Mystery Lady is a Winner

The mystery lady featured on this blog is usually under cover and does not get a lot of print on her own, but an occurrence recently warrants some band width dedicated to her.

The mystery lady works for an outfit in the greater Cedar Rapids area thats big in retail. She has been there since September 2005 and as of this date has never missed a day of work nor has she been late for work...that includes this winter which has had more than its share of snowy and icy roads.

Every quarter this unnamed retail giant gives out awards...there is the attendance award which she wins every quarter, Spotlight award which is all about stats and some others that are equally shrouded in mystery.

The grand daddy of them all is one they call "All Star"...only one person in the contact center can win that award. With that award come such trappings as additional employee discounts, cash, a field trip to a new store opening, your mug shot placed on the wall of fame and a rock star parking space with your name emblazed thereon.

Her boss called me recently and asked that I come to their awards recognition meeting. She told me this was big and I couldn't let on that I knew about it. I was ushered into the green room where I was hidden out of sight until the time of the award announcement. Well as they say the rest is history....you guessed it ....All Star Award went to Audrey.....I watched as she was paraded to the dais where her knees were visibley shaking as she was given bu ku kudos from one of the suits.

The mystery lady started as a "personal shopper" and along with that duty she is also a mentor, back up Recruiter and back-up front desk receptionist. She was ranked 3rd and 4th MVP and has set a goal to be #1 MVP. she has earned 6 100%s in one month. Additionally she participated in the American Cancer Relay for Life, Project Runway and has volunteered for numerous other projects.

Mystery Lady....All Star and definitely a keeper.

Another Resignation

Billy watches Fox News everyday and almost every hour. He like Fox and Friends and says his favorite is Brian Kilmeade....he has sent Brian emails...but as of this date there are no replies. He has entered their sweepstakes and hopes to win the trip to New York. He has hopes that a Hooter girl will personally deliver some wings to the lung. Actually I think he watches Fox News because of the babes of Fox news.

Recently he made me aware of another resignation which he saw and captured to be shared with his blogees:

Limo to the Airport

We had originally planned to drive the old Jaguar back to Iowa with a stop over in Memphis to visit our good friends, Mike and Niecie. Sometimes the best laid plans take a different turn. During our visit to southern Florida and whilst taking some side trips it was determined that an old football injury would make it an excruciating experience to be 22 plus hours in a motorcar, even a silky smooth Jaguar...and beside that...if we bring the old girl home...then we don't have wheels when we go back...........................so PLAN B was hatched.

Ever try and get a one way flight home from the mainstream carriers on short notice? Short answer is $$$$$$$$. So I looked into Allegiant Air which originates a one way flight from Orlando Sanford to Cedar Rapids ...nonstop...for $89.00 and lo and behold there were seats. Its really not 89.00 because they tack on addition charges for things so mundane as seat assignments, ordering online, checking baggage, ya da ya da.....Here is a copy and paste from the confirmation: AIRFARE:
$165.58
FEDERAL TAXES: $12.42
SEGMENT FEES: $7.00
PFC: $4.00
911 SECURITY: $5.00
CONVENIENCE FEE: $19.00
PREPAID BAGS: $15.00
MISCELLANEOUS: $15.00
TOTAL: $243.00
PAID: $243.00 M

Now how to get to Orlando from Tampa..about 125 miles and 2 plus hours. Tony Orlando to the rescue! That's not his real name...but his first name is Anthony and he lives in Orlando...so Tony Orlando works. Tony is a professional driver...having driven over the road coast to coast in 18 Wheelers and currently drives a coach for a mickey mouse outfit in Orlando. Tony made a career in the US Navy and cruised the world on an aircraft carrier and told us about that part of his life and the initiation that occurs when you cross the equator......but thats another blog. Tony can spin one hand clockwise while spinning the other counterclockwise....try it and let me know if you can do it.

We imagined some sort of stretch towncar with the morning paper and a mug of coffee....well his 2000 Ford Ranger did have a stretch cargo bed which I convinced the mystery lady would be here seat on the trip to Orlando at 5:00 am. I thought the vehicle had 23,800 miles on the clock, but a closer look revealed 238,332 miles. An even closer look revealed a small jump seat behind passenger seat for the mystery lady...her hairdo would not be ruffled. Tony says his mom rode back there from Orlando to Miami without a complaint....so it was off to the races.

Tony knew the best routes to get us to our plane safely and on time. Who needs thoses stuffy old towncars anyway. Thanks Tony for a job well done.