Shiny legs!
Tonight, I shaved my legs for the first time in well over a year. Just a whim, I guess. Well, a several-day whim, actually, because a year's worth of fuzz takes a couple of attempts. Fortunately, I have sparser leg hair than most. I bet you're thrilled to know about that.
In other news, I'm having a small employment crisis. They want to promote me again and give me more responsibility, Pookie wants me to find a different job. I'm torn. Here's the pro/con breakdown with regard to my current place of employment:
Pro!
1. It's steady employment and now that my loan payments are coming due, I need to know I have money in the bank.
2. I truly enjoy some aspects of my job; I'm close to the residents and I've found that I'm actually really good at relating to and soothing them when necessary. This is a trait that is sadly lacking in many of the caregivers there.
3. They really, really need more caregivers, not fewer, especially good caregivers. I don't want to throw the residents to the wolves.
4. Most of my co-workers are really cool and fun to work with.
5. When I come home after work, I feel like I've done something good for someone who needs it.
6. Any place of employment is going to have problem people and company issues. There's something to be said for sticking with the devil you know.
Con!
1. I hate the corporation that owns the facility; they give too little and take too much money. Several employees have had to buy necessary supplies (food, for example) for the facility out of their own pockets on a regular basis because our budget is far too small. This is the case at every facility owned by this corporation.
2. The pithy raise I would merit upon promotion would likely not be delivered; several workers at that level are still waiting for their raise a year after their promotions. Our wages are already significantly lower than equivalent positions pay at different facilities.
3. There are not enough workers during my shift--apparently, I'm entitled to a 30-minute break and two ten-minute breaks, but I often go without any break at all because I'm running all day trying to respond to all the needs of the residents. This is only going to get worse now that several new residents have moved in but on-duty staff has not been increased.
4. Some of my co-workers suck. Some are incompetent, some are evil, and some are both. I do not handle mean co-workers very well, and I'm all too eager to be walked all over because I can't handle confrontation. This is a flaw that has been capitalized on several times. There's one co-worker in particular who seems to have made it her mission to say cruel things about me and spread lies. Another is constantly taking credit for my work, which ends up making me look like the lazy one. I refuse to join the drama by contradicting her or the mean lady. Ironically, this makes me look like the jerk because I refuse to be a jerk. Sigh.
5. The reason Pookie wants me to quit is that my back is starting to have some real problems. It aches around the clock now because one of my most frequent duties is transferring people. I lift people significantly larger than I am without being provided with a back brace or mechanical lift. There are two particular residents who must be lifted several times daily who do not support their own weight at all. One of them is responsible for several bad backs among the staff. These two residents belong at an actual nursing home, not an assisted living facility. However, because the corporation values their money more than their or the workers' welfare, we are not allowed to suggest in any way that will leave a paper trail that they should be moved. This ties back to Con #1.
6. I wipe butts. With the promotion, I'd have to wipe butts and give shots.
7. I don't know if I make enough money to make my loan payments and rent/food each month. When you're $110,000 in debt, it's hard to survive on $8.25 an hour.
In any case, this is nothing like I thought I'd be doing after college.
What do you think, gentle readers?
In other news, I'm having a small employment crisis. They want to promote me again and give me more responsibility, Pookie wants me to find a different job. I'm torn. Here's the pro/con breakdown with regard to my current place of employment:
Pro!
1. It's steady employment and now that my loan payments are coming due, I need to know I have money in the bank.
2. I truly enjoy some aspects of my job; I'm close to the residents and I've found that I'm actually really good at relating to and soothing them when necessary. This is a trait that is sadly lacking in many of the caregivers there.
3. They really, really need more caregivers, not fewer, especially good caregivers. I don't want to throw the residents to the wolves.
4. Most of my co-workers are really cool and fun to work with.
5. When I come home after work, I feel like I've done something good for someone who needs it.
6. Any place of employment is going to have problem people and company issues. There's something to be said for sticking with the devil you know.
Con!
1. I hate the corporation that owns the facility; they give too little and take too much money. Several employees have had to buy necessary supplies (food, for example) for the facility out of their own pockets on a regular basis because our budget is far too small. This is the case at every facility owned by this corporation.
2. The pithy raise I would merit upon promotion would likely not be delivered; several workers at that level are still waiting for their raise a year after their promotions. Our wages are already significantly lower than equivalent positions pay at different facilities.
3. There are not enough workers during my shift--apparently, I'm entitled to a 30-minute break and two ten-minute breaks, but I often go without any break at all because I'm running all day trying to respond to all the needs of the residents. This is only going to get worse now that several new residents have moved in but on-duty staff has not been increased.
4. Some of my co-workers suck. Some are incompetent, some are evil, and some are both. I do not handle mean co-workers very well, and I'm all too eager to be walked all over because I can't handle confrontation. This is a flaw that has been capitalized on several times. There's one co-worker in particular who seems to have made it her mission to say cruel things about me and spread lies. Another is constantly taking credit for my work, which ends up making me look like the lazy one. I refuse to join the drama by contradicting her or the mean lady. Ironically, this makes me look like the jerk because I refuse to be a jerk. Sigh.
5. The reason Pookie wants me to quit is that my back is starting to have some real problems. It aches around the clock now because one of my most frequent duties is transferring people. I lift people significantly larger than I am without being provided with a back brace or mechanical lift. There are two particular residents who must be lifted several times daily who do not support their own weight at all. One of them is responsible for several bad backs among the staff. These two residents belong at an actual nursing home, not an assisted living facility. However, because the corporation values their money more than their or the workers' welfare, we are not allowed to suggest in any way that will leave a paper trail that they should be moved. This ties back to Con #1.
6. I wipe butts. With the promotion, I'd have to wipe butts and give shots.
7. I don't know if I make enough money to make my loan payments and rent/food each month. When you're $110,000 in debt, it's hard to survive on $8.25 an hour.
In any case, this is nothing like I thought I'd be doing after college.
What do you think, gentle readers?