The Promotion: It felt like reality TV

One thing about me that a lot of people don't know is that I don't like to stay in one particular job for a long time. I find that when I get bored at what I do, I look for other work that isn't as boring.

I work for eBay, and I have been with the company since January of 2007. That is a long time for me to work for a company. The longest job I ever held was with Marriott and that was from 2002 - 2007, just under 5 years. I didn't have the same position all 5 years though. I moved from job to job within the company. I never felt content. I ended up getting laid off from that job.

I have been a trainer at eBay for the past 2 years. Before that, I was an Account Manager for 6 months. I have enjoyed being a trainer, and have stuck with it. As I learned more about what my job as a trainer really was, I realized that I had different abilities that I never knew I had. Like leadership skills, and project management skills. I decided that I needed to look for something higher.

I want to become a Project Manager at eBay, and most Project Managers are supervisors first. So 2 weeks ago I applied to be a Supervisor. It has been a rollercoaster for sure!

The interview process began on Monday. I had a formal 30 minute interview with my current (and future) boss. It was pretty stressfull because of how formal it all was. I was used to a different type of setting for communicating with my boss. I now wanted to be seen as a potential leader and not as a supporter alone. The questions were tough, but I think I did ok. Only 7 out of the 10 people applying made it through this round. I did, thankfully.

The second round of the process was on Tuesday. Each candidate had a 30 minute interview with all of the current supervisors. All in the same room. 7 supervisors, one Genevieve. They fired question after question at me and tested to see how well I fielded the answers in a setting like that. I think I did ok, but it was really hard to tell. 7 supervisors asking me if I would handle an escalation over a crying rep? Yikes. I made it through this round, and so did every other applicant.

The last round was yesterday. We had a quick 10 minute formal interview with the Manager again and then we were given a task. The formal interview asked us which of the current supervisors we work the best with. That was easy. I told him who I thought I was the most like and then he asked me who I was the most unlike. Yikes. I told him who I believed I could get to know better, and he then assigned me my project. He said "Now, go and create a huddle as if you were the person you just told me you are different from."

A huddle is a quick team meeting that is facilited by a supervisor and usually has a 1-2 page guide that the supervisor reads from to help keep the meeting on task. I had never created a huddle, but figured since I've been a trainer for two years I would do ok. I was given exactly 1 hour to get the job done and send it back to my manager.

I pushed myself and got it done. Barely. I emailed it back to the manager right on the minute it was due. Phew.

So now the waiting game begins. I spoke to one of my really good friends at work who is also a trainer, and who is also applying for the same position. We both agreed that no matter who gets it, they will know how hard everyone worked through the interview process. It will be exciting to find out who got the job. There are two positions available and 7 applicants total. I have a 2 in 7 chance of getting the job... and the competition is pretty stiff. This whole experience has felt like a tv show contest. I hope I come out on top - I will let you know!

Wish me luck...

Blog Topic Idea Fail

One of the biggest reasons I struggle with blogging is because I will sometimes struggle with coming up with a good topic to write about. I wanted to blog every day, but yesterday didn't have much to say. That is ok. My brother and I discussed whether or not it's a good thing to try and blog everyday, and both agreed that it is not.

I would rather read a blog that was based on events rather than forced ideas. I tend to lean on the forced ideas because my life is not always very eventful. I thought this morning about events in my life lately and realized I have some I can blog about. Maybe my life seems boring to me, but daily life stuff is what I usually like to read in blogs. I need to keep that in mind.

eFusjon: Pyramid Scheme or not?

I live in Utah. In my opinion, we are a gullible people. My older brother once joined a pyramid scheme where he had to pay $500.00 to "buy in" to the company and get a stake in the ground. He pushed my dad and a few other family members to join with him and also pay $500.00. It was scary for me because I had never seen my brother so motivated by something like money and business. It didn't seem like him at all. He pushed me, but I told him that he was more important to me than $500.00. Eventually, he let the pyramid company fade from his life... but it always left me wary of what a pyramid scheme can do to someone's personality and emotions.

I figured that if I was going to be blogging about pyramid schemes, I should do some research. I looked up a basic definition of a pyramid scheme, and this is what I found.

A successful pyramid scheme combines a fake yet seemingly credible business with a simple-to-understand yet sophisticated-sounding money-making formula which is used for profit. The essential idea is that the mark, Mr. X, makes only one payment. To start earning, Mr. X has to recruit others like him who will also make one payment each. Mr. X gets paid out of receipts from those new recruits. They then go on to recruit others. As each new recruit makes a payment, Mr. X gets a cut. He is thus promised exponential benefits as the "business" expands.

Some network or multi-level marketing businesses, which sell real products and rely on the price differentials between the manufacturer's dispatch ramp and the retail counter, may verge on the borderline between "smart" and "scam". When a pyramid does involve a real product, such as Holiday Magic cosmetics in the United States in the 1970s, new "dealers" who've paid enrolling fees are encouraged, in addition to selling their products, to become "managers" and recruit more new "dealers" who will also pay enrolling fees. As the number of layers of the pyramid increases, new recruits find it harder and harder to sell the product because there are so many competing salespeople. Those near or at the top of the pyramid make a lot of money on their percentage of the enrolling fees and on commissions for the supplied products, but those at the bottom are left with inventories of products they can't sell.

This sounds to me like the new energy drink company "eFusjon". I have recently taken to learning more about this company purely out of odd curiosity. I am amazed at how someone who becomes involved in this program can change into someone that they normally are not.

I listen to the videos on the eFusjon corporate YouTube channel and shake my head in disbelief. These people will deny that they are a pyramid scheme until they are blue in the face. How can you deny you are a pyramid scheme when your "compensation plan" looks like this?

I really hope someone who sells eFusjon comes in and tries to grab me. I am so prepared with knowledge about their scheme that I will be able to fight their blind stupidity with vigor and vim!

The Broken Yolk Cafe

One of my most favorite restaurants in the world is the Broken Yolk Cafe, located in Pacific Beach (San Diego) California. I first heard about it when I worked in La Jolla over the summer of 2006. I was an Evening Program Director for Camp La Jolla. My roommate Barb told me about it and said I should visit.


I went there and ordered the California Breakfast Burrito. This burrito is amazing because it has all of my favorite things in it. Hash browns, eggs, avocado, bacon and cheese. The burrito is huge. It is about the length of my forearm. I gnawed on it for about 3 hours after we left (the burrito, not my forearm.)

The drinks there are also gigantic. They don't have to refill your glass once. That is the best part, because then the wait staff doesn't keep bugging you. If you need a refill, they are right there.

I enjoy the layout of the restaurant because of the outside dining area on top. On sunny days you can see all over Pacific beach and into La Jolla/San Diego. I love sitting up there because of the views.
One of my favorite teeshirts is my gray Broken Yolk shirt, and I got it the last time we were in California. If you're ever there, you should totally visit!

Peppermint Tea

My husband is fantastic. I feel like a leper today. I have been sick with this cold for 4 days now and I woke up coughing and sniffing and generally just not happy. My husband made me a cup of peppermint tea and now he is making me a breakfast of steak, eggs and hash browns. The hash browns have onions in them, but that is ok, I will still eat them.

The peppermint tea is my favorite because it doesn't make me sick like peppermint hot cocoa does. It tastes just like peppermint hot cocoa but without the nausea afterwards. So awesome. I may bring home an entire box of peppermint tea tomorrow.

I will now share with you some cool pictures of peppermint tea that I found:
You're Welcome.

Toddlers and Tiaras

I am watching this Toddlers and Tiaras show on TLC. It makes me feel uncomfortable. These little girls are dressed up like adult women. I hear that the movie Little Miss Sunshine is about this sort of thing. I am afraid to watch it.


I'm not really sure what I will do when I have kids. I don't think I would enter a boy in a pageant. If I had a girl, I don't know what I would do. I can imagine that parents do it to live vicariously through their kids. I think pageants are good for confidence, but only for a certain age group. My cousin did pageants when she was a teenager, and she did a fantastic job. It wasn't weird, it was cool.

I just don't feel it's good for little girls to dress like that. Makeup and tans? Sheesh. I guess if you want to give your daughter a 'leg up' in life you can do it, but it just seems unfair to other girls who live life as a child normally.

Everytime I watch this show, I tell myself I will not put my daughter through this. It's just sad how much money and time and energy these mothers put into these pageants. There are probably more important things people can focus on.

Updates and a little sick

I haven't blogged for awhile, mostly because when you have like 10 blogs you get overwhelmed and don't know which one to update. I decided on this one because it works for me. I had a couple of other ones, like the blog I created for our wedding. This is the one I guess.

I have been sick the past couple of days. On Thursday, my brother got his wisdom teeth pulled and so I spent the day taking care of him. I had been feeling kind of congestedish all day, but figured it was allergies. I woke up on Friday and I was totally congested, couldn't really breathe, and had the headache of a lifetime. I have been letting this cold ride for the past few days. I am hoping it goes away soon. It's not as bad as it could be, I guess.

Arthur had to work today, blah. I am greatful he is working, that is good... it is just boring being here all day. Mike isn't even here, he is with his new girlfriend at her aunt's house babysitting. When he gets back maybe we can play some Wii.

I will try to blog more, and try to get some cool pictures up here. I do enjoy some good pictures in a blog. I have found that I'm more of a blog reader than a blog writer. I enjoy looking into other people's lives in a non-creepy way. :) Hopefully I become better at writing.

I just got a new laptop with the bonus I was awarded at work in July. I had been sitting on the money trying to decide what I want. I ended up buying a stupid desktop computer which was a piece of junk. We returned it to Best Buy and they took it back, no questions. It was a really great experience. I ended up getting an HP laptop, and I love it. The screen is extremely small, 13.3 inches... but it is really fast, really light and it does everything I need it to do. I can hook it up to my other monitor at home and I get the dual monitors I love. :) It is a good laptop and I can blog in bed.