Not really sure where this blog will end up. It has been a little while since I have posted, I know, and the biggest reason for that is everytime I start to think about using the computer, the big block shows up and stops me. I have had alot of trouble with the mind going completely empty and leaving me with feeling like there isn't really anything to write about.

I have been keeping up with others blogs and checking there entries and such, as well as checking on my page and seeing the comments that have been made from time to time. I have kind of fallen into one of those slightly unambitious moods off late, and I think it is related to school/work. Things have been different then normal here lately. One thinkg that has happened and therefore thrown me off kilter is the fact that for the third time I have not passed my comp 2 class. This is a class where the entire thing is the proccess of writing one 2400 word research paper. This time around, I started off good, then I got behind when we had new student orientation and registration and beginning of day student semester (I am a night student and therefore on a different semester schedule). As a result, I fell too far behind to get caught up, but then another student offered help and I restarted the entire paper with 3 weeks left in the class. I got within one week of being able to complete the assignment when it was due, and the teacher has a no late work policy for the final project. It was because of this that I was unable to pass the class, again. I had come to grips with it and got ready to start my next set of classes two weeks later when I was told, 5 hours before classes started, that I was unable to take one of the classes I had signed up for. I also found out, that if I was unable to find another class to take, it would mean loosing part of my pell grant the entirety of my tuition scholarship. It was a stressful monday for me to say the least. The good news is that I was able to find another class and so I am getting back into full swing on my classes again.

In terms of work things have been stressful there for me as well. About a year ago, the school got a new finance director who has been making things interesting around here. The first thing that I am working against, through my boss, is the fact that the salary budget my boss was given is about 1/2 what it was last year. This means if I have any workers work late for any reason, I get fussed at becasue he doesn't have the budget for the overages. The other problem is the finance guy then had my boss trim his budget by another large amount at the beginning of the semester. Amazingly, he was able to, but now he is being told to trim food costs even more. While the majority of this all deals with the school cafeteria and not the coffee house, it still effects me because the finance guy is beginning to say that hours are going to have to be cut, prices raised and menu changed in the coffee house as well. I am not sure how we are going to be able to do that and still be a place where the students are able to hang out and afford to have a snack from time to time.

Before the place where we are located was a coffee house, it was a room with a couple of vending machines, foose ball table and pool table. There was also a tv and some run down couches, like you might find in a waiting room, so not that comfortable. The room was hardly used. Last summer, the school sunk alot of money into it and remodeled it for us to use as a coffee house. They built closets, paid a photographer for some awsomes black and white photos for the walls, got new carpet, tables, chairs, built a tall wide counter with cabinets, installed a sink, three computers and some other small stuff. All in all, the place looks like a really nice place. Last year, in our first year in the new location, our sales tripled in amount. This year we are running a little higher then last year but not much. We make soft pretzels, pizza, nachos and some hot sandwiches to order so that means we have to have a certified food handler on duty anytime we are open. This is where our paid staff comes in. I have received the certifacation last year, s did one other manager that is still here this year. The new finance guy, though, now wants us to go to prepackaged microwavable stuff that the students can do on their own so there doesn't need to be a paid supervisor.

By removing the supervisor position, the non paid workers are going to have no motivation. The two jr managers this year, were both non paid workers last year who worked their way up. If this motivation is taken away, how is a non paid worker going to want to show up and prove that he/she should be "promoted" to a paid position. Also, there is going to be a huge drop in cleanliness. The furniture will get torn up, and nobody will really care, spills will be ignored, product won't be stocked as well. All in all the quality of the room and the atmosphere will drop. I think it will very quickly loose it's fun atmosphere and go back to being a room hardly used by the students. By raising the prices, more money won't be generated because the sales will go down. Don't get me wrong,t he numbers will still look good, but the quantity moved will go down. When my boss came up with the idea of a coffee house on campus, the number one goal was to be a place for the kids to be able to hang out and be able to get snacks at a reasonable price. All the ideas the finance guy has, goes against this.

In answer to the question that was posed in my comment section a few weeks ago by Mark, I attend Saint Louis Christian College. This is a small bible college, about 300 total students, located in Florissant Missouri. This means I am in North Saint Louis County. Close enough to be considered part of Saint Louis, but not actually part of the city. My husband, daughter and I have been here for 3 full years now, moving into our 4th year currently. When we started here, My husband was working on turning his associates degree into a bachelors. Then shortly before his graduation, he came to the determination that he really wanted to teach on the college level. This would require him to get a masters. He is also one who needs to verbally discuss and bounce ideas off somebody before putting it on paper, so I decided that meant I would have to start school and get my degree as well. Asa result, I started the night classes, the same semester he was finishing day classes. I am now 4 classes away from completing my associate, then it will be 2 more years of night classes to get my bachelors. It is just a general degree in Christian ministry, but it should give me enough knowledge to be able to be the support to him I feel I should be.

As I look back, I see how long this post has become, so I am going to end it here for now. Will keep you all up to date with what ends up happening with work/school.