Sleep Study, Ornament, Letters of Recommendation

Sorry I haven't updated in two days. The Internet's been off, and for this or that reason, I haven't found myself near the library.

Well, I didn't manage to make the sleep study. It turns out that the lab is in Waterloo. I hadn't thought this might be the case, because they have the same area code as us, and because the learning difficulty reevaluation place was specified as being located in another city, whereas this wasn't. I didn't learn about this until pretty late, and they want 48 hours notice for cancellations. I'm not wholly sure I had 48 hours when I made the appointment. Anyway, they're fining us $100 for the missed appointment.

I managed to blow another $20... These people from, I dunno, I think it was DARE or something... which is an organization to help people avoid involvement with gangs and drugs and stuff... managed to get me to buy a Christmas ornament, wherein the money I paid would be put toward their organization. I'm a real sucker... Everyone else blew straight past them...

Haha, when I saw their table set up inside Value Village, I could tell they were a charity organization, and I kinda tried to dash around the corner before they could beckon for me, but the woman kind of shouted after me, like "Hey you, come here!" and I kinda responded to that...

...Not my proudest moment. Anyway, y'know, first they don't tell you they're selling anything... They just want a moment of your time to hear about their charity... And then they don't straight-up try to sell you anything... And by then you feel guilty for wasting their time that they could have put toward attempting other sales... Haha, the woman who took the lead was pretty pro, though. She narrowed down who I'd be shopping for, and then she went onto her recommended product, which she explained every feature of, which situations each feature would be useful for, why the product should be appealing, and then told me that it had been marked down to almost half price.

It's a good organization, and what I got turned out to be pretty nice and went over well with my family. It was probably a pretty good decision, and the person who managed the sale was good at what she did, so she kind of deserved her victory.

Nonetheless, I can't help but feel that my decision was based on the skill of that saleswoman, and my own weakness. So that's a little disappointing.

Nonetheless, after I bought it, I ran into them a few more times and they were very enthusiastic to engage in conversation with me, and attempted no further sale. I felt quite appreciated, and as if I had genuinely done a good thing.

And they looked like rookies. The lead girl had talent, but they were all young, and the two guys she was with were attempting sales while she spoke with me, and they weren't doing so well. It was these two that mainly showed their appreciation afterward.

Anyway, what I got is a basic ornament... A statue of Santa and a sentient teddy bear dressing a Christmas tree. It has lights on it, which can flash, and can be accompanied by music if desired. The music has eight Christmas songs, and sounds like a music box.

Anyway, I blew $120 from my impoverished family in one day.

We also had counseling that day. It went well, but something... unfortunate was said, and I can't quite live it down, and nobody in my family is interested in pursuing the topic, and I can't go around talking to others about what was said in a private session...

Granddad and Oma came over today. They were visiting friends in Guelph. Oma is my step-grandmother. "Oma" is the Dutch term for "Grandmother", and I refer to her as such in respect to her heritage.

They bought me shoes, socks, and gloves, and then we went out to eat at a restaurant. So it was quite a nice visit.

I also now have two of my three letters of recommendation. I really like them. I'm debating the ethics of posting them to this blog. Since they are letters meant to be read by a wide and unknown variety of people, I don't think they'd be considered unsafe to be turned public, but on the other hand, I did say I wanted them for education and employment purposes... and you guys aren't that. Sooooo.... I'd still be kinda breaking my word... But I think I'm the only person that would think so hard on it...

I'll let that sit for now, until I get my third letter, at least. Maybe if I didn't reveal their identities?

Mom and crew missed ANOTHER week! They have two weeks left. They're done, unless they step it up within the next week, in my opinion. I think the potential amount they could have sold has been cut down at this point. We're in the thick of Christmas shopping, now. I think they can still ride the tail of this wave and hit another boom before it's over, but they've missed a good chunk of what this season has to offer.