It's my life...and it just keeps getting better...
We had catastrophic system failure yesterday morning. Unfortunately, this happened 30 minutes before we were scheduled to receive 70 calls. I wasn't able to bring the system back up in time to get those calls. Well, the last time this happened, we were told to call a certain company. The 800 number is prominently posted on the white board at the front of the room. So that's what I did. Well, apparently that wasn't the right thing to do. To make things worse, I forgot to call the owner and tell him what was going on. I wanted to get the problem fixed, and then report in. That's not the way he wants things done. According to him, I just lost him $20,000. If you ask me, that's a load of hooey. He says that every call is worth $250. We haven't been getting as many calls as we're scheduled for, and even if we did, not every person who calls registers. And, not every person who registers attends the workshop. And, not every person who attends the workshop buys the software, which is (I think) where he came up with the $250 price tag for each call. So his $20k figure is bunk, if you ask me. But, he was really angry about not getting those calls, and he wanted me fired as a result. Or, if the manager didn't want to fire me, he wanted her to suspend me for a week without pay. She talked to me for almost an hour before I left, getting all of the details of what had happened, and the steps I'd taken to correct the problem. She told me that she was going to have to give me a written warning for not following the correct procedure, but that she didn't think anything else would happen. She's overriding the owner, because she can't afford to fire me or give me a week off. We're just too shorthanded. There's no one else to cover my shift. Not exactly a comforting thought. If I get sick, who can I find to cover for me? The problem is that each shift is supposed to have a supervisor present. Well, we only have three supervisors and an ops manager. The manager and one supervisor (her sister) typically work 8-5 only. They cover other shifts if they absolutely have to. I am assigned to third shift. The other supervisor works 12-7pm. So there is a gap during second shift from 7-11pm where there is no supervisor present. We tried to rectify this situation by suggesting that Jim be promoted to second shift supervisor. The owner didn't think that was such a great idea. The manager may be overriding that one too. Even so, we'd still be short on supervisors. We've got four new people starting Monday, one of them worked here several months ago. I think we're going to promote her to weekend supervisor after she's gone through a short probation/training period. That will help a little. I hope we get some more people in here, this constant overtime is getting old. Seems like all I do is eat, sleep, work, repeat. Sometimes I don't even eat. I've been skipping meals quite a bit lately, mostly because I sleep through them. That may also be part of the reason I've lost 14 pounds in the past 6 weeks! It's a good thing, but confusing because I'm not exercising any more than I was. I guess the meds had a larger affect on me than I thought. (I didn't start losing weight until after I stopped taking the meds.) Whatever the reason, I hope I keep dropping the pounds. :)

Well, as Amanda Kay says, I've said my say for today, so I'll be signing off now...

Mi Vida Loca
Mood:  cheeky
(singing) Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh, Agony, Misery, Woe!

Ok, maybe it's not quite THAT bad, but I'm definitely not happy. On the bright side, just thinking about my favorite musical has cheered me up. "The giant's a woman!" "This is ridiculous, what am I doing here, I'm in the wrong story!"

Talked to my mom today. According to her, I still have Christmas presents to open at her house. I guess the dog chewed a corner out of one of the boxes and ate the M&Ms that were inside. Stupid dog. Oh well, that just means I can't eat them and get fat. My sister has strep throat. She's STILL not done moving. She's been at it for over three weeks now. Granted, she's been sick, but good grief.

Well, that's all I have to say for now, so I'll be signing off...toodles!

OK, now I'm pissed...
Mood:  don't ask
Guess what? The creepy guy is coming back to work. Tomorrow. And, yes, I have to work with him. He fed the manager some tale about how he had called in to ask for his schedule and I WOULDN'T GIVE IT TO HIM!!! That is complete and total BUNK!!! Well, she put him on the schedule, saying she really does need the help. Oh, and it gets better. If the three of us (The Creep, Jim, and I) can't get along and keep our "luggage" out of work, we'll get written up. I'm very, very, very pissed off. In fact, I think LIVID would be a better term. The thing that gets me is even though I just spent 10 minutes on the phone with the manager, letting her know that he'd lied to her, she's still going to let him work. Nothing I say matters, I guess. Apparently, everybody can do as they please. Well, everybody but Jim and me. The managerially challenged owner has decreed that I can't work second shift anymore. Apparently, I'm the only one capable of bringing the system back up after the power goes out, which it does a couple times a month. And he's denied Jim's promotion to supervisor, for no apparent reason. The manager says she may override him, but I don't really see that happening. I feel like I'm stuck between the proverbial rock and the hard place. I hate what goes on here, the day-to-day absurdity of it all. But I like my job. I like getting paid to read mystery novels, and sit on my rapidly pancaking ass. I don't know what to do, or even what to think. I'm rapidly getting to a stage where I should probably be on medication. Oh, I haven't mentioned that, have I? I went off of my meds. I can't get them for free anymore, I can't afford to buy them, and I don't qualify for any state supported programs because I make too much money, and I don't have a kid. Funny how I'm being punished for being moral. Why do single mothers and illegal aliens get all the breaks? So, I guess I'll just have to do without. Or, I could quit my job. (yeah, right) I've been "drugless" for over a month now. I haven't had much trouble, so I wonder if I really needed them in the first place. Am I really bipolar? I don't have any way of knowing. I don't trust either of the shrinks I saw, so their opinion doesn't count. How do they expect me to live in our society without insurance? I don't understand this country....I'm gonna quit now, I've got myself worked up into a near-frenzy, and I need to calm down. (Taking deep breaths) My internal jukebox is going nuts, it's almost schizophrenic. Never thought I'd hear John Mellencamp and Patsy Cline at the same time, but hey, anything can happen in this wacko brain of mine. (Crazyyyy, R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A., I'm crazy for feelin', R.O.C.K. IN THE U.S.A., so lonelyyyyy...) Crazy is about right. Well, I'm not supposed to be on the internet while we're expecting calls, so I'm gonna log off now...

Mood:  not sure
I haven't felt like posting much lately. The problem is that when the mood strikes, I'm usually not able to post, as our home computer is in the shop HAVING ITS HARD DRIVE WIPED!!! Rotten spyware. So, the only access I have to the internet is here at work. Well, I suppose I could go to the library, but I'm too paranoid about people looking over my shoulder. Anyway, I don't really have anything to say, so I'll sign off for now...

Sheesh...
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: Daughters, by John Mayer
I read an entire book tonight. Took me roughly four hours to read 240 pages. Talk about a boring shift! I've been here since 5 and had 14 calls. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with myself for the next 90 minutes, as I have no more book to read (and nothing new in blogland either). Was cruising through the GOArch site trying to find some material that would help me explain the practice of fasting to Jim, but I'm really not in the mood for research.

In other news...the creepy guy at work got fired (YAY!) only to be replaced by frequent visits by a resident who is rapidly climbing on the creepy scale. His name is Juan Jose Garcia, and he likes to tell me everything that's going on in his life. He even brought me some pictures of his family to look at. The guy sat and talked my ear off (with an unintelligible accent, I can't understand half of what he says) for TWO HOURS last night. Tonight, I shooed him off after half an hour, told him I was going to read my book. :) (Well, at least I was telling the truth.)He's offered me a backrub, and asked for my phone number. I told him I didn't think my FIANCE' would appreciate that very much. He had the gall to say "Well, you aren't married yet..." He was telling me about how much he's going to get back on his tax return this year, and said he was thinking about buying a computer. He asked what kind I thought he should buy. I told him "Dude, get a Dell!" Ok, so that isn't EXACTLY what I said, but you get the drift... Anyway, I was too nice to him. During the two hours he was talking my ear off, I was going onto the Dell site and helping him pick out a computer and accessories. I also got him thinking about taking a couple of classes at the college, to learn how to USE his new computer (and hopefully meet a girl). Now he won't leave me alone! That's what I get for being nice, I guess...

He just stopped in and gave me this little plush dog that wolf whistles when you press his belly! What am I going to do when Jim gets here in a few minutes!!!....

More Wisdom from Jim
Mood:  chatty
"We're out of shape" he says. No, this is not an indication of physical fitness. He is, instead, referring to the fact that neither one of us managed to eat as many crab legs as we used to. I only had one plateful, and it was rather modest. I'm not sure how much he ate. Of course, I was determined not to gorge myself like I usually do, as I am currently fighting the (seemingly)neverending battle of the bulge. So, as a result, I was able to stay awake during the hour-long trip home. I usually make it about 20 miles, then fall asleep.

Mood:  hungry
I'm soooo bored. I'm sitting here at work, all by my onesies. I get a call once in a while, usually 2-4 per hour. I'm here for an eight hour shift, but I don't get any breaks, and no lunch. Now, that doesn't mean that I don't have any downtime, I can log off long enough to use the restroom if I have to, but that's about it. I was under the impression that when I was ready to take a break, I could call Freddie (the owner), and he'd log on and cover for me. Well, I don't have his phone number. It WAS on the white board, but someone erased it. Ruddy bastards. It's raining. Makes pretty lights on the window pane. I bet it's cold, but I don't care...

Oh, the naivete'
Mood:  spacey
Ok, so I'm not exactly keeping up with this. Poor Amanda hasn't had anything to read for DAYS!!! :) Here's what's happening: There's this guy that Jim and I work with, I won't mention his name. He, unfortunately, knows Jim from before. Apparently, Jim dated his soon-to-be-ex-wife. Well, the guy is a real creep. He sat next to me night before last and was feeding me all of these lies about things that Jim had done. Of course, once the seed is planted, it's hard to squelch the doubt. So, upon my arrival at home the next morning, I immediately talked to Jim about what the guy had said. I was reassured that my Jimmy would never behave in such a manner, intoxicated or no. He told me that he had known that something like this would happen sooner or later, and that he had warned our boss about it. Oh, btw, the guy also THREATENED Jim, saying that the two of them would probably engage in "fisticuffs" sooner or later, and that he wasn't afraid of going back to jail for it. When I told Jim what he'd said, he went straight for the phone and called our boss, to ask her to fire the guy. I guess she'd told Jim when she hired the guy that if we had any problems with him, she'd let him go. Well, she said she'd talk with him. However, I heard today that she was too creeped out to talk to him. Bells! Whistles! Lights! Sirens! If you can't even talk to someone, you surely shouldn't keep them as an employee, don't you think? Oh, and it gets better: LAST night, he sat next to one of the other girls, and now SHE'S complaining about him too. She said that he was asking her questions, and he got way too personal. I'm supposed to ask our boss to call her in the a.m. I hope he is asked to leave as a result. It would put us in a little bit of a bind as far as HR goes, but in the long run, we're better off without him. He sat at my computer during the day today...ugh. Makes me want to go get a Lysol wipe. Maybe I will.....

Jim-ism
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him jump over the fence." Right, what he said.

We put two rifles on layaway today, both Ruger M77s, his is a 30-06, and mine is a 243. Yes, you read that right, I'm buying a gun. It's kind of a strange thing, I've never owned a gun before. And what's really strange is that Jim had his picked out before we even got to the store, but I looked around, and ended up with a smaller version of his! They look almost exactly the same, the same diamond pattern on the stock, yadda yadda. The main difference is that mine is the "youth" model, the regular one is too big for my short arms. So now Jim is all excited because we bought new guns (we've decided that they're going to be our V-day gifts. Not very romantic, but I don't mind.) which means we get to ACCESSORIZE! Honestly, he's downright giddy. Worse than me going shoe shopping. We have to pick out scopes, and slings, and a bore snake, and maybe even cases. I wish I'd known what I was getting myself into... :)

And the award for most easily stressed individual goes to...
Now Playing: Somewhere Only We Know
Well, after much thought and discussion, I've decided not to audition. The timing just isn't right. Next year is a no-go too, can't combine pre-show and pre-wedding jitters, the mix would be lethal. So, maybe the year after that. Who knows. My life may be completely different by then. I doubt it, but it could happen.

(singing)Oh simple thing...where have you gone....