Christmas Bonus

[nfotxn]

Congratulations!

This year for the holiday season my employer has given my co-workers and I the bonus of cutting our hours in half and doubling the staff. Also for some reason people take it upon themselves to come through the store and inform me one of a few things:

• My job is shit, I am shit and we are shit.
• Self-scan checkouts will replace everything human. Including love.
• Our union just encourages us to take sick days. We don't get paid for sick days.
• Is that a gold Visa card? Preferred, no less! Congratulations, you've impressed the grocery store cashier... again!

At first I liked dealing with the throngs of humanity. I like my checkout lane boyfriend who is finishing his MA in history. Schwing! He knows my name even though I don't ever remember my name tag most days. I keep thinking that he is perhaps just friendly. But the other day he started to grow a beard too. Maybe he will ask me out? Maybe he is waiting for me to? If I'm not mistaken good workplace-public romance requires the off duty party to make the first move. But it is the 90s after all...

I used to like my job. But then I found out a couple things. A friend of mine has a do-nothing brother who sits at home and gets more morbidly obese playing Gameboy, stealing things from local businesses and smoking pot. For this he is paid $100 more a month than I usually make. Additionally the government pays his rent because he is supposedly mentally disabled. Really he is clearly lazy, indulged and a tad nefarious.

Somebody drive an ice pick into my head already.

It's not to say that I'm jealous. I don't want to be a well paid pathetic loser, by any stretch. Although there was a time in my life that I did a similar thing. It's just I've always been under the impression that I've got no challenges facing me, intellectually. However it's presented to me time and time again that being well able and honest is perhaps sometimes the greatest challenge in my life.

Youthful idealism is a major hurdle keeping me from making hardcore cash money. If I were just some arbitrary measure more morally maligned I could enjoy the lifestyle I wish I were accustomed to. Realizing this fact, that society pays not for service by ultimately the lowest common denominator, is a hard one to make. It seems my shelf life before Total Moral Indifference is about 4 months. After which point hope that reward for a good attitude or the extra mile simply washes away.

I will probably need to indulge the cliché in the new year of searching for a new job. I know that once I have a vehicle and a drivers license my options for labour work will be much larger. Also school will be on and, I hope, that I will be able to etch out a slightly more enjoyable lifestyle than I've come to fall into these days.

Not that being unemployed, poor and bored was at all better. But I'm trying to assemble a vector of improvement here. Maybe I can finally start a design business and do small, feasible projects? It would be a nice supplementary income but requires perhaps more motivation than I've got right now.

As always, time will tell. Until then I will wear my scarf, mittens, grin and bear it.

Comments

[f8n-begorra.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at your writing and, not knowing you, wondering how life made it that you're working a much lower-level job than your ability suggests. Is further education an option for the New Year?

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Hiyeah!

Well the fact of the matter is that I dropped out of high school when I was about 18 and never found my way back in any useful capacity. Although I tried many times. It's a long and involved story that includes some pretty heavy familial drama and coming out. The coming out bit was, ironically, the easy part.

I've got some classes to finish in order to graduate. And then apply to whatever post-secondary schooling I feel I will want to do about this time next year.

So there is further education coming this year. At which point I'm hoping to improve my situation leaps and bounds.

[f8n-begorra.livejournal.com]

I think you'll find post-secondary a good experience. My other half whiskerfish had a simmilar highschool experience to what you suggest--contact him if you need encouragement! Good luck; Your mind needs much greater challenges than you're getting at your current workplace.

[callingzero.livejournal.com]

If you ever decided to move to the We(s)t Coast, I'm sure my boss would love to interview you.

[gusmacroy.livejournal.com]

Scott and I were going to call you from a party, because we heart you hard, but we didn't have your number, and you weren't on IM.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

I gmailed you my vcard but it bounced off demonkitty so I figure the LJ alias is legit. Send me back yours so I can sync your details back up into my iLife.

[gusmacroy.livejournal.com]

I will have to figure out the vcard thing a little later. I hate my job too, but at least I am adequately compensated. The shit spreading never stops, though.

[abearius.livejournal.com]

One more sentence like that and I am going to break the protective glass on the Jargon Alarm.

Irony, the spice of sarcasm.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Even if delivered ironically?

[etherlad.livejournal.com]

This year for the holiday season my employer has given my co-workers and I the bonus of cutting our hours in half and doubling the staff.

Oh, is that what's going on? Sorry if I inadvertently contributed to this... but... well, they told us when they hired us that we'd be getting 18.5 hours a week. I'm not getting that this week, nor did I last week. So it affects us as well.

* My job is shit, I am shit and we are shit.
* Self-scan checkouts will replace everything human. Including love.
* Our union just encourages us to take sick days. We don't get paid for sick days.
* Is that a gold Visa card? Preferred, no less! Congratulations, you've impressed the grocery store cashier... again!

The worst customers I've had to deal with so far are the ones that come through when you're busy and dumbly stare at the groceries until you bag them for them, and the one who came through last night with about $20 in spare change. I only found out afterwards that I'm not supposed to accept that.

I don't mind the job yet, although just being there for the month I have has introduced me to a couple of new job prospects.

At first I liked dealing with the throngs of humanity. I like my checkout lane boyfriend who is finishing his MA in history. Schwing! He knows my name even though I don't ever remember my name tag most days. I keep thinking that he is perhaps just friendly. But the other day he started to grow a beard too. Maybe he will ask me out? Maybe he is waiting for me to? If I'm not mistaken good workplace-public romance requires the off duty party to make the first move. But it is the 90s after all...

Chin up, boyo!

[dogdaze1980.livejournal.com]

I know how you're feeling... the job I'm at now isn't suiting me and I've decided I will be looking for something new after New Year's. I can also admit that I went through an aimless period in my life as well.

Just don't give up, I know you'll find what you're looking for.

BTW, we're in the 21st century now... methinks someone is behind with the times...

[backrubbear.livejournal.com]

But I'm trying to assemble a vector of improvement here. [...] but requires perhaps more motivation than I've got right now.

I suppose those are really my two biggest "you're 'growing up'" lessons that I would try to impart from my own experience:

1. You need a plan.
2. You need to have self motivation. After a certain point in your life, you're likely to be the only one providing it.

[abearius.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine has a do-nothing brother who sits at home and gets more morbidly obese playing Gameboy, stealing things from local businesses and smoking pot. For this he is paid $100 more a month than I usually make. Additionally the government pays his rent because he is supposedly mentally disabled. Really he is clearly lazy, indulged and a tad nefarious.

Consider that he is unruly and mentally disabled, which would qualify him for state aid. That kind of disability is hard to spot, really. It's not as dramatic as being bling nor as obvious as being a triple amputee. If that is what constotutes his disability, think of the experience people wouild have working with him. It is worth it to pay him survival benefits to stay the fuck home rather than mess up the effectiveness of an entire workforce. Take it from me. One bad apple like that can throw a monkey wrench into the works and turn a tedious and mildly rewarding workplace into a nightmare of stress and epistemological vertigo.

As per Nietzsche: "The wretched are annoying. It annoys to give them charity, and it annoys not to give it."

[xbearxrx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, go back to school. It's a long journey, but I've heard that when you come out of that with a piece of paper that says Bachelor of Arts or Master Degree on it, people start to believe everything you say.

I can't wait.

[nfotxn.livejournal.com]

Here's hoping! Otherwise that's a lot of money for nothin'...

[xbearxrx.livejournal.com]

Well... Considering that I just went through a whole semester, I could say that learning isn't that bad. Yes, I took a class where I've been tested on how to use search engines, but going back to school definitely shaped my ego and made me realize that there is a reason why people get degrees. I'm pretty proud of myself.

I guess you'll find college way more challenging and exciting.

[diesel-pioneer.livejournal.com]

starting up a design business could be really good - i think you could well find yourself gaining motivation from the actual work (or something like that). maybe i'm still affected by the youthful idealism thang though. obviously there could be difficulties in getting a business started and finding clients could be an issue.
aesthetic apparatus have managed it though, theirs is pretty much my idea of a dream job.. just designing lovely gig posters for Cool Bands No-One Has Heard Of. fucking yeah.
i'm not sure what it's like in canada, but i think a lot of employers in design companies choose employees on the basis of portfolio and technical ability rather than grades and degrees and such. at least, it seems that way in the UK.

It's A Wonderful Time of Year...

[emramesha.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the Christmas season where the consumer shits on the "little people". Don't let it get to you (easy for me to say, but you seem to have the sense of humour to accomplish the task). Also as far as "[y]outhful idealism is a major hurdle keeping me from making hardcore cash money", hang on to that! Most of my job and academic choices have been made - at least partially - on that premise, and it has worked for the most part. And if that means that you'll "need to indulge the cliché in the new year of searching for a new job", by all means, do so!