The poor widows' cry, though it reach to heaven, is scarce heard here upon earth...(Reginald Scott)
"So what's new with Beboots?" You may be wondering, if you too aren't bogged down by schoolwork. Why, I shall inform ye! (Also, everyone on facebook, check out your language options - alongside English (UK) there's English (pirate). So awesome...) Anyway....
First of all, I'm writing this on the oldschool family computer. Why? Because my laptop has died... for a second time. I mean, it was freezing up for a day or two, then gave me the bluescreen of death, then "repaired" itself, then went back to freezing... so it's in the shop. I'm told it has like several viruses. But... I probably won't lose anything. Just as well, because I've been paranoid ever since it died a few months ago and so everything's backed up anyway. Take heed, all you readers: back up your files! Especially those essays that you're working on!
Speaking of essays... I got my essay on Cardinal Wolsey back: B-. Not bad, but not as good as I was hoping. It was mostly little errors that bogged me down. A satisfactory essay, but not a stellar one. But since I hated every minute of writing that thing, i guess that's to be expected. Anyway, I'm working on a new one for that class, which is on witchcraft (that's a quote of it you see, up there), and so is automatically way more interesting than Cardinal Wolsey could ever be.
I have not yet caught any of the various illnesses flying around campus yet, and I remain hopeful that I still won't have by the time that midterm month is over. I can dream, can't I?
Also, I get much less time to work on things this month than anticipated. Why? Because Superstore is no longer going on strike. ;_;
So here's the deal: originally, we were going on strike for various reasons, most of which was because the union was screwing the employees who had been working there for the longest over for wages. Like, we should have been getting many more raises, considering what they had initially promised us upon being hired and what with the inflation and the economy and all... anyway, essentially, people like me, who have been working for the company for just about four years, were making a bare 10 cents more per hour than the guy who had just walked in off the street. Plus, they were going to take away our shift premiums (like, the extra 1$ you make on Sundays, the extra couple bucks you get for being on nightshift, etc. So, there's no incentive anymore to take sucky shifts). There were other issues, including health and safety stuff, but that was pretty much it.
So, we were all ready and rarin' to strike on Monday evening (we've been stewing and on strike alert for months) because the offer that they gave us was beyond pitiful. Sure, they gave us all a 2$ an hour raise, but in the fine print you read that you'd no longer get shift premiums, which meant that on most days I'd be making 50 cents LESS an hour than before. Plus, they agreed to give people like me back pay... over the course of SEVEN YEARS. And you can probably bet that if you'd quit, they would stop the payments, you know?
That offer was shot down. Like, it was in flames. 96% of people voted against it.
Anyway, so we were about to strike, then they gave us a last-minute offer on Friday evening. Then, of course, we had to vote on it... and vote we did. Ashley and I got lost in Edmonton trying to find the place where we vote for it, and after listening to the arguments and reading the propaganda/contract, the two of us voted against it.
But apparently it was good enough for some people, so it passed "in favour" at something like 56%. It's not all bad, I suppose - apprently my next paycheque is going to be massive because I get all of my backpay all at once - an extra 60 cents for every hour that I've worked since August 2006. Can you say sweet? :D Also, we all get an immediate raise (I can't remember by how much), which is better than nothing. However, they've only promised to guarantee 6 months of shift premiums. Then, they could take it away with little warning. But hopefully I'll be out of there by then.
So... there you have it, I suppose. I'm dissapointed we didn't go on strike - I could have used the free time to study for midterms and write papers... and my novel, actually. :D I can't wait for Nanowrimo! On the forums, we were writing 15 word summaries for our novels. Mine for this November is the following:
"Two vampires (an extremely old child and a mildly depressed former accountant) figure out life."
How does that sound?