A place where I can share interesting ideas and maybe get a few things off my chest

Archive for the ‘job’ Category

My New Job


After eight months of intermittent (and mostly un-) employment, I snagged a mostly full-time job with health, dental, vision and retirement benefits. The company has stores nationwide, the atmosphere is fun, and my boss and coworkers are genuinely nice people. And yet I am still finding it difficult to come right out and tell people that I am now employed – at a bowling alley.

Every time I think the words “bowling alley”, I see the scene in the Dudley Moore film, Arthur, where the butler tells Liza Minelli’s character, his voice totally deadpan, “We usually have to go to a bowling alley to meet a woman of your caliber”.

It is very nice, however, to have a regular paycheck, and health insurance has been an almost forgotten dream these past few years. The only thing I don’t like about it is my schedule, which shifts back and forth from afternoons to late nights (sometimes at late as 3 a.m.), plus I am generally working all weekend most weekends, including every Saturday evening. Another positive, though – lots of fodder for future blog posts.

Category:

Arthur, bowling, employment, job

New (Additional) Job and Pending Trip

When I was job hunting back in April, I saw an ad running for night/weekend workers at the local youth shelter. I knew this wouldn’t pay enough, plus I didn’t really have the emotional reserves for something like that, so I never even applied. That ad has been running, off and on, ever since, and a couple of weeks ago, I dropped off my resume and filled out an application. I interviewed with the director, they called my references (when asked about my temperament and ability to handle difficult situations Ellen told them “Kay doesn’t do drama” – I love that! Thanks, Ellen!), and called me late week-before-last to set up training.

I now have a certificate for TACT-2 – Thereapeutic Aggression Control Techniques – 2, in both verbal and physical intervention. Of course, the hope is that one can use the verbal intervention techniques to as to never have to progress to the physical interventions. One of the trainers said she has worked at the shelter for 6 years and has only ever had to physically restrain three residents, so I’m hoping I won’t ever have to use the physical stuff at all.

I am still working doing the books for the dry cleaners during the week, and when I applied for the shelter job, it was originally with the idea of it being PRN, but they have put me on a regular weekend shift, 8a – 4p, Saturday and Sunday. Since I can use the extra bucks right now, I’m going to go with it, but I have a feeling I will be getting that cut back no later than after Christmas. My boss at the dry cleaners was very understanding about my needing to attend that TACT training a couple of days last week, but it was kind of irritating to have to trade 2 days of work for hours that paid me little more than half as much. I made part of that up before and after the training, but still.

I am preparing to fly to Michigan on Thursday. I am accompanying my friend (what DO you call the person you’re dating when you’re both over 40?) to his college’s and fraternity’s 75th anniversary joint celebrations. My boss is amused that I am traveling halfway across the country, into cold weather, in order to attend a frat party. I’ll be flying out Thursday morning, and returning Tuesday evening. Mother and I went shopping at La Cantera last weekend for shoes for me, as there is a semi-formal dinner/dance, and I get a chance to wear a girly dress and needed girly shoes to go with it. We will probably have a chance to cross over into Canada for a day, so I had to find my passport, which has a HORRIBLE picture – 10x worse than my driver’s license ever thought of being. Yuck. I know it will be lots of fun, and with only 3 days left until I leave (3 DAYS!), I’m becoming increasingly excited and increasingly nervous.

Mother initially didn’t like the idea of me being gone that long, but she’s settled in here pretty well, and seems more comfortable. She will be able to call Vickie if she needs anything, and I’m hoping Vickie will be able to come by and visit some while I’m gone. Mom and I went grocery shopping yesterday and got everything she’ll need for while I’m out of town.

So, except for this northern interlude, it looks like I will be working, at one job or the other, 7 days a week. I realized this weekend that I’ve never worked two jobs like this before. I’ve had two part-time jobs, but I’ve never worked jobs back-to-back. We’ll see how I do, and how long I’ll keep it up.

Category:

job, michigan

Tag Cloud