2014 - Happy New Year!

So, it's a new year! 2013 is gone, and 2014 is now here!

Hope you had a good evening last night, ringing in the New Year, no matter where you were or what you did!

I have had better. Right now as I write this, there is a headache that keeps threatening to grow massive, and it seems that I just can't shake it. And no, it's not for the reasons you might think. I had not a drop of alcohol last evening. In fact, it was one of the most depressing New Year's Eve's that I have had.

Had a big scare the day before, where it seemed like something very bad was about to happen. That was averted, but I did not know that until minutes before ringing in the New Year. Needless to say, I was hardly in a celebrating as a result.

Also, this is a very eventful time in my life, and not all of it for the best, admittedly. I work on the weekends, part-time, at a job that I have been with for well over a decade now (March would make it 11 years), but a new manager came in this past November, and he seems to have a problem with the part-time crew, or even the idea of part-time.

Now, I understand that, on some level, this might seem refreshing. After all, the corporate climate in this country right now is that there are more part-time positions available, which is just one of several ways that corporations are trying to get out of having to pay for benefits like healthcare, vacations, etc..

But I assure you, the way that this guy is going about it is wrong. He went in with the idea of getting rid of all part-timers, and is apparently entirely inflexible about this idea of his. All the part-timers on the weekends, like myself, have other things going on in life. Most of us are a bit older than the regular crew, and we all have children and relationships and other jobs. We also all have been there for years (one guy was there even longer than me).

Not to toot my own horn, but we are pretty good and reliable. We've been there through all sorts of situations, including weather emergencies. When you have been at a job for ten years or more, it is generally a safe bet to say you did not do so by being incompetent.

Still, this guy has this idea that he should get rid of part-timers, and now, the last couple of weeks, he has been acting upon that, and removing some of the weekend part-time crew out, and giving those hours to full-times, who themselves are none too happy to have to work the weekends (at the expense of one of their regular weekdays).

When I arrive there on Saturday afternoons, one of the very first things that I do is check the schedule, to make sure that I am still on it. In other words, to make sure that I still have a job (at least, this particular one) for another week. I am not alone in this uncertainty, and it literally stretches to everyone that I have spoken to there, not just part-timers like myself, but the full-timers as well. Literally, no one is happy, and no one likes him or what he is doing. All this, because of one man. And none of his senior managers, none of the people that he himself is answerable to, seem to really mind, even though they admit he is going too far. Nobody is doing anything, and this is being allowed to happen. I can understand if we did something wrong, but we didn't!

It is a good job, and I have long appreciated it. For years, it was actually a lot of fun, and I would actually look forward to working there. It is a clean facility, with good, usually friendly people, and decent pay. It allowed me to live and enjoy a quality of life that would not have been possible with the full-time jobs that I worked otherwise during that time, and so I am very appreciative.

That is why it has been so depressing to watch all of this happen, and so far, to be powerless. We all feel the same way, and we are trying to stay united, and hopefully, take action together, with one strong, united voice. There have been attempts to do something, but so far, nothing has worked.

Also, I have an important court case coming up, just over a week from now. It will have very important ramifications for my future, particularly my financial future, and so the stress level has been much higher than normal for the last few weeks, if not months. I have been worried, and think it justified. Trying to find solutions, temporary and otherwise, and will have to try and do some things differently for the new year.

For now, I am just taking it day to day, and trying to remain focused on being appreciative for all that I have been blessed with, and that includes the weekend job! It was probably a blessing in my life quite a few times and, even if the end of the road is near, and we may leave in an undignified manner, I still remain appreciative for having had it for so long. It was a great experience, and for now, at least, we're still there. That's definitely something to be thankful for, come what may in the future.

In any case, I guess there was a need to vent, and I needed to take this opportunity to do this. If you read all of this, perhaps the only thing I can say is thanks for listening or, in this case, reading.

May 2014 be everything you hope it to be!