It's been an incredibly lucky week.  Starting to scare me.   First off Roomie has announced he is ready to purchase a big HDTV.  Very exciting news!  

We also always dream of buying recliner chairs but with Frankies world class furniture shredding we've put that off.  Roomie decided to take a chance and bought us two chairs last week.

 After 41 years, my very own recliner, i get misty eyed just thinking about the soft blue velvety comfort.  I bought a new rope scratching post, double sided tape for the sides and herbal cat repellant to try and stave off an attack.  So far its w%$king.









They odds of me saying whats coming next are as great as my posting of an engagement, lottery win, joining the republican party or jeff gordon fan club someday.

This could be the end of the world as we know it.  I still will never trust the man and i havent sold my soul, just leased it for a bit, but....
.
I'm NOT miserable in my new job!!!  The moneys good and i've already w%$ked 10 hours of overtime.

The  first night i w%$ked with the gruffest scariest biker type woman ever,  i was thinking not again, but shes ok.  Actually shes been very nice since she accidentally beaned me in the head with a box. 

Everyone i w%$k with is into thanking and publically complimenting everyone else.  It is corporate cheesy and designed to get more w$#k out of people but i'll take it anyday after all the negative shit and headgames i've been through. 

Another excellent sign is the oldtimers are not bitching, they ask how i like it and seem happy.  It makes such a difference in attitude when a company pays everyone enough to live on.   My supervisor is excellent and has a sense of humor.   She even told me they couldnt have specified for a better employee than me.  Sucker,  i told her to wait until week 2. 





















There are a few negatives.  During the orientation the reality that this is w%$king for the man really hit me, many rules were pointed out.

  The HR kept us there all day and ordered pizza for lunch.  Five pizzas to be exact, ALL topped with dead animals. This was right after the diversity, acceptance and non harassment policies.  My lifestyle choice as a vegetarian was trampled on.

 Also a number of people are random drug tested each month, this is way too much big brother for a job that is not a matter of national security.

  They also want to search purses and bags.  Coming for weapons, going for theft.   Its third shift too, which has totally messed up my waking hours.  I cant sleep more than 3 hours at a time no matter how long i've been awake.  So i sleep twice during the day.  All my free time is spent trying to fall asleep or struggling to wake up or drooling on myself while The Princess and i zone out in our new recliner.

I still hate w$#k in general but overall am not dreading going.  Its such a relief, its been 4 years since i went to a job that wasnt supremely f$#ked up in some big ways.   Sometimes it has almost been fun.  Hope this isnt a dream.

posted by: rustymadgal at 09/24/06 11:09 | link | comments (15) |

   One Handsome Boy























Frankie is an experienced screen climber but i have never seen him get this high.  Just over his head on the other side of the door is a tiny bird perched on top of the porch light. 

The Princess carefully studies his technique before her first attempt. 

What one of these furry bastards doesnt think of the other one does.  If they ever grow thumbs we are in deep shit.


      















She's a bit in the panicky mode but has gained some respectable altitude for a newbie to the sport.   Obviously she wasnt on belay but i was spotting her.  Good thing too,  had to help her down.

This is turning into too much of a w#@k/war story blog but i talked to my friend M from my job i quit last month.  This story is too good.  The job with the snarky wife and the nice but wimpy husband/boss. 

On my last day there M gave notice, she got a much better job.

 So the next week M is eating lunch and snarkywife is 10 feet away talking to her only w%$k friend, a snotty teenage girl.   Those two were like jr high, except for the girl everyone there is over 40.

Now snarky loves to talk and not quietly either.  So snarky is bitching about everyones bad attitude.   Thats her style say it loud enough for her target to overhear but not directly to them.

My name was mentioned,  the woman snarky totally ignored, L, after we had lunch together name was mentioned.   None of us caused any problems there.  It wasnt catfight central.  As i mentioned before L actually was upset over snarkys silent treatment.  Probably a dozen people have quit just during my time because of snarky.

So this is all being said for M's benefit and snarky wraps it all up with she 's glad everyone with a bad attitude is quitting.  

Snarky has always been jealous of and the meanest to M, a total sweetheart single mom who has been working 3 jobs to support her family.   M has a bf and was never trying to steal snarkys man.

M and i had talked about it and our boss was a nice animal loving hard w^%king guy but there is absolutely not even the hint of attraction there for him from either one of us or from him.  He might as well be a woman.

M finally had enough of  snarky talking about her, jumps up and says shes glad shes quitting so she wont have to look at snarkys ugly face anymore.  She also added that everyone quit because of snarky. (honestly snarky isnt ugly, shes very vain and takes care of herself)

A big fight erupts,  our boss was trying to get everyone to stop and go back to work but he is powerless.  M packs up and stomps out.   I never mentioned snarky as part of my reason for quitting, when people are married you dont win stirring the pot even when one sucks, but it feels good M said what i was dying to. 

There was another woman, S,  who had w$#ked there for many years.  Our boss didnt know it but she had been looking for a new job too because of snarky.  S did find a much better job but as coincidence would have it they called for a reference two hours after the big fight.  The poor boss was freaking out.  All that hard time i did there and four days after i quit the biggest event ever happens.  I miss all the good stuff.

posted by: rustymadgal at 09/16/06 08:39 | link | comments (4) |

Living in a trailer that was constructed sometime during the Nixon administration can be an adventure.  On a daily basis anything can leak, explode, burn up, cave in, fall over or just plain crumble. 

I was just in my bathroom trying to brush my hair into submission and heard this low new noise coming from under the sink.   What now?  We just had an outside leak repaired.

 I opened  the cabinet and it was Frankie snoring away on top of a stack of towels.  Idiot.   I have to keep all the clean towels in plastic bags, nothings grosser than getting out of the shower dripping wet and trying to dry off with one covered in cat hair.  blehhhhh





Yes, my NEW job will have insurance!  I'll find out everything today.

 
We will even be able to afford a new trailer.  One big enough to not only move the washing machine but the couch off the front porch too.  Times are good.

The evil HR had left a message yesterday.  Even though the results of my drug screen arent back yet she wanted me to come to an all day orientation today.  I tried to return her call and she had already left.  During the interview we agreed on giving a two week notice for my old job, including a delay for the orientation.

So she comes in to w^%k, my soon to be exjob and orientation all start at the same time this morning.   Roomie said to just go. 

So now i have to call in to my old job, have no idea what to say since its not carved in stone that i am hired yet at this new place.  Does this also mean that i am starting Monday and giving no notice to my old employers?   Is this a sneaky test to see if i will screw them over? 

Interestingly enough,  after the interview she said it was the results of my mulitiple guess "personality" test that got me in the door, that it knocked lots of people out of the running.  Reaffirming my suspicions that i can fake a good one.  I strongly agree.
If only it could last, wait until they see the I strongly disagree part.  heh heh heh

posted by: rustymadgal at 09/14/06 06:06 | link | comments (9) |

My sunrise job interview this morning was relatively painless.

 Maybe it was not being fully awake and letting the coffee do the talking or the fact that the evil HR woman was somewhat new to her job and not yet fully Stepfordized by the Man.  She was friendly and quite possibly sincere.

She didnt make me beg, or ask what kind of tree i would be.  For the first time i was prepared for the dreaded "weakness" question, thanks to Maybeknotts comment on my last post and she didnt ask it!  Damn! 

She did run through the standard "How did you handle/give me an example of.....blah blah blah"  questions but they werent too bad. 

I was positive but preparing for the agony of defeat due to the several disappointing turn downs on better jobs this year (the kind that would keep my Vet in the lifestyle to which he's become accustomed).

But i did keep thinking of the great support i've had here and from Roomie.  Thanks Mofriends!  At least i know your motivation isnt that a well paying job might get me to move out someday.

After HR was done she asked if there was anything else i would like to tell her about myself.  Yoshicks comment popped into my head and i said, "Yes, I'm awesome."

I think thats what did it because next she OFFERED ME THE FUCKING JOB!!!!












 No sweating out some sour grapes job reference check, no second interview,  no waiting for a letter or phone call.  She just offered it.  I do have to pass the drug test and background check but that shouldnt be a problem, it will be a done deal Thurs but the party isnt really starting until its truly settled.

Almost expect something to go wrong.  I got the benefits, the ten grand increase over my current wages and yes, its tacky to talk about money but WTF i live in a Trailer Park and have been busting my ass for 24 years, the wages will go up almost another 10 grand over the next two years.

 I'm going to be upper lower middle class beyond my wildest dreams.  Something will definitely go wrong, i repel money.


but until then.....

posted by: rustymadgal at 09/12/06 22:57 | link | comments (11) |

Here i go again,  have an interview tomorrow morning for a "great" job.  Not great in the sense that suddenly i think w%$k is a good thing.  Great because it would mean benefits and 10 grand more a year than i'm making now.

 Shouldnt be excited yet, competition is in the hundreds and if they still are interested post-interview have to supply body fluids and have them nose around in my background.  They didnt ask for personal refs either just previous jobs.   Who would possibly burn me?  Lets just hope they call my last job early before snarky wife comes in.

Have to get ready for the dreaded what are your weaknesses question again too.  Was reading a silly thread about interviews and one guy answers Kryptonite.  May use that, it beats my usual  "weakness" answer of being poor. 

What exactly is one supposed to answer to that question?  The Man has a hell of a lot more weaknesses than i do.  Maybe i should ask that question in return.

posted by: rustymadgal at 09/11/06 06:34 | link | comments (8) |

Not sure if it was the cramps or the stale coffee but my recent near retirement from my current position has taken a surprise turn. 

My compelling saga left off Wedsnesday evening when i mixed it up a tiny bit with my boss and we decided the job wasnt for me and agreed i would w$#k out a yet undetermined notice.

  Yes, i knew the job would require lifting boxes, i had w$#ked at a similar but much larger company before.  That big company had forklifts, lots of space and semi's.  It was physical but minimal.

 The majority of the w%$k at this tiny company isnt bad but there are some parts which require much more hands on heavy manual labor, stacking and unstacking full boxes way over my head.  Weds i got stuck with way too much for my size, age, sex, the pay and being uninsured.  We have college boys who dont mind but they are usually gone in the afternoon when it needs done.

Anyway my boss said everyone had to take a turn with the backbreaking part, tough.  Which was bullshit, the Sgt Princess is very tiny and does no lifting whatsoever.  I dont expect her too either.  Everyone covers her. There was nothing to argue about i 'm not hurting my body.  Some jobs are mans w$#k.

I didnt even want to go in Thurs but showed up anyway,  exchanged good mornings with the boss and went to w%$k thinking i would set a definite quit date with her in a few hours.  First wanted to see how i was treated, not up to another 2 week notice of being treated like shit. 

I see her talking to the college boys and eventually she calls me over and starts telling me she w%$ked out a schedule with them and the females would no longer do any of that crappy heavy loading and unloading.  If the boys werent around in the afternoon it would wait until the next morning.   She got around to asking me to stay and i agreed.   For now.

Daisy was also thrilled to hear the news, since "everyone" taking a turn usually meant either one of us.  Yesterday she was the strangest ever, acted like a totally normal human.   She was even fun, not offensive, not loud,  whatever she was on yesterday i hope she takes more of.  It was the first time i really laughed at that job.  Strange day.

Heres something else thats not new on this blog...

A while ago i applied for another "good" job along with hundreds of other people.  Yesterday when i got home there was a message to call their evil HR,  got the voicemail.   I have as much of a chance as anyone with this  job if i ever get thru to set up an interview, it will all be up to if they like me or not.  Time to dust off the charm.



I hope this isnt me, again

posted by: rustymadgal at 09/08/06 07:03 | link | comments (4) |