Job Interview Tomorrow

Everyone please think happy thoughts for me at 5:30pm Central Daylight Time tomorrow. I have the interview with the potential hopeful new job. Unless I completely lose my shit it should go well.

After the crap day work was today, I need a job that is better and not awful. I labeled it reason #189 why I don't want to work at my current job anymore--the culture of backstabbing and spying and faction mentality where you have to be working against somebody else or you ain't working. It was bad, there were blow ups. I honestly can't spend a summer working there. I need to get out and the sooner the better.

After a Break

Okay, so I have been kind of busy at work and either tired or spending time with people rather then the computer after/in between work. So I have a little bit neglected the blog. I also have only had two days off in all of the month of March, and my next day off is April 8th. Yeah, so there is that. I was kind of horrified when I discovered that at work. Although, I brought it on myself, and I have actually been doing a lot more stuff with people and out and about then I did when I had more free time. I can't really explain that, but I have been enjoying myself. Plus, it looks like I will be making $500+ a month more at the two jobs then I was with the Pier 1 job. This is good.

I have an office at work. I share it with someone else, but I have a key. There are not a lot of real offices at my job, mostly just a big open room. The CFO has an office off that, so does the general manager and the production manager has a big office/art/screen filing room that she shares with the night production manager and her assistants. The boss has his own office off the conference room, and accounting has an office. My shared office. I felt very important when I got to use my key to open it the other day.

I have also been a little totally lazy on the running, but Sara Jo may start going with me. She is supposed to come over on Monday and run with me.

Oh the running

Well, I do think that I get some points for running in a wee bit of wetness and a much colder temp then ever before, but it was way less fun. I did it though, and I will do it again-wouldn't want to ruin 'my girlish figure' with a giant attack of the office ass.

New job started today, so I have my own phone and my own half of an office. It made me feel much more important. I also got a raise (one whole dollar more an hour) which was great and kind of crappy because Renee (my roommate who they promoted when I started working there) now gets less money then me for a job that is at least as demanding and difficult. Somehow no one ever bothered to raise her pay grade to match her effort. I did tell her that she should have talked to someone about it when we both got the same paycheck, but she isn't entirely sure who her immediate supervisor it. Fortunately for me, my immediate supervisor is very clear, and she is in charge of payroll.

The new job seems like it should be easy enough in the bare bones sort of way. I am sure that there will be complications and confusing questions, but you know there is with everything.

Plus they took my computer apart and stuck more ram in it today, and I get a big kick out of watching that happen--even when I mostly have no idea what the heck is happening.

Day 13

Of thirteen straight days of work at one job or another. Two of those days I had five hour shifts only, and two of those days (including tonight) included both jobs (giving me a 14 hour day with commuting). Tonight after work (part two) I have a big going away bash for my friend Kristy and her husband Mike which I wouldn't miss for anything. Then I might die.

Actually, it hasn't been too terribly bad. I mean I have had bouts of the tired, and nights of being in bed before ten, but I have also had late nights out. I have even gone places and done things not related to work (jobs 1 or 2). Plus, this isn't as exhausting as the nannying/pier 1 from the summer. There are no toddlers involved and no dirty diapers either. Plus one job involves lots of sitting, so I am not even running around all that much.

The bash tonight may be another story entirely. It will probably kick my ass, and I should probably do some celebrating on Saturday because I am freaking Irish in Chicago for pete's sake. So, maybe I will die on Sunday. Sunday night. After work part two.

Okay, part of me is tempted to leave Pier One, but the money is kind of awesome with two jobs. I could use me some making enough money to start paying things off instead of just floating in debt and fighting off interest. I could use making enough money to afford to go home a little more often, and to afford to go visit friends and have vacations and trips and feel like a vital member of society instead of urban poor. And I only have short shifts at Pier One, and short weekends shouldn't kill me. I can ask for some of them off in advance if I want. No one would hold it against me. I wouldn't be in trouble or get less hours--I hardly get hours there at all, and I help to bolster their very few all the time sales associates. I am going to give it a real test drive before I decide to up and quit. At least that is the plan this week. (I know I know I sound more like I am convincing myself then convincing you, but so what).

Promotion

That's right. I got a promotion after four days at my new job. Really it is more like an adoption. The accouting department likes me, and I am smart enough to figure out the little tasks they give me, and the junior half of accounting is being promoted to purchasing leaving a hole. They decided that they would love me to fill the hole, if I was interested, and they actually asked me if it was anything that I would be interested in, which was nice. It is however hilarious to me, especially when I really thought that I was about to be busted for possibly leaving the door unlocked when I left yesterday (although I am pretty sure that I did lock it, just not 100% positive). No, not busted, promoted, and they wanted to tell me before I heard rumblings of hiring a new receptionist.

They did say that I shouldn't expect to be a receptionist for very long, and I guess five days is not very long. Although I will be a receptionist until they find a replacement. If anyone here in Chicago is looking for a new gig, it is a fun office and an easy sort of job that still keeps you busy all day.

Yeah, now I get to go to my other job which I may have to leave for good when I actually have the promotion go through.

So much to blog, so little time

Thanks for all the wishes on the new job, so far so good. I seem to be liked and appreciated already, and the people I work with aren't too shabby themselves.

Second job/old job has me all weekend which is kind of exhausting. The sweet little high schooler who works there thought something was wrong with me today because I seemed so 'mellow' which is apparently a drastic change from my usual hyperactive psychosis, or something. I found that cute. I was mellow though. I am kind of tired, and it translates to mellow. I did however have a customer that reminded me of an old crush. He sounded exactly like the crush and had a similar energy, and then he was one of those fun customers that make working retail better. He was funny and joked/flirted with me just a little bit (the exact amount that would be acceptable/appropriate for the wedding band on his finger) in a non-creepy way, and I kind of had a little mini-crush on him before I helped him check out where I saw that he had a big fancy badge in his wallet and a DC ID. At this point I got a little excited in my head and hoped he was a G-man or CIA or something, but when I helped him put his furniture in his car (which had DC plates and was very shiny and black and imposing for a sedan--totally a G-man car) I saw some of his gear (lights for flashing and making cop car like stuff) as well as a packet of ATF labeled stuff. He was ATF which was kind of exciting for me today. Him with his tough talking cop-ness. It was a fun part of the day. It left me just a little bit tickled.

Yesterday on the other hand was a whole different thing. I had what turned out to be the weirdest bus ride ever (not to be believed but Anna Schlegs was there with me, so I didn't make it up in my head). More on that later. Before that Angie, Sara and I were stuck in a mini-traffic jam on a one-way street because someone fell asleep in their car in the middle of a side street, but since it was one-way and there was parking on both sides, no one could drive past them, and there were five cars, stuck. My favorite part is that the driver of the car who started this mess was 'asleep' which is the best euphemism ever for strung out on some drugs. Sara Jo got out of the car and started to call 311 (the non-emergency number) to see if they could send us a squad car, but then the driver finally 'woke-up' and we got the hell out of there.

The bus ride was its own adventure. Guess which of the following things we saw: two transvestites, a flasher, a two-part car accident involving the jaws of life, and drunk frat type people. If you guessed all of the above, you are correct! There were two separate trannys on the bus. Actually, it is possible that one of them really was a woman, possible but unlikely. And in the flasher's defense, he did not actually flash us, but he was wearing a big long coat (in the first warm weather in months) and kept his hands way, way inside it and kept walking back and forth past our seat in the aisle of the bus. We were almost flashed. We drove through the two part accident. Literally through it. No one was rerouting traffic, so the bus just stayed on its route, and there off to the side were a bunch of firefighters and the jaws of life. Very horrifying, so horrifying that the bus passengers all talked to strangers enough to decide as a whole that we thought it was horrifying. Definitely, the weirdest bus ride ever.

On the subject of weird, I got a phone call today from Sara Menssen in Moscow because she heard I was in town and she thought I should come over. I am definitely not in Idaho, and I won't be until July 21st when I go to Sara and John's wedding. Very funny to me. I am wondering who was telling people I was around?

New Job

All right two days in, and I think I like it pretty well. I mean the people are great at work. Most of the people who call are fine. I get some bitches. I just sit there and answer the phone. I also talk to people who come in the door (often speaking only Spanish) and want to fill out applications. That is pretty much it.

Obviously that is not a ton, so I also do some filing, enter bills into the computer, fax things, stuff envelopes and other general office type stuff. If I get too far ahead, it gets boring. So far. I imagine I will be getting more stuff to do as they realize that I am not a lame-o.

I also took a test run of the bus system to get myself from new job to old job (for when I start doing that next week), and it rocked. I totally have time to pretty easily get between the jobs and maybe even grab some food. So, while I was over there I picked up my new glasses, and they look good and very, VERY different then my old ones. They are very light and open up my face a whole lot. It also throws me off to have this much visible peripheral vision. This weekend when I buy some batteries I will post some before/after glasses photos.

Chrissy and I are geniuses

We have created in our im conversation, the world's most awesome kooky lounge act. It stars us (a la Kiki & Herb--or Chrissy & Heath as you will), and there will be songs and stories and monologues and lots of hair. We will be huge in Amsterdam and Thailand. We will tour little rock clubs and county fairs. There will be 'Honky Tonk Be-Donk-eh-Donk' (forgive my spelling) done ironically as a poetry reading (with cowbell and finger snaps). My 5th Beatle song stylings will make appearances as will us singing the song from Annie 'Together At Last.' Chrissy will be the master of the violin (that she is) as well as an ipod with little speakers. Part torch songs, part comedy, all hair.

Come out and see us when she moves to Chicago.

First day at the new job. It is way different then the old job. I think it will be fun. The people there seem pretty great, especially the people at the top (well the way they set it up and are with their whole team is great). Most of them are also nice and funny and fun. I answer phones and type stuff. It is a lot more sitting in a chair then I am used to. I like it so far. Although tomorrow I am a lot more on my own.