Five months ago, my life changed, as I hinted was a possibility in my last post. As most (if not all) of my readers know, I accepted a position at the Residence Inn Hughes Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. I have never lived outside of Utah, so this was a big move for me.
I now live in Henderson, Nevada. According to Wikipedia:
[Henderson] is the second largest city in Nevada, after Las Vegas, with an estimated population of 257,729 in the 2010 census. The city is part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which spans the entire Las Vegas Valley. Henderson occupies the southeastern end of the valley, at an elevation of approximately 1,330 feet (410 m).
In 2011, Forbes magazine ranked Henderson as America's second safest city. Analysts attribute this to Henderson being an affluent city, with a high median income and amenities catering to local residents. Henderson has also been named as "One of the Best Cities to Live in America" by Bloomberg Businessweek.
For the most part, I love it here. I enjoy my job, and I like living in Las Vegas where I can pretty much do anything I want when I want.
The downside to the move was leaving my friends and family. I miss them very much, but I was lucky to visit them last week. The holidays will not be the same without them, though.
I do not really have any friends here, so it can get pretty lonely, but I am slowly meeting new people. If you ever come visit, let me know; I would love to see you.
The last entry was depressing to write (as well as read), so I will make it up to everyone by sharing with you the events of last week, which ended on a very high note...
Monday (January 16)
I was the closing Manager-on-Duty (MOD), and when I got home, my roommate Mike and I ordered a lot of delicious Chinese food from China Village. The rest of the night was a blur, but I think we watched Community and How I Met Your Mother.
Tuesday (January 17)
I closed again, but only because I gave my friend Zac a ride from work to my house. My friend Aubry came over as well, and then we went out to dinner at Akasaka for her birthday.
Wednesday (January 18)
I worked. That night, Mike and I watched Community, How I Met Your Mother, and Glee, which made me cry. A lot.
Thursday (January 19)
I had quite a few meetings at work. That night, I went on a date with someone I met on OKCupid. We walked from his condo to Eva, and I fell in love...with the restaurant. Even though I felt like we did not click, he was very nice and I enjoyed getting to know him. Afterward, Mike and I went for a drive to the Avenues to see the view of the city lit up. We then drove through City Creek Canyon, passing by the beautiful Capitol Building, and then parked downtown. We briefly visited with our friend Kyle where he works at the Hotel Monaco, and then we walked around the City Creek Mall development for awhile.
Friday (January 20)
I was closing MOD again, and I had to deal with drama I had not encountered before, but it was more humorous than stressful. After work, Aubry came over again and we talked for awhile before going to dinner at Pipa with our friend Bryan and his husband. Afterward, we went to Jam, but we decided to leave after about an hour there. We drove to Metro, but it looked empty. We talked about going across the street to Club Sound where our friend James was working, but since their dance floor is open to everyone 18 and older, we decided to go to a more adult bar. So, we went to Try-Angles. We sat at a table near the dance floor drinking cocktails. Then, he walked in...
He sat down at a table a few feet from ours, and I was immediately attracted to him. He sipped his drink and looked somewhat melancholy. A few minutes later, he left, and I felt like I had missed an opportunity. Fortunately, he came back, and Bryan and I got up to dance. I saw the guy looking at me and I smiled. He smiled, stood up, took off his jacket, and danced over to me. Bryan went and sat back down at our table while I got to know this new person. We danced and talked until the bar closed. We exchanged numbers and made plans to go out Sunday. Aubry and I then drove him home.
Saturday (January 21)
Mike and I went grocery shopping and then visited a friend. That night, our friends Deborah and Christa came over for our weekly adventure. This time, we went to dinner at Eva (I told you I fell in love) and while we waited for a table, we went next door for a few drinks at Cheers to You. Afterward, we went to Tavernacle, where we met up with Christa's friend Jeff. We drank, talked, and had a really good time.
Sunday (January 22)
Most of you already know the story, but I will save this day for the next blog... :-)
It is amazing how much can change in a week. For example, last week, a day after Good Times, Bad News, I updated my status on Facebook to, "Andrew L Jenkinsthought today was going to be a bad day, but instead, he received good news that made the day fantastic! He is not looking forward to next week, though..."
A few individuals criticized me for posting such a cryptic message, so...the good news: I received a nearly $2 raise, and Sean was offered the job at Marriott Guest Services he applied for (Marriott Rewards Specialist, my first position with Marriott, as well). The extra cash will be appreciated, and I bought Sean an Xbox 360 (and a few other things) to celebrate. I won't/can't provide much detail regarding the last sentence in my status, but it involved the terminating of an associate, something I don't enjoy doing. It went better than expected, though.
I mentioned in Let's Call The Whole Thing Off our friend Mike was moving in with us. Well, that briefly fell through when the company he worked for was sold, but he applied for a job with The Ritz-Carlton and was offered the position a few days ago. So, he'll move in soon (probably this weekend), and all three of us will be/are employed by Marriott International. Speaking of Marriott International/The Ritz-Carlton, we launched The Ritz-Carlton Rewards today. Exciting!
Well, it's getting late, and I'm planning on waking up early again tomorrow. I attended the Big Alliance's Young Leaders Forum this morning to meet and listen to gubernatorial candidate Peter Corroon, so I'm pretty tired. Good night!
It's been a week since my last entry, and as mentioned, my goal is to update once a week. This post will be somewhat short, even though I can think of several things I want to say tonight, since it is nearly 11:00 PM (way past my bedtime) and the battery in my laptop is low.
Kyle and I went to Lagoon last Saturday, as I said we were going to do. He didn't have a panic attack. In fact, he ended up riding rides he said he wouldn't ride (Wicked, Colossus, Cliffhanger, and Jet Star 2). It was pretty fun. This week, we will probably go to a park and play catch, so he can practice pitching.
(Useless information: I had to get the power cord for my laptop before it died.)
The Welfy Clan (Sean's family) is going to Oceanside, California (just north of San Diego) in two weeks. I'm excited, and of course, time seems to be standing still. I look forward to our annual vacation, and I really need the time off. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my job, but I need to get away from it for awhile. Plus, I have a few hundred hours of PTO I need to use by the end of the year.
Speaking of work, I have been the Internet/Correspondence Support (ICS) Supervisor for a year now. It's hard to believe how quickly time flies. My annual review is this week. It will be interesting to see how my manager rates me, but I think I've done a good job, for the most part.
I think I'm going to end this entry here, since my eyes are involuntarily closing. I guess that means I'm tired. Good night!
I seem to average one to two posts a month. I'd like to post once a week, but blogging about nothing is pretty boring. I've been trying to get Sean to post once in awhile, but now that school has begun and he's working full-time again, he's not likely to.
Work is going well. I attended supervisor training, which lasted two full days, last week. It was pretty fun, and I liked meeting people from the other contact centers/hotels in the Salt Lake City area. One of the courses touched on professional grooming/clothing, which made me really self-conscious about the way I dress for work. So, this past weekend, I went and spent way too much money on several new outfits. I wore one of them today and received several compliments, so it's already begun to pay off.
I mentioned that Sean went back to school this week. I, too, begin a new term at WGU tomorrow. I'm retaking two courses, Quantitative Reasoning and Communication and Visual and Performing Arts, I didn't complete last semester. I'm also taking Marketing Principles and Applications and Fundamentals of Finance, Accounting and Information Technology. I feel more motivated now than I did last week; let's hope I stay motivated enough to actually do homework.
I'm getting tired, but before I go to bed, I wanted to post this recipe. Sean and I prepared it Saturday evening, and everyone enjoyed it.
Peel each eggplant leaving 1-inch of skin at the top and bottom unpeeled. Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly coat each slice with the salt and purge on a sheet pan fitted with a rack for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and roll in paper towels to dry. Slice the pieces into thin strips to resemble pasta.
In a large saute pan heat the oil. Add the garlic and chili flakes and toast. Add the eggplant "pasta" and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cream and increase heat to thicken sauce. Finally add the basil and Parmesan and toss to combine. Season with pepper, no salt needed as the eggplant will have residual salt from the purge. Serve immediately.
It's been nearly a month since my last post. Time flies - I can't believe there are five months left of this year. At least I update this blog more often than Sean...
Let's see, what's happened? I guess I'll start with work (as I usually do, it seems). My first week as the ICS Supervisor went well with only a few issues I didn't know how to handle (one of them being a representative with swine flu). In fact, one of my associates commented that the transition has been easier for her than she expected. However, we began our annual associate opinion survey (AOS) this week, and John (my manager) and I believe we'll be scored low - some of our employees don't like and resist change. I guess we'll see what happens in the next few months, and regardless of the results, I will strive to be the best supervisor I can be.
Oh, remember the manager of Customer Relationship Management position I mentioned I applied for in this entry? I got to meet the guy who got the job, as well as the hiring manager and a few other corporate executives, today. He seemed nice, and it was exciting to get to know people I'd be working with at headquarters (if that is where I end up in the future). Of course, I need to get my degrees in Business Management and Marketing first...
I've continued to procrastinate schoolwork since my last post. It's terribly frustrating - at work, I have no problem completing tasks I set for myself or that are assigned to me, yet I struggle with school. I'm just not motivated for some reason, which I don't understand, since graduating from school is tied to moving up at work. It really decreases my self-esteem/confidence. I know I'm intelligent and can do just about anything, but I've always had trouble with school. I appreciate the suggestions you left in my last entry. If you have any additional feedback, please let me know.
On to lighter subjects, we (Sean, his family and his friend, Mike, and I) returned from a nice week-long vacation yesterday. We left home Saturday, August 1, and stayed overnight in Portland, Oregon. I love that city - it is so beautiful, and if I didn't want to end up in Washington, D.C., I'd want to live there. The next day, we stopped at Powell's Books - the largest bookstore I've ever been to - before driving to the house we rented in Florence, Oregon. We spent the week playing on/in the lake, relaxing inside, and visiting nearby attractions, such as the aquarium in Newport, Oregon, and Old Town Florence. It was a fantastic vacation!
Sean and I put an offer on this house before we left on vacation. According to my brother-in-law and real estate agent, Daren, we should be hearing from the bank regarding our offer tomorrow. Honestly, I don't think they'll approve the offer we made, but I hope they counteroffer with a reasonable price. I'm really looking forward to being a homeowner, and this property felt like home more than any others that we have looked at. *crosses fingers*
I have nothing new to report regarding Big Brothers - I still haven't been matched, and I haven't heard from anyone since my last e-mail several weeks ago.
Well, I think that pretty much sums up the past month. I hope to update sooner next time. Until then!
I guess it's that time again. It's almost been a week since my last entry. Not much has happened, though. I haven't started my new job yet. My official start date is July 25. They will begin training me before then, however, which is a good thing, considering John, my new manager, leaves on vacation July 24 and will be gone my first week on the job. That will be interesting. I'm sure that's when everything will go wrong.
I still haven't been matched with a Little. I e-mailed my Match Support Coordinator (I think that's her title) for an update, but she didn't have one. It's too bad - there are a lot of kids out there that need a positive, male adult role model. I appreciate the desire to match brothers based on comparable interests; however, it seems to me that the delay ends up hurting the children. I guess I'm just being impatient.
And school...well, I've been procrastinating on that lately. I need to complete four tasks by the end of August. Possible, but not easy. *sigh* I really want to graduate in 2011, but I don't seem to have any motivation at the moment. Any suggestions?
That's about it. There might be more I could mention, but I'm pretty tired and I have to wake up early tomorrow. Maybe I'll edit this entry later...nah. Have a great night!
So...remember the position I mentioned I applied for in this entry? Well, as the title of this post implies, I got it! The wait was frustrating -- it was supposed to be announced yesterday -- but I am so excited! I feel bad for the other individuals, one in particular, who applied, though; I know what rejection feels like.
I will be supervising/managing a team of 23 representatives. I've worked with them for several years now, both as their coworker and as their QA. Some of them can be a bit difficult and challenging sometimes, but that's what will make this new job interesting and maybe even fun!
I don't know when I "officially" start - I'm going in tomorrow, which is normally my day off, with bagels for the team to kind of "grease the wheel" and hopefully decrease any tensions that may exist between us (since QAs are not the most well-liked individuals). Most likely, I will start the week after next.
Here is the e-mail my new manager sent, with a few minor punctuation and spelling corrections ('cause I'm anal like that), announcing my promotion:
Hello everyone,
I am happy to announce that Andrew Jenkins has accepted the position of ICS (Internet/Correspondence Support) Supervisor. Andrew started with Marriott back in March of 2006. Since then, he has worked as a phone representative, ICS representative, and as the Quality Assurance Specialist for ICS. I am excited to have him rejoin the ICS team as he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. Andrew is a tremendous asset to our center. Not only has he done a terrific job of monitoring the ICS team, but he also serves as a back-up Team Facilitator as well as being a member of both the "Fun to Serve" and "Spirit to Serve" committees (the "Spirit to Serve" committee actually does not exist anymore...). His dedication to his work and to Marriott speaks for itself. Please join me in congratulating Andrew on his new position!
During the past two weeks, I worked more than 120 hours, so I'm sure you can understand why I didn't post earlier. The extra money will certainly be nice -- it's paying for a trip to D.C. in October, which I'll talk about later -- but I had to take two (paid) days off this week to make up for the weekend I missed last week. Instead of doing homeworking like I planned, though, I've been playing Sims 3. I have tomorrow...
I haven't heard anything about the job I applied for two weeks ago. I'm pretty sure, though, that the hiring manager will begin interviewing this week. *crosses fingers* I really hope I get it, and if what I've heard (that I'm the top candidate) is any indication, I'm pretty sure I will. Oh, in my last entry, I told you I bought a suit to prepare for my interview. Here are two pictures of it:
To further prepare for the interview, I made an appointment at the Sanctuary Day Spa & Salon for a haircut and manicure tomorrow morning. The package I booked also includes a deep tissue massage, which will be nice. I've never treated myself to something like this before, so I'm really excited.
I received a letter from Big Brothers Big Sisters a few days after my last post. It took longer than expected, but I was finally accepted into the program! The process of finding a Little for me will no doubt be quite long, but I'm excited. I hope I'm matched with someone before the end of summer - Lagoon isn't open all year!
I also talked about Dr. Bentley's Pops Concert in my last entry. The songs we as alumni sang were recorded and posted on Facebook. I don't think you need to be a member of the group or Facebook to view them, so check them out: Defying Gravity and For Good.
Mistaken - I'm sad to see you deleted your Facebook account. My schedule is wide open for your visit next week, so give me a call and we'll get together: (801)867-1322. It'll be nice to see you again! As for what I like and dislike about Sims 3...
Likes:
Being able to walk seamlessly around town is awesome! You can visit neighbors and commercial lots without load screens, allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the neighborhood.
The addition of traits, such as "Family Oriented," "Good" (and its counterpart, "Evil"), and "Workaholic," allows you to customize your Sims' personalities, far above what you were able to do in Sims and Sims 2.
The "moodlets" are pretty cool. They can positively and/or negatively affect your mood, and they can be obtained by certain events, such as moving into a new home (a mood booster) or getting burglarized (a mood buster).
The stories of your neighbors continue to progress. They age, have children, quit their jobs and find new ones, and move out of town. It balances out the neighborhood. If you don't want the stories to progress, you can turn it (and aging) off, which is another plus.
Dislikes:
Weather, which was added to Sims 2 via the Seasons expansion pack, is nowhere to be found. Weather should be a standard feature, but I'm pretty sure it will be added again in a future expansion pack.
Apartments, which were added to Sims 2 via the Apartment Life expansion pack, have been removed, too. Like the weather, I'm sure these will come back at some point.
Where are the pets?! Another expansion pack, I'm sure.
EA is really trying to milk as much money as they can from consumers this time. In addition to the inevitable expansion packs mentioned above, they have a store, which I haven't been able to download items from, with tons of objects and other items you can buy with SimPoints. How do you get SimPoints? Well, other than the 1,000 SimPoints you are given for registering your game, you have to spend real money to get them.
I'm sure there are other likes and dislikes, but those are the only ones I can think of at the moment.
As mentioned at the beginning of this entry, I'm going to Washington, D.C. this October. We're staying for four days, and we'll be attending the National Equality March at the Mall. Our flight is booked, and we have a room reserved at the JW Marriott Hotel Washington, DC, which is located steps away from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. I'm so excited! It'll be my first time in the Nation's capital.
Well, that's about it for now. Thanks for reading!
So, yeah...way past my once-a-week post! Sorry. Honestly, I haven't been motivated to do much lately. I am supposed to be writing an essay comparing and contrasting three paintings for school (anyone want to "help"?), but instead, I'm updating the blog I've neglected for the past two weeks. Now that we know where my priorities lie...
Okay, what's happened since I last posted? My oldest nephew, Tyler, had his missionary farewell a week ago yesterday, and left on...Wednesday, I believe. Even though I no longer consider myself Mormon, I'm sure he will be an excellent representative of the Church. I can't believe how fast time flies, though! It seems like just yesterday my brother, James, and I were babysitting him and his brother, Dallin.
A week ago today was Dr. Bentley's final choir concert, as mentioned in my last entry. It was definitely bittersweet singing the alumni songs ("Defying Gravity" and "For Good" from the musical Wicked) we prepared and watching Dr. Bentley and his wife, Becky, ball their eyes out. It was very powerful. I have to admit that I cried, and honestly, blogging about this is bringing up a lot of emotions, too (I take after my mom and sisters). Five others from my year were there, and I wish more had participated. It was good to see them again, even though most of them rarely talk to me anymore. I hope we have a reunion sometime this summer, but I doubt we will, unfortunately.
Okay, what's next? Oh, the position I mentioned in this entry opened up last week. Obviously, I applied. I bought a very nice suit on Saturday, and I've been practicing interviewing with my manager for the past several months, so I'm sure I will do fine. The posting doesn't close until June 11, so it will be awhile before I hear anything, but I'm excited. I've heard from a few sources that I'm the top candidate, so wish me luck. It wouldn't be a huge pay increase, but I'm not disappointed. I'm just looking forward to more responsibility and visibility. I will keep you updated, of course.
I ordered Sims 3 from Amazon.com awhile ago and received it on Friday. Needless to say, I've been spending much of my time playing it, making it difficult to finish my homework. It's pretty fun, and since I'm not sure how many of you actually play the Sims series, I won't go into much detail about what I like and don't like about this new version. I asked Sean to hide it for me so I would write my paper tonight, but we can see how well that's working...
In addition to buying a suit on Saturday, Sean and I checked in to the Salt Lake City Center Marriott for the evening. It was Pride this weekend, and we always enjoy staying downtown for the festivities. Last year, we stayed at the Hotel Monaco. Both hotels are very nice and I recommend them to anyone visiting Salt Lake. Anyway, Paula Poundstone performed Saturday night. She was pretty funny, and we watched her until it started raining. On Sunday morning, we woke up to more fun, but we didn't let that stop us from enjoying the parade. We did, however, go home afterward instead of going to festival, which is kind of disappointing. I hope next year will be more dry.
Although I'd love to update you on Big Brothers Big Sisters, not much has happened. I've called the woman who interviewed me several times, but I always get her voicemail and she never calls me back. Someone else, however, finally got around to contacting another one of my references, Sean's mom, Julianne. I'm sure it will be another two weeks before they call the rest of my contacts, Sean and my boss, Jeff.
That pretty much brings us to today. I've had the Manhattan Clique remix of Katy Perry's "Waking Up In Vegas" stuck in my head. I swear I've played it at least fifty times today, and no, I'm not exaggerating. It's the only way I know how to get songs out of my head. I wish I could buy it, but I've only been able to find the song on YouTube, which I've included for your listening pleasure.
Well, I think it's time to go to bed. Wish me luck on writing the essay I keep putting off, and I hope to post again next week. Be like Mistaken and remind me to update this blog if I..."forget" to. It helps to know that people actually read it! Now I need to pester Sean into posting again...
Goodnight!
EDIT: I was able to find "Defying Gravity" on YouTube, but I couldn't find a good version of "For Good":
I don't have anything to say, really (other than the fact I'm bored and nothing is entertaining me). It's getting harder and harder to find something to blog about, but I'm still going to stick to it. That right there, folks, is dedication. Now if only I could be more dedicated to school...
Speaking of school, I passed my Fundamentals of Marketing and Business Communication course. I was kind of worried since I hadn't studied as much as I should have, but I'm happy I made it through another class. Only 16 more course to complete before I graduate...think I can do it in two years? *sigh* I procrastinate too much.
Sean, Mike (Sean's dad), and I had a good time last night. First, we went out to eat at Flemings with Julianne (Sean's mom). Even though it is a little expensive (I'm not even going to mention how much I spent last night), their food is so good. We then saw Angels and Demons. It's been a long time since I read the book, but I liked it better than The Da Vinci Code. I'm excited to read Dan Brown's next book, The Lost Symbol, which touches on Freemasonry.
I don't have any Big Brother updates for you. Only one of my five references have been called, which is a little disappointing, but I'm patient...somewhat. I'll probably give them a call on Monday to check on their progress since I was supposed to hear from them by today.
My old supervisor was promoted to manager the other day. I'm excited. Why? Because I'm going to apply for his position when it's posted in a few months. :) Hopefully, I'll have better luck than when I applied for a manager of Customer Relationship Management position. I wasn't even interviewed, which was really disappointing since I felt I had a good chance.
Well, for someone who didn't have much to say, I certainly wrote a lot...
