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My thoughts released; a mind set free |
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These pages contain my thoughts, from meandering ideas and persuasions to deep cerebrations and serious mentations. Why, for what purpose? To release my mind and set creativity free. Somewhere inside the constraints of my mind dwells a writer, a poet, an artist who paints with words. In here I release those constraints and set the artist free. Perhaps, lost somewhere in the depths of thought, is a story or a poem, waiting to be written. |
| Wow, I'm home from work, and not dead tired. Also, I have the chili cooked and just need to reheat for dinner, the bread dough is rising, and it's not even two in the afternoon yet. It's been so long since I had any spare time, I'm not sure what to do. I may be going into shock! Of course, I do have some things I could be doing for work. But, they will still be here tomorrow, and they are not really very pressing. Besides, I may have a ten hour day tomorrow. I doubt it, but it's possible. No matter what, I'll have at least seven, more probable to count on eight. It will be the same for Sunday, and who knows what next week will bring. Hopefully we will be hiring someone by then, which means more long days. On top of this, I've been working for the last nine days without a day off, and I don't anticipate one for a while. If we get someone hired and trained in the first part of next week, I may get a day off by the end of the week, but it would be more likely not until the week after. And, that's only if we get someone hired and trained. So, in anticipation of having a long day tomorrow and another on Sunday, as well as no day off for another week or more, I'm procrastinating work and enjoying a relaxing afternoon. My only plans are to finish the bread, and take the dogs out for a while. the bread needs to be punched down again, then left to rise. This will be my opportunity to take the dogs out for a while, then it's back in for all of us, into the oven for the bread, and back in here for me. I need to clean up my e-mail, and I may even read something and do a review. Then again, I may look at a prompt and write something... It's been a long time and it would really do me a world of good to write something, even if it's short and pointless!  Okay, so I didn't get any reviews written, I didn't read anything, and I didn't write anything. I did look at some poems; I thought I may be able to handle a short one, but didn't see anything that pulled me in. I got too tired to read anything of length, knowing it would put me right to sleep. I did get something accomplished, though. I changed my briefcase image, and I also changed my page skin. In addition, I have my e-mail all cleaned up, and I even thought about renewing my membership. I may still go in and do that, while I have the money. It seems if I wait, something will come along and eat up all my dough. Besides spending a little time in here, which was a nice change from my usually rush in, write my journal entry, and then on to other pressing things. I know, sometimes I'm not pressed, but just too tired to do anything; there have been many times I've dozed off at the keyboard. My younger brother dozes off regularly in front of the television, but I seldom do. Sure, once in a great while I will doze off, but not more than once in a blue moon. No, for me it's the computer; I get going with something and the next thing I know my head is bobbing and dropping. I wake up, but one of these times I'm sure I'll doze off long enough to bonk my head on the keyboard; yes, I'll be a forehead typist instead of a two finger typist. Besides spending some time in here, I finished my homemade bread, from scratch. I rolled it out into a kind of flat and wide loaf, and coated it down with a spicy garlic butter. For Dinner, I'll split it down the center, coat the cut side with more goarlic butter and then grill it until it's golden brown. Then, it's going to get topped with shredded cheese and popped into the oven until the cheese is melted, starting to brown, and beginning to bubble. We are having it with a vegetable beef chili. I also spent a good deal of time outside with the dogs, since it's so nice out. It's only fifty-eight degrees, but on the south side of the house, it's out of the wind, and warmer in the sunshine. It felt great to sit out in a t-shirt and get some sun. I also cleaned up the Oriole feeder and filled it, since Rhonda said she seen one out there yesterday. I also moved the seed feeder a little, and filled it. I took a break here and there to throw the dogs toys for them, so they could enjoy some outside exercise for a change, too. Now, it's almost time for Rhonda to call, and I doubt I'll hear the phone, since I have music playing pretty loud over the sound system. I haven't listened to music very much in a long time, which is kind of strange for me. But then, I have not been doing much of any of my normal activities for a long time. I've been so busy with work, sick, and just plain tired from everything. I got sick last fall, during the soybean harvest, possibly an allergy or sensitivity to them, and have not really recovered all winter. I would start to get well, but then catch something else. It seems like it's been one thing or another all winter. I don't remember ever being sick so often in my life. Of course, it was a bad winter for everyone around here, and it seems like everyone has been sick with one thing or another since last fall. On top of that, it was a long winter. We got hit with bitter cold temperatures in November, and are just getting into spring now. Oh sure, we get a day or two of nice weather, but then it's windy as hell and right back into the cold. In fact, we had snow yesterday; it didn't' stick, but it was coming down pretty good for a while. We hit thirty degrees last night, and will again tonight, but we may get into the seventies by tomorrow afternoon. That's why everyone has been sick, the weather has been so extreme. Also, work has had me very busy. Not as bad as it's been the last month, but busy. It seems like I was getting calls on my days off, having to run in off the clock, and there was just always something going on, usually bad. Once the problem child quit, it wasn't nearly so bad, but it left us short on help, so I went down to one day niff a week. I also had to put in more time with interviews and trying to hire someone, even though that 's also been a bomb. Now, we have lost another person, and at the same time, picked up more hours, so no days off, and about fifty hours a week. In another week, it will be closer to sixty hours for the week, if we don't get someone hired soon. It's no wonder I'm always so tired, and never have much for time. But, at the same time, Rhonda is picking up some of the extra hours, which means I get home earlier some days, like today. And, we are getting to bed sooner, so I'm getting more sleep time. I can't say I get more sleep, at least not yet, but more time to sleep. What happens is this, I go to bed with the intention of getting six to seven hours of sleep, instead of four to five. But, instead of sleeping through, I wake up about an hour before the alarm and can't get back to sleep. My body has become programmed for about five hours of sleep. at night, and then a couple hours of sleep in the afternoon. I have been working at cutting out the naps, since that burns up all my free time. At the same time, I've been working at getting to bed even earlier. I'm getting about six hours now, and I'm waking up about a half hour before the alarm, so I'm doing better. It's a slow process of reprogramming, but it's working. tonight, we are shooting for seven hours, and I'm hoping I will sleep through the night. I know it's not very likely, since I have been waking up at night for years, but if I can go to the bathroom, then back to bed and then fall right back to sleep, as is normal for me, I'll be happy. And, if I get seven hours of sleep, I'm good to go. Eight hours is like sleeping in, and seven is plenty for me to function on without getting so tired I can't think straight. Now, we just need to get someone hired at work, maybe even two people, so we can get some time off. And, speaking of time off, it's time I get off of here and get ready for Rhonda's call. Then it's dinner when she gets home, relax for an hour or so, and off to bed by eight. |
| Another late entry, I'm going to have to work on getting in here earlier. I tried something different today, and it backfired on me. Even so, I suppose it's for the best, but it definitely did not work out the way I had intended. Things have gone from busy at work to hectic, now, we have topped that at frantic,and in another two weeks, it will be damn near impossible. I had just gotten things set up so we could start a regular routine, when one of the guards started needing every Sunday off. Only, instead of stating this, he would wait, then put in for a Sunday off. Since he was already a problem, I just assumed his Sunday shift, planning on him either taking the hint and getting his shit together, or I would just hire another guard and reduce his hours until he quit. But, this kind of messed up our routine, and I had to make some last minute adjustments. We had no more than started our new routine, when this guy bombs out and quits. No forewarning, no nothing. Now, because of some of his problems, he could have been fired before right before Christmas. Instead, I talked to him and gave him another chance. I didn't think it would do any good, but I just didn't want to fire him during the holidays. He did good for a couple of weeks, then got another right up during an audit for the same stupid shit. On top of that, he again showed up for work over thirty minutes late the following day. Again, I should have just went in and terminated him on the spot. I did go in, but instead of firing him, I talked to him. I explained that by all standards, it appeared he wanted to get fired, and was doing his absolute best to accomplish this. Then, I just asked him flat out if he wanted to keep his job, quit his job, or have me terminate his job. Before he answered, I told him he could have any of the three, but to think it over and make the decision he truly wanted. He told me he wanted to keep his job, and actually wanted more hours. I told him that by every rule and company policy, he should have already been fired. But, if he was serious and wanted the job, and if he was willing to do things right and hold the job, I would give him one last chance. I also told him that by March or April, we would have more hours available. If, by then he was doing things right, he could take as many hours as he wanted, as long as he didn't go into overtime. Then, two weeks later, he leaves me a voice message stating he is quitting. He called right at the time he should have been clocking in for his shift, and tells me he is done. It's also the first day of another guards vacation, so we are now short two people, and cannot cover the shifts without putting someone into overtime. That's when it went hectic. We tried to hire someone in, but just did not have any luck at all. Then, on April first, another guard exited his position, after giving me ample notice. Again, we had been trying to get another guard hired and trained, but they all just bombed. They would work one four hour training session, then quit. So, we ended up short another person, and at the same time, started the extra coverage, so it's frantic. In two more weeks we go into full double coverage, and will add in another two shifts. We will be filling six positions with three guards. Now, if everyone wanted hours, we could fill it with five. At full time hours, we could even scrape by with four guards, as long as no one takes time off. but with three, there isn't any way we can cover the hours. Right now we are at ten hours a week over time, in two weeks that will increase to twenty two, possibly even twenty six, if they want all the hours of double coverage filled. That is going to be completely insane, since the night guard does not want any more than twenty to thirty hours max. He is now at thirty-nine and a half, and has only one day off a week. Rhonda and I have no days off, and she is at forty-one and I am at forty seven. Next week I'll jump to forty-nine, and then in two weeks... Well, I don't even want to think about that. |
| It's interesting how things transgress. Monday we finished training a new employee, and then he tested. The way this works is dictated by the store we work at as eight hours of training then test. If the person fails the test, they have two hours to study and then test again. If they fail the second time, they cannot be a security guard at the store. But, if you look at a previous page in the procedure and policy book, it states that ten hours of training are mandatory for all security guards. Now, based on this information, the person we trained on Monday should have been tested after two hours, since he had trained for six hours on Thursday of last week. But, the store manager did not test him until shortly before the end of his twelve hours. Yes, he worked for almost twelve hours, not ten. He tested somewhere around eleven hours, not eight, and he did not get a retest, even though he failed. The procedure is clear, test and if the person does not pass, they have two hours more to study and then must test the same day. What's interesting with this, is the fact that we have to perform by the book. But, the very store that dictates policy did not follow it at all! Of course, the policy is written at the corporate level, and this was a store manager not a corporate manager. But, if I had asked for more time, or tried to veer even an inch from policy, I would have been turned down, and possibly even reprimanded. Also, at the time of the test, the store manager is suppose to notify our office with the results. At least, that's policy. They never have, but they at least notify me. Rhonda does the training, and also assists with some of the supervisory tasks, as needed. She can relay information to me, make most decisions if I'm not there, and fill in for me if I'm sick or injured. But, even after the test, the store manager did not tell her if this person passed or failed. I worked today and still did not know for sure if it was a pass or fail, and Rhonda worked after me, and she was not notified. It's nice to notify our corporate office, since it's out of state, but I can't do that if no one tells me the results. I finally had to call and ask if the person passed or failed. It's crazy stuff, and really doesn't make any sense. But, that's the way it goes... |
| Nothings changed but the weather. It's cold, windy and wet; except for a day or two here and there it's been cold, and it's almost always windy, but it's been very dry, now we are finally getting some moisture. I don't think it's a lot, but it's enough to turn things green and lower the fire danger. I just wish it would be a bit nicer with the rain, if we could get rid of the hurricane force gales, it would be much nicer. Like the weather, the same is true at work, not much has changed. We had our trainee test today, but I won't know until tomorrow if he passed or failed. I suspect he failed, but it may be such a thing as they are going to slip past with a low score as long as he is not working alone. If that's the case, I agree whole heatedly, and would be happy with that decission. I had already decided that for the time being, he would only work when he has someone else there, and when it's not real busy. I was hoping that with time he would become more proficient. But, like I said, there was nothing said about his score or if he passed or failed. The store manager who tested him will talk to me tomorrow. The way I see it, he either did well enough to pass, or he just can't do the job. But, it may be a matter of test anxiety that has him messed up, and if that's the case, he is entitled to a retest. That leaves a lot of questions, no answers, and only time will tell. I will talk to Rhonda, who trained him, and ask her what her opinion is, then I will talk to the manager who tested him and see what he has to say. Then, if there is an option for me to choose from, I will give him my opinion along with Rhonda's. Her's is most important, she would be working with him and she knows his capabilities, she trained him. Now, it's time to finish watching television. We checked out the new Hawaii 5-0 and it was alright. They should have come up with new names instead of trying to ride on the characters from the old show. But, they show a lot more females in skimpy swimwear, have more action, and have a pretty good plot to the few shows we have seen. So far, so good. |
| I hope everyone who celebrates Easter had a wonderful day, and for those who don't, I hope you also had a great Sunday. Even though I do celebrate Easter, it was not a real holiday for either Rhonda or myself. We work Sundays, and today wasn't anything different. We are on a different schedule, but it's just flipped around, I work opening and she works closing. That means I get done when she comes on, so there isn't really any time for us today, or any Sunday for that matter. Even so, it was a pretty good day. It was slow at work, and those who were out shopping all thought it was terrible we have to work on Easter. It's funny, because we are there because of our jobs, they are there because they wanted to be. Yet, they think it's terrible that we have to work on Easter instead of getting the day off and getting to stay home with family. Of course, I don't tell them if they stayed home, I wouldn't have to work. It's also funny just how many people were out and about today. I know some were going or coming from friends and family, but others were out looking for stores to shop at. Tough luck today, just about everything was closed, except for us. Even we weren't very busy, as I mentioned. By two this afternoon, we had about twenty people come through the yard. In talking with them, most stated they did not have to be there, and wouldn't have come but they seen the store was open. This is sad. Why were they out and about to even see the store was open, and just because it was, why stop? Because they don't want to spend time with friends and family? I know there are some who don't have much for family, and for them, I really do feel bad. But most of the people today had family with; at least a spouse. Now, why not take a day and spend it with your partner? I asked one person who came in for some sheet rock if he was putting this up today. He said no, not on Easter. His tone indicated he thought I was nuts for even asking. Another was getting some shingles and tar-paper. Being terribly windy today, I jokingly stated that he should tie himself to the chimney when he puts them on. He looked at me like I had lost my mind, then stated, "I'm not putting these on until the temperature is into the seventies." I suppose not, but then why are these people out getting this stuff on Easter? It's sad to think that so many people cannot stay home and enjoy family. It's sad to think that so many people cannot stay home and enjoy self. It comes down to having to go someplace and find some kind of stimulation because they just can't enjoy life anymore. It seems like more and more people have to be doing something all the time, or they are miserable. Me, I would have loved to have the day off and just spent it with Rhonda and the dogs. It doesn't matter what we are doing, or if we are doing anything at all. We can talk for hours, we can enjoy cards, or games. Watching a television show or a movie is good if we just want to vegetate and relax, but even then we are snuggled up to each other and more in tune to the other than the show. Sometimes we just sit and snuggle up, listen to music, and talk, or sing along. Other times it may be cooking something together, or just sitting out by a fire and watching the evening sky. Of course, working so many hours again, and being so tired has me unable to do what I would like to do when I'm home alone. No, I don't want to go socialize, or watch television, I want to write. I can spend hours writing. I also like to just putz around with stuff, and can spend a lot of time in many different projects, alone, content, and totally absorbed in my task. But, my passion is to write, and I would love to have the time to do just that. |
| The day is half over and vanishing fast. At least I don't have to get up at three tomorrow morning, so I can stay up a little later tonight. Of course, I've been staying up until nine or ten anyway, that's why I've been so damn tired again. But, with another nap in today, I'm feeling a lot better than I have for a while. If I get to bed on time tonight, by nine, I should be feeling pretty rested in the morning. I think it's going to help not working every different shift, too. I have a feeling I will feel better even though I will be working more hours and more days. It's interesting how jumping all over the schedule can mess a person up. I'm going to be just working days for a while, until we get another person hired. We had one person come in today and tried a different approach to using the tablet, and it worked fine. Now, he can finish his training, test, and if he passes, start working. Of course, he won't be able to work on his own, because of the problems his disability cause, but maybe in time he will be able to. For now, he will fill out need for a double coverage person. Also, Rhonda is going to give an interview on Monday, before she starts work. If this guy can work the hours we need, I should be able to get some time off. It may be only one day, but it's better than nothing. Rhonda has some ideas, and he may be willing to work a couple of long days; if so, we will have our schedule covered and we will get two days off, together. Now, if this just works the way it's suppose to, and no more of this training one day and then they quit. As for my day, it was rough! It started out slow, and I had a pretty good morning. Even so, I had to go to the bathroom, but not bad enough to call anyone out to give me a break. By eight-thirty, I was starting to get stomach cramps, and started thinking I would have to call. But, the head-cashier was out around a quarter past nine, like usual. I took a little longer in the bathroom than normal, but really didn't go very much. I had a lot of pressure, but just could not go to the bathroom. I went back out to work, and did good until about ten, a half hour later. The stomach cramps came back, worse than ever. I had Rhonda coming in around ten-thirty so we could try a few things out with the guy we are training, and I was glad she came in early. Even so, she did the work with the trainee, while I ran out to take care of yard traffic. By eleven-thirty, she was done with the trainee, and I was able to go clock out and use the bathroom again. I barely made it, but again, only got a slight bit of pressure relieved. It was busy so I stuck around until just past noon, then came home. It's been a couple of runs to the bathroom, and I am feeling a little better, but still have a lot of pressure built up. I don't know what it was, but something really did a number on the digestive system. Rhonda was feeling much the same when she got to work, so I'm sure it was something we ate yesterday. the only thing we can think of, and we both agree, is the ham. I just hope this works through our system quickly, and we feel better by tomorrow. We have a long day tomorrow, I work the first half, she the second, and then it's back up early on Monday. The only bright side to that is Sundays the store opens at eight instead of five, and closes at eight instead of ten. Even so, we are scheduled to work every day, and will continue to work seven days a week until we get someone hired. So, now is not a good time to get sick, as if there ever is a good time. But, to get sick now is not just to feel like crap, but to have to work while feeling so crappy. With three of us, we are stretched beyond the limits, and there just isn't anyway to take any time off. Staying positive, I'll close this out saying, I'll have to change that on Monday, when the trainee passes his test, and the guy Rhonda interviews, takes the job. |
| Not a lot of time tonight, so this will be a short entry. I would have had more time, but I kind of dozed off for a bit and and slept through the afternoon. I have not been sleeping well at all, waking often, and sleeping very light and restless. I'll be asleep, but at the same time, I'm aware of sounds, and movements around me. Like half awake and half asleep. Of course, I do sleep harder at times, but then I wake with a start from some dream or sound. I really can't describe it any better, but it's getting old, real fast. I know it's from having so much on my mind right now, but no matter how I try, I can't get my brain to turn off, not even in sleep. Also, I'm working more hours, and have even more after work stuff going on. So, there is little rest right now, and with not sleeping very well, it's all starting to take it's toll. That's what happened this afternoon. I got home, had a sandwich, and then got on the computer. I had decided to take a break from all the extra work stuff and just relax. Besides, I was so tired, I wouldn't have been able to do much anyway. So, I went in and sat on the love seat, intending to spend a little time with my dogs. Hyko snuggled up next to me, so I could pet him and give him some loving. Hannah jumped right up on me, intent on getting the most loving. I relaxed there, enjoying some time with the dogs, and the next thing I know, Hannah is giving me kisses. I looked over at the clock as I dodged her soggy kisses, and it was just a few minutes after four in the afternoon. I had sat down there about one-thirty. I had slept away the entire afternoon. I still had time to get dinner fixed, but that was about all. I'm not complaining, I needed the sleep, and that was the best I have slept, and the deepest sleep I have gotten in a long time. And, I don't think it will mess me up tonight, I'm still feeling very tired. I just hope I can sleep as well tonight as I did this afternoon. |
| I guess that's just how the tumbleweed tumbles. Another setback at work, and more time burned up with no positive results. I don't understand it at all, and it's getting mighty frustrating. The first two people we had training just didn't want to work I reckon, or something similar. they worked one day and quit. Then I talked to another person, and he sounded pretty positive. But, having a disability, I wasn't sure how it would work out; only one way to find out, give him a chance. I knew there could be extra work involved as a result of his handicap, but that's minor and something we can overcome. The big thing is if he is able to perform his duties or not. So, today we started him training and it just did not go well at all. Nothing to do with the person, really. He had a great attitude and gave it a good try, but we ran into some unforeseen problems. The first was his inability to grasp the paperwork tightly and hold on to it in the strong wind. This one we can find a solution too, but it will have to be something the store that we service will accept. But, it's not a huge problem, and one we should be able to overcome. Another problem is the overhead doors. They are big doors, heavy, and difficult to lift up and shove hard enough to fully open. He may have difficulties with them, and closing them is even harder. If he only opens or closes once in a while, someone can assist him with the doors, but if it was his regular shift, it could pose a problem. We did not get far enough today to even give this much thought, and if need be, we could schedule him for afternoons where this will not be a problem. So far, so good. But the next problem is a bit more serious and more difficult to overcome. There is no way to work around it, we either find a solution, or he cannot do the job. And, it's nothing to even do with his disability, to the best of my knowledge. We use tablets at work, and everything is done with a touch screen. There are no other options, either use the tablet or don't do the job. And, he cannot use the tablets. I don't understand why he can't, but they just don't work for him. There have been a few guests that come through who have the same problem, they cannot get the touch screen to acknowledge their touch. this is the case we have with our guard in training. We are looking for a solution, and I hope we find one that the store will accept, but from my research, it's looking kind of slim. The only option I see is a stylus, and we have one. But, it also does not work when he uses it. It does for others, but will not for him. We had to cut his training short today as a result, and if we cannot find a solution, he will not get to finish training. One of those situations that is so unfair and something there was no way to see coming. For now, there are a few things to look into, but if it hampers his work performance, he's not going to get the job. There isn't anything that can be done about that, he either can or cannot do the job, it's that simple. But to be unable to do the job because of something as lame as this, that's the clincher. If his disability was the problem and prevented him from doing the job, sure, it's not fair, but it's something that can be accepted. But this has nothing to do with his disability, it's something that some people seem to be cursed with. Once in a while we have a guest who just can't get the tablet to sign, and it's the same thing. So, for now, his training is on hold. But, because of the nature of our work, I cannot hold off hiring someone who can do the job. We are short handed and need someone immediately, and that too, is unfortunate. We are going to try and hold off a little while, but I will have to call and set up another interview with another applicant. That will be next week, so I'm hoping a solution is found soon. We do have two positions open, and that also will help, but it will only buy us a limited amount of time. And, if we cannot find a solution that is feasible, there isn't anything we can do. Here's a person who would do the job well, likely stick around for quite a while, and make a great addition to our team, but only if we can overcome this issue with the tablets. I will stay positive, he has some good people in his corner, and if there is a way around this, they will find it. I just hope it's soon enough he can remember his training and still pass the test. |
| I didn't get in here yesterday at all, Tuesdays are kind of tough right now, and yesterday was even tougher than most. Today is suppose to be a day off, but so far, I don't feel like I've actually relaxed at all. Part of it is all that's going on, and another part is I'm just down in the dumps over things. I guess I'm getting really burned out, and there just isn't any relief in sight. It seems even the weather is working against me today. It's suppose to be sunny, warm, but pretty windy out. It's warm enough, I was out for a while with the dogs in just a sweatshirt. The wind has died down some, and it's also shifted and is now coming out of the west. It's suppose to switch around to the north by tonight, and then get a bit colder again. As for the sunshine, it's just not there. I just looked at the weather again, and it makes no sense at all. It has changed from sunny to mostly sunny, even though the sun has not broke through the clouds all day. Even so, the current conditions say it's sunny out, and it's suppose to remain sunny all afternoon. But, just below this erroneous information, it says that the rain will start in fifteen minutes. Huh? That's just kind of fitting for how my day is going. I slept in a bit, but I had very fitful and troubled sleep all night. I think part of it is just being over tired, but then there's a lot of stress and a lot of extra pressure at work again, too. Also, I worked the afternoon shift yesterday, and even though it was a pretty good day, it really burns me out. I don't understand why it's so hard on me, but it that shift just seems to take a lot out of me. It seems like it drags on forever, no matter how busy I am. Yesterday was also a very long day, since I didn't just work my afternoon shift. I had to give an interview to a guy after I got off work. We are in a tight situation, losing another person today. So, I really don't have any choice except to hire whoever comes along. It would be nice to have a handful of prospective employees to choose from, but that's not the case. I have done interviews over the past two weeks, the one yesterday makes three weeks of this, and I still have to hire another person as soon as I can. It's not just the interview, it's the paperwork and everything that goes with it if we hire, and since we are out of time, I have to hire if they are willing to take the job. The last two people trained for one day and then quit. So, I'm having a lot of doubts now, since I have been having a streak of miserable luck with hiring for a long time now. This person is slightly handicapped, and I believe he's being honest about being able to do the work. But, we won't know until he starts training, and I may again have to go through all this hassle only to lose him after the first day. Add to it this, the store we are assigned to has a lot of influence over who can work there as a security guard, too. So, if they don't think this person is going to work out, they can ask that he be removed. This adds a lot of stress as well. So, back to my day... I was looking forward to spending a quiet day doing some stuff in here, and just kind of taking a break from anything stressful. I got home pretty late, and by the time we finished dinner, it was pretty late in the evening. We watched a little television, then turned in around midnight. I woke up a few time, then around two-thirty, I found myself unable to get back to sleep. There wasn't any reason to lie there, since I wasn't even feeling tired, so I got up and drank a glass of water while I browsed a bit on the computer. I checked my email and then looked at Facebook. I had taken a couple of allergy capsules with my drink of water, since I was itching and stuffy. I don't know for sure what I am allergic too, but the Benadryl seems to work pretty good. It also makes me very tired, so it would be an added benefit for me going back to bed. It didn't take long and I was yawning and going back to bed. I went right to sleep, but it was a very fitful sleep, filled with unpleasant dreams. I woke often, but would go right back to sleep thanks to the effects of the Benadryl. Rhonda got up with the alarm, I don't remember even hearing it. She took a shower and let me sleep a bit longer, but woke me soon enough. I was still very groggy, and have been all day, but I got up and enjoyed some coffee with her. It was difficult to keep my mind from going to the stuff I needed to get done for work, and especially for getting this new hire started. But, I only have one day off this week, and if things don't pan out, I wont have another day off until we have someone trained and working. So, no work, no stress, just relax and enjoy the day. Only, I noticed that I need to get new tires on the front of my vehicle. Mine are not only wore out, they are getting to the point of dangerous. by the looks of the passenger side front tire, it could blow out anytime, there just isn't much tire left in some spots. The driver side front isn't much better, and all four of the tires are badly weather checked and cracked. It's actually difficult to drive now, and there is no grip left if the roads are slick from wet or snow. The back tires are better, but still pretty wore out. I can hold off on them for a little while, but the front need to get changed out as soon as possible. I had asked Rhonda to check into some tires for me, looking for some very cheap new tires, or some fair used ones. That was yesterday, right before I started my long stretch of work and interviewing. I was so tired last night when I finally got home, I didn't really get anything done. So today, just before she leaves for work, she tells me I need to call this one place that had the cheapest tires. Of course she had talked to me about it last night, but I was so tired, I didn't catch much of anything. So today, just getting ready to settle in and enjoy myself while she was at work, I get this task of calling and finding out if I can still get these tires and when. It would be a fifty mile round trip to go get them and come home, so it's going to take a while. I figured an hour driving time, and likely an hour or more to get them put on. Now what I was thinking of doing today. But, before I can do that, I have to figure up my checkbook and see if I have enough money. I logged into the bank and reconciled my register with the bank, no problems there, but still, not exactly a pleasant task when there just isn't a lot of money to go around. I had enough, but it would leave me pretty broke until next payday, a week and a half away yet. But, I need tires as soon as possible, so I call the guy and inquire about the tires. He remembers Rhonda calling and tells me that is the lowest price tire he has, and that they go up in price from there. "Fine, I just need the cheapest, so when can I come get them?" He tells me he's out delivering some tires right now, but will be back to the shop in a half an hour. That would work fine for me, it will take a little over a half an hour for me to get there, too. I tell him this, and he gives me directions to his shop. I ask if the price includes mounting the tires and balancing them, and he says no. He can set me up with an appointment, but it's not with him, it's another place. He just sells tires, that's all. I think about it a minute and ask how late he's open, since Rhonda is in town and can stop after work and pick them up, saving me the trip in. There's a garage here in town that can mount and balance them for less than the price he quoted me for the shop he sends people to. He tells me he can stick around until five-thirty for her, but thinks I should look at these tires to see if they will be good enough for my vehicle. I ask about this, and he tells me they are just standard passenger car tires, not light truck tires and not really suited for a four wheel drive vehicle. But, he has others that would be better. He does not, however, have any prices because he's out delivering tires. I told him I would come in and see what he's got, and hung up. I got dressed and was about to leave, when Rhonda called. I explained to her that I would have to go look and see what kind of tires I would need to get, and what kind of price he would give me. That's when she told me that the guy here in town told her not to go with a passenger car tire, it would not hold up very well and would not perform well at all. He strongly recommended a light truck tire. Sure, it will cost a little more, but it will last longer and perform better. He quoted her a price of about twenty bucks more than the guy I was going to go see. I knew, however, that the tires he had quoted were not adequate, and I would have to look at a higher priced tire. I already knew he would show me something in a light truck tire for close to the same price as what the guy here had quoted Rhonda. How did I know this? Because he had been talking to a woman about prices, and knew she likely didn't understand there was a difference between light truck tires and passenger car tires. He had given her a price knowing it was lower than anyone else would quote, and then when she showed up to get them, he would explain to her that she needed a different tire and sell her one that would likely be more expensive than his competition. That's just based on experience, and on the fact that he did not mention to her anything at all about the tire not being right for the vehicle, like he had told me. On top of this, he had not told her that he would not put the tires on, or that the place he would send her would charge more than some of the other places. So, at an additional twelve-fifty per tire to mount them, it added another twenty-five dollars to the price. Also, I would have to buy a more expensive tire than the one quoted. But, I was thinking I could drive around to a few places and see what they had to offer, since I would be in town anyway. I wouldn't have much of a day off, but at least I would have tires on the vehicle. After some thought, and talking to Rhonda, I decided not to go into town. She had a price from the guy here in town, and his was the second lowest of any she talked to. That saved me a lot of running an hassle. If he was the next lowest and was selling the correct tire, I would just go there. So that's what I did. I could have called, but he's only a block away and usually busy in the back. I figured if he had the time, I would leave the vehicle there and pick it up later after he was done with it. But, he did not have the tires on hand, he would need them to get them from his supplier and wouldn't have time to put them on today. I told him that was not a problem. It's a small town garage and he does not stock a lot of tires, but can get them in a day usually. He also said he would be able to put them on tomorrow, so I can stop by after work, drop off the vehicle, and then walk home. It's not far, about a block, like I mentioned. Then, when Rhonda gets home, she can give me a ride over and pick it up. I'll pay him when I drop it off, so it won't matter what time I go pick it up. Of course, this took up a good part of my day, and then there was a matter with our medical insurance that's been needing attention, so I also looked into that. The Health Care Marketplace, what a joke. I spent a good deal of time in there trying to get something, but between things not working, and just no way to do what I need, it's a waste of time and money. I also logged into my insurance account, but I can't do much from there, either. The whole ordeal was nothing but frustrating and a waste of more time. I won't even begin on Obama Care, but what an anti-democratic piece of shit that is. Take a person who cannot get insurance through work, cannot afford it on his own, and tell him he will get insurance or be fined for not having any. So much for freedom, people! When the government can make you purchase something and impose fines if you don't, you no longer live in a free nation! |
| I'm working nights again tonight, so I wanted to log in here and get something accomplished before my shift. I did, too. I managed to get my email cleaned up, and now I am getting an entry in here. It will be late when I get done, 10:30 or some where close to that. With the drive home, it will be after 11:00 my time and that means after midnight WdC time. I got a call earlier from my boss. Our office is in Iowa, and I live and work in South Dakota, so contact with the office is done by phone and email. This is true for a lot of sites except those close to the home office. I was outside with the dogs when he called, but seen I had missed a call. I did not see a voice-mail alert, but he had left a message as well. Since I didn't know this at the time, I returned his call to see what was up. He informed me that in answer to my question, we are doing drug tests through the Brown Clinic. I was unaware that anything had changed, so it was good to find out. However, it was kind of puzzling because I had not asked about drug testing. I did have a problem a while back, about two weeks ago. I had stopped by the testing site to see what I needed to do to get a possible employee tested. There had been some confusion a while back, and I wanted to get it straightened out before I needed the service. I had talked to a fill in, who was more watching kids than manning the office, and did not get anything for answers. So, I sent my boss an email and explained the situation. the site wanted us to supply forms, and I didn't have any. We had never needed anything before, they had us on a list of clients and supplied everything. I had not heard anything back after a couple of days so I stopped again, and this time I spoke to someone who knew a bit more. She actually had the list on her desk, and after a few minutes understood who we were and how our tests where done. When I got home, I sent another email explaining everything, and added that I no longer needed anything done. The way it was set up, we went to a testing site and gave a sample. They sent this off to be tested at a clinic, and the results were then sent to the home office. All the site we used did was to take samples and send them to a clinic that was used by the home office. So now, after I get it all cleared up and with no word on anything for two weeks, I get a call and told that we use the Brown Clinic. Okay, I got it, so we no longer go to the other site, and now just go to the clinic, give them the sample, and they take care of the rest. "That's right," he said. Of course we went on to our shortage on help from here, no explanation as to what changed about the testing. He wanted to know if I had talked to the reference he had emailed to me. I had sent an email yesterday informing him of all current situations, and I addressed that very question. the person he referred had applied a year ago. He could not work mornings or nights, he would not work weekend, and when I asked when he could work, he told me he would have to check with his wife. That was the end of my interest in this person. I figured he really didn't want to work. Now, he has applied again. I have serious doubts about this person, just based on his past employment history. He has had a slew of jobs over the last few years, and never held one for more than a couple of months. This, to me, indicates some kind of attitude problem, like he just doesn't want to work. But, we are short on help, and if I don't hire soon, we will be looking at overtime pay. The company doesn't like this, so they want me to hire someone, anyone, just as long as it prevents us from collecting overtime. It doesn't matter if the person is able and willing or not, just as long as a position is filled and we don't need overtime. Of course, if they don't do a good job, they will want me to do something about that, and if they are not reliable, missing a lot of work, I will have to deal with that, too. The bottom line is, the company says hire anyone, and deal with the problems later. I say, I don't want any problems later, so why hire someone if you know they won't work out? This same thing happened a couple of years ago. We were working overtime, and the company was doing it's best to fill in one of our openings. they referred a person who I will just call Buck. He showed up for his interview five minutes late, dressed in ragged clothing, and had a firm, I don't give a crap about anything attitude. He didn't actually answer questions, but kind of beat around them, and continually got off the subject with some oddball story. His application, other than his personal information, was all messed up. Dates did not match, and in checking some of his past work history, was all fabricated. I declined to go any further, and moved on to another applicant, but he was working and needed two weeks to notify his current employer before he could come to work for us. He seemed like a good prospect, and only needed to change jobs as a result of moving to a new area as a result of getting married. His wife had a career type job and it would have been silly for her to quit hers to move to his hometown. I notified my boss, but he said to call Buck up and set him up to train. I explained my misgivings about him, and he said, "You can deal with that later, right now you need to get someone hired, trained, and working." So I followed directions, called him up, did the hire paperwork, and set up training. He trained, but when it came time to test, he decided he had enough and quit. He had already received his uniforms, but since he had not worked more than two short days of training, he had not even earned enough to begin to pay for them. So, the company wanted me to get them back and mail them back to the office. I did get them back, but I just had the company bill me for them so I would have a few cloths to lend out when we hire. Now, it's the same story, just a different "Buck." All I can say, is this situation is all "Bucked up!" |
| I haven't been doing a very good job of writing in here again, but I think it's understandable with all the chaos going on right now. It not only prevents me from logging in here on a regular basis, but it has also turned this into a place to vent as well. Like I said, it's understandable. Even so, I want to try and break away from some of this. I can't control the stress and chaos at all, so to say I'm going to write in here every day would be a goal I cannot keep. I don't believe in setting myself up just to fail, so no goal of daily writing. Even if the stress and chaos was to exit my life, I doubt I would write in here daily. Most days, yes, but not every day. There will always be times when other things get in the way, or it just isn't possible. For example, when we are out camping, there just isn't any way to log in here, or online at all; no wifi. Maybe one day I can afford to carry a hot-spot with me and get online access from most anyplace. But, some of the camping areas are just plain off the grid and don't get tower reception. So, until such a time as we can get complete ground coverage everywhere, even that would not guarantee online accessibility. Besides, one of the things we enjoy about camping is to get away from the daily routine and just enjoy nature. Since my work phone is a cell phone, and much of my job is done on the computer and online, it only makes sense to leave them behind, so work cannot interrupt. Also, we enjoy hiking, going on bicycle treks, and just taking a day or two day road trip. We pack up our picnic gear, a few other items, and pick a direction to drive. No map, no destination, and no idea what roads we will travel, it's just decided as we go. Many times we have come to a tee in the road and stopped. I'll look over at Rhonda and ask, "What direction?" On a few occasions, we have slept overnight in the car, and continued on the next day. On one occasion, it turned into a three day and two night adventure, covering over six hundred miles before we were back home. I ask you, how can I set a goal to log daily, when things like this spring up out of thin air? It's not possible, it would destroy the excitement of just acting spontaneous. Instead of a goal to write in here daily then, I should look at the other side of this coin. The idea is to empty out all that's in my mind. Of course, that includes things related to work as well as at home and anything that comes from these outings. It also should include items that come from the other trips I make. Not just the physical trips, but those my mind can create with such ease. Of course, I'm talking about imagination. I believe this is an activity much like any physical activity, if it's not exercised, it becomes weak and cannot function as well. For example, there was a time when I could, and did, perform one arm push-ups and pull-ups. I was in great shape, exercising daily. Now, many years later, I have difficulty doing them with two arms! The problem is work, it takes up a lot of my time. I'm not just talking about the hours I spend at work, often they are under full time. No, if I just did my physical job, as it's normally scheduled, I would have ample time for many things. But, it's always in flux, dependent on who needs to miss a day, or is late, or gets canned, or who quits. It's at these times that I find myself working full-time, and sometimes over-time hours. Also, it's not the same time each day; currently I'm working my regular early morning shift, but I'm also working two late evening shifts and one afternoon shift. I had to have Rhonda pick up one of my opening shifts to even accomplish this. This bouncing around is difficult, and makes it even harder to try and keep any sort of set routine in my life. In order to fill the position that was vacated, I also have to preview applications, call and set appointments, and give interviews. Then, if someone is picked and hired, I have to do a good hours worth of paperwork with them. After, I have another half to an hours worth of my own paperwork, faxing, and filing to do. There often is at least one, sometimes two trips from home involved, which is a fifty mile round trip. So, if you take in the time I spend calling and performing these tasks, you can see that to spend five or six hours is nothing. Then, there's training and uniforms, which also require more of my time, along with all the other tasks my position requires. All this is done on my time, after I am off of work. No time clock, no paid mileage, no extra anything. It's all figured into my regular wage. I get seventy-five cents more for being the supervisor. Hey, don't laugh, I'm serious. I'm sure that would cover the stress of the position, but that's about it. If I was getting paid for the time I spend doing all these extra activities, you know, on the clock, then I would say it was fair compensation. But that would have me in over-time quite often. The solution would be to pay it as a different job description, but that would be kind of difficult, I would have to have two jobs with them. No the solution is in higher wages. I figured it up, and at forty hours a week, they pay me for three extra hours, at regular pay; the same as the rest of the guards get. If everything is working smooth, that would about cover it, maybe even a little over compensation. But, very few weeks go that smooth, and even if they did, it does not allow any extra compensation for the stress and responsibility that come with the position, it would only compensate me for my time, paying the same as everyone else. In other words, during normal times, I don't get a penny more than anyone else, they just pay me for the extra time required. During times like this, I am lucky if I even get a day off, and when I do, I spend part of it doing stuff for work. It would take a minimum of one dollar and fifty cents to just compensate for my time, at regular wages. I would say it would be reasonable to pay supervisors two dollars an hour more, to compensate for time, and for the headache that comes with the job. But, that's all on the side. The biggest problem is, time. I have to jump all over with shifts, I have to take calls and make calls at various times, I have to be able to drop everything and go give an interview, hire, train, etc.... It makes it very difficult to do anything, and that is the biggest obstacle I need to overcome. It's frustration at the highest level, I have no routine, no set schedule, and no way to set one. In addition, I don't get compensated for this headache, either. Maybe one day, when the company has grown and advanced, they will compensate us for all that we have provided for them, but for now, it's just a grueling ordeal at times. It makes it impossible to log in here daily, it messes up my creativity something terrible, and it adds a lot of stress and frustration to my life. That leads to me logging in here to write a little, but instead of letting my mind wonder and create, or writing about interesting things in my life, I just vent to release pressure. All work and no play means there isn't much to write about except for work. It also means that when that work gets stressful and messed up, there isn't even time to write about work some days. And finally, it means that when I do get time to log in and write again, I'm so stressed and tired, all I do is vent. That is what my goal is to be, to try and break this cycle. I know I will not get in here to write daily, but I will do my best to get in here as often as I can. So, when I do manage to log in to my journal to write about my day, I want to write about the things outside of work. I know they are few, but they are there. It may be pretty boring for anyone to read, since they are so few, but it will give my mind a break from work, and let it focus on the little life I have outside of work. Now, if I had a bit more time, I could do both. I could have a journal such as this one, and also keep one for work. It's good sometimes to write things out, like I did today; not venting, but writing down just what the job is all about. It makes me see things more clearly, and it also gives me great insight as to what I need to do. For example, after writing out what my responsibilities are, it's plain to see I am not compensated at all for being the guy in charge and responsible for everything at the site. I also see they don't even give fair compensation for the time it takes to do this most of the time. So, the solution is easy, I need to get higher wages. Sure, I can ask for a raise, and maybe even get one. Then, maybe I would be given compensation for the responsibility that comes with my position, but it still would fall short on paying me for my time. It would help, but it's clear to me that it would not provide me with the time I need to have a life. If anything, they would expect me to be willing to put in even more, if required. That's how life works, if you get a little more, they are going to want a little more. I know this, and I understand it. I even would be willing to do that in most cases. But, in this case, it's not about doing more. Even if they gave me a two dollar raise and said, "Good job, keep it up," and didn't ask for anything more, it would still not satisfy my needs. It's the time i have to put in, I don't have time left for a life! No, it's clear what I need to do, I need to find a better job. One that pays better, and one that compensates for added responsibility and stress. But, most important, one that provides me with time for a life. It's unfortunate that these kind of jobs are few and far between, especially in an area that I am qualified to work. Another point I need to make is not to blame the company. It's a small company, but it has many employees. I know that doesn't make sense, but that's what it is. It's a family company, the president is the father, his son and daughter-in-law work for him, and two others. That's the office staff, and they manage a slew of security sites in three states, as well as a few other security services in a couple more. In all, I think they have people in five, or six states, and the number of people who work for them has got to be over a hundred. But, like the situation here, most of the people who work as security guards for the company are short term employees. They don't stick around. So, it's difficult to even have any employees, that are not considered temporary; To advance from a temp requires one year of service, and most don't make it, including supervisors. So, the company is geared towards temporary workers who are here today and gone tomorrow. That's part of the reason our pay isn't higher, although we do earn a pretty good wage for the job we do. I'm talking about the guard service we provide, not the supervisory additions. As for the supervisors, they are much the same bunch, people who are looking for something to hold them over until they find the job they want, so they just don't put much into their jobs. My boss, the Director of Operations, doesn't have much of an office job like he should, he is often on the road to one site or another to cover for supervisors that have up and quit or are not doing their jobs. Now, when most of your supervisors are of this caliber, how can you justify paying them more than they do? Yes, there are exceptions, and it would be nice to see them get better. But, a company must be fair, or it's only going to create more problems. Since our company is incorporated, our wages are public knowledge and anyone can ask what what we get paid. So, if the company gives me a two dollar raise because I'm doing a good job, they have told me I am, they would have to compensate all the supervisors the same. Only, ninety percent of them are not earning what they get now! And, like I said, even if I was compensated above and beyond, the demands would be the same or more. We will continue to be short staffed just because it has become so difficult to find good workers. the majority of the work force is greedy and selfish, and they have little or no sense of responsibility. This is true at least around here, but from what I hear from other managers, it's the same all over. Most people want a lot for as little as possible, and they will take every short-cut they can while they complain they want this or that and more. I -- I guess I'm old school, I believe in an honest day's pay for an honest days work. The two must go hand in hand. And, I believe in starting at the bottom and working your way up. That means new people should not get a big wage. Depending on the job, perhaps not even a living wage. But, they should be able to advance quickly if they are hard workers. If someone gets hired at minimum wage and does a good job, they should get an increase within thirty days. Maybe not a large one, but at least enough to indicate that the company is happy with their performance. Then, after ninety days, they should get another raise, based on an evaluation. At this time, the company should indicate if the person is eligible to get a permanent position within the company. After six months of employment, they should be raised to the wage of a new employee with full training and understanding. In our job that would be a start at minimum, then perhaps a quarter raise at one month, another quarter raise at three months, and then a jump to ten bucks an hour at six. From this point, it would be an annual evaluation based on the six month promotion to permanent employee to determine the yearly increase. In today's job market, however, we hire at ten bucks an hour and start them at the same as most of the other guards are getting. Why? Because nobody would even apply if it didn't. They want the money before they earn it! And, even now, we get many who insist it isn't enough; they don't base it on the job, they base it on their lifestyle. I have had more people tell me they need at least eleven or twelve bucks an hour to meet their needs, and not take the job. What? If your are looking for work, I doubt unemployment is paying you anything even close to what you cold make working for ten bucks an hour, but you won't take the job because you need more. What don't you understand? Your not getting anything now, even less is more. Of course, we get plenty who apply only to meet the requirements of getting unemployment insurance. They don't even want the job, they just have to apply. Of course, they won't tell me this when I call them. Instead I have to go through all the time consuming parts of setting up an interview and meeting with them. A few will let me know at the interview they are not interested, or looking for something different, but not many. Thank you to those that do. But to the rest, they just say what they need to say to get the job, then don't even show up for training. There are some who do show up, but then quite after training. And, there are those who do the first day, then never come back. That is what we have been getting lately. These are the ones who cost me and the company a lot of time and money. For me, it's six to ten hours of my time burned up over a week's span. Then, instead of getting a bit of time off after they train and fill the opening, they up and quit, costing time again as I contact my boss and inform the office, return uniforms if they have been sent out, and fill out a lot more paperwork and fax it to the office. I even tell people at the interview what I am looking for. I then ask them if they are serious about the job, and if they are not, no hard feelings but lets just save both of us some time and let it go right here. Nope, they are serious and want anything they can get, and will stick it out. Then, they start training. I come by and ask again how they are doing and what they think about the job. Of course, with training, it seems like an awful lot at first. That's why I ask them. They tell me that it seems like an awful lot, and I agree, but tell them the training may be a crash course, but plenty have done well, and they will too. I also tell them I will accompany them for their first day just in case they are unsure. I do this on my time, no compensation; it is an investment I am willing to make to give them a little self assurance and peace of mind. By the end of the first day, they know they did the job just fine and are ready to work on their own. Then, since everything is going fine, I leave and they finish the first day of training. This is usually a four or five hour day, not bad for a start. What happens next is what boggles the mind. They go home and sometime before they show up on the following day for training, they quit. I'll get a text or a call the evening before or the morning of their last day of training, saying some bull about why they have to quit. Anyway, if I dwell on that, I may get my dander up, again. It's such a pain in the ass and so much wasted time for everyone. But, these are the times and this is what we have to pick out from the job pool. It leaves a lot to be desired, and it makes one ponder of the future and what it will bring since this is the next generation. It's gotten so bad, that even the older workers are beginning to go this direction. The last person quit, stating he was not going to pay for uniforms. He knew this at the interview and had no problem with it, he also was told this on his first day of training, when I assisted him in his order. We don't need much, a couple of red shirts that have security written on them, and a coat or jacket, depending on the time of the year. The shirts are ten bucks, the jacket forty and the coat is fifty. The hat is ten bucks, but optional, and they take a little from each check. Starting out, it's usually seventy bucks, and stretched out of the first two months, maybe three. It depends on how many hours a person works. But, he was fine with it, and no more was said. I sent the fax, then got to come home, after spending another hour or more doing orientation with him. He finished the day and the trainer said he was doing great, and that he was very positive about the job and wanted as many hours as he could get. He had another part time job so scheduling was a bit tough, but I managed it and he was happy with it. He even talked about picking up more hours once school was out. "Sure thing, as much as you want, just let me know." That evening, just a little after my bedtime, even though I was still up and relaxing. the phone went off, and guess who? Yep, he had decided that it wasn't right to have to pay for uniforms and was not going to finish training. Now, I had one day off a week, and I had spent a part of it doing the schedule for this guy. He had called me around nine in the morning the day before, my day off, and needed to set up a different schedule than he had needed at first. No problem, I set about doing the schedule over and finished it, wanting to go over it with him the next day, when he started training. Then he called again in the afternoon, shortly after I had finished the schedule. In fact, I had finished it and was looking forward to having the rest of the day as down time. He needed to change the schedule again, his son was going to be visiting. It's a pain, but I got the dates and did the damn thing over, for the third time now, to meet his needs. I printed it off and had just finished in time to start dinner, my day was pretty well shot. The next day things were great and he was happy with the schedule and everything else. I got home mid afternoon, since training always costs me an hour or two more after work. I had a little bit of paperwork to do, and finished that up, whipped up some dinner for Rhonda and I, wanting to have it ready so we could relax for a while before bed. It had been a hectic week, and this was the first evening I got to just relax. Now, the day before was my day off, so I should have been able to relax that day and night, but I already covered that. As you can imagine, I was looking forward to a quiet evening with my wife. We both work at the same place, so our schedules are all messed up if we are short on help. This means we cannot get a day off together unless we have a full crew. This adds to the frustration, and it's important to both of us to have the evenings to enjoy and relax together. We ate and discussed work for a bit, then set about to forget work, enjoy the evening and just relax. We had just gotten settled on the love seat, when the phone rang. It was the new trainee, and he was quitting. Now, since the office sends uniforms out right away, and if the person has not paid for them, I have to send them back. Also, I know there is a lot of time spent setting up a new hire at the office. So, being responsible, I have to do my job. This meant getting up and going back to work. Not on the site, but on my computer. The office is closed, and I have to get them a message stating what just transpired and stop the shipment of his uniforms, as well as to have all the files updated. The best way to do this is by faxing a memo. I have an online fax service just for this purpose, and set about writing and faxing the memo. Of course, I was also a bit upset because of the lies at the interview and earlier at training. Nothing had changed, he could have and should have told me at the interview that he did not think it right we have to pay for uniforms. He could have also told me during training. Now, consider that I open and work to eleven, and training is usually set to start at eleven as well. Rhonda does most of our training, after my shift. I see the new hire, talk to them a little and then leave to clock out. Once off the clock, I come back, do the orientation and finish up paperwork. Then, if everything is going well, I fax the paperwork to the office and go home. This guy new I was going to be up for work at three the next morning, and waited to call at eight-thirty at night. I had told him I am usually in bed by eight, why eight-thirty? It boggles the mind, but that's the job, and that's the problem. How to write when my life is anything but consistent. There are a few things I can do, but it's limited. One thing is to keep regular hours. I have to be reachable by five in the morning when the store opens, just in case nobody shows up. So, my phone hours start at five. The office is open until five at night, and our last shift starts at five, so I need to be available to take calls up to then. Since people are sometimes late, I figure I should be available for an extra half hour. So, phone hours end at five-thirty. That's twelve hours people can call me, but my evenings are now mine. Even so, I have to allow for emergencies. Things do happen, and sure guards can still leave a message or a text, but I won't get it until five the next day. I am setting it up so they can contact my boss if they can't contact me, but then he needs to be able to reach me as well. So, for emergency situations, they can call my home phone. Even this is not going to guarantee that I will be home, but it's the best I can offer. It's going to be the same for my days off, I just won't be answering my work phone, and they can use my home phone for emergencies, if I'm home. If not, well that's what my boss gets paid to handle. This will help a bit, and I'm hopeful that we will find at least one more dependable person real soon. I would like to have two dependable people, but that's kind of putting things out there. Maybe, but at least one more would make my job a lot easier. It's just that I have not had in three years at this, a time when there wasn't at least one person who was messing things up. So, one dependable and one not so dependable would be typical, but two more dependable workers would be great. If I don't get someone hired real soon, I have one day off next week, then it's down to both Rhonda and I working seven days a week, her at fort hours, me at forty-nine. the only other person on right now is the night guard, and he is part-time by his choice. I know he won't like it, but he's also scheduled for thirty-nine and a half hours, but he gets a day off. In a few more weeks, we will have additional coverage needs, and we will all be working over forty hours a week, but he will still get a day off. Rhonda won't get any time off until we get another person hired. If they can work the hours required, at that time I can get back to one day off and down to forty hours, Rhonda will be back to two days off and thirty five hours, and the night guy will be back to his regular shifts, days, and two days off each week. Once we get another guard after the next one, we can all get two days off a week, and I may even take three days off, but will still be at forty hours. The best part will be, Rhonda and I will both get our two days off, together! Well, I doubt anyone will read this, and if they do read my ramblings, I doubt they will last to the end. If you do, then you can see I have let my mind open and all this has flowed out. It will relieve a lot of stress, it has opened my eyes to what I already knew, I need a different job, and it's given me some thoughts on how to make the best of the one I have until such a time as another comes along. It also isn't just a gripe to vent, but some thinking and random thoughts as well. Not a bad journal entry at all. |
| Not much time to write in here at the present. But, I am going to take a few minutes and get a little written down, then I have to go do a Bible study, and if there is time left after that, I may get back in here for a little while. I likely won't get much done except my mail, but I guess that's better than nothing at all. I missed out on my entry yesterday. I got home from work late, because we were training a new guard. I had to finish up paperwork and fax everything to the office, but needed to wait until the new guy had time to finish it all. So, I went to the mall and got myself a new pair of boots first. After, I came home and ate a little lunch, did my Bible study, then went upstairs and took a short nap. Rhonda woke me when she called after work, which was the plan. I had been getting little sleep, and putting in a lot of time working form home. I have my regular duties at work, and have to do the supervisory parts after work, and off the clock. the last few weeks it's included interviews, hire paperwork, and a lot of extra running. We hired a new person last week, but she quit after one, four hour training session. So, this week it started all over. I interviewed, found a person who was very motivated to get started, and had him set to start training yesterday. He was a lot of work, because he has a son in the military who is coming home in April for a week or two. I had to schedule around this time frame so he could spend the time with his son. But, on Wednesday, my only day off this week, he called at about nine and needed to change everything. I wrote down the information, and then after Rhonda left for work, I did the schedule over again. Only this time it was a bit difficult because we would be working during some double coverage. But I did find a way to do it and still give him this time off. By now, it was time for Rhonda to come home, so I shut things down and planned on enjoying a nice evening together. We each only get one day off each week now, and it's never on the same day, so this is our time for each other, Only, right when I was going to shut things down and relax, he called and had to change things again. In the end, I spent half of my day off working. I was not a happy camper, but I told myself that it would work itself out by having him working and having more time for us to spend together. Sure, we still needed one more person, but at least we would have a little more time together. Well, he started training yesterday, and did well. He liked the job, was motivated, and doing well. I got home kicked back and ate lunch, did a Bible study, and took a nap. I wanted to get a little rest so I could have an enjoyable evening with my wife. But right in the middle of it, this guy calls again. We're talking about eight-thirty at night. Rhonda took the call and then informed me he had quit. Another person who worked one, four hour day. His reasoning was different, but still, only one day; four hours? the first gal quit for another job. I can understand that, but it kind of bummed me out after I put so much of my own time, off the clock into getting her hired and started training. So, when this guy came along, filled with positive sight and eager to start, I got a bit excited. I put in four hours setting a schedule up that worked for him, since his kid was coming home to visit, and I put in about three hours talking to him adn filling out hire paperwork. I wanted to make sure he understood what the job was and how things were going to be set up. So, when he quit after four hours of training, I was shocked. I had talked to him at the start of his training, about an hour into it, and he was feeling pretty good about everything. Rhonda said he was doing great, and everything was looking good. After Rhonda got home from work, I asked how the rest of his training went. She told me he was doing great, and very self motivated. It was looking good. This got me to relax a bit more than I have in quite some time, and we were just getting into a very relaxing and enjoyable evening, when the phone rang. It was him, again. I figured he needed to change the schedule again, and was getting a bit frustrated. Rhonda talked to him, and after she hung up, told me he had quit. His reason -- he didn't want to pay for his uniforms. He would not owrk for a company that requires him to pay to work, is how he explained it to me, today. He thinks that by having to purchase uniforms, he is paying to work. Now, I get to do this all over again next week. I have an interview on Tuesday, and hope to hell this guy is serious about wanting to work. I have to do this all on my time, after work, and off the clock, again. Also, it will burn up a lot of my free time, be stressful, and after losing the last two, kind of depressing. I can't help think that this will be the third straight week that I have donated my time just ot have someone lie to me about what they want, what they have to offer, and especially about wanting a job. Okay, I'm done venting.., |
| I finally got a day off, and how does it get spent, working! Seriously, I've been feeling like I'm burning out, and just hanging in there waiting for this one day off. I had plans on getting in here, and just taking the day as some down time. Even so, I knew I had to get a few things done for work, but it would have been very little. Then, at a little after nine this morning, the phone rings. The new hire that starts tomorrow had a change for when he can work. He had plans when I hired him that required a bit of time off in April. No problem, knowing about it ahead of time I could set up the schedule and work around it. And, I did. One of the tasks I had to do today was to set up the next schedule. So, when he called with the change, it was alright, and saved me from doing the schedule twice. After the call, I enjoyed a little time with Rhonda until she left for work and I set about doing the schedule. It took a while, since we are short handed. But with the new guy training in this week, tomorrow and Friday, we would be able to get one day off together next week. That was the biggest reason for the rush interview and all the time I took to get him hired and trained in this week. the change he called with worked to give us two days off next week, instead, but then the week after we would have a very full week. But, it was possible to cover it if I only took one day off and worked some long days. And, it was worth it to get the two days off next week, especially since they would be off at the same time as Rhonda. But, shortly after I finished the schedules, he called back, things had changed. Now he would not be able to work until the end of next week, and there went Rhonda and my time off off together. we lose another person after next Wednesday, and since the new guy can't start now until Thursday, it's all messed up. Then, the week after is all right, but the third week he needs the entire week off. I almost told him to just forget about the job. But, since we have only enough people to cover the hours and only one person works at a time, I have no choice in the matter, I have to take anyone who comes along to fill the spot opening next week. There just isn't anyone who can pick up anymore hours. So, instead of telling him to forget it, or to come back when he's ready to work, I had to do the schedules all over again. Between phone calls and scheduling, I spent half of my day off working, and it's working for free, too. I do get seventy-five cents an hour more for being the site supervisor, but that's suppose to cover a few hours a week of scheduling and taking care of things. Unfortunately, it usually requires twice what they assume to do the job right, as well as running in and doing things on my day off. In fact, I have not had an actual day off without some kind of interruption for work since last October, and even then I had to take my work phone with me for the day, just in case. the seventy-five cents pay difference covers three hours a week if I was working forty hours. But since I have to be available to fill in if someone can't make it in, I can only work thirty-four hours a week. So it's actually a little less than three hours thy compensate me for. In reality, it takes five or six hours most weeks, and with hiring and training, it's closer to ten to twelve hours a week. I'm burning out fast, and there's no relief in site. In order to get a break from the extra hours, I have to hire another person on top of the guy who starts tomorrow. That means more interviews, more time spent calling and running, and more time spent setting things up once we do find someone. And then, all I can do is hope they don't turn out like the person I hired last week; she quit after the first four hours of training. So, no time to do much of anything, but that's my life anymore. It's going to change, I'm going to post a notice for everyone at work to call the office with problems on my days off. Then, I'm going to turn my work phone off on my days off and hope to hell I don't return to work and have a real cluster f%ck of a mess to try and fix. But, before I can even do that, I need some time to write up the notice, go over it with everyone so they understand and know who to call if they can't reach me, and most importantly, I need some time off! |
| It's just going to have to be a short entry tonight, I don't have much for time, and I'm beat. I worked the afternoon shift today, and it was a long day. It was cold out, rain, sleet, and wind, lots of traffic, and it's just along shift. Not that it's really that long of a shift, it's the same as my morning shift, six hours. But, it takes twenty hours for those six hours to pass, and that's on a good day. I remember one time, it took almost a week for them sic hours to drag past. It's just backwards, too. I mean, being so busy, the time should fly by. But no way, it doesn't matter if it's busy or dead, the afternoon crawls by slower than cold molasses out of a narrow necked bottle. And, it's only me. Other guards like the afternoon shift. In fact, many request it, or have requested it, because it's passes so quickly. Most of the others dislike my morning shift because it's so slow in the mornings, and time drags by. Not for me, I keep busy with things and it passes by quick. Anyway, I'm beat, and I'm going to enjoy a beverage and then bed. |
| In a rush again today, so no time to sit down and write in here. Even so, I'm going to take a few minutes to get a short entry done. I did this yesterday and it caused me to be twelve minutes clocking in. But, since I'm the boss and it's been just nuts with being short on help, hiring, training, and paperwork, I guess I can be a few minutes late once in a while. Today I don't have to be to work until five tonight, but I have to give an interview at three-thirty. It's two-forty as I type. I still need to change cloths and get my shit together, then drive twenty-five miles. I won't have any time after the interview to come back home, and it would be a waste of gas, so I'll just hang out for a bit until it's time for work. Hopefully this person works out better than the last, who trained one day, which is a total of four hours, then decided to take a different job, or so she claimed. I spent the morning with Rhonda, talking, drinking coffee and having a nice brunch, then when she left for work, I started scanning the hire packet for work. I got copies from my boss, but there is nothing online I can put on my computer. Many of the copies aren't the best, a little slant, and all black and white, but it's the best I have, so it will have to do. I'm hoping they eventually put all paperwork and forms online so we can download them as needed. It would be a big step to make things easier, since the office is in a different state. But, at least now I saved on my computer, and in the clouds. This makes my job a little easier, I can just print off copies as I need them, and I can fill in much of the information from my computer before printing them. Typing instead of writing things out will be more professional, and speed up things a lot. This alone can save me a lot of time. But, for today, I don't have any time to fill in information, and am not sure how the interview will go. If it goes well, I'm likely to hire on the spot and start paperwork right away. If not, well it's not like I have a lot of options available, so lets just hope he fits our needs and wants the job. I have less than two weeks left to hire and train someone to fill the last vacancy, and then I will have another open. That's three people to work in the place of five. Also, the week after that, we start double coverage, and that means a temp position open for the summer. In other words, we are working four people in place of five right now. We would be alright, except one is very limited and cannot pick up any other times. The other is unable to work any earlier until school is out. So, it's two of us, Rhonda and me who are covering the vacant position. In less than two weeks, the morning guard is leaving, and it will be just three of us to cover for five, and then a week later, another shift becomes available, and it will be three guards covering for six. If everyone is willing to work more hours, we can cover it with five, but there's little room for anyone to miss. But, like I said, there will only be three, and one of us is limited to some degree. Not a good situation, and getting worse by the day. But, if this person works out, we will have a little help. Even so, he has another job and only is available part-time, so we will still be in need of another person soon. |
| Not much time to write in here again today, but I want to get something logged, it's been two days already without anything. There just hasn't been a lot of time, and it's going to worse in a couple of weeks if things don't change. This last week has been tough, but it actually started back on the twelfth of the month. I had to stick around a while after work and wait to do an interview. She showed up on time and the interview was over in about a half an hour, but I had to talk to store management and then do a bit of work back at the guardhouse, so it took just over an hour. Then it was scheduling and setting up training, getting the new person some clothing to wear for training, and all that fun stuff. I did have a few days after this without added work, but being the weekend, I had a lot of traffic over my shift, and being behind on sleep, I was so tired I couldn't do much. Then, on Thursday of last week, we started her training. Again, I had to stick around after work and take care of a bunch of paperwork. I went over to Target and looked around for an hour, thinking that would be enough time for the new gal to get most of the forms signed and dated. But, I ended up having to wait another hour, because it was busy and training was going slow. I helped out as much as I could until I had all the paperwork for her finished. Then I went through everything and added my signatures and dated it all, double checking things. Of course, she missed a signature, so I had to go back to the guardhouse and get that one form signed, then back to the store to send it all as a fax to the office. This burned up my afternoon, and again I didn't get time for much else. On Friday, I had her scheduled to come in for training at noon, but I got done at eleven. I had planned on going right home, but since the trainee had forgot to bring in her Social Security Card, I had to wait around for her to come in, so I could finish up the paperwork and send the I-9 and copies of her drivers license and Social Security Card to the office. But, she didn't show up. Instead I got a text from her stating she was sorry but she was taking a different job. One day of training and she was gone. So, I had to notify store management again, then call my boss in Iowa and let him know. After I went back to the guardhouse to update the schedules and let Rhonda know. So much for having another guard hired, she lasted all of four hours, then dumped on us. Saturday I was beat, so I ended up taking a nap. Between the added work of hiring and setting things up, not getting enough sleep, and the stress of it all, not to mention the stress of having her dump on us after all this, I was exhausted. Today, I don't have to be to work for another hour, but spent most of the day doing paperwork and trying to get caught up on everything. In another two weeks, another person is leaving, he quit for a different job, so we are looking at being short two people. At the same time, in three weeks, we start double coverage and need to pick up another twelve hours someplace. I don't know how, we are all going to be maxed out and pushing into overtime in two weeks. Now, I have forty minutes to get ready for work and drive in. |
| It's been a long day, and I'm going to bed. I was up at three for work, got done with work at eleven-thirty, then did paperwork and all the stuff for a new hire, then I did a bit of shopping for some groceries, and finally got home about three-thirty this afternoon. In fact, I got home just in time to answer the phone when my boss called from the corporate office with some changes to the hire packet just faxed to him. Then, after making the corrections, I finally was done with stuff for work a little after four. Now, tomorrow I get to do some more paperwork, fax it, and then maybe, just maybe, I can get home by early afternoon. Of course it will be another three am wake up and even if I get done by early afternoon, I'll be shot. Hell, I already am. |
| My day off for the week, and it's cloudy, and kind of gloomy out. That's alright, I have plenty to do inside, I just need to find some motivation to do it. I think most of it isn't related to the gloomy day, the colder weather, or even motivation, it's just that I'm needing some down time. I should be in here writing something, or at least writing something someplace. Hopefully, the next few days will go well, and by Friday afternoon, we will have a new guard trained, tested, and ready to start working. I'll have to go in on Sunday night to work with her, just kind of there on the side in case of problems, then she should be ready to start working alone. That means two days off next week, instead of one. That's dependent on her passing her test, of course, but I think she will do fine. I've had other trainees pass that didn't know anything when they started, so she should do fine. Also, Rhonda will be training her, and I think that will work a lot better than the last few trainees. Rhonda trained them, also, but they were both males, one a guy who was still a kid mentality wise, and who just didn't take her serious. He was a mamma's boy, and never held accountable by her, so he just didn't have any respect for women. The other guy, well he's more mature but seems to have a thing against working for a woman, so he just brushed her off. With both of these, it's clearly visible in their work, too. One already quit, but only because he didn't want to get fired. The other is quitting in another couple of weeks. In both these cases, it's nice to have them gone, and I'm sure we will find better. In fact, the gal who starts training tomorrow will likely show them both up. Now, I need to get a few things done. |
| I knew I wouldn't get much time in here today, since I worked afternoons. In addition, I'm very tired out, and didn't get up as early as I should have, but then I didn't get to bed until a bit past midnight. The afternoon shift is the worst of the three, at least for me. I never did care for it, and I'm not growing any fonder working it now. Not that it's a bad shift, it's not. In fact, it's kind of a nice time frame, work from eleven in the morning until five at night. And, it's usually a busy shift, but not so busy you don't get a chance to sit down, but busy enough to keep you moving and busy. So, being busy means the time goes by faster, right? Only for some odd reason, it doesn't. Or at least, not for me. That's why I say it's the worst shift. Others like it, and tell me it passes by so quickly. But for me it's like I work for two hours then get a break and go inside to sit and take a breather. I look at the clock and only fifteen minutes has passed since I got to work. Then it picks back up and I'm going pretty steady. I talk to this guest, and that guest, I move some items around, I feed the little birds, and of course, I'm busy taking care of guests. Another couple of hours pass and i go inside to take another breather, and when I look at the clock, another fifteen minutes has passed. Or at least, that's how the day goes for me. I stay busy, but the time just drags. Of course, once I get home, time speeds up to compensate for the drag while working, which means I got home fifteen minutes ago, and it's now bedtime, and five hours later. |
| Not much time for anything in here today, even though I had hoped to get more time in here. I don't have to work today until five this afternoon, but seeing as how's it is now three-thirty and I have a forty minute drive, I suppose I better be quick about this and go get myself ready. I'm not sure where the day went, but I do know it went there too damn fast. Tomorrow is not going to be any better, since I will be working the afternoon shift. We have three, the morning shift opens at five, the afternoon shift works from eleven until five in the afternoon, and then the evening shift works from five until closing, ten-thirty during the week. I'll be home kind of late, getting done at ten-thirty and then having my forty minute drive home. I'm not a person who can get home and crash right away, so I will have to sit up and relax for a bit, probably around an hour. This means I'll not get a lot of sleep, unless I don't get up quite as early. We are shooting for six in the morning, but may have to adjust that to seven. Then I'll need a good amount of time to get woke up, then do a Bible study with Rhonda, and then it will be time for work. I'll get home in time to enjoy a nice dinner with Rhonda, and then I'll likely just vegetate most of the evening, since I will be pretty tired. In fact, being tired is why I didn't get much done today. I was up by six-thirty, even though the alarm was set for six. Rhonda hit the snooze once or twice, then got up, but I was still only semi-conscious. She took the dogs out, then let Hannah upstairs to wake me. Of course, Rhonda was just a few steps behind and also aided in getting me up. But, even though I was up, I was still pretty out of it, mostly just tired. I did eventually wake up enough to get a bit of work done. I had to go over a hire packet with Rhonda, then we ate brunch and did a short Bible study. By this time, it was getting late and Rhonda had to get ready for work. I started working on some filing and items that were getting behind for work while she got ready. Then she was off to work and I was setting up to do my weekly report for work. I still had a bit of paper work to do, so I finished that up, then did my report and sent it off. After I was going to check into MFP and Facebook quickly, then come in here and get a little something done. I figured at least I could get my journal entry written, and have time to do a good entry. But, I also wanted to get an app downloaded for my phone. So after MFP and Facebook, I went over to the Google Play Store and looked at a few different apps for recording. I found one that not only was free, it was also advertisement free. It wasn't quite as fancy as some, and it does not have voice activation, which would be nice. But it does what I need, it has various recording levels, and fit's the bill. I wanted something to record my thoughts and ideas on my phone. I have an app that I can write in, a simple journal, and I also have Evernote, but I needed something I could use when I can't type, like during driving. An audio recorder is just that. This took a little longer than I intended, and then I had to try it out, which burned up a little more time. It was now just past two-thirty and I was feeling very tired again. I had eaten a sandwich and some chips for lunch while I looked at apps, and between the food and just not getting a lot of sleep the last few days, I needed to take a power nap. I set my alarm and crashed out for twenty minutes, then got up and made some coffee for work tonight. While that's brewing, I logged in here and got this written, but now it's time to finish getting myself ready for work. I have to go in a little early and make a stop by the place that does our drug testing and get some information for the new person that is starting later this week. That's where most of my time went besides work, getting things taken care of to fill an open position. It's very time consuming, a lot of work, and I'm going to have to do this all over in another couple of weeks. But, once this person is trained and working, I'll at least get two days off with Rhonda again, for at least a couple of weeks. Then, if we do not have anyone trained in yet, it will start all over in April when the other person quits. |
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- Platonic, of course. 
Ken
. I am so glad I only had one operation and am clean now. It's been one year ago. I am lucky, I guess. Hopefully, it won't come back.
