True Defiance

Today, Demon Hunter's True Defiance album comes out. However, I pre-ordered and my package arrived yesterday. ^_^ You can see my unboxing in this video below.

The album is very awesome. I like the new tight sound they went for! The DVD included was a nice interview of Ryan Clark, the lead singer. While I was thinking they were going to show behind the scenes of the studio, Ryan spoke well of God and the band's stand for their faith. I thought that was very cool. I wish more bands did that. 

My favorite ballad right now is "Dead Flowers." It's pretty melancholy in a good way. "I am a Stone" is also a beautiful ballad, but it's only a strings arrangement. I would need a different category in my mind, since it's a different kind of ballad with no electric guitars. I think my favorite darkest and heaviest song is "We Don't Care." There are many others that are awesome, but that main riff is reminiscent of my song "Decimate." I like that style of riffing.

As far as my composing goes, it's kinda been at a stand-still as of late. I am practicing guitar. I hope to get back into the composing stage today after work.

Totally switching gears, I am going to be switched to overnight position at Walmart in a few weeks. I'm really looking forward to the experience I am going to gain. Walmart is my planned career path. A department manager is my first goal. I'm really excited about this opportunity to learn.

Proved wrong (Walmart Edition)

Today's topic is about swallowing one's pride and admitting you are wrong. It can be very hard to do, but when you are clearly proved wrong you must accept you most epicly failed.

Please note that I wrote the way I did for humor.

Today I most epicly failed. I failed at "This-door-is-obviously-used-more-than-the-other-one." As analytical as I am, I often try to make people laugh or "marvel" at a "discovery" I have made. It sometimes works. Most of the time, it seems, nobody hears me anyway - typical - that's the story of my life. My best "jokes" are seemingly never heard. Unless you count the "Little-people-in-Japan" joke. It's an inside joke. I'll let you know more at the end of this post.

My "discovery" most epicly failed today because a girl proved me wrong. I hate it when girls prove me wrong. But I had to be "man-enough" to admit it. Today's "discovery" consisted of a double-door coke cooler, a CSM (customer service manager), and the "wrong-prover."

I analyzed the coke cooler doors. I noticed how one door to the cooler suctioned more than the other one. The left door suctioned immediately when the door was let go (as the doors are spring-loaded), and the right door bounced a little before suctioning. After hypothesizing and creating a theory, I concluded people must use the right door more than the left. The cheap rubber had already worn out. I wanted to share my "discovery." So, the fool I was, I dramatically demonstrated the doors closing to my laid back CSM. She found it interesting. My associate came to see of what I was speaking, in which I repeated the demonstration.

Here it comes...


Without missing a beat, my associate - a girl with common sense, which I obviously have none of - explained why the door actually bounced. There was a coke tray protruding further than the others, and the door was hitting it. So stinkin' simple. So crazy that I didn't even see that. I knew I should have analyzed it more. LOL.


It stung to admit I was wrong. I just barely did at first. Then I just made fun of myself as I am doing now. We are all human. I count a funny day in this way.


Lesson learned: Don't be so quick to make a "discovery," or impress your fellow associates/managers. 


--------
--------

Still interested in the Japan joke? Okay. Just to let you know, world, I'm not racist. Acts 17:26 states God made every nation from one man. This joke was all in good fun and I would gladly take any jokes made for me. (For instance - I am known in some circles for my "chicken legs" since I am a bean pole.)

This remark was made a few weeks ago. An associate and I were talking about people's height. This associate happens to be the one who "pwned" me. Pwned comes from a Warcraft gamer who misspelled "owned" on the internet and has spread world-wide since. It means she conquered me. Remember? If you read the above story you know she proved me wrong. I lost. That's a usage of it.

Anyway!! Back to the story....
She jokingly calls herself "vertically-challenged" (in which I get a kick out of - sounds like it came from the politically-correct big wigs. Wouldn't be surprised.) I told her she would feel better if she went to Japan where is everybody is like 4'5" (I just guessed) and you could tower over everybody. "Hey little people," she could say as she pats them on the head. That was the best joke off-hand I ever made. I'm not very quick-witted.


Hope you enjoyed today's post. I had a good day today. :)

-Brandon

Funny thing happened at work today

We got a prank call at Walmart today. The hysteric caller described herself as a blind lady named April, long blonde hair, who was lost in our store. She said her seeing-eye dog had run away from her. We paged April over the speaker system. The department managers were scurrying, searching for this blind lady crying in some corner who lost in this non-Supercenter store.

Things just didn't add up. A seeing-eye dog does not run away from their person. And we lost the call two different times. The department managers, or somebody, would have seen her. And how would she get in the back of the store anyway? The dog would have led her there. But no dog had entered the store.

It was believable at the time, but our Customer Service Manager said she felt silly. These kinds of pranks are not really funny - or at least at the time they're not.

That was the highlight of my day at Walmart as a cashier. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts.

Brandon

Divine Appointment

Yesterday I had an opportunity to help someone that seemed to be at first just doing my job. I work as a cashier at our small Walmart. This elderly lady came through the line and purchased a lot of merchandise filling about 10 bags. Another associate was free at the time and she offered to get another cart. I kindly told the elderly lady I would help her get her things to her vehicle. When I had checked and bagged all the customer's items there were only three bags in the customer's original cart. My associate said, "Oh, we could transfer these bags into this cart and you'll have just one cart." I still felt I should help the customer with the cart even though she only had one cart now. It didn't feel right to back out and I had a tugging in my heart.

I put on a bright-colored vest and said to the elderly lady, "Lead the way." I followed after the lady while pushing her surprisingly light cart. As I unloaded her merchandise into the backseat of her truck she thanked me several times for helping her. She revealed she had trouble with her arms and already had a shoulder replacement. It was then the Holy Spirit revealed to me this was why I was to carry out this lady's items.

The elderly lady asked me my name before she bid me good-day and closed her driver-side door with a smile. I couldn't help but smile back. That was a divine appointment I didn't miss, and I gained a friend. ;)


-Brandon

Working at Walmart as cashier

Well, I worked a full day today on the cash register by myself. Today was my first day to do that. CBLs are finished. No more test taking. Cashiering is not really hard. I like that it's repetitive. It's fun and enjoyable to help people, our customers. I no longer roam Walmart the same - I'm now an associate. It's not a Supercenter where I work, so it's a great start if I want to make this a career. Every associate and manager is helpful as they know how it was when they first started working there.

Brandon

Second day on new job

Looks like I'll be taking computer-based learning (CBL) tests for a little bit at Walmart. That's what I did today.

First day on new job

If you've been following, you will know I got a new job at Walmart as a cashier.

Yeah, so it went well. Today was just orientation: listening, answering and asking questions, tutorials, and watching videos. Tomorrow I will finish this up and go into the meat of my training. Possibly start training as a cashier in which I will observe someone. Wish me luck!

Brandon