Domestic Geek

OK, not much to do at work again, apparently. This totally sucks. They're really busy down on the production floor this week, but there's not a damned thing to do up here. *sigh* I know I should be trying to work on the proofing system for our web site, but I'm not focused enough today to try and write program code. So, here I sit writing a blog entry. It would be fine except that I feel guilty pulling in $$ while not accomplishing anything productive.

I broke down and applied for Paypal buyer credit to try and get an embroidery machine that ends in 7 hours. Bastards (thankfully) didn't give me enough. I know I need to wait until I have cash in hand to start the embroidery part of my future business. The last thing I need right now is even more debt. Whew. I need to concentrate on the web design aspect. That will have less start-up cost.

I also came across PrintMojo, an online screen printer that will host an online store as well. When I come up with some cool designs, a place like that might be a better way to go than CafePress. We'll see.

You know it's time to figure out how to move on when you're sitting in your bathroom at 3:15 am, crying, because you don't want to go to your suck-ass job anymore. Then you find yourself posting about it because it delays the inevitable.

Not a great way to start a post, but I'm in a horribly blah mood today. I didn't have a great weekend. I haven't gotten squat done at work today. I've been here 7 hours and did about a half hour's worth of work.

My horrible mood is tied mostly to that damned pizza place and the losers who work there. I am so sick of that place, what it does to me physically and emotionally, how it utterly fucks up my life, how ugly everyone treats each other. Dr. Phil says you continue behavior that has a payoff. I wish I knew what payoff working there gets me. I know I've been afraid to move on. Even though I hate it, it has been job security. It's been a relatively steady paycheck. I keep saying I need the job longetivity if I have any hopes of ever getting my mobile on land. If any of those was the reason, it's no longer enough. This past weekend was the final breaking point. I am consumed with getting away from there.

I was sick on Saturday and I went in and tried to do dough, but after puking 4 times, I decided it wasn't worth it and left. The dumbass manager is supposed to do dough (if he's got time) if I can't. Well, they had time. He didn't do any of it. I still felt icky on Sunday, so I only managed to get Saturday's dough done. As a result, I ended up working Monday. Stupid manager never got back to me on my suggestion to not have both food orders show up on the same day. Loser. So, I did 20 batches just to prove to dumbass that if I do enough dough to take the day off on Tuesday, the food order will have problems fitting. We'll see how that went. If he is pissed about it, though, he'll never tell me to my face. He'll try to sabotage me some other way.

Since the store was closed for the holiday, as with every other holiday that we're closed, if I make dough I have to go back later and downstack it. After hosting a BBQ dinner for Dad, Marcus headed back over to the store with me to keep me company while I downstacked all of that dough. Who do I find there when we arrive? Dumbass manager. This is the same loser who complains that he can't get a day off from that place. The same loser who has no friends and no life except that place. There was nothing he could have been doing that couldn't have been done during his every other waking moment he spends there. Since he was there, though, would it have been that hard to call my cell and say that he was there so I wouldn't have to waste time and gas to drive all the way across town? Apparently so. I'm so sick of the lack of respect that he has for everybody. I was so pissed about the whole thing that I didn't even feel like going out and looking at fireworks. I love fireworks. Asshat.

Sales are also down. I'm going to make less than $800 gross on my next check. When I used to make $1100 in a pay period, that's bad. I also figured out that I'm making more dough for less money. They used to sell more "extras" that figured into my salary: pop, salads, wings, etc. They don't sell squat in the pop department, the new wings suck and they no longer carry salads. They're also selling alot more carry-out pizzas, which are priced cheaper. It totally bites. The stupid owner also can't advertise his way out of a paper bag. The whole chain's sales are down and he doesn't do anything about it.

I've been bitching about that job forever. It's time to bite the big one and get away. I've promised myself that I'll be out by my birthday of 9/11, but I think I need to do it before then. It'll be nice to have clear lungs and self-respect.

I had to write the rent check with the increased lot rent in it last night. That also did nothing to improve my mood. I really want to move. I don't think Marcus believed me the other day when I told him I was in a throwing-out mood. I want to get rid of the clutter in my house and my life. We took some stuff to storage and brought back other stuff to toss. It made him very happy.

There are also some issues going on here at my new job. Job security is not something I have here. I knew that coming in, though. So, I must get my act together while I want to, not because I have to. I could be making so much more money and be happier.

The Queen of Procrastination® strikes again! Student loan interest rates are jumping a couple of percentage points (to 4.7%) on July 1st and I've had my consolidation papers in my possession since May 15th or so and I'm just now finishing them up to get them postmarked by June 30th. I'm such a dork. I hope a couple of my CollegeAmerica loans are able to be included in the consolidation. When filling out the paperwork, I realized one of the damned loans is at 13.5%. Why in the world did I agree to that? No wonder the prinicple is still rather high. It's just like a damned credit card, apparently. So, we'll see. I'm going to try and get graduated payments where the payments are lower at first (while I get my business going) and get bigger over time (by time I'm rich -- mwaa haaa haaa).

I've got to get out of pizza (I know—you've all heard that before!). Our store got hit with $650 in bad checks last week alone and a driver was robbed and beat up for his pizzas. In addition to sales totally sucking ass, I'm sure the owner is really not wanting to continue paying my salary. As slow as it is, there is no reason the rest of the staff can't handle it. Besides, we all know that I don't want to be there, either.

Yesterday really bit the big one. They're changing over from canned soda to 20 oz. bottles. The walk-in was packed with pop. I can't seem to convince anybody that except for 2-liters, they don't really sell that much soda. I also can't convince anybody that there is no reason for both food orders to show up on the same day. The stupid owner has to use one company so that they'll deliver to the stores in Utah, but we can't get everything we need and some stuff is cheaper or better quality from our original food service company. So, every Tuesday and Friday there are two food deliveries. What's even more insane is that the original company will deliver on any day of the week except Sunday. Nothing that is delivered on Tuesday is so urgent that it couldn't be delivered on Wednesday. The manager also won't allow food orders to arrive during the day because it screws up his schedule. It's all crap. I also refuse to put away food orders since I don't get any sort of compensation for it. Back when the manager and I got along, if I did work that was outside my duties (like food orders or cleaning), he reciprocated the favor by paying me for days that I had to take off. Well, I took a couple of days off around my graduation last month and didn't get paid for them, so all extra work by me immediately ceased. So, with all the pop and food, there was no room in there to put dough. I basically got up early and drove over there to sit on my butt for two hours until I could go to my other job. I was PISSED!!!!! I thought about going home, but I really don't want to put unnecessary miles on my car or waste gas.

I just have to plow through the crap and remember that better times are ahead.

Well, I guess I'd better get these loan papers in the mail and get to work. I'm so looking forward to the day I don't have to get up at 2 am and drive to the pizza place.

I've tried to refrain from spreading continuous woe here, but I need to vent.

I haven't been this majorly pissed off in a long time. The astrologer said I'd blow before Memorial Day. So, she was a little over a week off. I was so angry I forgot to surround myself with my white light bubble. *sigh*

It started when I got to pizza work this morning and couldn't do my work. Once again the loser closing manager couldn't be bothered to move stuff to where I could get to it and I absolutely refuse to put another food order away for free ever again (I put six weeks of food orders away for nothing hoping that I would get paid for the time I took off for my graduation like in the old days--I was wrong and got screwed). I was already pissed after seeing the abysmal weekend sales. I left a note saying I would return and went early to my other job.

When I got to said job, I took a few minutes to check the availability of the domain name of the design business that I'm starting (because I was feeling really motivated to get going) and some asshole bought it on Friday. Not somebody who is going to actually use it--one of those assholes that redirects it to a search site that probably installs spyware and adware. They have that whois cloaking, but there was an encrypted email address, so I sent an inquiry as to whether they are willing to give it up or not (I doubt it). I don't want to get the .net equivalent even though it is available, because future clients could mistype it and get crap on their computers. Arghhhhhhhh! I was soooooooo pissed.

Then I've got some stupid client at work whose shirts are supposed to be printed tomorrow, but I can't get her to call me back about a question I have and she never answers her phone. Why?

Our air conditioning there is broken. Yesterday they melted the ice off the condenser and we cooled off for the afternoon. Today we started out cool, but the unit conked by lunch. Since we're the only office upstairs, all the heat from the production floor rises up and gets trapped in our little room. It gets almost unbearable up there. I can't wait until we have a 90° day. It'll be almost as bad as being stuck in the pizza place.

So, I left work and headed back across town. I-25 was a stand-still, so I took Federal. Big mistake. The stop and go traffic was just as bad. My poor car couldn't take it. The heat, the fumes and the gas overburning took its toll and I conked out at Federal and Speer. WhooHoooo! After a couple of light cycles, I got it going again and limped off to a side street where I had to let it sit for 15-20 minutes before it would restart. An hour and a half after I left, I got to the pizza place. When I walk in, what do I find? The stupid staff is breaking down the makeline--AT 5:30!!!! Every other store I worked at would never allow that to happen until being closed for carry-out, which is usually 9 pm. That place is so freaking out of control that it is unreal. When I first started there, the breaking down started at 8pm. I thought that was unreasonable then. No wonder we've lost customers when they have to sit on the phone waiting because washing makeline stuff is more important DURING THE DINNER RUSH. That's when I lost it. I grabbed my car keys out of the office and stormed out. One of the managers tried to follow me to my car, but I yelled at her (the one who closed last night). To top it all off, when I got to my car, it wouldn't start again. I was so angry, I was shaking. I'm sure they went crying to the head manager. We'll see if I have a job in the morning. If I don't, he and the owner are getting earfuls.

Man, it took me almost two hours since getting home to calm down enough that my heart isn't racing. That's pathetic.

So, today was the last straw. I need a new car and I need to get my design business off the ground. I also realized yesterday that I can't get too comfortable at the screenprinters. I deserve to make more money that I get paid there and they really can't afford more than I get. I know I'll still work there awhile, I like the people and it is good experience, I'm just not going to make a career out of it, y'know?

Tomorrow I'm putting stuff on eBay. I need cash.

I'm going to bed.