5410: Vanishing Point
Hey, is this still on?
So, loads of stuff has happened, and I guess I should note some of it... I've just been sort of arghbarghle about life as of late, it feels like a big blur of spreadsheets and sometimes getting to sleep. I've even cut off the social media pipelines for a week to see if I could get any shit done, but I dunno... more blur, more disconnected.
The biggest news is I've gone full-time with the company I'd been temping for since last August. I'd been used to going a year with no hire, so it didn't seem like a thing to me to go eleven months before getting the perks, but the other temps felt like six months was getting into "fish and houseguests" territory.
Luckily, it was worth the wait--I completely failed to negotiate well, but I still got TWICE the pay I was getting as a temp, PLUS insurance and benefits and yadda yadda, which makes temping seem like that much more of a scam except that I guess companies don't mind paying possibly more to not have to manage the actual hiring part.
Which I understand better, after having to manage hiring stuff (backend), but it's still kind of crap. Not that I'm getting paid well* for it, but that the hiring process is such garbage between regulations and paperwork and setting shit up and making sure the people in all the OTHER offices ALL OVER THE WORLD understand the process, too, so it's not all back and forth all day like what's 90% of my job =|
*The sad part is it's decidedly median pay according to salary.com, that the whole "marriage and kids" track would basically bankrupt me possibly even WITH the raise. As it is, C and I are perfectly comfortable now that I can actually AFFORD living in this area without parental assistance (caveat: I try to touch it as little as possible since it's basically my inheritance in as large tax-free doses as the government allows before death).
Anyway, it's still not enough, because I still am not getting compensation enough for dealing with my Pointy-Haired Boss. Luckily, she has much less of a stick up her ass than she did when I and the first round of temps started (not the actual first round, but "my" first round), but it really was a headdesking good time, if the fact that THREE temps quit after ONE DAY is any indication.
ONE DAY.
Now, I don't actually hate the work. In fact, I found myself defying the odds and BRINGING MY WORK LAPTOP HOME so I could keep at it, only half because I wanted to get shit done with already so I could get back to doing another task that was falling behind. The thing is, when I get to just FINISH THINGS, it's actually pretty satisfying. "Hey, you're all set," is a great thing to get to say to somebody. What I hate is the "We need this from you, please," followed by NOTHING. Following up is the worst job ever ever ever.** It's strange to admit that I've found editing the Steam Trading Cards wiki super-relaxing, because 1. it's completely objective, and 2. I can actually FINISH THINGS. (We're falling behind, though, since the two other major contributors up and decided to quit... the number of "Work in Progress" games piling up has been making me feel a little stressed even though it's supposed to be FOR FUN and there's literally NO consequence for me quitting as well...) So I cut-and-paste all day at work, then I come home and cut-and-paste... no wonder my hands are crampy all the time =p
**I know y'all could suggest worse--please don't, 'cause dismissive one-upping is the worst thing ever ever ever.
I guess I could try to post here more, but it feels unproductive--I habitually purge my old social media posts, and at some point I want to do the same here to trim the fat... yeah, history erasure, but it's my privilege, and a lot of posts I just don't see the benefit of keeping them, even if there's no harm either. Anyway, if I do, a quick rundown of the major players:
TLB: Optimistically, "True Last Boss." The office manager, and rather shouty, though he's supposedly a nice guy. If I were to pick a personality-based name instead, I'd go with "Daddy" as in everyone who calls him is "asking Daddy when Mommy says no." (That's why he's so shouty.) Anyway, for obvious reasons, I don't really like using that.
Wendell: Second-in-Command. It was "Sub-boss" for a while, but that seemed strange juxtaposed with Midboss (below). Wendell is basically the male version of Wendy Welding.
PHB: (Pointy-Haired Boss) My supervisor who may not have been meant to be a supervisor but is anyway. Uptight as a result. Getting better, but still has moments. TLB told me my endgame goal is to take her place (or his?), but I really don't know about that =p
Midboss: The other permanent hire in our "department." Yep, permanent team of two (before me). A little slow, and constantly nagged by PHB as a result.
Fi: Always looks angry, though she's supposedly rather nice. Named for Fi Breech because I always feel awkward broaching her on the topic of "hey, can you buy us stuff" =/
Wall of ShameTemps: (just the ones on our team--the other half of the office is something I'm supposed to learn about, but that's not happening with the current LITERAL NOT AN EXAGGERATION TWO THOUSAND E-MAILS I have to catch up with)
Hackney: The first temp (started before the first "wave" of us), fired for poor performance. Not gonna explain the nickname.
Caketown: A temp I knew from Caketown (the food importer), fired for poor performance.
Duck: The first temp dude. I didn't actually nickname him, but he walked funny, like feet pointing outwards funny. Fired before he could get a different job (???).
Buffy: Athletic health buff. Was almost hired, but fired for poor performance.
Quitter 1, Quitter 2: Started the day before Thanksgiving. Never saw them again after that for reasons unknown. (I know it wasn't firing b/c PHB asked me a "personal" question about her training skills.)
Hackney 2: Not related to Hackney the First, same reason for the nickname. Still around, still not explaining the nickname.
Maryland: One of three white people in the office. Almost always wearing a Maryland-flag jacket. Still around.
Frobama: I didn't actually nickname him, but the other temp dude, with kind of a dreadlock afro. I guess the commute was too awful for him, so he quit (amicably).
Quitter 3: One day, she showed up, and I trained her, then she was gone. I don't know if there's a connection.
Snoozy: I swear she fell asleep at work, 'cause I could hear her snoring. Also, no scanner sounds. Here and there, left work after like half an hour today for reasons I didn't catch.
There are easily a billion stories I could tell, including the ones from the people who ask for X, so I give them what I think is X, and they don't recognize it as X and ask EVERYONE IN THE OFFICE for X until another dude says, "Here is X" "OKAY GREAT HOW ABOUT Y, WILL THAT HELP X" and I'm sitting here wondering why they didn't try the X first -_- but I'm tired of writing at the moment, so lemme post this before I lose the draft again to poor planning =p
also hi again now bye
So, loads of stuff has happened, and I guess I should note some of it... I've just been sort of arghbarghle about life as of late, it feels like a big blur of spreadsheets and sometimes getting to sleep. I've even cut off the social media pipelines for a week to see if I could get any shit done, but I dunno... more blur, more disconnected.
The biggest news is I've gone full-time with the company I'd been temping for since last August. I'd been used to going a year with no hire, so it didn't seem like a thing to me to go eleven months before getting the perks, but the other temps felt like six months was getting into "fish and houseguests" territory.
Luckily, it was worth the wait--I completely failed to negotiate well, but I still got TWICE the pay I was getting as a temp, PLUS insurance and benefits and yadda yadda, which makes temping seem like that much more of a scam except that I guess companies don't mind paying possibly more to not have to manage the actual hiring part.
Which I understand better, after having to manage hiring stuff (backend), but it's still kind of crap. Not that I'm getting paid well* for it, but that the hiring process is such garbage between regulations and paperwork and setting shit up and making sure the people in all the OTHER offices ALL OVER THE WORLD understand the process, too, so it's not all back and forth all day like what's 90% of my job =|
*The sad part is it's decidedly median pay according to salary.com, that the whole "marriage and kids" track would basically bankrupt me possibly even WITH the raise. As it is, C and I are perfectly comfortable now that I can actually AFFORD living in this area without parental assistance (caveat: I try to touch it as little as possible since it's basically my inheritance in as large tax-free doses as the government allows before death).
Anyway, it's still not enough, because I still am not getting compensation enough for dealing with my Pointy-Haired Boss. Luckily, she has much less of a stick up her ass than she did when I and the first round of temps started (not the actual first round, but "my" first round), but it really was a headdesking good time, if the fact that THREE temps quit after ONE DAY is any indication.
ONE DAY.
Now, I don't actually hate the work. In fact, I found myself defying the odds and BRINGING MY WORK LAPTOP HOME so I could keep at it, only half because I wanted to get shit done with already so I could get back to doing another task that was falling behind. The thing is, when I get to just FINISH THINGS, it's actually pretty satisfying. "Hey, you're all set," is a great thing to get to say to somebody. What I hate is the "We need this from you, please," followed by NOTHING. Following up is the worst job ever ever ever.** It's strange to admit that I've found editing the Steam Trading Cards wiki super-relaxing, because 1. it's completely objective, and 2. I can actually FINISH THINGS. (We're falling behind, though, since the two other major contributors up and decided to quit... the number of "Work in Progress" games piling up has been making me feel a little stressed even though it's supposed to be FOR FUN and there's literally NO consequence for me quitting as well...) So I cut-and-paste all day at work, then I come home and cut-and-paste... no wonder my hands are crampy all the time =p
**I know y'all could suggest worse--please don't, 'cause dismissive one-upping is the worst thing ever ever ever.
I guess I could try to post here more, but it feels unproductive--I habitually purge my old social media posts, and at some point I want to do the same here to trim the fat... yeah, history erasure, but it's my privilege, and a lot of posts I just don't see the benefit of keeping them, even if there's no harm either. Anyway, if I do, a quick rundown of the major players:
TLB: Optimistically, "True Last Boss." The office manager, and rather shouty, though he's supposedly a nice guy. If I were to pick a personality-based name instead, I'd go with "Daddy" as in everyone who calls him is "asking Daddy when Mommy says no." (That's why he's so shouty.) Anyway, for obvious reasons, I don't really like using that.
Wendell: Second-in-Command. It was "Sub-boss" for a while, but that seemed strange juxtaposed with Midboss (below). Wendell is basically the male version of Wendy Welding.
PHB: (Pointy-Haired Boss) My supervisor who may not have been meant to be a supervisor but is anyway. Uptight as a result. Getting better, but still has moments. TLB told me my endgame goal is to take her place (or his?), but I really don't know about that =p
Midboss: The other permanent hire in our "department." Yep, permanent team of two (before me). A little slow, and constantly nagged by PHB as a result.
Fi: Always looks angry, though she's supposedly rather nice. Named for Fi Breech because I always feel awkward broaching her on the topic of "hey, can you buy us stuff" =/
Wall of ShameTemps: (just the ones on our team--the other half of the office is something I'm supposed to learn about, but that's not happening with the current LITERAL NOT AN EXAGGERATION TWO THOUSAND E-MAILS I have to catch up with)
Hackney: The first temp (started before the first "wave" of us), fired for poor performance. Not gonna explain the nickname.
Caketown: A temp I knew from Caketown (the food importer), fired for poor performance.
Duck: The first temp dude. I didn't actually nickname him, but he walked funny, like feet pointing outwards funny. Fired before he could get a different job (???).
Buffy: Athletic health buff. Was almost hired, but fired for poor performance.
Quitter 1, Quitter 2: Started the day before Thanksgiving. Never saw them again after that for reasons unknown. (I know it wasn't firing b/c PHB asked me a "personal" question about her training skills.)
Hackney 2: Not related to Hackney the First, same reason for the nickname. Still around, still not explaining the nickname.
Maryland: One of three white people in the office. Almost always wearing a Maryland-flag jacket. Still around.
Frobama: I didn't actually nickname him, but the other temp dude, with kind of a dreadlock afro. I guess the commute was too awful for him, so he quit (amicably).
Quitter 3: One day, she showed up, and I trained her, then she was gone. I don't know if there's a connection.
Snoozy: I swear she fell asleep at work, 'cause I could hear her snoring. Also, no scanner sounds. Here and there, left work after like half an hour today for reasons I didn't catch.
There are easily a billion stories I could tell, including the ones from the people who ask for X, so I give them what I think is X, and they don't recognize it as X and ask EVERYONE IN THE OFFICE for X until another dude says, "Here is X" "OKAY GREAT HOW ABOUT Y, WILL THAT HELP X" and I'm sitting here wondering why they didn't try the X first -_- but I'm tired of writing at the moment, so lemme post this before I lose the draft again to poor planning =p
also hi again now bye