July, the month of pain.

There were only three happy times in this sultry month of July: LoveRunner show, hanging out with Michelle and Craig, the final day of the hideous light bulb set for work. Why is this set hideous? you ask. I will spare you no detail of the last three weeks...well maybe one or two. It's only a half hour cable special.

Monday, July 10
I wake up at 6:00 PM to get ready for work. I promptly show up for work at 8:00 PM where I am greeted with grins, "This is Allison. She will be leading this set." Eyes bug forth from my head, jaw drops. I see a couple problems with this: 1. I've never seen this set before. 2. I'VE NEVER SEEN THIS SET BEFORE. Thanks Josh for calling me. "That's news to me," I say in my outside voice. Product starts flying off shelves. Temporary workers are everywhere. Store must be shopable by 6:00 AM. Not a chance. Imagine, chaos...yes, yes that's the word...chaos. At 11:00 AM I snap. I start shaking. I can't think. Thankfully Josh and Jesse show up and send me home. I sleep.

Tuesday, July 11
Someone must have called the calendar people because it didn't exist.

Wednesday, July 12 (my brother's birthday)
The big bosses fly in from California and Washington to explain why this set isn't that hard...um okay. I high tail it to my store for the evening where I'm promised 15 temporary workers. How many show up? Six. I'd been up since 2:00 that afternoon. I was also supposed to learn how to lead this set from one of the higher ups. Ha. He was on his phone all night. When his battery died he used my phone. That morning (the 13th) I had a mandatory physical for the Army. "Is there any way you could reschedule it?" Um no. The order of importance: 1. Religion. 2. Family. 3. Army. Everything else takes a back seat. I leave the store, go to my physical, then come back to the store. Work for another two hours. We were kicked out of the store by our bosses because we needed to be fresh for the set that night.

Thursday, July 13
I was in the store for 23 and a half hours. I'm having a panic attack thinking about this.

Ah. Sleep. Weekend too short. Not even restful sleep. I had dreams about pallets of product needing to be sorted. It's bad when you dream about work. You don't rest. The next week was fun-filled.

All the while our District Manager Josh (the same guy that neglected to tell me I was leading this set) has had no sleep. The week of the 10th the guys that were sent to Idaho were in the stores for 24-30 hours. Josh took it upon himself to go to Idaho and help them.

Skipping to Wednesday, July 19
We enter the handbasket. Josh was running a fever so he stayed home. Until the phone calls hit. He steps down as District Manager and Jarrod is let go of his lead position. AJ pulls me aside, "Allison, we're sending you guys to Pocatello. This set needs to be done." No pressure. "It'll get done." They totally stepped over John, the other lead.

We drive to Pocatello. We haven't had any sleep.

Um...I'm done talking about this. Yep. Done.

The lightbulb set is in the past.

I've applied for three jobs. I'm going to be the new Pam. Pam 6.0 where I'm going to embrace my secretarial skills. If it be in the graces of the powers that be I will have a nine to fiver with a 401k and a vision plan.

First, I'd like to thank my mom for talking me out of my pride. Second, Michelle for listening to me. Third, LoveRunner for saving my sanity (you guys rock my world). Forth, Pete Ashdown. Aim for the stars and you will be the best Democrat Senator this state has to offer. Fifth, the University of Utah for reminding me that I need an education.

Onward and upward. I will climb every mountain until the trials promised me in Patriarchal Blessing come to a screeching hault...wait they probably won't end...crap.