April 20
From my brain
Contents |
2010
Me 20:29, 20 April 2010 (EDT)
Some of these post-termination entries are interesting to read. The mixture of despair, relief, and uncertainty is odd to view in the third-person.
At the ACF meeting last night, one of the guys from school commented, "I can't believe we're almost done. We just started in July, and that's coming up again after this term. Then, we'll be doing externships soon. Crazy!" Put that together with the comments coming up in a couple days of me visiting CCI for the first time, and yeah. Crazy.
2009
Me 15:02, 20 April 2009 (EDT)
Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
OK, so here's the big post. The one you've been waiting for. The one that I need to make following my statement on Friday that there wouldn't be any more comments about getting fired from ThePit.
Earlier on last week (and prior to that) I'd noted that all of these abdominal problems have taken over my life since even before Lent. On top of the weirdness that was the pain depressing me, the fact that I wasn't truly participating in Lent was rough. As we were never sure (until very recently) that this wasn't gastrointestinal, the Lenten fast was pretty much thrown out the window. Yes, Father said not to worry about it, that illness alone supersedes the fast.
In fact, I had a good joke about it because I was reflecting on -- since I hadn't given up meat -- what exactly I had given up, and I realized what it was: Work. And, in true fashion, not everyone does the best job of given up their thing during Lent. Sometimes, you fall down, and have that burger, or chicken nugget, or (for some) that bowl of ice cream. In like fashion, I fell down a bit myself. There was that one week I went into the office for almost the whole week. It got better at it though, and the following weeks, I only worked for a half day here and there. Eventually though, I managed to hold of going to work altogether.
I see now though, I've conquered that addiction in my life altogether...no more working at all! (Come on, humor is my defense mechanism...suck up and deal.)
Seriously you can take this comparison, much, much further. The Lenten period was a big trial for me with this pain. I had no idea what was going on for me most of the time, and it was a constant struggle -- just some days better than others.
"Due to the difficulty of economic times, several positions around ThePit have been eliminated, and yours was among them," is pretty much the quote from VCS. (I'd like to afford him some nicety, but he interrupted the HR lady by just saying, "I'm gonna get to the point here..." Jerk.) I got fired. This comes on Friday.My job...died...on Holy Friday.
Friday night and even Saturday was a dark time, even though I forced myself to focus on Pascha, and not the job. I wandered around the house a bit lost, and mostly just tried to make the Easter bread and focus on that. Mind you, sleeping away three hrs of it Saturday afternoon also helped remove the troubles from my mind. After that, the flurry of getting ready for service took over.
Service was of course beautiful. I took a Percocet as we were leaving for MIL and FIL's to pick up the ham for our basket. I figured by the time we actually got to service, I'd be able to stand through at least a portion of it. That ended up being a very small amount, and Wifey had to chide me several times for the amount I kept standing...but it just didn't feel like Liturgy without standing and/or singing at least a little. (Mind you when it came time for Communion, as soon as I took the prosphora, and went straight to the restroom to take a second pill in order to make it through the feast and the ride home.)
To back up a bit though, TheBoy made it awake through the entire Rush Service and the Paschal Matins. Then, we all go in with the lights ablaze in the church...and he manages to doze off. Sleeping completely upright in his seat mind you. Princess slept mostly through all of the early portions of service, woke during Matins, but easily went back down.
I sat there looking at them. My adorable daughter, slightly fitfully asleep, covered in a heavy-weight denim shirt Wifey stole from me to use as a spring jacket. My son, his mouth agape and eyes closed as he bobs his head against my arm, swearing he's staying away for service. And next to him, my wife. These three people mean the world to me. They are the reason I get out of bed every day, and do whatever is needed. My job is not my life. The world is not over because it's gone.
There are many times where I wonder, "How did I get here in life?" If you really take a hard look at your life, things don't happen by chance unless they are really, really crazy chances. Devry drew me to Columbus. My desire to write caused me to quit Devry. My desire to eat caused me to get a job at Big Bear. At a party, I met a guy who offered me this job as a "fax clerk"...at ThePit. From there, I end up meeting this girl...and I marry her.
Now, years later, I have my current situation. I've developed this...whatever it is. It made me a bit introspective about life and what I've done with it. In the end though: it cost me my job. Hands down, Wifey asked them, and they said, "Being that there was a lack of documentation, we were not legal bound to keep him."
I now have a few options.
- Sue ThePit
- They knew I was working FMLA
- They knew what I was going through to get documentation in
- They told me I had until 4/24 to get my stuff together or they would fire me
- Sue the doctor & staff for screwing over my life and refusing to complete my FMLA paperwork (see note above on that being ThePit's "leg up")
- Move forward with my life
I am...opting for #3.
Suing the pit is just stupid at this point. I don't want to work there. Come on people, look at the last three to five years of this blog (which is almost all of it). I hated that place. Loved some of my coworkers, but hated the corporation from the day it went public. On top of that, I don't get my severance. We need that money to pay for COBRA at the very least. I gotta have some health coverage. Can't do anything without fixing me first.
Then, there's suing the new general practitioner. Honestly...that could be doable...but at what cost? Legal fees? Time? Jacking up his insurance premiums because he cost me a job I hated anyway?
No. I am going to look at this for the blessing that it is. It is time to reinvent myself. It is to find a new thing. For the amount of money I was making before, I couldn't quit to go do any of those new things. Not a lesser paying job. Not college. And certainly not the bread business.
Well it's time for a change. We have no house to worry about. We have no zomg paying job -- for the skills that I have -- any longer. I'm going to do it.
On Thursday, I have an appointment to tour the facilities and kitchens at The Columbus Culinary Institute. I like the sound / feel of their program. I want to learn the grunt work of being a cook as much as I can. Pending a thorough review, I want to also see if they have a restaurant management program as well. If they don't, Columbus State has a program that seems workable.
I...am applying to culinary school.
2008
Me 22:24, 20 April 2008 (EDT)
I'm just so tired of moving. I'm either at the office, I'm sleeping, or I'm moving crap out of the house. WoW was even almost a chore for me over the weekend due to the whole "guild leader responsibilities" thing. I popped on for a bit on Thursday and already had to deal with weird stuff coming at me from people.
Yesterday Ceraun and I once again moved a bunch of big crap out. The absolute worst was the flippin' piano. If that thing needs moved again, I'm hiring some guys from Gold's Gym to do it. We about killed ourselves on a couple occasions with that thing.
On top of that, having had 65-75 degree whether for a whole week, when I set up a day to move stuff out, it of course downpours. We had just gotten a bunch of stuff spotted in the garage when we saw FIL coming down the street. Ceraun went to move his car out of the way and said, "I'm feeling the first drops of rain." By the time we got stuff loaded on the first run, it was a full on downpour. It was so bad that (having forgotten the tarp) we're gonna have to replace the cardboardesque backing on our tall upright pantry cupboard. Completely soaked and warped.
Princess's "Princess Tea Party" apparently went off swimmingly while I was lugging stuff in the monsoon. Our neighbor's granddaughters all went and were all still beaming in their little dresses. I'm glad she had a good time.
By the time the day was through though, I was spent. I informed Wifey on Ceraun's cell that we weren't going to get the vacuuming done. She really was pressing the point, but I couldn't figure out why it all had to be cleaned up. As it turned out, somewhere on Friday she mentioned to me that we were having a showing Sunday at 1pm. She didn't say it on the phone at any point Saturday, and only reminded me of it this morning as I was barely moving out of the bed.
I'm spent. I'm a complete automaton lately. On top of it: This is Holy Week. Services every night this week, then one Saturday morning at 9:30, and then the Paschal service at 10pm.
And as a note to a certain Orthodox individual who reads, yes, find a service to go to. From what you've said, it sounds like it was just one (collared) man's beliefs who put you off from church. Don't let the failings of one man turn you off from the one main who didn't fail. :)
