Halloween Memories

Nate:
When I was a kid the towns in our area would each host trick-or-treating on a different night of halloween week. Each night my parents would drive us around to whichever town was having it's trick-or-treat night and we would fill a pillow case with candy. By the end of halloween week we had enough candy to last us until Easter, the next big candy holiday. By the time Easter came around I would be down to the dregs - butterscotch and tootsie rolls, but at least it was candy.


Ashley:
We didn't celebrate Halloween and not once growing up did I go trick-or-treating. To this day I have not been trick-or-treating. The day after Halloween we would walk through the neighborhood and pick up the candy that had fallen out of the other kids bags. Usually this consisted of Laffy Taffys, Now and Laters, and if we were lucky a miniature candy bar - a snickers maybe that had fallen in the shade and had not been melted by the sun yet. I would walk around with the front of my shirt turned up to make a little pocket and would use that to hold the candy. We tried to get out there pretty early the next morning before the candy on the sidewalks got stepped on.

Home Life

It's been just over a week that my tenure at Centex Homes came to an end. I thought that I would be sad or nostalgic when I left, but I found that I really wasn't. I said goodbye to my coworkers, emptied out my office, boxed up my files and sent them down with people to the Inland Empire office, shut down my computer for the last time and walked out the door, leaving the Master the Moment sign fluttering behind me.

Since then, I've been enjoying home life. We've decided that I won't be returning to work for the time being, so I've thrown all my efforts into housewifing. I love it.

This morning I dreamed that I watched Pulp Fiction in Starbucks with Jason Helms and then gave a gospel presentation to a woman on a dude ranch while my sister gave me pointers on how to effectively evangelize the lost. When I woke up and thought back over the dream, I was happy that I could accurately tell the story of redemption in my subconscious.

I'm on my way out the door for a walk, then I'll be coming home and doing some house cleaning, making some dinner, maybe visiting some friends. I really love that the most pressing thing on my mind right now is that I need to go price comparison shopping for all natural face cleansers. A few weeks ago I was under the gun to get budgets corrected, presidents reports issued, sales release reports run, get the paperwork in place to pay the light fixture company the $40,000 that we owed them. I remember one day checking my emails, then turning to talk to a coworker. We talked for 6 minutes and in that 6 minutes I got 8 new emails - all asking for something that had to be done "right now." Maybe in time I'll miss that, but I'm thinking it will take awhile.

Camping Video

On JCrew

I find myself being particularly drawn to JCrew. One day I spent some time trying to determine the reason for this and have decided that along with my enthusiastic adoration of their classic styles, that it's really their marketing that keeps me hooked. I noticed this when one day as I was perusing their shoe selections I came across some ballet flats. The color: Roasted Pumpkin. I felt my heart jump up. What a wonderful color! In that moment I was fully convinced that I wanted to walk around in Roasted Pumpkins, and that $138 for a pair of them was a reasonable price for the joy that they would bring me.

As I continued to look I saw different items with colors like Windsor Blue, Randolph Stripe, Leaf, Hartsdale Gingham, Craymore Tartan, Rivington, Riveira, Lime Zest. Sign me up. With names like that who can resist? I could walk the streets of Cambridge in a double-cloth boulevard coat, color whipering pine and feel like I belong there. I decided that these distinguished yet imaginative names created images in my mind of crisp autums in an established town - traditional and educated. And I found that very appealing. So brown herringbone driving caps off to you, JCrew. You know your audience.

Expected Response: "Yes, Sensei."

So I got into work this morning and noticed that the front conference room was decked out. There was a banner hanging on the window that faces out into the lobby reading, "Master the Moment" and the conference room tables were filled with note pads, colorful noise makers, and there was a purple orchid plant at each seat. A table in the lobby was covered with a table cloth and bottles of water. I knew that a catered breakfast would be here soon. I passed all this by thinking, "Must be a sales team meeting." They're always doing big flashy meetings to get all our sales agents excited and "power housed" up to go out and try to sell an item that is not selling these days - new homes.

About half way through the morning our marketing director sent out a division wide email letting us know that there was a martial arts themed sales event going on. A campaign called "Master the Moment." Ok. We get these emails all the time, asking for the support of fellow employees and letting us know that it's not for lack of creativity on the part of sales and marketing that our homes aren't moving. I read on: "We will be holding a belt ceremony this morning during our sales meeting. As with any martial arts belt ceremony, we would like to award each of you with your beginner white wrist belt. Upon receipt of this band, remember that you are committing to the challenge with your whole mind, body and spirit...Please be prepared to come to the front of the room to receive your first wrist belt, bow to your awarding sensei...and proceed back to your seats or desk. You will be asked:

DO YOU COMMIT TO MASTER THE MOMENT?

Expected Response: "Yes, Sensei."

I realized that this was not isolated to the sales team, this was something that I was expected to do. I have often felt that I am a part of my own little "The Office" episodes, but never so much as today. My first thought: "Who put Dwight in charge of organizing the sales meetings?"

So what did I do? I hid in the Design Center until the ceremony was over and then, head down, crept back to my desk, quickly and quietly. Past the flashy banners, the table filled with half empty pastry boxes, and a conference room filled with motivated sales people who were applauding while watching a power point presentation their white bracelets bobbing on their wrists and their hearts committed to Mastering the Moment.

UPDATE: (1:30 PM)
Had a manditory meeting in the same room being used for the sales meeting. On an easel supported Post It white board were the words, "Unique Ideas to Build Rapport," a remnant of an earlier team building exercise. On the page were the following suggestions of what to say to potential buyers:
"What do you like about your Lexus? I'm thinking about buying one."
"Your two kids look exactly alike! Are they twins?" and,
"You smell wonderful! What fragrance are you wearing?"

The sales manager is currently wearing a white martial arts uniform with her high heels and has a shot glass on a string around her neck.

The meeting ended with several people yelling, "Sake!!"

UPDATE: (3:08 PM)
Sales meeting is finally over. They hung the Master the Moment banner on the cubical walls that are directly outside my office. The sign has been autographed by the entire sales team, one of whom dotted her "i" with a heart and another who finished her name off with an exclamation point. As in, My name is Ashley Murray! and I work at the best place on earth.