Jackie: A Tale of Perversity and Woe

So, the only other night crew person got fired last night for stealing and drinking on the job. I'm not really sure what we're going to do now, since Julie is now the only person on the night shifts. I know for the next couple of weeks I'm going to be working a LOT more hours, but I can't do that forever or they'll be forced to bump me to full-time, and the company is definitely not going to want to do that. I wonder who we'll be replacing him with.

I definitely don't want to go back to working just the night shifts, though. I really like working the late morning/afternoon shifts, because I get to do fun stuff like decorate and bake things, whereas the night shift is just putting dough on trays and cleaning.

Oh well. We'll see what happens. As long as I don't get less hours somehow...

And it isn't me this time!

So, today was Mother's Day, obviously (and hope you all had a nice one!). Originally I was just planning on making a post about how fucking swamped it was at work and how I was all alone and we practically ran out of cakes.

But no. Something else has happened. To Rob, of course. He's always the one with the work drama...

( Click here for some amazing fuckery!!!!! )

So, I've been fired from Quizno's because I wasn't picking it up fast enough. The other girl is gonna be leaving next week and the boss said he needed someone who really knew what they were doing by then. I suppose I should've seen it coming. It's probably why he hired two people at the same time and we weren't punching in for the first week. Deciding which one of us he'd keep.

It sucks, since I felt like I was just starting to get the hang of it, and after all, it's only my third day and I can't really be expected to be an expert already. But, at the same time, I really don't think I'm cut out to work in food service. Guess I'll have to try something else...

My sore throat still feels terrible. It needs a near-constant source of hot liquids in order to stay manageable. I really wish I could call out tomorrow, but I already told Jamie I wouldn't. It wouldn't be so bad since I have off on Friday, but I got a second job at Quizno's that starts then, and I don't want to call out on my first day... it's not like I can't function, it's just a sore throat, but I really wish I could rest.

But yeah, second job! Let's see how long this one lasts... I hear bad things about the boss, but nothing specific so I don't know what I'm in for. We'll see. I badly need a second job. Between my current job and there I'd be getting about 40+ hrs a week, which means I could finally stop worrying about my fucking loans. I mean, it still wouldn't be enough to sustain me if I was living alone, but I can start saving up for that now at least. And not have a panic attack every time I need to buy food and bus tickets. So this job better pan out. It's only four hours a day, after all. And it's not that early in the morning, either.

So, the other job wound up not working out. I went there the first day and omfg IT WAS SO FUCKING HOT IN THERE. There were four ovens in the place, no air conditioning, and the day was kind of hot enough as it was. I was relatively okay for the first four hours, but by noon I was a goddamn zombie. I realized I wasn't going to be able to do this every day, and I couldn't even get through the rest of that day and I left early and quit. I came back and asked if maybe I could just work there a couple days a week, but they called me back yesterday and it turns out they've hired two new people and don't need me. So I'm back at square one, and doubly screwed because I spent more money than I should have last month. Not a LOT, but still more than I needed to. And I've still had barely any hours.

So, I need to really start looking for a second job again.

Fuck.

One of the A&P stores by us flooded during Hurricane Irene, and as a result some of the people who work there have been working at our store. Katharine, who's been working the night shift with me sometimes, got a job at this school lunch place, and she told me they are desperately in need of prep work people. I called them about an hour ago and I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow.

There are pros and cons to this job, however. The pros are that the pay will (most likely) be better, it'll be full time so I'll have more hours and thus more money, even if I'm paid the same as I am at the A&P right now. Not to mention the schedule is consistent, so I'll always have weekends off.

The cons are it's early in the morning (but I'd get used to that after a while), and also that there isn't really any way for me to get there by myself. Katharine has said she'd pick me up and drop me off, but I don't feel comfortable relying on others all the time to get to work. What if she gets sick? What if no one is available to drive me there? I could take the bus, but I would be at least half an hour later. I'm taking the bus to the train station tomorrow, but the train to there doesn't come until 3 in the afternoon for some reason. So that's going to be an issue.

But I do know I can't keep working at the A&P. I rreeeallly don't want to get two jobs, and I'm just not making enough money. It's just not gonna work for me anymore. My student loans are crazy and I'm just barely squeaking by, and that's only because I've had money saved. If I didn't then I would have a negative balance every month after paying my loans. I can't only pay my loans, and even if I did spend money on absolutely NOTHING except that I still would be losing money, especially now that my hours have been cut again.

I think I'm allergic to work. Every time I'm there I start sneezing like crazy, then when I leave I'm fine for a while, then a couple hours later I get a stuffy nose again. WHAT IS THIS FUCKERY?

Well, I think I actually have a good idea. It's because of the frozen dough I have to set up. I think the flakes get in my nose and it makes me sneeze forever.

Also, just drank two full glasses of wine and I don't even feel a little buzzed (okay, maybe a tiny iota buzzed, but still). I'd always figured I'd be a lightweight because I'm so small, but it turns out I'm not, I guess!

Yesterday was just One Of Those Days, man.

When I got to work there so much shit I had to do because it was Saturday and there's always a lot of set-up for Sunday. Then, when I was in the middle of setting up the kaiser rolls, I started having a huge sneezing fit -- which is actually not unusual, as this usually happens because of the freezer burn and dough flakes getting inside my nose.

But then it just. Wouldn't. Stop.

I was seriously sneezing about three to five times a minute. It would not let up! Occasionally it would stop for about five minutes and then start up again just as I thought it was over. It was fucking brutal. Not to mention there were tons of customers so I was trying to do the set-up but I was always either being interrupted by snot dribbling down my face or a customer wanting ALL THE THINGS.

So I decided to take my lunch a little earlier than I would have normally just so I could calm down (I figured it was the stress getting to me and making it worse), when I lost my name badge for about the fiftieth time because that stupid thing is always falling off. You need the badge to clock in and out so I was running around trying to find it and then I just went, "Fuck it" and left. Luckily Rob was working at the same time as me and he managed to find it before I got back (in the freezer in between some boxes, wtf?).

So I get back and then everything seems all right. Rob helped me finish the set-up since he didn't have anything else to do. I was still sneezing and everything, and boogers dribbled down my face as I cleaned the floors, but the day was almost over and I had Sunday off so whatever. What else could go wrong?

Well, I was returning the hose in Seafood to Rob (because I was cleaning the cake decorating area and our hose doesn't extend that far), when I slipped violently on the floor Rob had just cleaned and landed painfully on my ass. It would've been funny except I had had such an awful day already and now my butt was really sore, I was dripping wet and smelled like Mr. Clean, and I was still sneezing up a storm.

So I started to cry.

And you know how sometimes you start crying and you just can't stop? Yeah, that was what happened to me. I managed to compose myself for a brief time as we left the store but on the way to his house I was like "I LOVE YOUUUUUU" and started crying again. We got back and he held me for a while as I continued sobbing. I calmed down eventually, then he walked me home and I took some Nyquil and went to sleep and here I am, having woken up at 5 in the morning.

My stuffy nose is over, I think, but I still have a massive headache. Thank God I'm not working today. I probably would've called out if I had been scheduled.

You know how I've been moaning about how I need a second job? Well, I got one this afternoon working at Dunkin' Donuts.

I'm kind of trepidatious about the whole thing, though. You see, it'd be a morning shift -- as in 6 in the morning -- and it's about half an hour walk there, and it's near a stretch of highway so there's a bit where there isn't any sidewalk and I am probably going to get killed at some point on my way to and from there. So I'd have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning. That is... ungodly early. Not to mention I love Dunkin' Donuts, and if I start working there I am probably going to hate it.

But you know what? I really, really need the money. And this way I can definitely save up for me and Rob to go to Boston in August, and I'll have money for that and for Comic-Con in October, and I'll be able to pay my loans every month and have money left over. I'm gonna be exhausted and over-worked, probably, but you have to do what you have to do, I guess.

(plus if it really is that awful, I can always quit; it's not like I'm signing my life away or something)

I don't wanna goooooooo *hides under covers forever*

Speaking of covers, my mom decided to buy me a new bedspread yesterday for no reason. Now every time I walk into my room I'm startled by the ~OMG BRIGHT COLORS!!!!~

It's a nice comforter, though. Very soft and whatnot. Yeah.

So, how are all of you this Sunday?