(no subject)
On Friday, I got fired from my job for doing something rather stupid. It's a bit embarrassing, so I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that it was one of those things where you know you should know better but you just did it anyway and later wished you'd not done it, or done it differently.
So, point of the story is that I am now jobless for the first time in five years. Not really sure what to do- I've never really had that hard of a time getting a job, so long as I was able to get an interview, though the job market is pretty crappy and I know interviews are hard to come by when no one has the moola to hire.
In a way, it's a blessing in disguise. I was never going to leave the security of a job that gave me hella benefits and a decent paycheck. I was making $10.10 an hour, getting at least 30 hours a week, plus I had insurance (that I couldn't afford to use), and sick/vacation time. But I dreaded going in to work every day. I hated it from the minute I clocked in and counted the rest of the minutes until I could clock out. For all my talk of trying to pick up hours for more money, half the time I couldn't bring myself to stay late or come in on my days off because I hated the place so much. That place has a way of making you feel like a nothing that accomplishes nothing. I would work my ass off trying to clean my department up, get shit organised and looking nice and shoppable but the next day it would look as if I never did any work at all, and I would have even more work to do. I felt unappreciated, any time I tried to make changes or request things, I would be bullshitted and never saw anything happen. I would complain that certain processes took too long and would offer adjustments that would make things smoother and more efficient but I would be ignored and told that the processes in place had to be followed, but as soon as I would be replaced in that department and the next person came in complaining, the changes would slowly start to take affect. Things moved so friggin inefficiently there- things were either done in the slowest possible process or repeatedly with half the result. Even with the sick and vacation time I had to use, I would go out of my way to not call in sick because of all the work I knew needed done in my departments.
The sick/vacation time is supposed to come back to me since I'd earned it before my termination. I called the HR phone number and spoke to one of the reps who said that the manager at my store is supposed to file my benefits with my final pay. Now, I don't know for certain that I'm eligible- the HR person pulled up my acct and said I should be eligible, but I don't know for sure that she knew exactly why I was terminated, which might affect my eligibility. I've heard it both ways- one friend says I shouldn't get it because I was fired and you only get it if you quit, and another friend says I should get it just like my final paycheck because I'd earned it and it was inethical for them to withhold it. I did call the store and talked to an asst. manager (who acted nice, though I'm sure she's pissed at me, so I don't know if I should believe her or not) and she said she'd put the paperwork and a note about the sick/vacation time on the store manager's desk and that manager would be in on Thursday. I know that if it was coming with my last paycheck, they'd have already filed it (it would have been due with the payroll report on Sunday morning), so I'm figuring if I get it, it won't be for at least another week.
If I get the sick/vacation pay, from my calculations it should come to a bit more than a thousand bucks. I had 106 vacation hours to use, at $10.10 an hour, plus I had other sick hours, but they don't put that figure on my check stub so I used to have to ask the managers how many I had left- I know I still had a handful of them (I'm thinking at least 20), so that money would definitely take care of bills, rent, and christmas for a while.
I keep praying for it.
Since July, I'd been putting $16 of my check every week towards a "Flexible Spending Acct". How it worked was that I would pick how much "flexible money" I wanted to set aside to use (tax-free) towards "medical expenses" (e.g. copayments, prescriptions, x-rays, otc meds, etc.). I'd picked $850 for the year, which came to about $16 a week. Supposedly, they put the whole $850 on this debit card for me to use, but they never sent it to the right address. I went through hell trying to get them to change my address and get a new card. By the time I was fired, I still didn't have a card and still hadn't used a cent of what I'd put into the account. I called to try to either get the card with the money I'd already paid but they said even if they did send me one now, the card would be unusable since I was terminated. THOUGH, I was welcome to submit claims for reimbursment for medical expenses for up to 90 days. Which would be nice, but I wasn't going around incuring medical expenses because i didn't have the MONEY to, because I was so busy paying for the insurance and depositing the money onto the card with the intention of using THAT for medical expenses.
So, moral of THAT story is that because I didn't (couldn't) use the money before the account was "closed due to termination", the money is gone with no way of getting it back. I guess that was my donation to that company- I'm never doing THAT again.
In the end, I'm too embarrassed to tell my mom about getting fired. I know the lecture she's going to give me, and I don't really need it. I know I need to be responsible and get a job so Matt doesn't have to support me but I've been lazy the past few days. He's encouraged me to take it easy and take a short break, but I know we can't afford that for long. It was hard enough with both our paychecks and I know it will be harder with just the smaller one.
The Census group is hiring again for their temporary jobs of community canvassing. I've heard they pay pretty decent- $12-14 for just door to door canvsassing. I don't know why they would choose to do it in the winter (and I sure as hell don't want to freeze my ass off out there) but it's better pay than I was getting before, it's exersize, and it's a job. I have to come back to the library tomorrow for some assessment test and to set up an interview for it. I also applied at a couple of banks, and thinking about a few other places too.
It just sucks right now because my tires are nearly gone- when I got my last oil chance, they wanted to make sure I knew that the legal tread minimum was, like, 3/32 of an inch (I think?) and I was at 2/32 of an inch. It's been a few months since then (time for an oil change too), so I know my tires are crappier. I felt it the other day in the rain when I was turning and felt them lose grip a little and I wasn't even turning that fast. I'm scared to see what they'll do in the snow- they weren't very good last year either, and I bought them used then for $60/all 4. (good deal, right? Makes you wonder how "good" they were when I got them). Also, the tire rods needed replaced two years ago when I received the vehicle. They need replaced even more now. I'm not even going to go into the other stuff (muffler is GONE, barometric sensor going in and out, completely missing driver's door handle) but I just want it drivable.
In other news, the upside of losing my job is that I think things with the boyfriend have improved just a little. When he lost his job, I stood by him and supported him and let him know he was free to take it easy as long as he didn't sit around all the time (believe me, I had him doing chores :) ) and he's given me the same courtesy. Also, since I'm home more, I have more energy in the evening, wink wink. Energy was the biggest problem before- on my days off, he'd come home tired and vice versa. Also, I made sure he knew that since I'd gotten fired, my self esteem was going to suffer a little and that he could help by being a little extra sweet and he has. :)
For Thanksgiving, I have a big long list of all the things that need done before everyone comes over. I don't know how much will get done, but that place is going to look good by then if I don't have a job by then. :)
Lastly, Star Trek, Up, GI Joe, Ugly Truth, and Paranormal Activity are all great.
Star Trek's great special effects make you wish you'd seen it in the theatre (or on a big screen tv). I love the roles, and love old!Nemoy <3 It has definitely given me a new appreciation for the old show, which I watched maybe 1 or 2 episodes of.
GI Joe was better than I expected. I loved Marlon Wayans, loved the accelerator suits, and loved the Shadow and Snake Eyes guys. I know a lot of die hard fans had complaints about how it didn't follow the cartoon as much, but I wouldn't know about that because I never watched the cartoon. For an action flick, I thought it was pretty derned good.
Up Was adorable. Love Doug. Loved Alpha's original voice. The movie itself was quite sad, though, and kind of depressing throughout.
Ugly Truth was pretty predictable, though I found it unbelievable that he said the L-word first and without hardly any pressure :P
Paranormal Activity was slow-moving at the beginning. You wait and wait for things to happen, and it start slow. They try to play it off as if it were based on true events but the only "true event" I've been able to find related to the movie was that the director once saw a box of detergent in his home fall from a shelf on its own. That's it. The movie itself was alright once it picked up- with the thought that it's real or could be real made it freaky, (not to mention the messed up ending), but it's not really that scary.
So, point of the story is that I am now jobless for the first time in five years. Not really sure what to do- I've never really had that hard of a time getting a job, so long as I was able to get an interview, though the job market is pretty crappy and I know interviews are hard to come by when no one has the moola to hire.
In a way, it's a blessing in disguise. I was never going to leave the security of a job that gave me hella benefits and a decent paycheck. I was making $10.10 an hour, getting at least 30 hours a week, plus I had insurance (that I couldn't afford to use), and sick/vacation time. But I dreaded going in to work every day. I hated it from the minute I clocked in and counted the rest of the minutes until I could clock out. For all my talk of trying to pick up hours for more money, half the time I couldn't bring myself to stay late or come in on my days off because I hated the place so much. That place has a way of making you feel like a nothing that accomplishes nothing. I would work my ass off trying to clean my department up, get shit organised and looking nice and shoppable but the next day it would look as if I never did any work at all, and I would have even more work to do. I felt unappreciated, any time I tried to make changes or request things, I would be bullshitted and never saw anything happen. I would complain that certain processes took too long and would offer adjustments that would make things smoother and more efficient but I would be ignored and told that the processes in place had to be followed, but as soon as I would be replaced in that department and the next person came in complaining, the changes would slowly start to take affect. Things moved so friggin inefficiently there- things were either done in the slowest possible process or repeatedly with half the result. Even with the sick and vacation time I had to use, I would go out of my way to not call in sick because of all the work I knew needed done in my departments.
The sick/vacation time is supposed to come back to me since I'd earned it before my termination. I called the HR phone number and spoke to one of the reps who said that the manager at my store is supposed to file my benefits with my final pay. Now, I don't know for certain that I'm eligible- the HR person pulled up my acct and said I should be eligible, but I don't know for sure that she knew exactly why I was terminated, which might affect my eligibility. I've heard it both ways- one friend says I shouldn't get it because I was fired and you only get it if you quit, and another friend says I should get it just like my final paycheck because I'd earned it and it was inethical for them to withhold it. I did call the store and talked to an asst. manager (who acted nice, though I'm sure she's pissed at me, so I don't know if I should believe her or not) and she said she'd put the paperwork and a note about the sick/vacation time on the store manager's desk and that manager would be in on Thursday. I know that if it was coming with my last paycheck, they'd have already filed it (it would have been due with the payroll report on Sunday morning), so I'm figuring if I get it, it won't be for at least another week.
If I get the sick/vacation pay, from my calculations it should come to a bit more than a thousand bucks. I had 106 vacation hours to use, at $10.10 an hour, plus I had other sick hours, but they don't put that figure on my check stub so I used to have to ask the managers how many I had left- I know I still had a handful of them (I'm thinking at least 20), so that money would definitely take care of bills, rent, and christmas for a while.
I keep praying for it.
Since July, I'd been putting $16 of my check every week towards a "Flexible Spending Acct". How it worked was that I would pick how much "flexible money" I wanted to set aside to use (tax-free) towards "medical expenses" (e.g. copayments, prescriptions, x-rays, otc meds, etc.). I'd picked $850 for the year, which came to about $16 a week. Supposedly, they put the whole $850 on this debit card for me to use, but they never sent it to the right address. I went through hell trying to get them to change my address and get a new card. By the time I was fired, I still didn't have a card and still hadn't used a cent of what I'd put into the account. I called to try to either get the card with the money I'd already paid but they said even if they did send me one now, the card would be unusable since I was terminated. THOUGH, I was welcome to submit claims for reimbursment for medical expenses for up to 90 days. Which would be nice, but I wasn't going around incuring medical expenses because i didn't have the MONEY to, because I was so busy paying for the insurance and depositing the money onto the card with the intention of using THAT for medical expenses.
So, moral of THAT story is that because I didn't (couldn't) use the money before the account was "closed due to termination", the money is gone with no way of getting it back. I guess that was my donation to that company- I'm never doing THAT again.
In the end, I'm too embarrassed to tell my mom about getting fired. I know the lecture she's going to give me, and I don't really need it. I know I need to be responsible and get a job so Matt doesn't have to support me but I've been lazy the past few days. He's encouraged me to take it easy and take a short break, but I know we can't afford that for long. It was hard enough with both our paychecks and I know it will be harder with just the smaller one.
The Census group is hiring again for their temporary jobs of community canvassing. I've heard they pay pretty decent- $12-14 for just door to door canvsassing. I don't know why they would choose to do it in the winter (and I sure as hell don't want to freeze my ass off out there) but it's better pay than I was getting before, it's exersize, and it's a job. I have to come back to the library tomorrow for some assessment test and to set up an interview for it. I also applied at a couple of banks, and thinking about a few other places too.
It just sucks right now because my tires are nearly gone- when I got my last oil chance, they wanted to make sure I knew that the legal tread minimum was, like, 3/32 of an inch (I think?) and I was at 2/32 of an inch. It's been a few months since then (time for an oil change too), so I know my tires are crappier. I felt it the other day in the rain when I was turning and felt them lose grip a little and I wasn't even turning that fast. I'm scared to see what they'll do in the snow- they weren't very good last year either, and I bought them used then for $60/all 4. (good deal, right? Makes you wonder how "good" they were when I got them). Also, the tire rods needed replaced two years ago when I received the vehicle. They need replaced even more now. I'm not even going to go into the other stuff (muffler is GONE, barometric sensor going in and out, completely missing driver's door handle) but I just want it drivable.
In other news, the upside of losing my job is that I think things with the boyfriend have improved just a little. When he lost his job, I stood by him and supported him and let him know he was free to take it easy as long as he didn't sit around all the time (believe me, I had him doing chores :) ) and he's given me the same courtesy. Also, since I'm home more, I have more energy in the evening, wink wink. Energy was the biggest problem before- on my days off, he'd come home tired and vice versa. Also, I made sure he knew that since I'd gotten fired, my self esteem was going to suffer a little and that he could help by being a little extra sweet and he has. :)
For Thanksgiving, I have a big long list of all the things that need done before everyone comes over. I don't know how much will get done, but that place is going to look good by then if I don't have a job by then. :)
Lastly, Star Trek, Up, GI Joe, Ugly Truth, and Paranormal Activity are all great.
Star Trek's great special effects make you wish you'd seen it in the theatre (or on a big screen tv). I love the roles, and love old!Nemoy <3 It has definitely given me a new appreciation for the old show, which I watched maybe 1 or 2 episodes of.
GI Joe was better than I expected. I loved Marlon Wayans, loved the accelerator suits, and loved the Shadow and Snake Eyes guys. I know a lot of die hard fans had complaints about how it didn't follow the cartoon as much, but I wouldn't know about that because I never watched the cartoon. For an action flick, I thought it was pretty derned good.
Up Was adorable. Love Doug. Loved Alpha's original voice. The movie itself was quite sad, though, and kind of depressing throughout.
Ugly Truth was pretty predictable, though I found it unbelievable that he said the L-word first and without hardly any pressure :P
Paranormal Activity was slow-moving at the beginning. You wait and wait for things to happen, and it start slow. They try to play it off as if it were based on true events but the only "true event" I've been able to find related to the movie was that the director once saw a box of detergent in his home fall from a shelf on its own. That's it. The movie itself was alright once it picked up- with the thought that it's real or could be real made it freaky, (not to mention the messed up ending), but it's not really that scary.