I've had plenty of time to write an update to this here blog since I last wrote, but I didn't feel like writing. There isn't a lot of happy news coming down the pike these days (I actually just spent about half an hour looking up the origins of the term, "down the pike." I couldn't decide whether "down the pipe" or "down the pike" is correct. They're actually both correct. "Down the pike" is the original idiom, with the word "pike" being short for "turnpike." Since we don't really do turnpikes these days, "down the pipe" makes a lot more sense to us. I chose to go with the archaic phrase because that's how I roll: olde school. Take a look at this discussion if you are at all interested in the origins of this phrase)
Anyway, the point is that Megan isn't having a tonne of success finding a new job and strange things keep happening. I really should make an official list of things that have been piled on us since Megan lost her job. If you're scoring at home add, "Megan got a $180 photo radar ticket" to the list. Yeah, things like that keep happening. We even thought Megan might have been pregnant there for a while, but we were glad to find out that she isn't. Not that we don't want kids, it's just that we don't want to start having kids during a time when I might be losing my job and we don't know how we'll be paying our bills from month to month.
I have to admit that there have been times when Megan and I have just laughed as things are piled upon us. Then there are other times when we make comparisons to the story of Job, which is probably not a good idea because it only seems to lead to more stuff being heaped upon us. I'm sure we'll make it through to the other side one way or another, but there are days when things look particularly hopeless.
Today I seem to have convinced myself that I'll be losing my job for sure. I acknowledge the fact that losing this job might turn into one of the best things that could ever happen to me, but I wouldn't make the argument that it would be fun or enjoyable. As I consider what may or may not happen come January, there are only two outcomes that I would consider acceptable: 1) The boss man loses his job 2) I lose mine. If it turns out that nobody loses their job, I'll be more than a little upset. If I lose my job I get three months of paid leave to look for a new job. If the boss man loses his job, ever day would feel like a vacation. If nothing happens, things will be as miserable as ever. If my coworker loses his job, I'll be doing more than twice the work for the same pay. Neither of those situations are appealing at all.
Sometimes I feel like I would have to get laid off to leave this place. At the end of the day, it's a really cushy job. Yes, I work for someone who hates me and actively tries to make things miserable for me, but there's only so much he can do. I still work in a library, so it's not like if I worked in sales where every day would stink even if I had a good boss. It's a sliding scale of misery and certainly when evaluating the pros and cons, you find that the cushiness of this job is what makes it tolerable. If I lost the cushiness of having a coworker in whom I can confide and share a loathing for the people we have to put up with, I'm fairly certain I would go insane. On the other hand, I am clearly reaching my limit as to what I will put up with from the boss man and what he will put up with from me. It's all coming to a head.
On the one hand, I would love to be pushed out of this job so I would be forced to do something else with my life. The only reason I wouldn't want to lose this job is because I don't want to give the boss man the satisfaction of knowing that he has anything over me. It would be awesome to see the boss man lose his job because it would renew the faith in God, humanity, karma, and every just, divine, and good principle or person if he got his comeuppance. On the other hand, if he goes and I stay, I would be tempted to stay forever because of the new levels of cushiness that would be added by his absence. I don't want to be doing this when I'm his age, so I don't know what to think.
I'm not certain of when exactly we'll find out about who goes and stays (if the layoffs affect anyone in this library at all, that is). A staff member who used to work here sent us an email telling us not to worry because most of the cuts will be coming to people who don't actually interact with patrons, and that most of the layoffs will be people from technical services and one of the other libraries. That being the case, there is still a possibility that someone might be going from this library. So I don't know what to expect. I do know that from day to day my feelings on the matter tend to vary wildly. I convinced myself that I was getting laid off for sure at least twice today, only to calm myself back down. At the moment, I think I might get laid off, but I'm thinking of how nice it would be to get paid to not work here for a few months. That would be sweet.
Anyway, I'm rambling. Okay, now I'm back from a 2 hour break. That just flew by for you, didn't it? It was pretty quick for me, too. I just got an early Christmas present. The head honcho let us know that the boss man will be gone for the next couple weeks. I will celebrate the entire Christmas season without seeing the grizzled visage of the boss man. The only thing that could be better than this would be: him getting laid off. A fella can dream, can't he? I do find it funny that we found out about his 2 week vacation less than half an hour before he left. My coworker and I had to submit our requests for holiday leave in early October. So clearly the rules that apply to us don't apply to him, but who cares? He's not going to be here and life will be grand. The way I see it, his vacation might be a result of one of the following things 1) The head honcho being sick of him complaining about how he never gets time off and how he loses his hours because he never uses them and they don't roll over. He seriously complains about this all the time, but he never does anything about it. 2) He knows he'll be getting laid off, so he's using up the hours that won't roll over so he can get paid for those that do. When you get laid off, you get paid for whatever vacation or sick hours you've accumulated. Only a certain number of hours will roll over. I'm hoping that he'll be getting laid off and that this sudden vacation is an indicator, but I really think this is wishful thinking. It would be nice if he got laid off, but there really isn't any reason for me to think that he will. 3) None of the above. He could have just done it on an impulse, which is a luxury only afforded to those in supervisory positions. Anyway, I need to stop analyzing this and start being grateful.
There were other things I was going to write about, but something tells me I might have time to do it tomorrow. So I'll just end this thing abruptly in such a way that it will leave you with a sort of, "Uh, I guess" kind of feeling. So there.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Cause For Concern
Hey everybody. In the grand old tradition of things going from bad to worse, I got some interesting and potentially frightening news today. Yesterday my coworker and I got an email telling us that we had to attend a mandatory meeting for which the subject matter was supposedly, "One University, Many Locations" or some other such nonsense. We were a little upset that we would have to take time out of our day for a meeting that seemingly had nothing to do with us, but when we went to the meeting today, we found that it definitely had something to do with us.
Within the first 30 seconds of the meeting, it became clear that this was not just a, "Let's bore you to tears with academic semantics and circular logic" type meeting. It had to do with the massive budget crunch the university finds itself in. As we have already seen, the university has cut some of its sports teams and the dance squad. When a university cuts anything in the athletic department, it's a sure sign that the coffers are officially empty.
So in the meeting today, we were told that the library system with have a budget nearly 10% smaller next year than it did this year. As I have already whined and complained about in other entries: the library system has already made massive cuts in material expenditures (like binding, which seems almost a foreign concept now that we've gone without it for a year) and now they are having to dump payroll in order to limbo in under the budget. What we were told was that with the budget nearly 10% smaller than it was last year, nearly 10% of the staff positions in the library system will be eliminated. There is a staff of 350-something people, which means that 30 or so of them will soon find themselves without jobs.
We won't find out until January whether or not our jobs are safe. We were told that the layoffs (they didn't specifically use the word, but it quacks like a duck, so...) would be based on whether or not certain functions can be eliminated and not on seniority, but we were also told that they would be following the already established ASU guidelines for reduction in workforce. According to those guidelines, the priority of people who are let go are: 1)Probationary employees (I'm well past my probationary period, so this does not apply to me) 2) Employees with recent evaluations on which they scored less than satisfactory (Also not me. I scored above satisfactory and have been breathing a big sigh of relief ever since) 3) Employees with satisfactory evaluations (That includes me).
So my coworker and I were talking about the possibility that we might be losing our jobs, and we don't know what to think. On the one hand, this library is already understaffed and I know the head librarian wouldn't want to lose one of us because it would be a long time before she could have a full staff again, which would be a huge inconvenience to everyone that stays. On the other hand, they hate me and they hate my coworker only slightly less than they hate me. I know that the boss man would love nothing more than an opportunity to get rid of me (Opportunities to get rid of staff members don't come along every day. Normally you have to commit a felony to be fired as a staff member) and I can't help but think that that might play into it. He has the head librarian's ear and the head librarian has the dean's ear and the dean is the one who has to decide who goes and who stays. But on the other other hand, more people in this library system hate the boss man than hate me and that might factor into it somehow.
I honestly have no idea how this will go. There can be an argument made for every permutation of layoffs as they affect this library. None of us could get laid off, which seems reasonable because we're understaffed as it is. My coworker could get laid off and I would end up doing his job and my job and getting paid my same salary despite doing two jobs, one of which normally has a higher salary than mine. This might happen because they would save more money getting rid of my coworker than they would in getting rid of me. I could get laid off. This seems a fairly likely outcome, considering how little people think of me 'round here and how much certain persons wish I didn't work here at all. The boss man could get laid off. This would be better than bread from heaven, but doesn't seem super likely. The only reasons this might happen would be if they offered him retirement (He has been here for over 30 years, mind you) or if the angry mob of people who have grown to hate him over the years pull together to get him out. I wouldn't put my money on this horse, but it's the one I'll be dreaming about at night. If he was eliminated, my coworker and I could easily take over his duties and there would be an immediate boost in efficiency and morale. But this makes too much sense. If I have learned anything from working here, it's that the things that make the most sense are the ones that are the least likely to happen.
Now here's where it gets interesting: if I get laid off, I would get 3 months of paid administrative leave. I wouldn't have to come into work fro 3 months and I would be getting paid for it. That time would be used to find a new job, but I'd still be making money. I would also be compensated for any unused sick or vacation hours accrued before the layoff date. That's really not that bad of a layoff package. When I consider the fact that I don't like this place and I would love to leave if only it didn't provide me job security; getting laid off could easily turn into a blessing in disguise. I could find a job I don't hate and get paid while I look for it. The only thing that keeps me from fully rooting for this outcome is the fact that Megan still doesn't have a job. This both scares me because we don't want to both be unemployed at the same time. But if she got a job soon and I get laid off, that might give us the leverage we need to get into a better career situation for the both of us. On the other other hand, it's been super tough for Megan to find a job and I'm not nearly as employable as she is (Majoring in communication. What was I thinking?!).
So the next month will be nothing if not interesting. If I didn't think our lives were being shaken up enough, they certainly are now. But to end it on a good note: Megan had a pre-interview with a job she applied for recently. It would be with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce (I think it is, anyway) and it sounds like a good job for her. She has applications in at other places and we're always on the lookout for additional ways to supplement our income. No matter what happens, we'll get through it. People are having hard times all over this country and Megan and I are not the worst off people on the block (Actually, I just found out that one of our neighbors from our ward lost their house. It happened a few weeks ago, but I just noticed the for sale by the bank sign on their front lawn recently. As I'm thinking about it, I can think of at least two other families that are harder off than we are). So we'll be counting our blessings and praying for the best possible outcomes to all this stuff.
So here's to hoping that Megan and I won't be both sitting at home unemployed in a few weeks. As always, we are grateful for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. Things have a way of working out, and I'll put my money on the horse that says we'll make it through the other side of this stuff just fine.
Within the first 30 seconds of the meeting, it became clear that this was not just a, "Let's bore you to tears with academic semantics and circular logic" type meeting. It had to do with the massive budget crunch the university finds itself in. As we have already seen, the university has cut some of its sports teams and the dance squad. When a university cuts anything in the athletic department, it's a sure sign that the coffers are officially empty.
So in the meeting today, we were told that the library system with have a budget nearly 10% smaller next year than it did this year. As I have already whined and complained about in other entries: the library system has already made massive cuts in material expenditures (like binding, which seems almost a foreign concept now that we've gone without it for a year) and now they are having to dump payroll in order to limbo in under the budget. What we were told was that with the budget nearly 10% smaller than it was last year, nearly 10% of the staff positions in the library system will be eliminated. There is a staff of 350-something people, which means that 30 or so of them will soon find themselves without jobs.
We won't find out until January whether or not our jobs are safe. We were told that the layoffs (they didn't specifically use the word, but it quacks like a duck, so...) would be based on whether or not certain functions can be eliminated and not on seniority, but we were also told that they would be following the already established ASU guidelines for reduction in workforce. According to those guidelines, the priority of people who are let go are: 1)Probationary employees (I'm well past my probationary period, so this does not apply to me) 2) Employees with recent evaluations on which they scored less than satisfactory (Also not me. I scored above satisfactory and have been breathing a big sigh of relief ever since) 3) Employees with satisfactory evaluations (That includes me).
So my coworker and I were talking about the possibility that we might be losing our jobs, and we don't know what to think. On the one hand, this library is already understaffed and I know the head librarian wouldn't want to lose one of us because it would be a long time before she could have a full staff again, which would be a huge inconvenience to everyone that stays. On the other hand, they hate me and they hate my coworker only slightly less than they hate me. I know that the boss man would love nothing more than an opportunity to get rid of me (Opportunities to get rid of staff members don't come along every day. Normally you have to commit a felony to be fired as a staff member) and I can't help but think that that might play into it. He has the head librarian's ear and the head librarian has the dean's ear and the dean is the one who has to decide who goes and who stays. But on the other other hand, more people in this library system hate the boss man than hate me and that might factor into it somehow.
I honestly have no idea how this will go. There can be an argument made for every permutation of layoffs as they affect this library. None of us could get laid off, which seems reasonable because we're understaffed as it is. My coworker could get laid off and I would end up doing his job and my job and getting paid my same salary despite doing two jobs, one of which normally has a higher salary than mine. This might happen because they would save more money getting rid of my coworker than they would in getting rid of me. I could get laid off. This seems a fairly likely outcome, considering how little people think of me 'round here and how much certain persons wish I didn't work here at all. The boss man could get laid off. This would be better than bread from heaven, but doesn't seem super likely. The only reasons this might happen would be if they offered him retirement (He has been here for over 30 years, mind you) or if the angry mob of people who have grown to hate him over the years pull together to get him out. I wouldn't put my money on this horse, but it's the one I'll be dreaming about at night. If he was eliminated, my coworker and I could easily take over his duties and there would be an immediate boost in efficiency and morale. But this makes too much sense. If I have learned anything from working here, it's that the things that make the most sense are the ones that are the least likely to happen.
Now here's where it gets interesting: if I get laid off, I would get 3 months of paid administrative leave. I wouldn't have to come into work fro 3 months and I would be getting paid for it. That time would be used to find a new job, but I'd still be making money. I would also be compensated for any unused sick or vacation hours accrued before the layoff date. That's really not that bad of a layoff package. When I consider the fact that I don't like this place and I would love to leave if only it didn't provide me job security; getting laid off could easily turn into a blessing in disguise. I could find a job I don't hate and get paid while I look for it. The only thing that keeps me from fully rooting for this outcome is the fact that Megan still doesn't have a job. This both scares me because we don't want to both be unemployed at the same time. But if she got a job soon and I get laid off, that might give us the leverage we need to get into a better career situation for the both of us. On the other other hand, it's been super tough for Megan to find a job and I'm not nearly as employable as she is (Majoring in communication. What was I thinking?!).
So the next month will be nothing if not interesting. If I didn't think our lives were being shaken up enough, they certainly are now. But to end it on a good note: Megan had a pre-interview with a job she applied for recently. It would be with the Chandler Chamber of Commerce (I think it is, anyway) and it sounds like a good job for her. She has applications in at other places and we're always on the lookout for additional ways to supplement our income. No matter what happens, we'll get through it. People are having hard times all over this country and Megan and I are not the worst off people on the block (Actually, I just found out that one of our neighbors from our ward lost their house. It happened a few weeks ago, but I just noticed the for sale by the bank sign on their front lawn recently. As I'm thinking about it, I can think of at least two other families that are harder off than we are). So we'll be counting our blessings and praying for the best possible outcomes to all this stuff.
So here's to hoping that Megan and I won't be both sitting at home unemployed in a few weeks. As always, we are grateful for your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. Things have a way of working out, and I'll put my money on the horse that says we'll make it through the other side of this stuff just fine.
Monday, December 08, 2008
As Much as I can Say in Under 30 Minutes
So I have 30 minutes to sum up everything that has happened since I last wrote (and I can't remember when that was). So this will not be a thorough update of everything you need to know about everything. It'll be as much as I can give in the short time allotted.
So Megan was sick as a dog on her birthday. That's about as depressing a thought as you can imagine. We think it might be some bad coleslaw she ate the night before. I can't think of a worse way to spend your birthday than throwing up. When we got up on Saturday morning, she was pretty much wiped out. I went to the store to get her some Alligator Helper, which I gave to her and closed the bedroom door so she could rest. About a minute later I heard her faintly call my name. She was so weak from being sick, she couldn't open the bottle. So physically, Megan was having about the worst birthday anyone could ever hope to have. I really felt bad for her.
Saturday, in addition to being Megan's birthday, was our niece Jane's baptism. All of Megan's family that lives here in the valley showed up for the baptism and we all went to the park and had a little picnic afterward. Some of the brothers-in-law and I got a game of Bocce (see also: boulles, petanque, bowls) going. Aside from Megan still feeling a bit under the weather (she did feel better as the day went on) it was a lovely day and a good time was had by all.
Paul and Carrie spent the night at our place (in separate rooms on opposite ends of the house) on Friday night. They were in town so Carrie could do a dress fitting and try some hair styles (Paul ended up borrowing my Dave Barry book to keep himself entertained that day). Anyway, I think it was funny that Carrie didn't stay with her brother because his kids were all throwing up and she can't stand to be around people who are throwing up. So of course Megan was throwing up all night and morning, which thrilled Carrie I'm sure.
Megan's car has been acting up lately and I officially need to stop thinking things that begin with, "Well, at least..." Because just last week when I was pondering our various financial troubles I actually thought, "Well, at least we aren't having car troubles." So now Megan's car won't start if she doesn't run it for a while first. So if she tries to run an errand, she has to plan on staying for an hour or so. It's a pain and I would let her take my car, but she doesn't know how to drive stick. So that's fun. I honestly need to sit down sometime and tally up all the things that have added to the degree of difficulty in our current predicament.
There is hope. Megan has been getting some more sub jobs and she got a call back from one of the jobs she applied to recently. She'll be doing a phone interview, which we're pretty sure is just a pre-screening, but it's more than we've had for a while. So there's still hope.
We've got our Christmas tree up, and it looks really nice. I bought a fake tree for the apartment last year and I'm glad I did. It fits our house a lot better than our apartment. Between Megan and I, we had just enough ornaments to decorate it. We have some presents under the tree. I know what all mine are because apparently I'm hard to shop for and it's easier if I just hand things to Megan and tell her it's something I want. Most of our gifts are coming from Bookman's where we have a nice chunk of credit built up from trading things in. So this will probably be mostly a secondhand Christmas. That being the case, we're far from the first couple to have a small and inexpensive Christmas their first time out. This will be my first time apart from my mission where I spent Christmas away from St. Johns.
Well, that's about all I can fit in that amount of time. I wish I could write more and do it in a non-stream of consciousness way, but whaddaya do? The end.
So Megan was sick as a dog on her birthday. That's about as depressing a thought as you can imagine. We think it might be some bad coleslaw she ate the night before. I can't think of a worse way to spend your birthday than throwing up. When we got up on Saturday morning, she was pretty much wiped out. I went to the store to get her some Alligator Helper, which I gave to her and closed the bedroom door so she could rest. About a minute later I heard her faintly call my name. She was so weak from being sick, she couldn't open the bottle. So physically, Megan was having about the worst birthday anyone could ever hope to have. I really felt bad for her.
Saturday, in addition to being Megan's birthday, was our niece Jane's baptism. All of Megan's family that lives here in the valley showed up for the baptism and we all went to the park and had a little picnic afterward. Some of the brothers-in-law and I got a game of Bocce (see also: boulles, petanque, bowls) going. Aside from Megan still feeling a bit under the weather (she did feel better as the day went on) it was a lovely day and a good time was had by all.
Paul and Carrie spent the night at our place (in separate rooms on opposite ends of the house) on Friday night. They were in town so Carrie could do a dress fitting and try some hair styles (Paul ended up borrowing my Dave Barry book to keep himself entertained that day). Anyway, I think it was funny that Carrie didn't stay with her brother because his kids were all throwing up and she can't stand to be around people who are throwing up. So of course Megan was throwing up all night and morning, which thrilled Carrie I'm sure.
Megan's car has been acting up lately and I officially need to stop thinking things that begin with, "Well, at least..." Because just last week when I was pondering our various financial troubles I actually thought, "Well, at least we aren't having car troubles." So now Megan's car won't start if she doesn't run it for a while first. So if she tries to run an errand, she has to plan on staying for an hour or so. It's a pain and I would let her take my car, but she doesn't know how to drive stick. So that's fun. I honestly need to sit down sometime and tally up all the things that have added to the degree of difficulty in our current predicament.
There is hope. Megan has been getting some more sub jobs and she got a call back from one of the jobs she applied to recently. She'll be doing a phone interview, which we're pretty sure is just a pre-screening, but it's more than we've had for a while. So there's still hope.
We've got our Christmas tree up, and it looks really nice. I bought a fake tree for the apartment last year and I'm glad I did. It fits our house a lot better than our apartment. Between Megan and I, we had just enough ornaments to decorate it. We have some presents under the tree. I know what all mine are because apparently I'm hard to shop for and it's easier if I just hand things to Megan and tell her it's something I want. Most of our gifts are coming from Bookman's where we have a nice chunk of credit built up from trading things in. So this will probably be mostly a secondhand Christmas. That being the case, we're far from the first couple to have a small and inexpensive Christmas their first time out. This will be my first time apart from my mission where I spent Christmas away from St. Johns.
Well, that's about all I can fit in that amount of time. I wish I could write more and do it in a non-stream of consciousness way, but whaddaya do? The end.
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