Hi, my name is Claire…

Voyant! I was enjoying the view from the deck Friday evening before work. The thought crossed my mind; I wonder what I should do in the event of an earthquake. Hmmm…better look into that. Went inside, took a quick shower and headed into the office.

All was going well that evening, had a wonderful lunch of fried chicken, rice, and a noodle dish. Yummy yummy. Oh and let’s not forget the ultra yellow, more flavor that I have ever had banana.

And then, the first tremor hit. Just a slight earthquake but enough to make us move and sway on the 7th floor. Pardon my French, but oh shit. So we all chat about it for a while, and I inquire about what I should do if a strong earthquake hits. They all give me tips ranging from praying to climb under a table. Good ideas, but I think to myself, the table scenario is good on the ground floor, but what good will it do me if the building starts crumbling and I am on the 24th floor? A few hours later, the second tremor hit with a little more force. The sliding doors used for a separating wall in the conference room really move. Crap. Now I think to myself, I’ll just go up to the condo when I get home, grab a comforter and head back to the lobby and sleep on the couch there. No way am I headed up to the 24th floor for the day! A 3rd tremor hit but I didn’t feel that one. Good thing.

The final answer for where I should go if a biggie comes is the stairwell; feel free to email me back if any of you engineers have a better idea.

The real question I’m trying to answer is why I thought about the emergency plan that evening and then the earthquakes happened? I’m ready to open my own 900-number to read minds…. stage name Miss Clair Voyant. (Clairvoyance get it?

The small business sales representatives are really coming together as sales people and as a team. I interviewed 11 of them for positions as sales assistants. Have chosen 3 for the first phase, and now must put together a training schedule.

Some of the team is so funny; Novid is our Filipino Corey. He is willing to sell anything and even if he doesn’t know all the details, he comes up with something to say. The first week I arrived, he was selling the Smart Compliance First Aid Kit. He told a customer, “Listen, I don’t know a lot about the product, I can tell you what’s inside the kit, but basically, it’s like having your own medical clinic in a cabinet!”

Mandrake is Joe Cool. Actually his nickname is Magic. Dresses hip, modern glasses, and hair like something I can’t describe. I will ask him if I can take a photo one of these days. At any rate, he is a jokester and can gain the attention of all of them with stories. On Friday he walked around without any shoes on and complained that the maid hadn’t come through and vacuumed very well. I happen to have a sample of “Vetrap” at my desk that I got at the Canton Fair. “Vetrap” is a sticky adhesive bandage used in animal health. Instead of using a piece of gauze and tape to cover an animal’s wound, you just use this stuff and it sticks to itself, while protecting the wound. So I said to Mandrake, “Hey, I have a solution for you, why don’t you put some of this around our foot and it will pick up the dirt?” He says, “No, no.” So I proceed to take my sandal off, put it on my foot and show him how well it works. I say, “it’s magic, Magic!” Got some good laughs with that comment; just what we needed at 4 in the morning.

Have had a good weekend. Figured out how to post photos on my blog, went shopping for some condo items in preparation for Michelle’s (co-worker from AMMEX,) arrival tonight, and read some emails from home. The “best in class,” email received came from Amy…and if I may indulge you in her writing…here’s an excerpt.

“…Willzebub sent out an email Tuesday afternoon with information…that was contrary to what had been said…in meetings. I fired back an email noting this and clarifying that we really had nothing to do. He came to my room, looked sheepish (good move on his part,) said that the devil is in the details and that that morning he was the devil, I agreed but pointed out…He took it (my comments,) and we might just be able to find a way to work with each other. When I have treated him politely, he responded as though I were stupid. When I treated him as though he were the annoying neighbor boy, he responds as though we are peers. Hmmmmm. Kim Clark thinks I intimidate him. Hmmmm. I don’t know about that, but I will continue to conduct my sociological experiment on him. Treat well, in return get treated poorly. Treat like a mosquito, in return get treated as an equal.

And one final item Thought you might want to see what my cohabitants look like. I didn’t scream when I found him. Luckily for Michelle, I pulled the shower curtain down in her bathroom to test the hot water and saw him. Got a plastic food container and flicked him into it with the lid. Put it on tight and suffocated him. Felt bad, but stayed strong and killed it. Gross.