where did Justin Rocque go? Is he MIA or is he even still alive? Maybe something bad happened to him. Or maybe, just maybe, he has gone postal from the whole "cyberspace" thing and decided to just pull the plug to that information superhighway from his computer?

Well, obviously, if you know Justin Rocque (and the ones reading this should. If not, prepare for an interesting ride of Justin Rocque's life!), you know he would never go so postal as to pull the plug from one of the things, if not the only thing, which gives him a reason to wake up in the late morning. Yes, I do mean late morning, considering he is that knight owl who stays up during that peaceful time of the early morning of 4AM. Unless he is needed early in the morning for an appointment having mostly to do with fixing a customers computer or training, he sleeps in until the later morning of around 10:30AM, which, to him, isn't really late at all. To him, waking up anywhere before 10AM should be a crime and it must be stopped. It has to do with society and how screwed up it has gotten through the years. Also, as much as he'd like to have a nice sleep all the way through 10:30AM, it never happens. He either get's a ring on his phone from some dumb ass calling at around 8AM-9AM or a bark or 500 from the dog in the house.

Now onto a few updates, of which a few of you are wondering from what I have posted above. You are saying to yourself right now, "Hold up..... fixing computers?? Training?? But I thought you work as LP for Best Buy??? Are you now working for the Geek Squad? What the heck is going on here? I need to know, what the heck is going on???"

Well, in the words of CoCo, keep cool, my babies, keep cool!! You will know this and much more soon, real soon!!
You will know what I, Justin Rocque, have been doing with himself these past couple of years such as:

• Is Justin Rocque still working in LP for Best Buy, or anyplace else in Best Buy for that matter?
• How many more cars has Justin Rocque gotten his hands on to this time? What car is he currently driving now?
• Does Justin Rocque still have that "Knight Rider" car? If so, where the heck is it and what has been done to it?
• Does Justin Rocque still live with his uncles? If not, where has he been living these past two years? A cardboard box or maybe in his Knight Rider car because he can't afford a place right now?
• Is Justin Rocque married? Does Justin Rocque have any girlfriends? Did he have any in the past two years? Did he switch teams?
• Has Justin Rocque paid off all of his debt? How many credit cards does Justin have??

All of the above and MORE will be answered very soon! And I do mean VERY!! I know it has been a long while since this blog and even the whole site has been updated and you will find out why, as well as all of the information above, and then some real soon. 


Stay tuned, my friends, and get ready for the time of.... Justin Rocque's life!

Updates will continue when I awaken in the late AM...

Justin Rocque

Title is here

But not in the masteryin blog. That's just silly.

Standby for a few BIG ASS updates to this blog. I know it's been a long wait and I know you guys out there are thirsty for more knowledge of the one and only Justin Rocque!

2nd test

testes 1 2 3 4...

testing

testes, testes 1 2 3. This is a test because of Bloggers switch to non-ftp.

Justin as LP?

Yea, I know..... I know..... it's been like 7 months since I updated anything lately. I guess now is a better time than any.
One important thing I'll note is I changed my position at Best Buy now. The change happened around December of last year ('07). I am now in LP (Loss Prevention) which is mainly a door greeter in the store. Yep, I stand at the front of the door for around 8hrs a day saying, "Hi, how are you doin' today?" "Did you find everything OK? Great, have a nice day!" to stuff like, "This is not checkout, checkout is behind you where it says, "Checkout." to "Other door, that is enter only." Then I get the smart ass people who say, "But it says 'Exit!" "Then I have to say sometimes when I'm not in the mood to argue, "Yea, but right here (pointing to it), it says "DO NOT ENTER!" Then they get annoyed and walk out. I can go on and on about dialog I have with customers up there everyday but I think I may make that into another part of my site or maybe even a blog of some sort. It might be an interesting read. I always thought about working up there but didn't think I could stand standing up there all day and looking at the camera and greeting customers. 4 months later and I am still up there so I guess it's not too bad. A lot of people (myself included when I was still on the sales floor) thought all the LP person did up there was greet the customers and watch the camera. Boy, was I wrong. Besides greeting the customers, we are the last ones to get bitched at if the customer received no help and we try to resolve that problem before they leave the store or have to call a manager up front and see if they can resolve it. We direct customers to where the stuff is located in the store. When a customer walks in, they always want to talk to us about their problem with their laptop or camera and I try to help them anyway if I can or just bring them to the Geek Squad. If the registers are getting busy, I have to call for help up there sometimes to bring the traffic down and before customers bitch at me and stare at me for not getting more help. There are weekly and monthy physical security checklists which need to be done in the store to make sure things are in working order and there are no safety issues in the store. If there is, they need to be noted and addressed and corrected in one way or another. There is more stuff but I won't get into that here....
Other than that, there is honestly nothing much else going on really worth mentioning here. There is a few things new to my car I did but I'll add that to the blog I made specifically for that.
For now, I'll publish this part to get out of the way before I lose it because for some reason the "autosave" feature of this blogger site isn't working for some damn reason. If I have something else to post, I'll post it soon but I thought I'd do this now because it's been too damn long.

More to come. Stay tuned!

-Justin

Any where, anytime, whenever they find an opportunity, they will always be there

I've just been reminded (not that I already did not know), it's been around April since my last update. Apparently I have not been keeping this up to date like I wanted to. With what happened yesterday, this seems like the right time, then the other updates to my life and, of course, my car (which I know you all still love and want to be running perfect soon!) will commence soon.

It's been a typical slow day at work on 9/17/07 or so I thought...

I don't remember the exact time it was but I would say it was around 3:00pm, an hour before I had until I would normally clock out and get the hell outa there. I was talking to a young customer, in his early 20's, kind of short, stocky (like Elaine would describe George on Seinfeld), and of the Cuban/Mexican decent. I didn't bother to get his name at first because I knew he was just "browsing around" and did not have an intent to "purchase" (this is the key word right here). He wanted to know about a good laptop for gaming and I showed him the HP 9535nr which was the only laptop we had in the store with a good amount of dedicated video RAM for gaming. He was saying how he did not have enough money on his card to buy it and was going to come back later in the week to get it. He asked a few questions as to why it was the better one and started "inspecting" it. He then said something about trying to get into the "main screen" and I kind of reiterated what he said because he didn't make sense (typical for guys who think they are all that and know shit about computers but when you spend less than five minutes with them you realize they don't know dick!) so I just told him it was already on the "desktop" screen and the Best Buy program was on top of that. He was like, "Oh, ok, I see." I was with this guy for around 20 minutes talking to him about the laptop. One thing to note is he was holding his bike helmet and also had a big ass back-pack on his back. I did not think much of it because it was pretty fat and I knew he won't do something stupid in front of me or my associates around him.

A few minutes later, a female customer wanted my help with the printers, which was just the next isle over. I asked the guy if he had any more questions. Lets call him "fuckface" from now on. He said he had no more questions and was OK. I then went to the next isle over and proceeded to help the female customer with a printer, cables, and ink, and, of course, paper. I put it all in her cart for her and she was all set and proceeded to go up front to check out. I then went back to the lap area and still saw fuckface there.

Another associate was towards the end of the laptop isle and ended up talking to a man I talked to from before about a cheap ass Gateway laptop for $349 to take to the Philippians. I then took control of the conversation and the other associate ended up helping another customer with something else. The man said he wanted just that laptop and nothing else because it's going in a suitcase with his wife (his wife will be carrying the suitcase, not be inside it) and just taken to the Philippians. I walked back to the back, up the ladder and called a MOD (Manager On Duty) for the key to the top cage. I was looking around from atop but saw nothing out of the ordinary nor did I hear anything strange. I saw a manager up ahead and waved him down. He approached me and threw up the keys, which I then caught and opened the cage, removed the laptop, and handed the keys back.

Down the ladder I went, saw the man where I left him then, out of nowhere, with an odd smirk on his face, asked me, "do you know where that laptop the guy was next to went?" I was kind of caught in a strange moment and took a quick look at that HP laptop only to find out... it was no longer there. Now, here I have one cheap laptop in my hand, yet this other one which was locked on display, MIA, as if Hudini was just there and made it just vanish in thin air. I was a bit confused and asked that man if fuckface left already and he said he walked away already. Cheap laptop in hand, I proceeded to walk fast (more like a power walk) up towards the front of the store, while saying something on the headset which was too fast and haded to be repeated because nobody knew what the heck I just slurred out my mouth. I talked to the person in LP about the said person and the person said fuckface left already.

I stood there for a while, cheap laptop in hand, stunned and utterly shocked. "Did this big ass 17" laptop just walk out the door with fuckface?", I said to myself? I knew it did and I knew it was over now and there was nothing I could do about it now, for fuckface was long gone and with the damn big ass stickers on the windows outside, it's hard to see outside anyways.

I turned around and saw the man on his way up. Long story short, I took care of him, while having one of the worst moments I ever had in a retail store. I was on my way back to the laptop area and just repeated what happened over and over again in my head, as if I did something wrong, as if I let this happen. Why did I not sense this? It seemed like I was trying to take care of that customer who wanted the cheap ass laptop and I was not concentrating on my senses of fuckface. Maybe it was because I worked the morning shift (which I barely do) and my mind was not focused as good as it normally is? To this minute of typing this, I still wonder, what if I did something different, would I have stopped this from happening?

Maybe I should have told LP to watch fuckface in the laptop valley but I knew he/she must have known about fuckface because he did walk in the only door you can walk in to get in the store, which was up front, where LP is located. Because of this and looking at the puffy ass backpack, I did not do this. I did not find a logical reason for alarm of fuckface.

I do not play that "blame game" but in a sense, I do blame myself. I am still a licensed security officer. I was trained to some degree in these kind of things, even though I have not had the class in a few years and have not been in security for more than a year, it should still be second nature.
But the flip-side of the thing is, I am only one person. Why did the other 20 or so people in the store not notice this or have an idea as to what was about to take place?

Sure, there is LP (Loss Prevention) in the store, which manly consists of one person in the front of the store looking at cameras, while watching and greeting people who come in and out of the store. Sad thing is, the main focus is to be a so-called greeter. Customers are always first and everything else is on the bottom of the list. That's why everyone in the store has to keep out look out for this bullshit.

I work at Best Buy. Most of us on the sales floor are Customer Specialists, specializing in customers unknown needs. So, that's what I though since I been there for around two years and since this is what they drill our heads with every day while we our in there store. I realized I was wrong; they (the managers) are also wrong. We have other rolls as well, which is never brought up much, most of which are obvious but the last few are not.
Obvious to not so obvious:

1. We are Customer Specialists

2. We are merchandisers, even though there is a "merchandising team" for this, it is still part of our duties when wearing the blue shirt

3. We are the cleaning crew. If there is a mess in the break room, we clean it up. If our department is filthy, we clean it up, not the Clean-Up Busters you would find in the yellow pages

4. We are Social Workers. If there is an issue with a fellow associate, we have to find out what the issue is and the best way to solve the issue because we need to make sure everyone on our team is happy and have no work issues or personal issues which could affect the team players performance. This also applies to customers who come into the store. There is never a day where you don't get a pissed off, bitchy customer. We all have to become the social worker and psychiatrist to work out a way to change their anger and frustration (which could as well may be caused by some dumb ass outside of our store which has nothing to do with us) into happiness

5. We are the technicians. If there is a malfunction with a POS, computer, or printer, we have to fix it ourselves, even though we have tech support who can come to the store and do it for us. After spending a few hours trying to fix the problem, even though we usually have no clue what we're doing sometimes, we will then call tech support to come over and do what they get paid to do.

6. Last but definitely not least, we are the Security/Loss Prevention Officers. We, while talking/listening to customers, and showing customers where stuff is, have to always keep our eyes peeled for suspicious activity, not just with customers (that would be too easy!), but our team players as well because there is always at least one player who just wants to be different and just wants to think about himself and we all know there is no "I" in "Team."

I can go on and on but I think I beat this around the bush enough. Until now, I did not know there was so many things one would need to be efficient at in a retail job. I thought being a Private Investigator was much more complicated. Heck, maybe I should have went into the academy to become a cop because I know for a fact, I would not have to deal with all of the above; I'd be fighting crime (and, well, be a social worker as well).

The name is Rocque and I work in retail. I've been through it all and seen it all and am still going through and seeing a lot more bullshit out there a lot of people do not see because they have no idea how retail is "behind the scenes." It's more than just selling a laptop; it's a lifestyle which constantly changes and is constantly in motion.

Until next time,

Rocque out!

....... to continue

I noticed I had not added anything in my blog recently and I had a draft to be finished and then publish. I ended up publishing it just now so the blog before this is from a few weeks back.
One thing I had in the title of the previous blog post was about speaking American or something.
I might as well talk about that now before people start to think I'm some prejudice ass or something (yes, it has happened before).

To reiterate, this is America, speak American!
There are many people in this state (and country) who, apparently can not do that. We all see it and we all know it. On the phone, in stores, in restaurants, on TV, everywhere. There is always those people we see or hear every day who do not, to this day speak nor know how to speak AMERICAN. I am not against any race or nationality out there but I honestly think it's time for there to be a rule, law, or statute which should be met when a person moves or has currently been staying in this country, let alone state.
I honestly think we are doing everything ass-backwards. Sure, this is considered a "free" country (although I don't know what the heck is free in this damn country anymore. Is it our freedom? Ha!! The government does not allow that anymore. Stay tuned in a couple years for those new RFID tags which will be implemented in our drivers licenses to track our habits! More on that can be found here.) Freedom of speech? Ha! That is pretty much gone too!) but there is no need for our country to stoop down low as to the point where we need to have things (well, everything) bi-lingual for people who come into this country and do not understand out native language.

When we go to another country, will there be people for us Americans who speak our native language? Highly doubtable. When we go to another country, will there be signs, documents, and objects in our American language? Highly doubtable too.

From now on, there should be a law for people who come to this country. The law is for there to be a class (or classes) developed, provided free by the wonderful (sarcasm there!) government. This class (or classes) will be specifically designed for others from another country who do not know how to speak our "native" language (which is just about all of them) and for others who do not know how to read out "native" language. These people must take this class and pass a verbal and written test to be able to obtain a Social Security Card in this country, which is required to live in this country. If the people want to live in a "Free Country," it shall be earned, not just handed to on a silver platter. All of us had to learn our language and how to do everything the "American Way" and learn out rules and laws to live in this country; the people who move here shall do the same! I think it's only fair, don't you?

I am honestly at the point where I am sick and tired of going to a damn drive through window to order food and not be able to understand what is being said because of the "broken" American language they are barely speaking (and ending up getting the wrong damn thing I DID NOT order or missing a few things I DID order!). I find not being able to speak "our" language while living in "our" country is a disgrace and slap in the face to "our" country. I am sick and tired of trying to call tech support or a credit card company or any other 800 number for any other reason and having to press "1" for English (our native language) and "Numero Dos for Espanol" No offense to any nationality or race as said above but.... this is America, and there should be no need for us Americans to press any number for our language nor to "select" our language in some other menu system in our Country.

I am also sick and tired of people coming into a retail store and having the nerve to ask me or another associate if we "speaka spanish." Why can't you "speaka American?" Are you not in America? Then why do you not know how to speak American? How do you go around in this Country by not being able to speak American? How is that possible? If you do not find a person who speaks "your" language, do you really like being talked to like a damn five year old trying to understand what we are saying and you talking to us like a five year old so we can try to understand what you are saying? Is that how you want to spend the rest of your life and is that how you want people to see you as? If that is the case, more power to ya!

If you are a tourist or something like that and come from wherever you came from and do not speak American, then that is OK. You are visiting and you do not really "need" to speak American. Surely it will be a little hard getting around not knowing our language but you'll manage to get by and it's only temporary so you have nothing to worry about.

But, if you live in this country and don't speak American by now then...... get da F out!!
I don't mean to be harsh but....... if we don't do something about this of the many issues, this country along with this world, is coming to an end! And that's a fact!


I can go on and on about this but it's after 5AM and I thought I'd be done with this sooner but once I start, I can't stop!

Comments and complaints is highly welcomed and encouraged!

Until next time....

Justin, who always says what's on his mind without holding anything back...... even though he gets in trouble for it in the end.

Speak American!!!

Another day, another damn dollar. Well, not today because I was off these past two days.
Well, I was going to mention a few positive things but I don't really have any to share. Let's see what's been going on since the last time.....
first up...... my car!!

It looks like a fix has been done to prevent my battery from dying down every damn week. It seems like the secondary (aux) battery was draining the other one for some odd reason, or maybe something connected to it was. The fix, for now, was to just unhook that battery all together. The place I took it to said the radio was hooked up to it and the amp but.... the radio still works and so does the amp. I have not been using the radio at all since it's been unhooked but sometimes when I put the fog lights on, the sub-woofer makes a noise. So, I guess everything is still hooked to the other battery as well for some odd reason.
Another prob is the rust near the windshield getting worse. I thought it was the t-tops causing massive leakage but there is a small gap between the frame of the car and weather strip seals so I around it for now using black wire tape. It looks nicely sealed and I have not notice it leak as much.

I got my fender in the mail a couple months ago. As soon as I get a second job and save up some more money, I'll be getting that put on, along with everything else I got for the outside of the car as well. But, before I do that, I'm probably going to get a second cheap ass car to use while that is getting done because it will take a couple weeks to get the body repaired. I'll also be using the other car to drive back and forth to work. I'm just going to find a decent 2 door with no less than a v6 for around $1500 or less. I saw a few 90's Pontiac grand am coupe for around that price a few weeks ago online.

The door locks on my car locks using the remote lock thing when it wants to; other times I have to open the car door and....... lock them manually with the door lock thing in the inside of the car!
The car has not been remote starting in a long ass while.

When I get that second job soon, I'll take it to sound insights where I got the alarm and have them inspect the wires in the car and have them redo the main areas: locks, second batt, alarm, and other minor things. Later on..... I'll have someone rewire the whole car back to fact. specs. For now, the main things I just mentioned will be good enough.

The car is dripping shit again so that needs to be checked again. It could be power stearing fluid because it was low a couple days ago so I had to fill it up..... and ended up overfilling it! lol!
The exhaust needs to be looked at and fixed as well because there is more leaks in it. Eventually, after all the other stuff is done, I'll have the exhaust and pipes redone because they are all rusted anyways. That won't be for a long while. My main goals now is the body, electrical, and dash. Just three basic things, which is the most expensive shit to fix, of course! Such is my life!!
Other than that.... my car is running great!! ha!

Now onto my wonderful life...
The past has been creeping up on me recently. People from the past, that is, whom I have been trying so hard to forget and never bump into again. But, of course, that never happens, especially when one works in retail!

To be continued............