Photos of Christmas Past IV

Here is yours truly. No date, but I'm guessing it's around 1963.
Look at that flockin' tree. Goodness, so much tinsel!

My Education class at HACC ended on Monday with the final exam. 50 multiple choice questions, open book and note. I had a solid "A" going into it, can't imagine that my grade would change, tho' there were a few questions that seemed to have more than one correct answer. When I turned in the test, the professor handed back my last two chapter reviews (well, really more like responses to what was in the text, rather than a review) and he said that he would miss reading them because I always had something interesting to say. Well, duh, I'm twice as old as most of the class. Of course I've got more to say! But I was very flattered and I could feel my face get pink.

The Call Center's Peak season is ending. Taking calls continues to be a challenge because we are out of so many things. The duffle bags and rolling luggage are backordered until March 20. I'm suggesting to people to go ahead and order for the summer or upcoming birthdays. About half are doing it. Because the parent company has other catalogs, we sometimes get calls for those, which is another challenge because we don't get product training for those things. (We do have copies of all the catalogs.)

On Tuesday a Call Center friend and I were on break, talking about how bored we were with this job, but how the hours were so good for us mommies, and that we would just have to stick it out for the remaining years of our kids' high school careers.

At the beginning of Peak we were told that the Vice President of our catalog would be listing to random calls. She'd be listening for a list of criteria that we all should be using with each call, and awarding gift certificates to those associates who met that criteria. Interesting tidbit: she listens to the calls on the way to and from work in her car.

An hour later on Tuesday I was called into the Director's office with my supervisor Dan, his manager Pat and then his manager Dianne. There was another sales associate and then yet another woman who I didn't know. I can see three gift certificates on the Director's desk. I'm thinking, omigosh, the VP heard one of my calls and it was good. Director Tammy went on to confirm that the other sales associate had been heard and was awarded a certificate. I'm thinking that the unknown woman and I are getting the other two.

Then Tammy scoops up the two gift certificates and tells me that the VP had heard several of my calls. That Jill knows who I am (from previous annual corporate visits to our Center) and she was very impressed with how I handle my calls. And thought that I deserved TWO gift certificates.

Well, you could've knocked me over with a feather. I had to use them to fan my hot face.