My mom has been an Avon representative for 40 years. She received her "recognition" for 40 years of service in 2006. Unfortunately, she could not attend because she was in the hospital at the time.
In 2005, the "powers that be" at Avon decided that the paper orders were too cumbersome and time consuming to process. I can understand that completely, but Avon representatives in their 70s and 80s, like my mom, were put into a difficult position. They had the option of processing their orders through fax or the Internet.
My mom chose fax because she doesn't have a computer and she didn't want to bother me. To use the fax Avon provided some forms (like SAT tests) that had to be "coded" and transmitted. The lines on the form were a yellow color that is difficult to see even for me. Because her eyesight is so bad, she took the forms, and a black marker, and drew a black line over every yellow line on the paper. Since she has never taken a standardized test, (like the SAT) she had no idea that she was "marking" every box when she did that.
The first order that was delivered using the fax order method was huge! She had to sort out the real items and call the manager to get the rest of the items picked up and returned to Avon. The manager looked at her fax forms and found nothing wrong. When the second order came in the same way, my mom asked me to look at it. The problem was obvious but apparently only to me. So she kept using that method and the orders kept coming in with many additional items. At some point, the manager got tired of picking up the boxes and told my mom she had to process the returns herself over the internet.
So my mother called me. I learned the Avon website, and basically put my foot down. No more fax orders! I would process her orders through the internet. Then the returns started. Box after box of items had to be processed one at a time through the EZ-returns page. What is the item number? What campaign was this item ordered? Find it on the list. It's not on the list, what campaign was it really ordered? Specify a reason for the return. Create a "shipment". Create the UPS label, print it and pack up the box. Take it to the UPS store (great place by the way! UPS is wonderful).
Sometime during that process my mom had an accident and spent about five weeks in the hospital. Since the Avon orders are sent in two weeks in advance, she had orders for the next campaign already. So I had to coordinate the delivery of the current order so I could deliver the products to her customers. Send in the next order so her customers wouldn't be left without their gifts or whatever. And basically keep things running while she was away. For two campaigns she did not send in an order, but the manager kept her account active because of the situation and her longevity with the company.
Unfortunately, the returns continue to this day. Now it's not because she is making mistakes, but because customers change their mind or don't like what they order or ordered the wrong size. I'm sure this is all a normal part of dealing with retail merchandising but it's just not an area I'm interested in working in. Alas, I have no choice unless I want to abandon my mom in this quagmire. So at least once a month I have to get on that EZ-returns page and go through the entire process of creating a return and trucking it over to UPS.
The bright side is that UPS is only 2 blocks away, the folks are very nice and my mom is happy. Me? I just whine sometimes but I'll survive.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Monday, January 1, 2007
Lucid Dreaming
This morning I had the most disconcerting dream, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
In my senior year in High School I did my yearly English term paper on Lucid Dreaming. Since I attended a Fundamental Baptist school, my teacher was not impressed. He disapproved so much that he managed to lose my term paper and gave me an “F”. Again, I digress.
A little over a week from now I will be attending the monthly meeting of my Metaphysical discussion group. In the last meeting I volunteered to prepare a discussion on Lucid Dreaming. Having been dreaming lucidly for almost 30 years, I thought it would be simple enough. Now I’m not so sure.
When I was younger I would realize I was dreaming almost every night, the result being that I taught myself to fly in my dreams. I followed the simple steps written in a library book whose exact name is lost in the cobwebbed archives of my mind. It was simple and entertaining; it was also a great escape from the daily stresses of life. Having a bad day? Take a nap and go flying over a beautiful countryside. I even have a place that I’ve “created” in my dreams over the years. It’s a huge valley surrounded by very tall snowcapped mountains. There’s a community of ogres that make the mountains their home and protect the valley just by the fear that their existence generates. The valley is green and full of trees and plant life. There are ponds and creeks throughout; there’s also a wonderfully misty lake in the very center surrounded by the densest forest of the tallest trees. Well, you get the picture! My dream world was much more inviting than the real one and it was totally under my control. As the years have passed, I have more ties to the real world, more reasons to be awake and less time to sleep long enough to dream lucidly.
In a general sense this is a good development, but as preparation for my discussion group, I thought it wise to “practice” so to speak. Having stayed up until midnight last night for the New Year’s Eve countdown and having a free day today, I had the perfect opportunity to sleep late and “awaken” within my dream. It worked perfectly. My dogs woke me at 6:00 A.M., the time I normally wake up in the morning. I let them out and gave them their morning Milkbone (c), a treat they associate with love and world peace (their world, of course). I ate a banana to avoid a drop in sugar level, and went back to sleep.
I found myself visiting a friend; a rather important and close friend, yet one that lives far enough away that I cannot visit regularly. Not to mention that we are no longer seeing each other, that may be another reason we don’t visit. Our daughters were all there, and it wasn’t even his house, but under the circumstances I was happy to be there. Abruptly I realized I was dreaming. When I mentioned it to him, he seemed quite happy about the idea. We sent the girls outside to play; an unusual thing to do since the youngest is 13 and the oldest is 20, but it was my dream. The doors were locked and things were going very well indeed… and then he disappeared. Just *POOF* and he was gone.
No amount of trying on my part brought him back (quite symbolic, by the way). The fact that I was in total dishabille did not keep me from getting up and searching for him. The house was dark and deserted, all the windows shut, curtains drawn and doors locked. No one was outside either. Then suddenly a van full of people pulls up at the front of the house. I head to the back room to get my clothes and there’s another group of them wandering about the house. Interestingly enough being naked didn’t bother me. I was just angry that they had intruded on my dream. A short discussion ensued where I was informed that I was breaking a whole series of rules by controlling my dreams. I was lectured quite seriously on my lack of respect for the hard work that these people had put into creating my real dream, the one I had nonchalantly pushed aside in order to dally with an old lover.
Suddenly in the middle of the lecture, I realized that I hadn’t gone flying in a long time, so I flew out the nearest window (yes, it was now open, dreams are like that!). The leader urged me to watch out for the electrical wires and that was the last I heard from them. After flying around the neighborhood for a while I did try to get to my valley, but I woke up instead. It was almost 11:00 A.M.
The good news is that I was able to dream lucidly again when I attempted it. The bad news is that I still miss my friend more than I thought. The guilt in the dream is easily explained by my 12 years of attended various religions schools.
Now to prepare for the discussion group.
In my senior year in High School I did my yearly English term paper on Lucid Dreaming. Since I attended a Fundamental Baptist school, my teacher was not impressed. He disapproved so much that he managed to lose my term paper and gave me an “F”. Again, I digress.
A little over a week from now I will be attending the monthly meeting of my Metaphysical discussion group. In the last meeting I volunteered to prepare a discussion on Lucid Dreaming. Having been dreaming lucidly for almost 30 years, I thought it would be simple enough. Now I’m not so sure.
When I was younger I would realize I was dreaming almost every night, the result being that I taught myself to fly in my dreams. I followed the simple steps written in a library book whose exact name is lost in the cobwebbed archives of my mind. It was simple and entertaining; it was also a great escape from the daily stresses of life. Having a bad day? Take a nap and go flying over a beautiful countryside. I even have a place that I’ve “created” in my dreams over the years. It’s a huge valley surrounded by very tall snowcapped mountains. There’s a community of ogres that make the mountains their home and protect the valley just by the fear that their existence generates. The valley is green and full of trees and plant life. There are ponds and creeks throughout; there’s also a wonderfully misty lake in the very center surrounded by the densest forest of the tallest trees. Well, you get the picture! My dream world was much more inviting than the real one and it was totally under my control. As the years have passed, I have more ties to the real world, more reasons to be awake and less time to sleep long enough to dream lucidly.
In a general sense this is a good development, but as preparation for my discussion group, I thought it wise to “practice” so to speak. Having stayed up until midnight last night for the New Year’s Eve countdown and having a free day today, I had the perfect opportunity to sleep late and “awaken” within my dream. It worked perfectly. My dogs woke me at 6:00 A.M., the time I normally wake up in the morning. I let them out and gave them their morning Milkbone (c), a treat they associate with love and world peace (their world, of course). I ate a banana to avoid a drop in sugar level, and went back to sleep.
I found myself visiting a friend; a rather important and close friend, yet one that lives far enough away that I cannot visit regularly. Not to mention that we are no longer seeing each other, that may be another reason we don’t visit. Our daughters were all there, and it wasn’t even his house, but under the circumstances I was happy to be there. Abruptly I realized I was dreaming. When I mentioned it to him, he seemed quite happy about the idea. We sent the girls outside to play; an unusual thing to do since the youngest is 13 and the oldest is 20, but it was my dream. The doors were locked and things were going very well indeed… and then he disappeared. Just *POOF* and he was gone.
No amount of trying on my part brought him back (quite symbolic, by the way). The fact that I was in total dishabille did not keep me from getting up and searching for him. The house was dark and deserted, all the windows shut, curtains drawn and doors locked. No one was outside either. Then suddenly a van full of people pulls up at the front of the house. I head to the back room to get my clothes and there’s another group of them wandering about the house. Interestingly enough being naked didn’t bother me. I was just angry that they had intruded on my dream. A short discussion ensued where I was informed that I was breaking a whole series of rules by controlling my dreams. I was lectured quite seriously on my lack of respect for the hard work that these people had put into creating my real dream, the one I had nonchalantly pushed aside in order to dally with an old lover.
Suddenly in the middle of the lecture, I realized that I hadn’t gone flying in a long time, so I flew out the nearest window (yes, it was now open, dreams are like that!). The leader urged me to watch out for the electrical wires and that was the last I heard from them. After flying around the neighborhood for a while I did try to get to my valley, but I woke up instead. It was almost 11:00 A.M.
The good news is that I was able to dream lucidly again when I attempted it. The bad news is that I still miss my friend more than I thought. The guilt in the dream is easily explained by my 12 years of attended various religions schools.
Now to prepare for the discussion group.
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