"O, The Joy!"

I have a fairly full schedule for today.  It is, of Course, Pay Day which comes with its normal chores and errands to be accomplished.  Then I have the 'privilege' of going in a couple of hours early to sit down with our Field Consultant so he can teach me how to do something I already know how to do.  In the corporate structure of 7-Eleven, Field Consultants are like district managers who supervise a group of stores (both corporate and/or franchise) who then report to their Market Manager.  A Market Manager oversees a group of Field Consultants in a specific market.  For example, Fort Worth has two markets.  One for the East Side of Town and one for the West.  Dallas has several markets as it is the larger of the two cities that make up the DFW Metroplex.  

Our Field Consultant is one of those ambitious types who wants to be a Market Manager.  As a consequence, he is all about the company line, promoting both the 7-Eleven brand and the products we carry in the store.  In theory his job is to insure compliance with franchise guidelines, promote sales along with good customer service and push corporate proprietary products.  In reality, his job is to justify his existence by making us look bad so he can look good as he 'corrects' our deficiencies.  He is good at his job, but he is pretty much a dick about it.  It would not be a stretch of the imagination to say he is not my favorite person. 

What our time today is supposed to accomplish is to teach me how to manage one category of products we carry in our store and to fill me to overflowing with corporate propaganda and rah rah BS.  I already know how to manage a category of products, which is basically projecting sales, ordering the appropriate level of inventory, introduce new products and discontinue slow sellers and/or dead products.  To say I am looking forward to this time of instruction is like saying I am looking forward to having a railroad spike pounded into my ear.  By the end of my shift I will need either a couple of margaritas or a doobie the size of Dallas, maybe both!  C'est la Vie or Que Sera Sera.  Whatever, I am sure I will survive the experience but I don't have to like it.

For the next couple of days, the Musical Moment, both here and on my tumblr, will focus on the music of Antonio Vivaldi.  Vivaldi is most famous for his Four Seasons Violin Concerti along with a great number of other compositions for various groupings of String Instruments.  However, Vivaldi also composed some excellent Music for the Woodwind section of the orchestra which is where we will be focusing.  Today's Musical Moment features Volume 1 of Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerti as recorded by L'Aura Soave Cremona conducted by Diego Cantalupi and featuring Sergio Azzolini as the Bassoon Soloist.  You can hear Volume 2 over on my tumblr.

This is Thursday, so the art of the male form is all about dynamite dudes in denim in this week's edition of Men in Jeans on display below the play list.  There is also the Hottie of the Day! for your visual appreciation over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sharing a part of your day with me, see you again on the morrow.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!