Please kill me
 

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter.

Sigh...

I need a different job. :(

Wow, I really thought people would jump at the chance. Eh, it's me, I can 'take it.'

I ran into a girl I worked with at the old college. She'd been fired some time ago (imho it was another case of not using a person for their strengths; customer service was not her strength) and now she's working in warehousing, has lost about 60 lbs, looks AWESOME and happy. She says she's virtually stress-free.

Second person I know who has expressed as much. Their stomach doesn't hurt every Sunday night. They dont have a constant wrinkled forehead or frequent muscle spasms in their shoulders. They go to work, only get yelled at if they've fucked up, and aren't expected to do the work of more than one person.

Money isn't everything, I know...but living does cost money, and all the bills and repairs and maintenance crap is mine only to bear. So how could I take a paycut?

I don't know what to do.

[/whine]

"Please kill me"
 

No.

I prefer you alive.

#

"I don't know what to do."

Two lists...

-What you 'need'.

-What you 'want'.

Satisfy the need; discard the want.

A lot of what a body 'wants' (and thinks he or she 'needs') is irrelevant (or, an albatross 'round the neck).

any job in today's economy is a blessing. that being said, life is too short to be miserable everyday. a catch 22 so to say. i'm happier now that i am no longer in a high stress job, but at the same time i miss it so much....... the adrenalin rush and the power.

don't know what to say

IM, with all your experience it seems to me you could start a moon-lighting
consulting business for parents of college-bound students.

This path of moon-lighting consulting worked wonders for me.
I was in a job I hated, and would wake up in a good mood,
but become an evil SOB by the time I arrived at work.

By moon-lighting, the regular job keeps the $ coming in, as needed,
so there is little risk if the new path doesn't work out well enough.
But if it does work out, gradually your independence increases until you can quit
the regular job saying "I'm done here.", but you still have the personal and professional contacts.

And... if your new business goes really well and you can train a couple of other people,
eventually you can sell the business and make out like a tall-dog.
... and there's no daily commuting ;)

But what is living? If I go back to a paycheck to paycheck lifestyle...one can't afford to pay for 'needs', like a reliable car, to get to the place that pays you so you can pay for 'needs.'

A car is just an example. Sure, a lot of people get by with a beater: and work on cars or have friends who work on cars or SOs who work on cars.

Furnace needs fixed: how would I pay for that on 10 bucks an hour? I don't have a furnace friend. Bathroom floor needs replaced. I don't have a (reliable) carpenter friend. Kitchen sink needs work. I don't have a plumber friend.

And frankly I don't like asking people for help anyway, playing the 'poor silly girl' routine.

Sarge: I know. I hear you loud and clear. I'm told how 'lucky' I am. I know that. But I'm miserable. Not because I don't like the work but because I can't do anything well because I'm expected to do way too much. That makes me apprehensive, that gives me anxiety. I don't like doing half-assed jobs and that's all I can do here, just trying to keep my head above water.

I guess I can still hold on, hoping some change will come from the whole consultant thing, though I've not heard ANYTHING about it yet.

What have you got in savings? Is there someone you can live with? While two can not live as cheaply as one, the real number is somewhere between one and two. Quality of life really does matter whether it's overlooked or not, and job satisfaction is a big component of that, since it makes up so much of our lives. Of course you know this. Perhaps you're overstating or overimagining what it costs to live and could get by on dramatically less, I don't know. By way of analogy, when I go camping, I sometimes think, "Oh, I wish I'd brought X along". I very rarely think, "I wish I'd carried the weight of X all week long so I could have it now." I *never ever* think I had a poor vacation because I didn't bring along X.

Hm. Maybe not a great analogy. I will tell you having been out of work for a long time now, it is possible to live very economically without suffering, but some stuff *definitely* gets left behind.

I hope you feel better about work. I've had superstressfull work conditions and NO amount of money could have made it better. ONLY increased time and space between me and that environment and those people improved the situation for me. Regrettably, this meant no income. Still worth it.

I have, absolutely, thought about consulting work. There are even some companies who hire consultants to process stuff from home. You are basically running your own business though...the way I interpret it...no bennies or anything like that.

Never thought about it as part-time to see if it would work out.

Oh yeah, I need a new computer though. I don't have a techie friend either. ;)

furnace plumber carpenter computer....

Maybe it's not the job... sounds like you need new friends!

:lol:

The thought did occur to me!

Oh, and for clarification: in the past couple months two long term employees resigned, one part-timer quit, and they strung out my best buddy for months...following procedure so they could get rid of her. She's now gone. Poof. After almost 20 years.

It's not just me...my family seems to think it is. They say things like "well ANY job blah blah blah..." Yes I know that. I know they don't call it 'fun'. I don't come into 'fun' every day. But this is unprecedented crap...in all the varied jobs I've had since I was a youngster...I've not seen anything quite like this.

Sarge: the roommate idea is implausible for a few reasons...one being I don't have room for a whole other person in my little place.

And now I better get back at it.

Thanks folks. :)

Infi...... I don't know what to say. Sorry. but killing you would resolve little and require a road trip that I don't have time for right now. Would it hurt to register with an agency like manpower? They might be able to find you something in a diffeent field requiring similar skills?

There's an opening at a college near Ann Arbor...right up my alley (HA! So was this supposed to be but I spend more time on things not on my PDQ than I do on the job I was hired to do.)

So Imma apply then move in with monster/beest.

How's that sound, y'all?

;)

That was serendipity right thar!

So are the big wigs trying to fill any of these empty slots in your department? Or do they just expect you all to take on the extra work with a smile on your face and a skip in your step?

They'll fill them, slowly. In the meantime we shuck and jive.

Don't do it! I heard the people in Ann Arbor are arboreal.:cool:

Ya know, Infi, if you were a hobo, you could just off yourself.;)

See, this is the value of brainstorming.

To be killed, I could just wander around Ann Arbor in an Ohio State shirt. ;)

I wanted to say thanks, again, for your comments. It's nice to know somebody cares. :)

Also, I did express to my boss that things are going to continue to suck because I just can't do it all. She says we'll meet and discuss that.

I still believe my job should be separate from this dept. I could do all the processing and reconciling I'm charged with if they could cut me out of the customer service aspect. I spend most of my time putting out fires; I'm supposed to be spending most of my time reconciling I won't tell you how many millions. A lot. A lot of millions...to the penny. THis takes time, concentration. Plus I have a bunch of other responsibilities that could probably be enough for one person and keep them very busy.

I hope for change. But I'm not holding my breath.

I can't say I know how you feel but it does have a familiar ring to it, infini. I would be sick, upset stomach, butterflies, dread, the whole enchilada before work and I worked the very sucky inhumane hours of 7p to 7a. Believe me, when you get to 6:30 in the morning it takes every molecule of your being to NOT bolt. but, I digress. I guess I LOVE to talk about my (old) problems.

I AM in your shoes except for the dreading work part. I do dread some parts of the day - when I'm most likely to lose control, etc., and this month I am getting a new storm door as my old one is 1)original to the house built in 1957; 2)suffering from wood rot and 3) won't close properly and the plastic 'window' is broken. so. this month I'm searching out sources of poor people food (beans and rice, right?) and i won't be driving anywhere that doesn't involve an AA meeting. The month of Oct. is already spent for me. My kitchen floor is a mess, my 1/2 bath doesn't work, I need a new bathtub, new windows (they, too, are 55 years old) and I've virtually NO insulation in this house. I get ice on the INSIDE of one of my bedroom windows.

That said: I thank Goddess every day that I have shelter which I have made at least as beautiful as I can, and food (though it's hot dogs when I want steak) and a car even if it DOES make a funny whining noise which wasn't there last week. I'm healthy. I'm not wealthy. And that will be okay.

There are always options, although they may not fit into the mold of your ideal solution.

Motorbike instead of car, bus instead of car, cheaper car, working remotely, multiple part time jobs instead of 1 main, DIY repair/replacement, barter/swap for help, internal transfer, and if all else fails, drugs. ;)

Good luck and hang in there! I did at my company, for 5 very long, understaffed and underpaid years. Finally got staffed up (although a couple are total nitwits :() and got a raise. There is something to be said for perseverance.

Oh, and infini - when they pile on the work, can you just look at them and say, "What is the priority here b/c one person cannot do all of this in the timeframe you are suggesting," and then whip out your badge and make a citizens arrest.

I have a 35 mile commute into a busy large city...almost all interstate. No way am I motorbiking. Also, I like my head. You may not know this, but people have a tendency to run into me (some dwellars know all those stories) and I'm not chancing that on a motorcycle.

No public transport from the rural area into the city. ;)

I need insurance. Multiple part time jobs would be hunky dorey if I were, say, married and on husband's insurance.

I think some of it is Monday blues, too. Gridlocked traffic due to a few bozos driving like idiots and wrecking all over the place. An issue popped back up that I've been trying to deal with since I got here (hence my talk with my boss.)

I have been perservering and it all just hit me badly today. All I can really do is keep my eyes open (which I do: at area colleges and within this one, also county and city job opportunities) and wait to see if anything changes as a result of the consultant findings.

I probably should have just offered a hug...

((((((((((Infi)))))))))))

Why didn't you say you just needed insurance! My buddy Rafe has pretty good insurance at the septic tank company. He's been looking for a good woman since his last one ran away. He even has most of his teeth! Do you want me to let him know how desparate you are?

Oh stormie, you know women. We don't really want solutions we just want to be heard. ;)

But I have thought of many of the things you've suggested. It's been on my mind for some time. Didn't mean to seem ungrateful. :)

Sarge: Welll HAWT DAMN hell yeah...gimme Rafe's phone number. Does he build septic tanks or clean them? Also, why did his last wife run away, and how many have run away total?

Wife ???

I thought Sarge said she was Rafe's 1st cousin. :rolleyes:

Is that a distinction without a difference?

Hmmmmm. Big meeting (that I didnt' have time to attend!) about a big reorganization across a few depts.

Without getting into detail I do see a bit of hope in these coming changes; they're pretty far-reaching. I think there might even be a plan to make my job what I suggested to the consultant.

Interesting!

:)

Rafe is my cousin's aunt's uncle, twice removed. He was married to Dora. She
is Rafe's first cousin and step-aunt, once-removed, on the Diddler side of the family. Ya'll know how those diddlers are. LOL. Anyway, Dora ran away with the dog boy at the carnie while Rafe was at the county work farm. We all knew it was bound to happen what with Dora being a fancy gourmet chef at the Waffle House in Siler City.

Rafe has only been married 4 times unless you count cousin Eugenella. They were hitched twice. Everybody knows Rafe. He is the big success in our family what with him having a quarter interest in that septic pump truck. Oh, Rafe says he will give you a discount on sucking your pipes after you two get married.

Rafe wants to know if you accept collect calls?

:D for Rafe

:D:D for Sarge

:D:D:D:D for the pump truck

That is so funny sarge. I haggised out loud. Thanks for the cheer. :)

:lol: at Sarge, you is teh funny.

Monkey, just go kill a few hobos, it'll make you feel better for a few more weeks until the bigwigs get their lazy asses into gear.

Hmm, maybe a warning shot through the windows of bigwigs office ... no. No, definitely not.

"kill a few hobos"
 

Watch out for the one with a shotgun.

I'm a Hobo Whisperer. I lure them into a false sense of security. I can do the same with Zombies.

HA!

The one with the shotgun is not so easily lured.

I'm tellin' ya: avoid that one.

Oh please...

I can lure immoveable objects, a hobo with a shotgun ain't nothin'.

No, seriously. Avoid Hobo With A Shotgun. I think Rutger Hauer lost a bet or something.

meh. All your hobo are belong to me.

"Avoid Hobo With A Shotgun"
 

No, go see it NOW.

That we -- you and me -- disagree: not a freakin' surprise.

#

"a hobo with a shotgun ain't nothin'"

Heresy.

You will burn.

Heard this on the radio this morning:

There's work and there's life. Don't confuse the two.

That's better than: live to work and work to live.

Big goings-on here.

I don't want to make it googlable (yeah, I'm paranoid) but there was a pretty major restructuring and it seems things are starting to happen. Maybe making our voices heard wasn't farting in the wind. I don't think we can reverse the previous destruction but maybe, just maybe, further destruction can be averted!

Yay!

Great!!

That's wonderful!

I hope they promoted you to queen of the world.:D

Not yet. ;)

Do we still get to kill you?

Yes, please.

let's be creative, though, and kill her with dead hobo jokes and haggis.

Hi, and sorry I haven't been around much, but please not to kill Shawnee Monkey.

Thank you.

And, not to get off topic, but foots, sorry I missed you in Vermont last month.

jim, scary article...but I love the writing! ;)

Thanks HLJ. :)

So far it's running neck and neck, like the presidential campaign. In a recent poll 49% of people indicated they would gladly kill me, and 51% think I should live another day, at least.

I'll be out campaigning this week in various swing states. I have Texas wrapped up: they're all for killing...it's a human right we're born with. I have to convince killers in California to get off the beach, put the weed away, and take responsibility for killing. Damn liberals.

Wait. There was a poll? How did I miss that?

I'm sorry. It was an independent poll. They polled high security prisons and asylums.

Both of which describe your workplace.

;)

Ooooh, by the by...new lady in charge (no changes made to the dysfunctional two, but I glimpse it on the horizon) has made some bold moves. I'm hopeful, full o' hope.