You know you work or have worked at Gap 9010 if you've. . .

• called 9002 every 5 minutes to avoid the endless hold
• drowned out the music from neighboring department(s) with your own
• cleaned 32 different mirrors on an opening shift
• witnessed an arrest for PI in front of the store
• been unable to stop a grab and run
• had to loan markdown guns to the BR a couple of doors down
• had to go 24 hours without online registers because someone broke a keyboard
• been eaten alive by fitting room dust bunnies
• grown tired of people complaining the skinny black pant doesn't make them look like Audrey Hepburn
• done whatever it takes to meet a daily gapcard goal
• eaten Chipotle way too many times
• had to remind certain P200 stores in the district that 9010 isn't a P200 (even though it should be)
• gotten tired of walking back and forth countless times between body and baby
• eaten the best eggrolls in the world
• had your name misspelled countless times

Above all else

While I was at work today, I had some time to reflect on my core values at the Gap. I believe that above all else, my goal is to ensure that 100% of our customers receive the most exceptional customer service ever. It's not really that difficult to do this. Ninety percent of exceptional customer service is in the details. We're all about getting people to sign up for gapcards, but I feel that if our customers aren't 100% satisfied with the service they received, then there should be no reason for us to even assert the slightest pressure on them to sign up for a gapcard. The main goal of a gapcard is getting Gap repeat business, but if a customer has one ounce of dissatisfaction, why would they come back to our store? The store may be a mess, the stock might suck, the AC might be broken, but all I am going to be worried about as a first priority is making sure each customer feels like they are our one and only customer.

Fall into the ________

Well, I'm back at school now, but at San Antonio College. At the recommendation of the university, I decided to take some time off from Texas State to refocus my education goals and assist my GPA in becoming a larger number. It's kind of entertaining, living at home again. . .nice to have home-cooked meals all of the time, but on the flip side, I pay rent for this amenity. I am also working at the Gap (I won't tell you which location to fend off potential stalkers). This have proven to be an enjoyable experience so far. I was really impressed with how organized the company is when it comes to training and procedures for doing things. In past employment, things like this have always been in shambles. Surprisingly, I have not spent a dime at the store, even with my lucrative discount package, since I have been employed there. We'll see how long that lasts. School is going well so far, I'm rounding out the first week tomorrow. It is very interesting how SAC is very much like high school on steroids - everyone hanging around in their little groups and girls getting all dressed up in 100 degree weather for the first day of school. My ultimate plan is to transfer to UTSA in about a year and finish up my degree there. I am still staying true to my original intentions of studying marketing and entering the field of branding. On the Red Cross front, that volunteer work continues. I was re-elected as the Vice Chair of the National Youth Council. This year is my last year on the council, so it's all about creating and working on projects that will have a lasting legacy long after my term is over.

I'm still alive!

So, I know that is have been ages since I have updates. . .51 days to be exact! What can i say? I'm a busy guy. So, let's cover the major events since March 1st.

First, I had a National Youth Council Meeting in Washington, DC followed by Spring Break in Miami, FL and Key West, FL. The council meeting was a lot of fun; we got to stay in the Watergate Hotel, shouting distance from Condi's condo. It is my understanding that the hotel is going to be converted to condos in the near future, making hotel stays there a thing of the past. The National Youth Council held their meeting in the recently renovated Board of Governors Hall at the American Red Cross National Headquarters, with the Tiffany windows watching over us and our every move. So after 3 days of council meetings, running around crazy all over DC, and having the hardest time catching a cab EVER (Sandy and I were trying to get a cab back to her apartment from near the Red Cross on a Sunday afternoon. . .I think we stood on like 10 street corners. . .it was such a lost cause. . .and then the cab driver that finally stopped said it was OUR fault for being in the "wrong place"), it was time for spring break!

Thanks to my American Airlines AAdvantage Gold status (which I have thanks to the Red Cross), Sandy and I got upgraded to First Class for our midday flight down to Miami. This was a nice treat, considering how much walking around DC we did the Thursday before our meeting looking for a couple of birthday gifts for a certain someone. We were treated to a chilled lunch offering of either a turkey wrap or chicken breast with pasta (we both had the chicken). We arrived in Miami on Monday afternoon refreshed and ready to hit the beach.

My uncle picked us up from the airport and whisked us away to his home on Miami Beach. We were fortunate enough to have my uncle put us up at his place for the duration of our visit. He just had a new pool completed in the backyard, so that made our stay even more enjoyable. Ok, so I'm going to be honest with everyone and tell you that I am way too tired to continue. . .I'll add to this post later.

Tyro

So, I know it has been a short while since my last update, but remember what I said. . . Good things have been happening in my life lately, namely, school has been getting much better. I just found out today that I got a 90 on my first statistics test. This is the same class that is supposed to chew you up and spit you out. It's amazing how easy things are when you do homework.

Looking back, February was quite the exhausting month. According to my airline's website, I flew 6,031 miles over eight segments in February. The most grueling day was February 8th. On this day, I woke up in Washington, DC at 4:00 am for my 6:00 am flight to DFW connecting to a flight getting me into Austin at 11:00 am. At this point, I drove back to San Marcos from the airport to take a psychology test. After this, I had a couple of hours to unpack and repack my suitcase and eat lunch before heading back to the airport for a 5:00 pm flight to Los Angeles. It was on this day that I woke up at 4:00 am eastern time and went to bed at 11:00 pm pacific time. It was also on this day that I was inflight for both the sunrise and the sunset. Just in case anyone is wondering, I wouldn't recommend doing this kind of flying often. I was in Washington, DC for the American Red Cross Board of Governor's Meeting. The entire weekend was very interesting and was capped off by dinner at the Israeli Embassy. (pictures coming soon) I was in Pasadena, California for another very interesting meeting: the American Red Cross Association of Metro Managers. Pasadena was a very nice city; Sandy and I have made plans to go back to the Ritz when we have considerable sources of income to draw from. Two weekends after this huge trip, I made a daytrip up to DFW to present at a Regional Leadership Academy for Delta Sigma Phi. The American Red Cross and the fraternity are exploring partnership opportunities in both service and fundraising. The bad part about the presentation was that the weather was extremely crappy that day; I think the highs were in the mid to upper 20s. This was somewhat dangerous when trying to fly there and back the same day as the official airline of me was canceling flights right and left. The good thing about this is that particular airline has flight scheduled between DFW and Austin almost every forty-five minutes.

As I look forward on the horizon, Spring Break is quickly approaching. I'll be flying out to DC March 9th to attend a National Youth Council meeting that weekend. Then, on March 13th, Sandy and I are flying down to Miami for six days for fun in the sun! I can't wait to see all of my family and just have some time to relax and not worry about things.

Just a sidenote, I can't believe that the Games of the XX Winter Olympics are already over. For those that know me, they know that I am an Olympics freak. The sporting events are great, but I think the Olympics are much more than sport. They are about the world coming together in peace to compete under fair-play. I have aspirations to attend/volunteer at/work at an upcoming Olympic games. Beijing 2008 is right around the corner, so I don't think I'm going to make it there, but Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 are definitely options.

Looking a bit more forward into the future, I am going to have to start the process of selecting classes for the summer and fall very soon. This also means that I am going to have to find a place to live. I am really pushing for an apartment of some sort, but we'll see what happens. Me getting an apartment means me getting a job, which wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm going to be staying here for the summer enjoying overpriced classes. Right after finals, I'm going to DC yet again for the Red Cross National Convention and 125th Anniversary Celebration. The weekend after that, I am going to Rockport, MA for a family reunion of sorts. I'm already thinking that it is going to be a nice time, especially since I have never been to Massachusetts. Somewhere in the midst of the summer, I am also looking at going to Toronto with a couple of friends to visit a friend that lives there. The problem is airfare. . .flights to Canada are so extremely expensive. Right now, we are considering the alternative of jetting into Buffalo and getting a rental to drive to Toronto. We'll see what happens.

Well, I suppose I better wrap this post up. . .I'm kinda rambling on and on. Be on the lookout for great things at my new Google Page as I get it up and running. Also, for those of you questioning the randomness or definition of my post title, it is in an attempt to help Sandy study for the GRE. Tyro, according to a popular dictionary site, is "a beginner in learning".

Whew. . .

So, today turned out to be a really cool day! I made a new friend - someone who is new here and doesn't really know anyone else. More importantly, I found out I got a B in the Business Law class - the final I took on Friday! That news really took a huge weight off of my shoulders. The classes I'm taking this semester are really smooth sailing compared to the stress that that class had me under. Thats pretty much it. Saw Big Momma's House 2 with Chad tonight. . .it was pretty funny.

TGIF!

So, that test is finally over! I was fairly confident going into it, but we'll see what happens. My Friday night is looking pretty open - I have a few options, but no firm plans. I was just about to take a shower, but the shower I use was occupied. If you have never lived in a community-bath dorm, you probably don't understand. There is this one particular stall that I like just because. I could shower in another stall, but I figure if I'm going to enjoy my Friday night shower, I can wait. I'm excited because I got my new piece of luggage from REI yesterday. It is an exchange for another REI bag that I had that was falling apart. Apparently, my 36 flights and over 25,000 miles last calendar year wore it out.

The weekend outlook is pretty blah. I'm going to be doing some major cleaning around here and I think it's laundry time again. There will be a 70% chance of studying in preparation for the school I am going to miss the week after next. I hope each and every one of you has a good Friday night!

It's late. . .

So, not to be outdone by Sandy, I felt the need for an update. Maybe it's just really procrastination - I'm supposed to be studying for a Business Law final which im taking in a little over twelve hours. You're probably asking yourself why I'm taking a final in late-January. Good question! It's a make-up final from last semester on which I have to get a B to continue living I guess. Not much else going on in my life. Still doing crazy Red Cross things. Recently unemployed. Still living in the non-air conditioned dorm. Recently changed the design of my blog. Still driving the Volvo. Still haven't won the lottery.

I am going to be doing quite a bit of Red Cross travel in the next few months, thanks to American Airlines, the official airline of me. Here's the schedule:

Feb. 3-7 - Washington, DC - American Red Cross Board of Governor's Meeting
Feb. 8-9 - Pasadena, CA - American Red Cross Metro Manager's Association Meeting
Feb. 18 - DFW Airport Area - Delta Sigma Phi Regional Leadership Academy
Mar. 9-12 - Washington, DC - American Red Cross National Youth Council Meeting
Mar. 13-18 - Miami, FL - American Red Cross National Youth Council Chairs' Retreat (aka Spring Break)
Mar. 19 - American Airlines - Flight Back to Reality

I don't really know what the point for posting all of this was, but believe me, there is one. I just can't remember it right now. To close, as a late new year's resolution, I promise I will do my best to post more frequently and include more pictures. I have a digital camera that sits in my room and collects dust. It's late and I need sleep.