You thought we were going to pay you for that?

May 21, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Rants, Work)

I need to start this post with the following disclaimer:

**Yes I have a job.  Yes I am happy to still have a full time job that has benefits.  Yes I realize things could be a hell of a lot worse.  Yes I am being a whiner.  But this is my reality to whine about.**

I love my job in the sense that no day is ever the same, I am constantly learning new things and get to deal with a awesome group of people for the most part.

That said, my boss the wanker is a tool and the recent onslaught of cutbacks, pay freezes, etc is enough to make a girl want to just throw in the towel.

A little over a year ago we laid off over 100 people.  As a direct result, my responsibilities increased 50%.  The layoffs occurred right around the time of my annual review.  Needless to say I was not surprised when I was told there would be no pay increase that year.  I sucked it up, enrolled in a couple of University courses and was happy just knowing they would pay me back for that.

Fast forward to two months ago.

We laid off another 35 people.  None in our office as its already a skeleton crew to begin with.  With these new layoffs came job consolidations and some additional new responsibilities.  I was offered a new job, complete with a shiny new title and a whopping amount of additional responsibility.  The kicker?  No money.  Oh, and no more money for school.

There was no option to turn this down.  It was pretty much, “If you can’t do it, we will find someone who will.”  And lets be honest.  I have bills and kids to take care of.  This adult thing sucks monkey balls.

So, I put in the extra hours and worked week ends to get myself up to speed on all the new programs I was responsible for (on top of my already existing job) and thought I had a pretty good hold on everything.  Figured I would suck it up till the new fiscal year and ask for an increase then.  I would have proved I could handle the job and the money sacrifice.

And then the other shoe dropped.  Three weeks ago we found out we had to take a pay cut – 10%.  It’s across the board.  Management and worker bees.

So now, essentially, I am carrying twice the work load since I started four years ago and making just slightly more than when I started.  And I’m pissed.  Frustrated.  Disappointed.  Stressed.

Yes I have a second job but I have that for a reason.  95% of that income goes to pay for WB University costs.

This doesn’t even really have anything to do with money.  It has to do with an overwhelming frustration towards work that I have been carrying around for a couple weeks now.  I dread going in.  Usually have a headache by noon and have been known to come home and bite people’s heads off for absolutely no reason.

I’m just disillusioned and feeling stuck.

6 Comments

No gum for you

January 28, 2009 at 12:32 pm (Stuff, The comedy act that is my life, Work)

I had to go to Dallas at the beginning of the month for a business trip and usually I pack enough gum to last me a month.  Somehow I ran out with a day still left, so I ventured into the gift shop in the Hotel.

As I stood staring at where the gum should be and not seeing it, I finally asked where it was.  The following insanity is what happened.

Me:  Can you tell me where the gum is?

Sales Clerk (SC):  Gum?

Me:  Yes.  Chewing gum.

SC:  We don’t sell gum ma’am.

Me:  What???

SC:  We don’t sell gum ma’am?

Me:  Are you sold out?

SC:  No.  We don’t sell gum ma’am.

Me:  I don’t understand.  I just want chewing gum.  How can you not sell gum?

SC:  We don’t sell gum ma’am.  It’s against the resort’s policy.

Me:  You have a policy on gum?

SC:  Yes, we don’t sell gum ma’am.

Me:  Why??

SC:  Because people spit it out ma’am.

Me:  But I’m not one of those people. 

SC:  We don’t sell gum ma’am.

Me:  Let me get this straight.  I can buy cigarettes, shells for my gun and a beer but I can’t have gum?

SC:  We don’t sell gum ma’am.

Me:  You know what?  Your right.  I can see how my spitting my gum out is far worse than getting drunk, addicted to nicotine and shooting someone. 

SC:  We don’t sell gum ma’am.

Me:  AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

7 Comments

How to….

September 15, 2008 at 10:14 am (Rhino, Work)

get fired in under 5 minutes:

“You know wanker, playing in traffic would be less painful than trying to deal with you on a regular basis.”

No, I didn’t get fired but only because I seem to be stuck here working off some very bad Karma.

piss off your girlfriend in under 30 minutes:

Call me 7 times between 7am and 7:30 am on a Monday morning.  When I don’t answer on the 7th try, leave a snarky message that includes the phrase “I don’t know what your problem is…”

This will be followed up with the following message on your voice mail:

“I don’t have a problem asshole, well, other than you at the moment.  I was busy getting YOUR DAUGHTER ready for school and myself for work.  Seeing as both of us are still on edge from this wknd, lets call it a wash and try this communication thing again tomorrow.”

Things are just peachy up here.  Honest.

7 Comments

The last 24 hours

September 10, 2008 at 11:54 am (Family, Stuff, Wonder Boy, Work)

I was offered a better paying job in our office in NH.

I have slept 1.25 hours.

I wrote a 20 page Economics paper on a topic I’m not 100% up on.  BS for about 10 pages.

Rhino is off to Ottawa even though HE WAS SUPPOSE TO BE HERE TILL THE 15TH.

Ummm, teenage girls?  They are loud, emotional, messy and just a tad bit irrational.  It’s like looking at myself 20+ years ago.

Major shit happening at work.

My dishwasher is leaking and the person who was suppose to fix it LEFT FOR OTTAWA EARLY.

WB is suffering absolutely no pangs about leaving home.  Me?  Still the odd sniffle.

Slammed my arm in the car door.  The Dr at the clinic lectured me on spousal abuse for 30 minutes.

I am beginning to sound more and more like a whiny teenage girl.

Send vodka.

8 Comments

What $15K buys these days

September 5, 2008 at 12:54 pm (Stuff, Wonder Boy, Work)

That’s WB hard at work at University.  Money well spent don’t you think?

Sorry for the absence.  Between moving one out and crying randomly for 3 days; moving one in; first day of school for WG and me; two jobs and budgets due by next week I barely have time to breathe.

7 Comments

Apparently I’m stupid

August 13, 2008 at 8:14 pm (Work)

I had a wonderful post to write about having the opportunity to spend 12 hours with Jen on The Edge, Alison from Party of 3 and their beautiful, delightful families (especially stud muffin Pete and his sharp wit).

Sadly this has been over shadowed by the wanker blatantly waving his belief I am stupid in front of me.

You might remember a couple months back I got the proverbial “pat on the back and screw” during my review.  “We love you, yada, yada but there’s no money.”

Fast forward to yesterday when the only other female in the office had her review and was given the cost of living.  Not a lot, but something.

Not to ditract from her raise – she’s earned it – but so did I.  The only difference?  She has a human manager.

Before you ask how I know – I am the Benefits Administrator, among 25 other things – and need to be told when there’s a salary increase, so we can adjust the LTD premiums.

So, I called the owner of the store in our area who has asked me numerous times to not quit before letting him know and we’re getting together for lunch Monday to talk job and money.  I wanted to wait this out because I do like my job. 

Unfortunately, I can no longer put up with the lack of respect.  Honestly had to go for a walk this morning so I didn’t pack up my desk on the spot and leave.

7 Comments

Young love, ain’t it grand

July 31, 2008 at 9:49 pm (Wonder Boy, Work)

So last Wednesday afternoon I’m slaving away on the Convention floor when my cell starts vibrating.  And vibrating.  And vibrating.  Not really an unusual occurrence as I was in charge of coordinating photography and all IT requests.  But unusual in that it wouldn’t stop.

I checked and I had 5 text messages from WB.  This is odd in that with him at camp, I rarely hear from him.  As I started reading the text’s, my phone started to ring.  My mother.  First thought “He’s hurt.  Someones died.”  I know, I shouldn’t think the worse, but I’m a Mom and 2000km away from her youngin.

Me: What’s up Mom?

Mom:  Something is wrong with WB.  He showed up on my door step an hour ago and says he’s taking the rest of the week off camp.  He says you’ll tell me what’s wrong.

Me:  Well I have a bunch of texts from him that I haven’t read.  Is he bleeding or sick?

Mom:  No.  Just very quiet.

Me:  Give me 10 and I’ll call you back.

So, I read the text messages.  To summarize:  WB and Kelsi broke up.  He was the breaker.  Apparently they had been fighting for the past couple weeks.  The crux of the matter?  Her insecurities and possessiveness.  They both work at the same camp and if she saw him talking to a female counsellor, she grilled him about it.  WB is not a fighter and not a big talker.

The keeper line from all the text msgs though?  “Can you pls tell the females in this family.  I am male and feel no need to rehash my feelings fifteen times over.”  Classic.  WB is the first male on my family’s side in 20 years.

So, I called my Mom.  Told her what the deal was and to leave him to his own devices and not push the issue.  Called my sister who was texting me frantically about WB at this point.  Her response?  “I am sure he is heartsick over this and time will heal.”  He’s 18.  Not 35 being taken for everything he has by a starter wife.  Drama apparently is in the genes.

Then the text msgs from the now ex GF started.  What do you do with those?  We had a semi relationship, nothing concrete.  No girls day out.  In an act of cowardice I told her I was out of town and didn’t know what she was talking about.

Seriously.  I was on my phone for an hour due to my now adult son breaking up with his girlfriend.  I mentioned I had a son right?  Less drama apparently.  Love to see what went on at her house.

So then WB, the break uper calls her to make sure she’s ok.  Then texts me because she hung up on him.  We had to do a session of Break Up 101 on the Convention floor.  How, unless she calls you after you break up with her – stay as far away as humanly possible.  Dude – you BROKE UP with her.

Then I had a glass of wine.

And then….I received pics of him with his new GF.  That would be the blonde in the photos on the previous post.  Boys are easier my ASS.

Honestly….I won’t survive WG and boyfriends.  I won’t.

5 Comments

Stuff Part 3456- subsection a

July 31, 2008 at 2:12 pm (Wonder Boy, Work)

First – the Nude Karaoke involved strippers singing, not regular patrons.  I was all game to go in until the bouncer informed me of the strippers and followed up with: ”Ma’am, this is not a place for a good woman like you.”  Why thank you sir.

Second – Cooter’s is a Duke’s of Hazzard museum on a strip of road in the middle of bum f*ck nowhere.  The only thing beside it was a liquor store (thank god for low priced vodka and yes I smuggled more than I should’ve home) and an Elvis museum.

The bouncer?  He worked at the Coyote Ugly we went to Thursday night and was hilarious.  He looks all mean and scary but throw him a smile, a ”Hey handsome” and he was putty in your hands:)  Helped me up and off the bar more times than i care to admit.

As I am still swimming under a mountain of work from being gone for over a week, I give you a photo montage of WB busy at work.  Depending on how long you’ve been stopping by, you may notice some similarities between this year and last year.  Same tongue out poses, different swim trunks.  My child, he is predictable.

4 Comments

Josie’s Nashville in photos

July 29, 2008 at 8:34 am (Work)

I’ve got bronchitis folks.  Compliments of too much air conditioning and not enough sleep.  Maybe a little partying:)  Here are some of my favourite shots from the trip.

6 Comments

Nashville Day 1

July 20, 2008 at 11:37 pm (Work)

No pics till I get back as I remembered the camera but forgot the USB cord.  And did I mention we were 20 minutes en route to the airport this morning when I realized I didn’t have my passport??  HATE travelling for work.

While so far everyone in Nashville has been wonderful and I found a liquor store on the way from the airport….the heat.  It is 100F at 10:30 CDT at night.  This is not normal.

And it’s just going to get worse.  It’s suppose to hit 110F on Wednesday.  The humidity is worse than Ontario.  It’s next to impossible to breathe.  I realize your blood thins and the body adapts but holy hell, it’s like living in a steam bath.

Another trip to the liquor store is the only way to make it thru.

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