Long time since an update, so take a seat.. Oh wait, you already are!
Ok, last time we checked in with our intrepid hero, he was fighting off hordes of gnomes armed only with a taffy-puller and a rat-on-a-stick!
Oh wait, wrong program.
Last time I had time to write anything, I had mentioned a job where I was going to be working 72-hour weks and stuff. Was going to come in just in time to help with alot of things. Guess what! it didn't happen! I got a call two days before I was to report for my first day that the whole project got shitcanned! Isn't life just ducky...
Obviously somehow I've managed to stay where we are since then for 10 months or so. Well, the first part of that story came from Washington State. We were able to qualify for a diversion grant for families in extreme need. What that means in the short form is that we received a $1500 check from the State, which was enough to cover the two months of rent we owed. that really came down to the wire, like most things in my life seem to do. Literally we got approval about two hours before our manager was going to the courthouse to file the eviction paperwork.
I got some unemployment checks and a few random weeks of work for a few weeks, until I got hooked up with a long term job at the end of January. I was making injection molded parts for slot machines there, and it was pretty basic work. Almost lost my left eye while I was working there though. I got hit in the eye with liquid plastic, it came up from under my safety glasses. This stuff is more rubber than plastic though, and only gets as hot as wax at it's worst. Was able to get it all out safely, no lingering problems. Went to the hospital, spent a day on Vicadin, and recovered completely.
Anyways, I worked there for about four months, then I was permanently hired. Hey, right on! Benefits! I can get my teeth fixed! Al I had to do was work there three more months. You can already see where this is going, don't you?
That's right... I got caught up inb a lay-off one month before my benefits were to have activated. So all said and told I was there roughly six months. It's ok though, the ervice I was working with, Manpower, has been treating me well. I had two weeks of unemployment from my claim earlier in the year, and then I recieved a new assignment, which is where I'm working now.
It's called International Paper, but three months ago it was Weyerhouser. This particular division was bought by IP in August, and what we do there is manufacture cardboard. More specifically, the corrugated board you see in boxes and stuff (not cereal boxes, think packing boxes). I've been there about six weeks now, and I recently got moved to Graveyard shift. I'm fitting in very well with the people I'm working with there, and they pay has ALOt of potential. Right now as a temporary worker, I'm getting 10.30 an hour, which is actually .20 more than I got as a permanent employee at my previous job at Trim Systems (where I almost lost my eye). If I get hired by IP proper, that pay will jump up to close to $20/hour three months after my hire date! The earliest I'll be eligible for hire will be 12/15, wouldn't that be a great christmas present!
I'm feeling pretty excited about this, it could be the most solid ground I've even been able to stand on! It's been a rough year, hell it's been a rough TEN years, but we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know alot of you have been wondering why I haven't said anything in a while, and this is why. I've been under alot of stress, and I tend to isolate myself more when that happens. Tomorrow i plan on another big post, and this time I'll be talking about family stuff, with pictures and all that jazz. For now, I smell pizza, and that means I have to go!
Joe
Oh wait, wrong program.
Last time I had time to write anything, I had mentioned a job where I was going to be working 72-hour weks and stuff. Was going to come in just in time to help with alot of things. Guess what! it didn't happen! I got a call two days before I was to report for my first day that the whole project got shitcanned! Isn't life just ducky...
Obviously somehow I've managed to stay where we are since then for 10 months or so. Well, the first part of that story came from Washington State. We were able to qualify for a diversion grant for families in extreme need. What that means in the short form is that we received a $1500 check from the State, which was enough to cover the two months of rent we owed. that really came down to the wire, like most things in my life seem to do. Literally we got approval about two hours before our manager was going to the courthouse to file the eviction paperwork.
I got some unemployment checks and a few random weeks of work for a few weeks, until I got hooked up with a long term job at the end of January. I was making injection molded parts for slot machines there, and it was pretty basic work. Almost lost my left eye while I was working there though. I got hit in the eye with liquid plastic, it came up from under my safety glasses. This stuff is more rubber than plastic though, and only gets as hot as wax at it's worst. Was able to get it all out safely, no lingering problems. Went to the hospital, spent a day on Vicadin, and recovered completely.
Anyways, I worked there for about four months, then I was permanently hired. Hey, right on! Benefits! I can get my teeth fixed! Al I had to do was work there three more months. You can already see where this is going, don't you?
That's right... I got caught up inb a lay-off one month before my benefits were to have activated. So all said and told I was there roughly six months. It's ok though, the ervice I was working with, Manpower, has been treating me well. I had two weeks of unemployment from my claim earlier in the year, and then I recieved a new assignment, which is where I'm working now.
It's called International Paper, but three months ago it was Weyerhouser. This particular division was bought by IP in August, and what we do there is manufacture cardboard. More specifically, the corrugated board you see in boxes and stuff (not cereal boxes, think packing boxes). I've been there about six weeks now, and I recently got moved to Graveyard shift. I'm fitting in very well with the people I'm working with there, and they pay has ALOt of potential. Right now as a temporary worker, I'm getting 10.30 an hour, which is actually .20 more than I got as a permanent employee at my previous job at Trim Systems (where I almost lost my eye). If I get hired by IP proper, that pay will jump up to close to $20/hour three months after my hire date! The earliest I'll be eligible for hire will be 12/15, wouldn't that be a great christmas present!
I'm feeling pretty excited about this, it could be the most solid ground I've even been able to stand on! It's been a rough year, hell it's been a rough TEN years, but we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know alot of you have been wondering why I haven't said anything in a while, and this is why. I've been under alot of stress, and I tend to isolate myself more when that happens. Tomorrow i plan on another big post, and this time I'll be talking about family stuff, with pictures and all that jazz. For now, I smell pizza, and that means I have to go!
Joe