Self Employment

Overall, I'd have to say that self employment totally sucks. Number one, it is difficult to round up work to support yourself. Number two, once said job is located and secured, then completed, it is difficult to secure payment. Now, both my husband and myself are self-employed. As a real estate agent in California, it is extremely difficult to find sellers, much less buyers with the government cracking down on the qualifications. My husband is a contractor. Also, a difficult arena of work. Now, my husband finally managed to land a job, and finish it. He finished it last Friday. It would have been finished a day or two earlier, except the weather didn't cooperate and allow the paint to dry.--side note... He finally finished the job last Friday. As of today, a Saturday (and a week later) he still hasn't been paid. As the spouse of a self employed person, would it be asking the world to pay when the job is completed. As of today I am overdrawn on my bank account. Not through any fault of my own.... The work has been done, and it's a week later.... and still no paycheck. Self employed people are not rich. My husband happens to have a couple of other jobs lines up down the road.... but we need you to pay when the job finishes. We don't have that padded bank account.... We are the little people.... The kids' getting food, diapers, milk, etc. depends on you paying us upon completion of the job. Nowadays, even the big people need to get paid. Economic times and all..........

My Job

So, I have finished my temp position at Macy's and have met a variety of people, all of whom I have enjoyed (except for the occasional obnoxious customer). Everyone has a story at to why they they are working. No one is trying to mooch of society, but all has a desire to earn their income. I have to totally admire that kind of commitment. Not all are earning their paycheck, and yes, if I were their boss, I would totally have fired them a long time ago. That being said, they all have compelling stories for being on the job and all really need the income. My job may have ended, and theirs are continuing, and I wish them all the best.

Hmmm

Have you ever been at a crossroads in your life and at an utter loss as to which one to pick... That's kind of where I'm at... Don't ask my dear sister, because I too, am at an utter loss....

Final Day

Today is my official day at Fossil. No offense, but the happy holidays ended before today. Today, people were cranky and irritable. I am sorry, but I wear a badge that says "visitor". That means I cannot use the the cash registor. I cannot do returns, exchanges or purchases. I would love to help you but I don't work at Macy's. Your yelling at me and screaming at me to find someone to help them does not help the situation. I am limited by the amount of Macy's salespersons who are on the floor as you are. Please do not scream or yell at me. I cannot help you any more than you are. I can call a manager as well as you are. Everyone is hampered by budget cuts. Please stop yelling at me. That being said... I am happy to have earned my first few paychecks in several years....

Tide is Changing

Go figure, it worked (at least so far). I was able to channel the Ames Factor for good for someone else, and today all I've received is good news. My husband made the eligibility list for a job in Southern California. Turns out I'm making 1.50 more per hour than I was told. My paycheck came in time to pay the dentist bill. And the $10 Target gift card came for my son. All good things today. Hope it holds.

Ames Factor - The Sequel

I, along with the majority of unemployed people, am actively looking for a job. One position I made it to #13 on an eligibility list. And that's for a job I'm actually qualified for, one in my field. I have another oral board next month. Yet, it was Saturday I was offered a job. One I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm selling Fossil watches at Macys, and have no idea what I'm doing. Ironically I am selling a lot of them. Now they want to keep me on after the holidays. Unfortunately, it's only Saturdays and Sundays, which interfere with the Sunday meetings I go to. Why...why...why??? Oh yeah, Ames Factor....lol

Murphy's Law

Murphy has a law... I hate that guy Murphy. Because of him I have a factor...lol. I went back to work in about 5 years... haven't even received my first paycheck and well, it's already prespent. Go figure. Ames Factor... my husband's tooth got infected. Not only was he in too much pain to work, he needs to have it extracted. So, today we're going to the dentist. Almost my entire paycheck, which is somewhere in the mail, I'm hoping is already winging its way over to me. Couldn't I have the money for like 5 minutes?? Ames Factor

Fortune Cookie

Last night I got a fortune cookie, with the "fortune" saying "You will soon be crossing great waters". Wow, I'm going to England...visit my husband's great great grandfather's country and well, maybe visit my sister. No, wait... I'm going to Hawaii to drink mai tais and relax on the beach. Then I remembered the Ames Factor... it rained last night... I'm probably going to cross a flooded road...lol

Lipstick

The above picture is of my daughter. Guess what she discovered -- oh yes, that's my lipstick. She was a little overeager in her application. It even doubled as her eyeshadow.

Casket Outlet

I was riding the shuttle into work over the weekend and since I didn't have to pay attention to the road (and not getting lost) I was able to look at the shops. One store tucked away in a strip mall is a place called the Casket Outlet. Now somehow, that just seems wrong. Seems like the final purchase for a loved one could be a worth a little more. Or could you maybe rename the store to something a bit more fitting. "Sorry we couldn't sell these, so we're practically giving them away" just doesn't seem appropriate for a casket. But that's just me.

Macy's

I am not a Macy's shopper. I wear more casual clothes than Macy's can provide, and well, my budget cannot afford Macy's prices. Yet here I am working in a Macy's store. This store is huge. It is three stores... has two escalators and an elevator. It has two mall entrances... on each level. Oh yeah, and at the other end of the mall, there's another Macy's-for men's and home furnishings. Good grief! That's a lot of Macy's stuff. Now I am getting paid to well, basically, stand around. I don't work for Macy's and so cannot ring stuff up. I did figure out how to do price checks, which isn't in my job description, at least relieves the monotony of just standing around. So I spend my hours just chit chatting with the other employees. Turns out 90% of the employees also don't feel like they are the "Macy's target demographic". In talking with the other women, turns out that with what they make, they cannot even afford to shop in the very store they work at. Interesting....

Black Friday

Black Friday is probably the worst day of the year for those not shopaholics. It is the start of the holiday season and that day seems to start earlier and earlier. Gilroy and Milpitas malls opened at midnight. Valley Fair opened at 5. And people are there waiting! I read in the paper that one husband couldn't even get into the mall and after an hour of driving the parking lot finally went home. I am not a die hard shopper, but even I know not to send in a rookie on a day like Black Friday. I thought the holiday season was supposed to be marked with good will, happy thoughts, good cheer, etc. Wake up and smell the hot cocoa. I was trying to find a simple parking space in the mall lot and learned a valuable lesson. These women will take you out. They are on a mission and nothing will stand in their way. Horns are honking, drivers are yelling, hand gestures are given, people walking to and from their cars are practically fighting for their lives to avoid these maniac women whipping around the parking lot looking for a space. Give me a break people. Is there something you need that urgently that you lose all sense of civility. The sad thing is one Wal Mart employee died opening the doors to the store. He was trampled by the stampede of crazed shoppers. Get a grip... nothing is that important. So if you can avoid shopping on the crazy Black Friday I would totally advise doing so. You'll save your sanity.

The Hardest $20 I Ever Made

Friday was my first day of work in, well, quite a few years. It was one of the worst days of my life. I was so stressed about over sleeping that I barely slept at all that night. Add to it my husband decided to let our son sleep in bed with us (don't ask because I don't know why either). So there was four of us in the bed, of course I didn't sleep, I'm hugging the side of the bed for dear life to keep from falling out. But I digress.... I have to be at the store at 9:00, so I have my son's alarm clock set for 6:50. (It is a Buzz Lightyear clock, and will definitely wake the dead). I'm up and running and getting everything ready for my first day of work. I'm out the door at 8:10 to drive to a place that is no farther than 15 minutes away. Plenty of time.... Um, sure... Jump into the car and realize there's no gas. Drive to the gas station and put in $20. Ok, still plenty of time. Driving on the freeway and am amazed at what few cars are on the road. Driving.... driving... Oh yeah, remembered the newspaper said that it would be a bad shopping day and my exit could back up so take the exit before. So I jump off on that exit. It might have helped if I read further in the article - the one that said what roads to take to get me to the mall. Now I am driving aimlessly and helplessly up and down streets. "Oh I've heard of that street"... so I take that one. It is now 8:40 and I am totally lost in San Jose or it could have been Santa Clara-I have no idea. I am now starting to panic and am just driving and am getting more lost trying to backtrack the way I think I came. Then, like a miracle I ended up on the back doorstep of the mall. How do I know this? Well, #1 there was the looming sign, but also #2 I now know where every car that should have been on the road ended up. I am now stuck in the parking lot of a mall on Black Friday. It was ugly. (Another blog). I am trapped in the mall, and since I am not familiar with that parking lot ended up going in circles. Now my boss calls. I am practically crying because it's already been a long day. She says to go to another location and the mall will provide a shuttle. So after driving in circles some more I manage to get out of the mall parking lot. I drive to the University and wait for the shuttle. I was just so relieved to be out of that mess. Take the shuttle to the mall, wade through hundreds of angry, tired and zoned out shoppers, and arrive at Macy's. I finally managed to clock in at 9:30. Yes, that short drive took me an hour and a half. Oh wait... the day gets better.... I have never worked retail before so I didn't realize that standing for so long in heeled shoes, can... well... basically make your feet hurt. I ultimately had to wade into the mall and buy shoes. Well, I got lost in Macy's and ended up going out the wrong door. (I knew I passed the shoe store going into Macy's). I am frantically trying to find the shoe store and end up half way through the mall. My foot is now bleeding and two layers of skin were off. Oh, turns out the mall is double sided. I was on the parallel side. (Now, I always suspected that I was living in a parallel universe from everyone else, I just don't know if I felt better having it confirmed). By now I am in so much pain, I can barely walk. I limp over to the store and plop down on the seat. The manager felt so bad for me that she brought shoes to me. My 10 minute break had pretty much come and gone (probably while I was lost in Macy's) so I didn't have the luxury of being picky. I was also in too much pain to care. So I make my purchase ($25.50) and limp back to work. Lunch time comes around and off to the food court. Fortunately I was smart enough this time to ask for directions before I left my counter. I think the clerks just took pity on me because I had gotten lost again in Macy's looking for the bathroom. Got lunch ($6.04). Back to work.... Finally, the day comes to an end and I wait for the shuttle to take me back to the car.... oh by the way, I was getting off and on at the wrong stop and was having to hike much further than necessary. Yes!! Back at my car, where I just sat, enjoying the silense and waiting for my feet to stop throbbing. Ready to drive back to the house when I remembered, yes, you knew it was coming.... I have no idea how to get back from my current location. Call on the cell phone to the husband and he gave me directions. When I found the freeway I was ecstatic. Finally! My day was over. Or so my fried brain thought... I took the freeway in the wrong direction and ended up two towns away. Had to get off the freeway and turn back around. I finally managed to get back home at about 6:30 (an hour and a half after my shift ended). I was alseep by 9 to do it again the next day. Very long day for a mere $20.