Woes and Woes of Fun...
Here's where I stand at this moment. I've been working at my job for two years now. I have never wanted - and had reason - to quit than I do now. However, I need to pay rent, so I can't do anything until I get a new job. I had attempted applying at T-Mobile, but missed the mark in the interview. Now, I've applied - and been accepted - with Volt, which is a temp agency. Thankfully, my skill-set is very easy to place for a clerical position - which is what I want - and I'm practically guaranteed nothing under $10 an hour. The problem is just placing me in a good location. So, I'm waiting to hear on that. Until then, I'm still at my site.
Unfortunately, things at my site have deteriorated as of late. The new supervisor, Ed, has been making the site increasingly hostile towards me. He has been at the Avis site for about three years and only ended up as supervisor because he said he'd quit if he was passed over again. "Again" should be a key word here. The man has no leadership abilities. He is uncompromising, inconsiderate, and oblivious to the needs of anyone but himself. What's worse is that he doesn't seem to comprehend the difference between preference and necessity. It's one thing if we need to do change the way we scan barcodes in order to make it go in right in the system. It's a completely different matter than writing daily report exactly the way that he does it - which is sloppy and unintuitive to begin with. He wants to play dictator with the site.
His latest debacle involves scheduling. On numerous and countless occasions, I've told him that I take Tri-Met to work and that it doesn't run early enough in the morning to get me to certain shifts - particularly on the weekends. Now, one of my co-workers is in the army and is required to be at training and drill once a month. For those weekends when he's at drill, the site has to shift things around to cover the time - which tends to generate overtime. Ed needed to cut overtime. So, he decides to make it so my coworker doesn't work on the weekends at all, so that his drill schedule doesn't interfere with his work schedule. In order to do this, he moved everything around - except his own schedule - to accommodate it. Did I mention that I am second in senority at that site? Yeah, I got the dregs of that schedule. What's worse, I got scheduled for a Saturday morning 6-10. The earliest the bus gets to my stop is at 6:00. I checked Tri-Met's trip planner and found that there was no way to get to my shift on time, even if I walked a mile.
I tried to tell him this over the phone when he called me. I tried to tell him in person. I even created a new schedule that would eliminate overtime, make it possible for my co-worker to attend drill, and make it possible for me to actually get to work on time. Nothing. Not one bit of sympathy or bending. He knew, making that schedule, that I couldn't be there on that day. He rejected my schedule. He told me that it wasn't his problem.
My only saving grace - and it's not much of one - is that our main grave guy got a better job and quit about the same time. I don't blame him. I want to leave too. Anyway, Ed said that I could either work the shift that he'd made or take graveyard. Seeing as how not showing up and being consistantly late is a good way to get fired, I decided to take grave until I could get another job. While I desperately want to leave, I can't afford to be unemployed. So, in the meantime, I will watch as my health slowly goes to pot and try to figure out how to get in eight hours of sleep during the day on a consistent basis.
In other news, my concert with the Rain City Symphony will be on March 11, 2009. The location and ticket prices haven't really been announced, but, if you will be in Seattle around then, please think of dropping in on the concert. There's also a dress rehearsal on March 4, 2009 if you can't make it to the main one. This will be the world premiere for my piece "Awaiting Halcyon". I'll post more details as I get them.
I could go on about what else is happening in my life right now, but I'm falling asleep. I'm trying to adjust my sleep pattern before I start my first grave shift on Sunday night. It's not working all that well. If I can't stay awake until at least 6 AM tomorrow, then I'll be pretty screwed.
Good night.
Unfortunately, things at my site have deteriorated as of late. The new supervisor, Ed, has been making the site increasingly hostile towards me. He has been at the Avis site for about three years and only ended up as supervisor because he said he'd quit if he was passed over again. "Again" should be a key word here. The man has no leadership abilities. He is uncompromising, inconsiderate, and oblivious to the needs of anyone but himself. What's worse is that he doesn't seem to comprehend the difference between preference and necessity. It's one thing if we need to do change the way we scan barcodes in order to make it go in right in the system. It's a completely different matter than writing daily report exactly the way that he does it - which is sloppy and unintuitive to begin with. He wants to play dictator with the site.
His latest debacle involves scheduling. On numerous and countless occasions, I've told him that I take Tri-Met to work and that it doesn't run early enough in the morning to get me to certain shifts - particularly on the weekends. Now, one of my co-workers is in the army and is required to be at training and drill once a month. For those weekends when he's at drill, the site has to shift things around to cover the time - which tends to generate overtime. Ed needed to cut overtime. So, he decides to make it so my coworker doesn't work on the weekends at all, so that his drill schedule doesn't interfere with his work schedule. In order to do this, he moved everything around - except his own schedule - to accommodate it. Did I mention that I am second in senority at that site? Yeah, I got the dregs of that schedule. What's worse, I got scheduled for a Saturday morning 6-10. The earliest the bus gets to my stop is at 6:00. I checked Tri-Met's trip planner and found that there was no way to get to my shift on time, even if I walked a mile.
I tried to tell him this over the phone when he called me. I tried to tell him in person. I even created a new schedule that would eliminate overtime, make it possible for my co-worker to attend drill, and make it possible for me to actually get to work on time. Nothing. Not one bit of sympathy or bending. He knew, making that schedule, that I couldn't be there on that day. He rejected my schedule. He told me that it wasn't his problem.
My only saving grace - and it's not much of one - is that our main grave guy got a better job and quit about the same time. I don't blame him. I want to leave too. Anyway, Ed said that I could either work the shift that he'd made or take graveyard. Seeing as how not showing up and being consistantly late is a good way to get fired, I decided to take grave until I could get another job. While I desperately want to leave, I can't afford to be unemployed. So, in the meantime, I will watch as my health slowly goes to pot and try to figure out how to get in eight hours of sleep during the day on a consistent basis.
In other news, my concert with the Rain City Symphony will be on March 11, 2009. The location and ticket prices haven't really been announced, but, if you will be in Seattle around then, please think of dropping in on the concert. There's also a dress rehearsal on March 4, 2009 if you can't make it to the main one. This will be the world premiere for my piece "Awaiting Halcyon". I'll post more details as I get them.
I could go on about what else is happening in my life right now, but I'm falling asleep. I'm trying to adjust my sleep pattern before I start my first grave shift on Sunday night. It's not working all that well. If I can't stay awake until at least 6 AM tomorrow, then I'll be pretty screwed.
Good night.