The Lifecycle of a Bowling Shoe

We had a team outing today at the bowling alley. As I waited in line to get my shoes, I watched the lady behind the desk spray/disinfect the inside of each shoe on the counter (probably around 50). This observation got me thinking...what is the typical life of a bowling shoe? (See, although I work in HR now I am still a Supply Chain nerd) As far as shoes go, bowling shoes really have it pretty easy. Yes, they get wear and tear, but they are in a controlled environment and not exposed to the elements. On the other hand, their life is fairly boring, as they engage in repetitive actions daily with no real excitement (except when it is $3 pitcher night I'm guessing). They are also used every/every other day, unlike the shoes in my closet that have to compete with 50 of their closest friends. Taking these things into consideration, I would estimate that an average bowling shoe lasts between 2 and 2.5 years. I now must create a way to measure my hypothesis....any suggestions?

Long time, no blog

So, I just noticed that neither Tim or I have blogged in 2 weeks! To break that drought, I am going to talk about my ongoing battle trying to find a paint match for our interior paint. Our house is in good condition, but there are some spots that I would like to touch up, and of course there is no record of the paint color the builders used. Who knew there were so many shades of white? I went to Home Depot 3 times today, and we even had to cut a piece out of our wall to take down for them to "match". When I am there, it matches the sample, but when we use it at home, it still doesn't match, and I am soooooo annoyed. I think we might be getting a full paint sometime in the near future...=)

Are you sure that's a man?

So, I just got back from Mindy's fabulous bachelorette party in San Diego. The weekend was full of the typical festivities, friends, girl talk, pillow fights, drinking, dinner, games, spa, and of course, a trip to a drag show...yes, you heard me right. We went to see a drag/dinner show and it was so much fun! My only question is, does anyone think it is weird that I want the body of a drag queen?

Good Article on Wine

With Sandy and I getting more into wine over the past year or so, I have really made an effort to try and read up as much as I can about it. If you have any interest in learning more, there is a good article here on the 11 most common questions for two wine experts (and their answers) - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123516947573436527.html#articleTabs%3Darticle.

Bye Bye Supply Chain

So, as I am sure some of you saw on my facebook, I have accepted a new position in my company. I am leaving the world of supply chain and venturing into the world of HR. HR you might ask? Yes, at first I thought the same thing. No offense to anyone in HR, but I have to admit I was fairly ignorant to what HR entailed...I thought it was simply hiring, firing, employee relations, etc...and although those are part of HR, there is so much more, so much analytical stuff that makes nerds like me drool! My new boss (and his boss) both have supply chain backgrounds, and they sold it to me as supply chain with people, not products =) I have to say that I am very excited. A bit scared, but I welcome the challenge. My new title is HR Process Leader, and essentially I will be a process engineer and a project manager, which means I will have a TON of work and responsibility and lots of deadlines. Until I start, I have a bunch of transition work to do as they look for my replacement. I must say, I feel validated that they are replacing me, as we haven't replaced the last two people that left our team =) Anyway, I really feel that this is a good move career wise and I am really looking forward to the opportunity. I might go back to Supply Chain at some point in my future as it is something I enjoy, but until then, I am going to strive to become a HR Queen!

The Dregs of Consumerism - Mall Kiosks

Sandy and I went to a nearby mall yesterday and the occasion served well to remind me of what I most dislike about shopping malls - the kiosk businesses. The funny thing about these kiosks is that I have never met any other people who like them. Moreover, I don't know anyone who purchases things from them.

Their business model is hilarious - pick an extremely useless product or service, staff the kiosk with pushy 18-25 year old people, have these employees interrupt, yell, and beckon at people as they walk by in an attempt to convince them to buy the product, repeat. I would even argue that the advent and onslaught of kiosk businesses in American shopping malls is directly correlated to the downfall of large-size shopping malls and their overall enjoyment. More kiosks = more crappy products = less people going to malls = more large businesses bailing from malls = malls go bankrupt or cater to low brow customers.

This brings me to my favorite part about kiosks - the different products they offer! I have seen the following types of products offered:

• Sunglasses


• Chia pets


• Homes


• Lotions / skin care products


• Vacations


• Time shares


• Strange hair accessories


• Wigs / hair extensions


• Crappy jewelry / fake bling


• Watch repair


• Wannabe bonsai plants


• Tourist clothing


• Fudge


• Candy


• Coffee


• Custom engraving


• Water massage tables / massage chairs


• Mini remote control helicopters


• Hair threading

That's right - hair threading. Have you ever heard of this? Sandy and I have passed this one particular kiosk several times where there are two chairs and two employees who hold strings and use them on people's faces. Sandy speculated that they were weaving people's eyebrows, but further research by me has found that they are practicing hair threading or epilation. Hair threading is the process of using strings to trim body hair, first originating in ancient Iran. In other words, these kiosks sell the service of having teenagers use strings to trim your eyebrows - and people were buying it!

I can only fret to think of what the future holds for mall kiosks...

A Haiku Ode to Excel Shortcuts

Workplace deadlines loom

Quick F9 and CTRL+S

booya! Silent boss.