Summertime Blues

Let There Be Justice... Please


Yesterday I received the notice for my Unemployment hearing. It's at the end of the month, and I am very nervous about it. I've never been fired before, so I really don't know what to expect or what kind of questions they'll ask. I also don't know which story The Studio will tell them, so I don't know which set of their lies I need to be prepared for. All I can do is tell the truth and do my best to stay calm and unemotional. I'm trying to get letters of recommendation from some old vendors and customers, as well as a letter from my old boss and one from the HR lady my husband ran into last week. I hope that will help my case. I hope the judge is fair. I know a lot of these government-mandated programs tend to lean towards the side of large, high tax-paying corporations (like the studio), which means the little guy (hapless, low tax-paying employee) ends up taking it in the shorts. I pray that isn't the case here. My shorts really can't hold any more.

One good thing that came from all of that crap -- I heard through the grapevine that some of the guys in the warehouse of The Studio got "small" raises. I'm guessing that they re-distributed the payroll money that was freed up when I was fired. It's about time -- those guys worked far too hard to have to go for four years without even a cost-of-living increase. I should know; I went through it right along with them.

Also yesterday I got a surprise in my email... the lighting company that sent me the pathetic offer actually did respond to my counter-offer. They turned it down flat. "Thank you but we've decided to go in a different direction for that department." Yeah, like cheaper. Oh, well. You get what you pay for. Besides, their office facilities were dismal and dirty -- cubicles off of the warehouse, really -- which tells me that even though the company is charging top dollar for their lights, they don't want to have to spend one more penny than they deem necessary, and comfort for their employees is apparently not a top priority. Their loss.

Like I said before, cheap people suck.

My husband's car couldn't be saved after all. The mechanic found all sorts of damage when he got into it -- the ABS brake system was destroyed, and he said the valves were bent. So the insurance company has totaled the car. Now we're on the hunt for a replacement -- hopefully we will be able to find another Passat GLX with similar mileage and all of the nifty options we had before. The leather seats were heated and it had a 6-CD changer. Of course, we'll have to buy something used, but we're all right with that. His rear license plate and frame came in the mail today. That's all we have left of his car. The front plate was lost in the accident, and we cleaned out all of his personal items before it was towed from our driveway. I know it's silly to become emotionally attached to a car, but we're both sad. It was a really great car.

Oh, great. I was just interrupted by an email from another potential employer saying "... unfortunately we are an extremely small office (total of 5 on staff), and we do not have anything available at this time. I do not anticipate that we will have any openings for some time either; however, I will be happy to keep your resume on file for future reference." Gee, thanks a lot. You're too kind. I'll make sure and keep that in mind when I'm depositing my next (perhaps last) unemployment check. And why is a major entertainment industry union office keeping such a bare-bones staff, anyway? I will bet dollars to doughnuts that those five overworked people are all stressed up all the time.

Is it me, or are all industries getting to be that way lately?

Treadmill Torture

On a Road to Nowhere...


I hate working out.

I understand that in order to maintain some semblance of health, I need to regularly raise my heart rate and maybe lift something heavier than a laptop a few times a week. But the idea of having to go to a big warehouse-type room where other people are sweating and grunting makes my skin crawl. I'd much rather get exercise in the process of having fun, like flying a kite at the beach or hiking up some remote hillside with a picnic basket. But who ever actually has the time to buy a kite, drive to the beach, find a parking space... The only thing I like about working out is the shower when it's all over. I like knowing that the hot water at the gym will never, ever run out and I can take my sweet time conditioning my hair. I don't mind having to wear rubber thongs to avoid an unauthorized toe fungus -- it's nice to just stand there for 20 minutes and have the water pound onto that tense spot on my back that never quite relaxes completely.

My husband has been on me lately to go do things during the day that I never had time to do while I was working... like go to the gym. I admit it -- I'm generally a sit-at-the-desk kind of person. I was never the athletic type, although I was blessed with a nervous metabolism when I was younger that allowed me to sit for long periods of time and still never gain weight. It has since then slowed considerably, and I have, to my horror, began developing the fat deposits that my grandmother displayed. And now I'm having a heck of a time dealing with the upper arm flab-wings and back-fat, not to mention the little "stress-belly" of lard that has attached itself to my midsection and taunts me when I try to zip my jeans. And since my stress level shows no indication of abating any time soon, I guess I have to do something to burn it off. But I still hate it.

While torturing myself on the treadmill today, I was reading a magazine that appears to be a Cosmo for the pre-and peri-menopause set. I've been a subscriber to Cosmo for over a decade, but I've noticed that the "how-to-bag-a-boyfriend" articles and clothing layouts just don't seem to be all that interesting anymore. So on a whim, I picked up a copy of this new mag. While the models still have that skinny, coffee-and-cigarette-diet physique, they at least have some character lines on their faces and even sport an occasional patch of natural grey hair.

What really got my attention, though, was the amazing number of articles and columns about women over the age of 40 that started new-found careers as writers and were gaining successes typing out smart-aleck anecdotes and stories about their marriages and selling them to magazines just like the one I was reading. Heck, I have stories. I'm a smart-aleck. And since I'm writing anyway, I'm well-educated, and I have tons of time on my hands, why couldn't I do that? I mean, really, I already am, I'm just not getting paid for it and I'm posting this stuff all over the Internet for you lovely people to read for free.

Not that I'm planning on ending my Blog files... This is a therapeutic activity for me, and most of this stuff isn't really ready for prime magazine publications. It's just me spouting off my random thoughts and daily irritations as an attempt to get them out so I can sleep at night.

But I figure if I can be reasonably coherent while writing a silly journal, how hard can it be to get a subject suggestion from some editor in New York, take a week or two to come up with something really good, email it back and then wait for the check? I always excelled in Creative Writing when I was in school, and I even dabbled at journalism when I was in college. I wrote for an early Web-zine a few years back; they liked my columns about the trials and tribulations of a cancer patient trying to maintain a normal life and career while trying not to throw up on the commute to work. Ok, it didn't pay or anything, but apparently there were people out there who were interested in what I had to say.

So now I have a new possible direction. I won't give up the search for a job in the entertainment business. It's what I've done for the past fifteen years, and I like it too much to just switch careers. But if I might be able to make a supplemental income and get some of my lost confidence back as a part-time columnist, then I'm all for that.

Suggestions and advice are welcome. Offers from editors are even more welcome.

Attack of the Cheapskates

Please feed me....


It just keeps getting better.

My husband's car is not a total loss. It apparently can be repaired, however it will take up to 4 weeks. He's currently renting a Toyota Echo, which isn't an awful car, but it feels very small to him. I have to admit, he does look a little silly getting in and out of it. It fits me just fine, but then, I'm not six-four.

I got my car back. It looks great. All the smashed stuff is gone and they matched the paint perfectly. I finally ended up getting $570 from the insurance people -- after a long, drawn-out conversation, he admitted that his client's story sounded pretty lame, but unfortunately it was not his job to judge blame by the credibility of the players. I can live with this.

I had a pretty good interview with a lighting company on July 1st. They called me the very next day to see if I would come back and speak with the CEO, and we set up a second interview for July 8th. All went very well (although I did get that WORD again) and the CEO told me he'd email me an offer by the end of the day.

The offer was laughable.

It was less than $35K a year. Their insurance is an HMO plan, with no PPO or other options, and for a recovered cancer patient, that is completely unacceptable. They do have a 401K plan, but it's set up as employee contributions only, no employer contributions at all (but they're hoping to be able to change that in the future). They wanted me to run half of the entire rental division of the whole company, plus be in charge of inventory management, as well as tech support.

They were right. I am overqualified for that. Heck, I could get a job at Whole Foods checking out groceries for the same money, better benefits, stock options, and a lot less stress. Are they kidding?!

So I did the only thing I could -- I drafted a very careful counter-offer. I gently informed them that the current going rate for an experienced lighting rental agent is about $40-45K, and if inventory management and tech support is added, the average rate goes up to almost $60K. But I told them I would be willing to go for $55K including benefits (meaning I would have to get more money since I'd have to go out and get my own health insurance). I made it very clear and concise and to the point.

They sent me back an email saying that they would "discuss it with the owners" and that's the last I heard. I don't expect to hear from them again.

AND the icing on the cake was a letter from the Unemployment Office informing me that The Studio has filed an appeal for my claim. This means that someone actually had to sit down and draft a letter saying that they want to revoke my benefits. The real shaft on this one is that if their appeal goes through, I have to PAY BACK whatever benefit money I have already received. They just won't leave me alone.

So now I have to wait for another letter informing me when the hearing will be. Then I have to go to the hearing and convince the judge that I was fired without cause and that I deserve to continue receiving unemployment insurance benefits while I frantically hunt for a new job.

Cheap people suck.

There was a bright spot in all of this -- my husband was at our favorite sushi place the other night picking up dinner, and he ran into the ex-Human Resources Manager from The Studio (she went on leave some time ago due to health problems). Funny coincidence... she had just gotten a call that very day from the Corporate HR Manager of The Studio (the very same one that officially fired me) regarding her "separation" papers. Seems her leave of absence has gone longer than is allowed and so she is being terminated.

During the call, she apparently asked Mr. Corporate HR Manager what happened regarding MY termination. He told her that I was fired for making inappropriate comments to customers and vendors, and that it was my third reprimand, so they fired me. That's funny... that isn't what they told me when I was in the process of being fired. This is very interesting. And by the way, the very fact that Mr. Corporate was discussing my termination with someone outside of the situation is a very good reason for me to sue them. Ms. Ex-HR Manager called me later in the evening and we talked for a little while. We plan on having lunch and she said she could give me pointers on how to ace my Unemployment Hearing so I won't have any interruption in benefits. Bless her.

And for the record, no customer or vendor has ever made any complaint whatsoever about me. The only "attitude issues" in my employee records are from the fat creep of an IT Manager that got me fired in the first place. In fact, every single reprimand I have ever received from that company was related to a complaint HE made. Oh, I really am beginning to hate those people.

Anyone know a good attorney? I think I need to start this legal ball rolling before it gets too late.