Intense interest

These were some seriously hungery for bread horses.  I guess the gluten free diet of grass just wasn't leaving them with that satisfied feeling of a good sandwich. Luckily we arrived to save the day with a loaf of bread.

Insurance against trolls.

Sjóva, the insurance company we are with, seems to be offering coverage for damage done by trolls. I think I am going to have to read over our policy again.

Do I have tooooooo?????

It seems to be assumed that one foreigner will be friends with another. This asumtion is intensified when they speak the same native language.

I honestly wish it were always true. It would be nice to have someone here, a neighbor, to chat it up in English with. But this may never happen.

The fact is, besides both speaking English - this person and I have nothing in common. Nothing. In fact, we seem to repel each other and now as an unspoken rule, we avoid each other. A little hard sometimes when we work together.

Point being, we just are not friends.

Yet . . . despite that fact we are not seen out together, do not visit at work or give any reason for this, every one thinks we must be practically sisters.

I am often asked how she is doing, or stopped and asked where she is if someone is looking for her. I really do not understand.

But, the best was last night:

There I was hanging out in the bath, the kids are in bed and I am just relaxing. Then my cell phone rings, Davíð brings it in because it was ringing for a while.

Some guy says his name is Siggí, is Loreen over? I do not know this guy. He says he tried calling her cell and it was off. He called the sports center and they said she was probably having a coffee with you, so they gave me your number. I guess this guy is from Reykjavík.

Kinda creeped out the bath. Glad it wasn't important.

So it seems so natural that we would be best friends and spend all our time togeather that the town sports center is giving my phone number out over the phone to strangers. I do not even know why the sports center would have my phone number.

There seems to be a lot of expectations for us to be best friends - but I don't want to.

Beyond Creepyness

OK - now I have done it.
I went to Toys R Us today to visit and pick up a gift from a co-worker. I talked to my favorite pals and went to talk to Albert.
Then Albert mentioned in a related conversation that he had read my blog.
I feel so naked.
Naturally when you sill your guts and vent on the internet someone is going to read it, but I never would have guess my xboss would have.
Anyways, I would like to say that the only reason I called Toys R Us cheap bastards is because they would not supply me or subsidize the cost of an important and expensive part of my work clothing, the shoes. I was a little surprised.
So just because they would not pay for shoes, pay me over time or even pay me what other people made doesn't make them cheap bastards.
:]
Maybe just with me, and we all know I am special.

In other news, I think I may have successfully created 2 new Zefrank addicts.

Supper on Toys R Us

Last Friday I went for dinner with my co-workers. We were given a lot of money to go for supper from head office, to treat us for our amazing hard work that has been done. As one of the highest selling stores, and being constantly short staffed, we have worked an insane amount. This meal was well earned.
We went to Caruso, a very nice place down town.

From left to right we Albert, Einar and Tina. Albert will be store manager soon, Einar is the funniest guy in the store and Tina is engaged to Albert. She also works at the information desk.

Here is Elsa, a part time Cashier.

Einar was drunk, it actually got worse as the night went on because he had a bottle in his coat that we was topping up his Coke with.

Elsa did not want this picture.

She said this one was OK.

This is the funniest looking salad I have ever seen. It is called a Tomato Salad, but it looks like it is missing something to be called a salad.

Einar at his worst.

This is a good one!

I was hoping to avoid having my picture taken, it did not work as well as I would have liked.

Here is Ingi, he only works part time on Information.

Jón Thor, Section Leader of small toys. He gets offended when people ask him about girls toys. He wants to know of he looks like the kind of guy who would know about girls toys.

And a cranky looking Albert.

I would saty the night was a huge success, even if only half the staff turned up. How could you miss out on a meal like that? It is a once a year, at the most, opportunity.

So Much to talk about

• I finally agreed to the assistant store manager position at a rate of 300 000 ISK. a month and a review in three months. I still feel this is a very low wage considering the work involved, but I look forward to the review. I also look forward to the annual toy fair in Denmark this year, that I get to go to!
  
• Toy R Us was vandalized last night, crazy people.
• I found 30000 ISK on the ground yesterday. I was in the grocery store so I waited by it for a while, then I took it to information and asked if anyone had mentioned losing some money. She talked to everyone working and we waited by the front of the store for a while, but no one seemed to have lost it. I called the store again today and still no one has been asking about it. Now I do not know what to do, but I feel rich. This is a test.
  
• Easter holidays are here and that means it is time for our family holidays! We rented a cabin with a hot tub, sauna and b.b.q. It has everything we need for a super relaxing 4 day weekend. We leave on Friday!
• Our washing room is finally back in order, but the dryer is broken and I am a week behind on laundry. So my living room is currently filled with clothing drying racks.
• The weather is getting great! Time to kick the boys outside for the summer.
• Construction season is really going now. They are building a huge building a couple blocks from us, and it will have a lot of underground parking. This means lots of explosions! You can not just dig up this lava rock, you need dynamite. I complain about my apartment shaking every hour, but I can not imagine living right next to it.
  
• With spring comes fresh haircuts. I cut Kasper a nice mushroom cut then I had to fight with Stefán to get one too. He only wants the top, front and sides cut, but I am supposed to leave the back, he wants it long. Thats right, he wants a mullet. I was really hoping he had grown out of that. It ended up no one won this argument. I tried to convince him and it did not work, so I just started cutting the way I wanted it. He did not want this so he moved around to much. Now he has a terrible haircut, but I still think it is better then the mullet.
  

This is life

I have a dozen emails I need to reply too, but I do not know where to start. Everything seems so overwhelming and I am embarrassed of how long I have put some of these things off for.

Where to start now?

Last night we went to my in laws for dinner. It was a fabulous meal, Inga always is the best cook. She looked better then I have seen her in ages. It was good to see. But then I know that not everyday is like this. I am worried, probably over worried. It is a personality problem of mine.

I find myself thinking of all these great things we cam do to help out, then I am second guess myself. I buy puzzles that collect dust on my self. Who am I making feel better.

I am constantly telling Davíð off for not going out there enough. What if something happened? How often is enough?
He says she does not want visitors when she is sick. This could be true. But at the same time I would have thought that she would want more family there because maybe she is lonely.

I can not pretend to know what others are thinking. I do not even know what I am thinking.

I can not control everyone, although these days it looks to me like I am trying. I have to learn to admit these faults in myself.

Ah, and work, don't even get me started! Here is a conversation for you:

Toys R Us: Hey, you want to be an assistant store manager?

Me: Yes!

Toys R Us: OK, we will pay you 280000IKR a month

Me: But I make more then that now, with the overtime.

Toys R Us: As a manager you twill not be paid for overtime, it will just be one rate for the month.

Me: So I would make less?

Toys R Us: Not everything is about the money. Why don't you think about it over the weekend and make us an offer on Monday.

I went home that weekend feeling terrible, I want the job, but I am not so stupid as top sign a contract saying I will make less. I talked to the union Monday morning, they told me what I should be making.

Toys R Us: So have you thought about it?

Me: Yes, and I want 400000 a month, with a cap on the hours.

Toys R Us: That is impossible.

Me: This is what the Union says that I am entitled too.

Toys R Us: How about 300000? Why don't you think about that?

I thought about it overnight.

Me: I think 350000 is OK, with a set review time.

Toys R Us: How about 300000 with a raise in 1 year?

I don't think so.

As it stands right now they are back in Sweden thinking about it while I think about it here.

I am not greedy, I just know what will be expected out of me and I expect to be paid fairly for that.

I am particularly mad about the fact that the other assistant manager makes much more and they tell me that is different. Why is it different?

Those little, well, lets not say.

I am trying to contain my anger!

Good News!

Kasper has an official diagnosis! Everyone always knew there was something a little different with Kasper, now we know. It is Autism. The mild talking one, Asburgers (how ever you spell that) Super smart, doesn't play with other kids, talks lots and lots.

That our boy!

I miss you all and plan to do some real catching up - sooner then later!

Crazy Work

Who would have known that things could be so crazy working in a toy store? We have no management, the store has been taken over by head office and everything is in chaos.

In Sweden they shake there heads and wonder how this has happened. This store has everything going for it, location, well trained management and tons of staff. But still we can not manage.

The store i9s in such bad shape that once again a fleet of Toys R Us employees must be flown in from Europe to fix up the store for us.

The big question is: What is so different about Iceland? They want to know. Why doesnt anyone do there job here? It does not matter how many people are working, or how much they are paid (really the wages are decent), nothing gets done.

It is amazing really.


The warehouse is in shambles,

Clearly!



Containers full of toys sit outside will items are sold out in the store.

Everywhere you look is insanity.

And no matter how many times the kids are told off for jumping in the box cruncher, they still do it. I thought this sticker made it clear enough, but I was wrong.

Is it something in the water?

New Beginnings

It has began - my official rise in the Toys R Us tower.

This month I have to learn everything you need to know to run the girls department of Toys R Us, because by the end of the Month I will be a section manager. Yippeee!

A title and a raise. But really my job does not change that much. I will still stock shelves but I will have responsibility's and powers.

I can ask others to do things.

Leave lists to be done.

I have to be sure the section matches Toys R Us standards.

I have to be sure to order enough of the appropriate toys.

I will predict what will sell well in Iceland and arrange displays and orders to accommodate that.

I am so excited!

A change!

A challenge!

At least for a while it will be a challenge. We will see what comes.

Disorganization at Toys R Us

I was scheduled to work today, 9-7. So, I showed up for work at 10 minutes to 9.

I waited, and waited and waited outside in the freezing (-6) and windy cold until 9:15. Then I call the manager, because no one was there.

NO ONE WAS IN THE STORE.

How can I work if I am locked out?

Anyways, she said this was all a big mistake, she meant to schedule me for 10. She was sorry and I should go to the bakery and have a coffee and breakfast while I wait, she would pay for the food.

OK, so I went to the bakery. My manager said she would call me when someone got to the store to let me in.

It was 10:30 when I went looking for someone. No one had called and the store was supposed to open in half an hour.

Waiting, outside the door, was the rest of the staff for today. They had been waiting since 10.

They were cold too.

At 10:45, the assistant manger comes and lets us in.

I hope they plan to pay people for all the waiting time.

I am glad he got there before the customers, because that would have been awkward!

This is just craziness, only in Iceland.

The News

Random news clips from my day -

• I told my new manager that I know they have lied to me about some pay issues. They corrected it, and I made sure they understood that I do not trust them now. Who starts lying to employees in the first few days? Breaking union rules??? I made sure to mention that I suspect discrimination. I have no plans on being walked on here.
• I have made some work friends, they are all about 5 years younger then me and absolutely hilarious. It makes the time fly by.
• It is confirmed yet again, this country has a shopping problem. Who would go toy shopping on a Monday or Tuesday morning? There was a lot...
• My blog has a new reader! First, one stranger at a time - next world domination!
  
• Postcrossing is going great. I need to get to a scanner to show off my postcards, they are from everywhere!
• Davíð picked me up after work and we all went down to see Kasper play soccer. Then we could not find him. We spent an hour walking around trying to find him, then Davíð went to the school while Stefán and I kept looking. We were worried. Davíð called me when he found Kasper at school, it turns out that they told him it was not his soccer day and he was not supposed to catch the bus with the other kids. Stupid school, and this is the best one? Davíð asked why no one called us if they thought he did not have soccer and no one came to pick him up, they said it is not unusual for kids to be left at the school much longer then they should be.
  

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

As crazy as Toys R Us

I have now seen it with my own eyes.

The store was not only busy, but it was insane. On a Sunday morning people are lined up outside waiting for the store to open.

The store opens and fills up. The shelves we worked so hard to fill quickly empty. We fill them again, they empty. It continues like this until we lock the doors, 6 hours later.

This is why the store does 7 million a day in sales.

But who needs so many toys? How needs so many toys that they need to bring a shopping cart to push down all the isles?

How many Bratz dolls do you need?
How many Spidermans?
Teddy Bears?
Lego?
Crayons?

It does not matter what the toy is, I now suspect that every kid in Iceland has enough for 5 other kids.

They had a joke on TV last night, it shows a family throwing away all the toys, then going to Toys R Us and buying more the next day.

The Iceland Toys R Us is second in world sales, only behind Hong Kong, and there are a lot more people in Hong Kong to be doing this shopping.

This experience has shown me another ugly side of consumers.

And now my job is dependent on these same consumers.

Worst Idea Ever

My fabulous, well maybe not so much so, employer, came up with the worst idea ever today.

Lucky for me I am done tomorrow because I suspect this is some sort of revenge against me for quiting.

He shows up with a tin of paint thinner and asks me, since I must have extra time working such a long shift, to use this paint thinner to clean the plastic table clothes in the dinning room.

These are my complaints:

I have nothing to keep me safe from this paint thinner and we all know the stuff is a little dangerous. Imagine how my hands would be after? No gloves?

I have heard that paint thinner could burn wholes in plastic. The problems that causes is that not only have I wrecked the plastic cover, but most likely the wood table underneath as well. And imagine the fumes....

I mentioned my concerns to this employer (lets just call him Hjalti) and he told me to not use too much then.

Sometimes I just want to say, 'Could we pretend I am a real person here, for one moment? Would you ask someone in your family to do this?'

Time to move on

Well, I have been working at Hotel Smari for almost three months now and I think it is time to move on.

I have learned some great things that will help in my next employment.

It has been a good experience, but some things are making me crazy.

1. My responsibilities have increased so much, but they are not sure if they can afford to give me a raise.
2. I get no overtime pay.
3. Even working here almost 100 hours a week, I still make much less then Davíð did at a regular job.
4. They want to close for 2 weeks in December, so I will not be working and will not get paid for these forced holidays.
5. They are a little sexist. When I work nights it is expected that I help out with getting the breakfast ready. The other guy who does nights does not have to help. I asked my boss why and he told me it was a girl thing to do. I am a little mad now.

So - I think I have taken the experience I need from this job and am looking for a new one.

The official job search has begun again.

Worst Day Ever

I was working one of my crazy long shifts at the hotel on Saturday.

The evening went by nice and uneventful except for some drunk guy screaming and swearing because I could not understand his mumbled Icelandic at all. I told him there was no room to rent. (not to him at least)

The night shift was a little more problematic, I will start from the beginning.

When I went to close the reception at 11:30 I had 3 guys from Poland drinking beer. They did not seem to understand that they would need to go back to there rooms. I tried English, Icelandic, Hand gestures and pointing, nothing worked. I turned off the lights, they kept drinking. Finally I lead them out the door by the arm.

Then I waited around for my last check in that did not turn up until after midnight. I supposed I could have let the guys with the beer hang out until then, but they really had drunk enough already.

I do to sleep and an woken up by the fire alarm before 3:00. I was so startled I ran out of my sleeping room leaving the master key on the table and locking it in the room.

Usually when the alarm goes off it is just someone smoking, I turn it off and everyone goes back to bed. That night I turn it off, turn around and it starts again. I had no way to go around checking rooms, besides knocking on doors because my key was locked in a room. The reception is FULL of people and the alarm is screaming in our ears.

The first time the fire station called I told them there was no problem. No one had seen a fire and I was sure I could get the alarm off.

I tried but it always turned back on so the second time they called I said they better come down. The guests were all getting a little antsy at this point.

After 30 minutes of this nonsense my boss and a security car turn up (if the building had been on fire it would have been long gone). They check everything out, no fire just a chain smoker who did not get the hint to slow down on the smoking or go outside, even with the alarms going off.

Everyone goes back to bed.

At 5:00 a.m. the buzzer rings, a couple wants to check in. Although it is a very strange time to check in they seemed normal enough so I gave them a room.

5:30 the alarm system starts beeping. I called the room of the people that just checked in and asked them if they were smoking, they said no but they had taken down the smoke detector for some reason (probably planned on smoking) and the system goes off because it lost a sensor. I told them to put it back, they did and that was the end of that.

By the time next shift came at 730 I must have looked really bad because I got the day off with out asking and was told to get some rest.

My head did not stop hurting until this morning.

Homes Away From Home

Where I spend all my time:

1. Hotel Smári - I work six days a week, anywhere from 12 to 16 hours each time. Do not worry, it is not nearly as bad as it sounds. When I start work at 3 or 7 in the evening, I am done all the 'work' well before 11:30, when I can close the reception. That means I can sleep from midnight until 7 in the morning. If I am lucky it is an uninterrupted sleep. I have a toothbrush here now, extra socks, underwear and a coffee cup. I finish and leave work at 7:30 in the morning.

2. Sunnuhlíð - I work at the nursing home 3 - 5 days a week from 8 - 2. I consider this my exercise job, because I do not spend the entire thing sitting down, I need that. This job is the most stressful because I am not allowed to speak English so I feel stupid a lot, but it is getting better. I am glad they have a uniform for me there. I have not been there long, but already I have a few old friends, fabulous little old ladies.

I miss my real home - I miss my pillow! I miss the boys, although I can bring the kids to the hotel when I am going through some kid withdrawal. Kasper loves sleeping over.

The most unfortunate thing is that even working this much, I still only make half of what Davíð did in a month. We have about the same skill and education levels, the only difference is that he was employed in a male dominated industry, and I am employed in 2 female dominated industries.

Canada and Iceland both seem to be behind in the times.

From a cloudy or clear mind

depends how you look at it

These are, as of now, my favorite complaints from my second job, in no particular order.

• Why are you always trying to feed me dog shit? (the food might look bad because it is blended for people who have no teeth, but I am sure it tastes fine)
• Everyday, no matter what time it is, all there is to watch is porn. (The channels are all scrambled because his family does not pay for him to get channels)
• Do you know what my salary is? I have been here over a month and no one has paid me. (Thinking they have a job at the home, rather then live there)
• Are you trying to kill me? (While putting your socks on?)
• Have you been drinking? I am sure you have been drinking. Are you retarded? People like you should not be allowed to work here. (It would take a lot more then that for me to even bat an eyelash)

I can see how this job could be a bit much for some people, it certainly give some clarity to the Grumpy Old Men bit, but I kind of like it.

Sure the pay is terrible, you have to do a few yucky things, and the verbal abuse is on a level of its own. But there is something rewarding in the job, sometimes, the grumpy old people can even be happy.

Icelandic or Death

After 4 days of working 19 hours a day, I am tired. I have one more left then I look forward to 2 days of only 8 hours each.

My second job:

At the job interview I was told it was very important that I speak Icelandic. My boss told me that she was sure I would pick it up much more quickly with this work - she was right.

I work with old people who speak no English! This means I am forced to use my poor broken Icelandic for 6 hours a day. One little old lady even calls herself my Icelandic teacher.

My co-workers are all banned from speaking with me in English. Some of the younger ones try to, but when we are heard we get an earful. Ekki Ensku!

If I do not understand something they start be repeating themselves slowly. If I still do not get it, they rephrase it and continue with that until I understand. Sometimes I get a few hand gestures, but no English.

This makes for one killer headache at the end of each day, but already it is paying off. Today the head nurse told me that I have improved a lot over the last few days.

This is speed learning.

The great news is that at this rate I will be completely fluent by next spring. I will have no choice.

Davíð says to look at the bright side - I am getting paid to learn. Maybe not well paid, but it is something.

Enviromentally Friendly

Up until now I had never work anywhere that cared at all about the environment or made nay sort of effort to reduce the impact they had.

Some examples of this are:

1. Hreint throws everything in the garbage. Everything is disposable and we used a lot of cleaners that were just poured down the sink. They also made no incentive to the companies that they cleaned for to start some recycling.
2. Innes/Selecta are the worst offenders I have ever seen. Everyday, Innes throws out several huge black garbage bags worth of paper. Even the shredded paper goes straight to the garbage. When someone cleaned out an office, it all went in the garbage, papers, books, computers and all. All the promotional food they received would go to the garbage, rather then a food bank or Red Cross. I asked a few people why they could not have, at the very least, a recycling bin for the paper, I was told that costs extra. A company so rich it throws out the Christmas decorations every year, only to replace them the next year, thinks a recycling bin is too expensive.
3. Hótel Reykjavík refused to recycle the empty milk containers. This bothered me because we used so many everyday. Noting else was recycled either.
4. Humpty's, in Canada, throws out plastic 4 liter cartoons of milk everyday. Dozens of them. Bags of paper go straight to the trash.

If these businesses can not recycle, what will make the average person? Any business could make a huge difference. A lot of people think, what difference could I make? If my employer does not even try, why should I?

If Iceland does not start changing its ways it will not be a 'Beautiful place of on touched nature' for long.

But there is good new:

My new employers at Hótel Smári set the standard on how things should be done. I am amazed on the measures taken here to keep the waste down and reduce unnecessary consumption.

Examples:

1. All milk and juice cartoons are cleaned, flattened and recycled.
2. All bottles are collected for recycling.
3. All paper is collected for recycling.
4. Garbage bags are not to be emptied until completely full to reduce plastic garbage.
5. Leftovers from breakfast is kept in reusable plastic containers with lids.
6. All laundry is washed in energy efficient washing machines, then is hung to dry. This is really amazing for a hotel, you should see our drying room. This also increases the life span on the sheets and towels.

I am really impressed and it has lead me to become more active with my own recycling.

Now we have a special plastic box under the sink to keep the paper and milk cartoons, then once or twice a week I put it all in bags, along with the extra newspapers from the building, and walk to the recycling bins. It is not so bad if I go more often, then it does not get so overwhelming or take up space that we just do not have in the apartment.

12 hour shifts

For some reason working 12 hour shifts means, to me, working at a snails pace and getting only 4 hours of work done.

Most of the 4 hours of work will be done in the last 5 hours.

So what do I do the other 7?

The first hour or two is organizing. I am thinking, I will be here for I while so I should set up. I empty out my bag and set up all my papers I will need. I make a pot of coffee, drink it, then make more. I have a snack, then plan my snack for later. Sometimes I spend a while looking for just the right pen to use for the night.

The third and forth hour mostly consist of checking emails, writing and personal projects.

The fifth through seventh or eighth hour I sleep. They have a room for me to nap in, it is good.

The I wake up and get to work. People start checking out, I start invoicing, booking, emailing travel agencies, advertising research online and preparing everything for the next day. I always get everything done in time, but I have all night.

Maybe I just work better after a little nap.

(The best part is that I get paid by the hour,with extra because it is night shift, even when I am sleeping)