Hello? Is this thing on?
I've been meaning to write something for a while, promising some kind of update. But so far I haven't managed much. I've been busy. The temp gig I landed requires me to get up at 5:30 so I can catch the 6:30 train so that I arrive in the city by 7:30 so I can be at my desk by 8:00. Work goes until 5:00. If I haul ass to the train station, I can catch the 5:16 that puts me back in the burbs at 6:00 and at liberty around 6:30. All in all, when you factor in the commute and everything, I have a roughly thirteen hour day, only eight hours of which are paid.
The job is for the Chicago Public Schools Department of Transportation. Or more precisely, it is for TransPar, the private corporation hired by CPS to handle transportation. The temp agency sold me on the gig telling me it would be a six week data entry job. Shouldn't be a problem getting a little flexibility in the hours, doing lunch early or late. After all, it was data entry. As long as the work gets done, who cares, right?
Wrong! It's not data entry, it's customer service, answering calls, taking abuse, etc. This means we have to spend the first week learning all about the School Board's policies and procedures. For everything. One guy quits first day. I hang in there because, despite the misrepresentation of the work, I don't feel like I have a choice. There is too much information to cover and they can't be reasonably expected to catch someone new up to where we are now.
I could walk, but it would make Darren, the rep from the temp agency, look bad. And they'd probably never give me work again. He's a decent guy and I don't want him getting screwed like that. So I hang in there. Then they decide that instead of six weeks, they might decide to make it eight, just because they might need the help. This could be a problem for me as I already agreed to work another job for a friend's mom when this is over. She'll be out of the country for a while so I'm supposed to run the office.
Now that school's in session, the job sucks even harder. I really feel for some people. I get calls from people who are disabled, working two jobs, people with autistic or handicapped children who through no fault of their own have yet to get clearance for their child to ride the bus. It is my job to tell them there's nothing we can do, that we're working on it, and that we'll get it all sorted out as soon as possible. Sometimes I have to tell them that they are not eligible for transportation. Other times parents call because they feel the stop is too far from the house. Couldn't the bus just come to their house? I check google maps. The stop is right around the corner. I want to tell them to go fuck themselves. I want to scream at them that a lot of people don't even have transportation. I want to tell them if they're too damn lazy to walk their kids around the corner, then maybe they shouldn't have had kids to begin with. Instead, I tell them, I'm sorry, but that's the best we can do. Sometimes, they curse at me. Sometimes they cry. In the end, I just want out of this job.
On Saturdays, I'm working the Awesome 80's Prom. I've done all three roles I mentioned previously. And out of the three, DJ gives me the most to do. It's definitely the hardest. Fender is the most fun, giving me almost free reign but still offering some kind of structure and background. Lloyd is pretty much open as far as action. His background, his story is whatever you want to make it.
I had new headshots done last Tuesday. I'll post them as soon as I can.
About two weeks ago, Chicago got hit with heavy rains. I came home to find around an inch of water in the basement. As I think I've mentioned, that's where I've been living. It got some of my books. No major property damage, but it left me with this sense that there was no such thing as a safe place anymore. The neighbors had power and after an hour or two, we managed to get the sump pump working by running extension chords across to their house.
I want to get out of the suburbs. But this job doesn't pay enough. I don't have anyone to live with either, and at this point, even the cheapest studio is out of reach. I can't even get up the energy most days to write anything, which is infuriating.
I really want to get down to Champaign some time soon. It's been too long since I was down there. Thanks to my job, I missed out on the chance to see Aaron do Shakespeare. I haven't even spoken to anyone in C-U since June or July. Some days I think about ditching this town, but I don't think I'd find much more in the way of work downstate either. For now, I just need to hang on. Get through this job. Get through the next one. Find something better. That's the plan. Worry about getting by for now. Get into the city. Then start auditions.
And that's the way it is...for now.
The job is for the Chicago Public Schools Department of Transportation. Or more precisely, it is for TransPar, the private corporation hired by CPS to handle transportation. The temp agency sold me on the gig telling me it would be a six week data entry job. Shouldn't be a problem getting a little flexibility in the hours, doing lunch early or late. After all, it was data entry. As long as the work gets done, who cares, right?
Wrong! It's not data entry, it's customer service, answering calls, taking abuse, etc. This means we have to spend the first week learning all about the School Board's policies and procedures. For everything. One guy quits first day. I hang in there because, despite the misrepresentation of the work, I don't feel like I have a choice. There is too much information to cover and they can't be reasonably expected to catch someone new up to where we are now.
I could walk, but it would make Darren, the rep from the temp agency, look bad. And they'd probably never give me work again. He's a decent guy and I don't want him getting screwed like that. So I hang in there. Then they decide that instead of six weeks, they might decide to make it eight, just because they might need the help. This could be a problem for me as I already agreed to work another job for a friend's mom when this is over. She'll be out of the country for a while so I'm supposed to run the office.
Now that school's in session, the job sucks even harder. I really feel for some people. I get calls from people who are disabled, working two jobs, people with autistic or handicapped children who through no fault of their own have yet to get clearance for their child to ride the bus. It is my job to tell them there's nothing we can do, that we're working on it, and that we'll get it all sorted out as soon as possible. Sometimes I have to tell them that they are not eligible for transportation. Other times parents call because they feel the stop is too far from the house. Couldn't the bus just come to their house? I check google maps. The stop is right around the corner. I want to tell them to go fuck themselves. I want to scream at them that a lot of people don't even have transportation. I want to tell them if they're too damn lazy to walk their kids around the corner, then maybe they shouldn't have had kids to begin with. Instead, I tell them, I'm sorry, but that's the best we can do. Sometimes, they curse at me. Sometimes they cry. In the end, I just want out of this job.
On Saturdays, I'm working the Awesome 80's Prom. I've done all three roles I mentioned previously. And out of the three, DJ gives me the most to do. It's definitely the hardest. Fender is the most fun, giving me almost free reign but still offering some kind of structure and background. Lloyd is pretty much open as far as action. His background, his story is whatever you want to make it.
I had new headshots done last Tuesday. I'll post them as soon as I can.
About two weeks ago, Chicago got hit with heavy rains. I came home to find around an inch of water in the basement. As I think I've mentioned, that's where I've been living. It got some of my books. No major property damage, but it left me with this sense that there was no such thing as a safe place anymore. The neighbors had power and after an hour or two, we managed to get the sump pump working by running extension chords across to their house.
I want to get out of the suburbs. But this job doesn't pay enough. I don't have anyone to live with either, and at this point, even the cheapest studio is out of reach. I can't even get up the energy most days to write anything, which is infuriating.
I really want to get down to Champaign some time soon. It's been too long since I was down there. Thanks to my job, I missed out on the chance to see Aaron do Shakespeare. I haven't even spoken to anyone in C-U since June or July. Some days I think about ditching this town, but I don't think I'd find much more in the way of work downstate either. For now, I just need to hang on. Get through this job. Get through the next one. Find something better. That's the plan. Worry about getting by for now. Get into the city. Then start auditions.
And that's the way it is...for now.