Shippuden (and other extreme sports?)

For you Naruto fans out there, a quick googling of “naruto shippuden 18 full” should give you what you’re looking for, assuming you actually want to see the latest Shippuden episode.

…I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll say this:

It’s one of those episodes made SIMPLY to build up tension. Seriously. I don’t want to call it “lame” or “stupid”, because it isn’t, but it’s not the most exiting episode out.

(I prefer the Deidara/Gaara fight myself, but the fight involving Kisame’s clone guy and Guy’s team was also quite entertaining)

Moving on to other matters:

I have just about had it with my job, not because the gig is bad (it’s not by any measure) but because the management is pretty obviously playing favorites at this point. Merit (or lack thereof) is a serious problem in the structure of modern society, in my opinion. This is not to say that people lack merit, but rather, merit goes overlooked, and sometimes important decisions are not made based on it. Granted, merit cannot dominate the decision entirely (just because you have the credentials doesn’t mean you’re the right kind of person for the job — you can have a PhD and still have no social skills, for example), but merit should have a really high weight to it. This is not to say that, for example, new people don’t deserve a chance. But I wouldn’t stick a novice at the helm of anything before they’ve proved themselves as a superior peon.

Those who know what I’m talking about here probably agree with me, and those who know of the specific situation I’m talking about know even better. I will never name names in a negative light here (well, I’m sure I will, but I will attempt to avoid it when I can), and I’m not going to go into greater detail about the situation. And if the person we’re all talking about reads this, I’m not trying to say you’re dumb. I’m not trying to say I don’t trust you to a measure, either. But someone has to be the realist here, as management obviously wasn’t doing so. You and I both know you’re still getting on your feet. We’ve all been there, and I happily support you in that, as situating myself has always been a weakness for me personally. But what are you thinking? I know you are as anxious as the next person to move out of the proverbial mailroom, but do you really find yourself to be ready to make the jump that far?

Again, if you’re reading this, I’m not trying to belittle you or offend you at all. I try to avoid doing things like that. But anyone who knows me well enough knows that I tend to be pretty honest with people. If I was upset with you, this blog would be about how pissed I am at you. In my opinion, the only mistake you’ve really made so far is this: you’ve slightly lost control of your ambition. Granted, the position you’ve entered isn’t exactly “high difficulty”, but it is high responsibility. Slow and steady still wins the race. Of course, you may barge forward and do just fine. Some people are like that. I’m not saying you’re not. But admit it — this is all a bit sudden. You allowed them to rip your training wheels off there. You might be able to ride, yeah, but how hardened do you really think your basics are? Again, like I said, you might be just fine, and I don’t see them taking their decision back.

Basics are unbelievably important, and that is something I tell almost everyone I teach something to. It is true that sometimes the basics are picked up quickly, but they age like wine when done more often. You can know something and still mess it up rather frequently (I’ll admit, I am a testament to that, anyone who knows me would add this) — which is why time is an important factor. That is really what “training” is about. You learn the techniques the first few days and then you repeat. Over and over. Eventually you hit the point where, like me, you do half your transactions without looking at the screen for the most part.

But, let me tell you, I didn’t get there overnight, and I still make errors regularly (albeit when you’re doing hundreds of transactions a week, accidents are bound to happen based on volume alone). Either way, I know the value of time and how it impacts performance. The more you do it, the better you tend to get.

This, of course, is echoed further when you’re expected to be a leader of sorts. To someone in that sort of position, you have to be constantly weighing variables. Some people work faster than others, some are more or less reliable, some people are always doing something else. The leadership role there is a team activity, which, to be honest, is the most ignored fact about most things at that place. You can’t function entirely alone, and you can’t make decisions based on only yourself.

This, of course, means that if you can’t handle yourself well, you’re in a whole heap of trouble. Again (and again and again), for all I know, you’ll come to handle this fine. But know that it’s a huge, huge pitfall that many others have often fallen into. At cash specifically, a team mentality is a successful one, and teams that can gel will move lines faster and ultimately handle most things that come to them. Not to mention they will probably enjoy their shifts a bit more.

Of course, one could argue that orders and schedules work best here, but anyone at that place could testify to the fact that “the orders of the high priests are not heard at the battleground.” The DAS almost flies out the window at times, since most things that can come up will. Multiple times. This happens all over the store. People miss breaks, take breaks at wrong times, neglect the phones, don’t cover sections, (to Lauren’s dismay) neglect Newsstand recovery sessions, forget to cover breaks, and otherwise bend the fragile timecard to its very limit, usually for the sake of the customers.

Of course, we don’t ignore the DAS, we just have to rework it or work into it as best we can. Most people are okay with being a little off, but when breaks start being off by, say, an hour, people get a little unhappy.

Attention to time is key in that position specifically, as you have to time yourself constantly to keep things flowing. I have no idea how natural that is to you or anyone else there, but the position isn’t an idle one.

Again and again I have said that for all I know, you can handle this better than anyone else there. I don’t know. I haven’t seen you since this decision was made. But I’d be hesitant if they offered it to me, and I’ve been there for well over a year, with plenty of varied experience under my belt. You, however, just lack the hours. This is not to say you are dumb, but rather you are inexperienced. Don’t confuse the two — ineptitude is NORMAL when you’re just starting in something. It’s expected.

Hence the whole “training” thing happens.

(wow, I sure hope she doesn’t read this, I’d be a real freaking jerk if she did — most people don’t take honest analysis very well… even when it is done from a supportive angle. Honesty seems to be the needle that everyone feels, no matter what’s being injected.)

…now that the whole ranting thing is done, I think I will go do something else with my time. Probably play that nice Bahamut Lagoon translated rom or something. I usually don’t support piracy in any form, but come on… that game is awesome and was never ported. And the translation I have is very well done and COMPLETE (or so I was told on the translator’s site). If I can find a link to the patch, I might put it up in the next post or something.

And, uhm, I will probably start posting decent Pokemon D/P builds or something. They seem to get decent opinions from the people in the www.bemanistyle.com Other Gaming forum. I will forewarn you — I hate walls (although I will probably get a Blissey going for competitive play), and spend most of my time making fairly standard Sweeper sets. I think I posted a decent Choice Gallade on BMS. I might cross post that into the next entry, that should come tomorrow night.

…now I’m going to go play a little Etrian Odyssey before bed… if it’s possible to only play “a little” of that game at a time.

Sayounara for now,

(8)

PS: If you read this far, person-from-work-who-I-was-talking-about, I really hope I didn’t offend you too much. I do like you, but just ask anyone there: I can be a critical, analytical asshole. But I won’t lie to you. I expect the same from other people, too. If people are more honest with me, I tend to trust them more and, hell, learn from my mistakes more often. I might not be a “nice” guide through anything, but I’ll be damned if someone doesn’t learn.

Again, I didn’t mean to sound cross with you (as I am not cross with you).

As for the store management, I send you a question mark. And I hope to hell you don’t read this. Not that I badtalked you. I didn’t mention any names. For all you know, I could be talking about something you have no idea about. I could have made it all up. The internet is great, no? Free speech for all.