menndebi's blog: "Deb's Cherries Are All Popped!"

Wake up, start the Christmas dinner, be here on computer playing games on king. com, talking with Brandon when he is not playing Guitar Hero or World Of Warcraft. That's it! Seriously doubt if I get any visitors from my step family. They are too busy and know I am too broke to get them a present. Seems like I have to give to receive...and all I can give is love. Must not be enough...as they are never around. What will you be doing on this day? BTW... Myspace Comments

The third worker, quit around the 7th, voting day actually, because she is 'tired' she said. Got her daughter to hand me the keys while she sat in the car..that is sad. Could not do it herself. Earlier, she told the manager she did not have to work due to a settlement from a hospital here. She is working to show her kids that they will need to work. Thinking about it, she also works at Sears. If someone does not have to work, then why hold two jobs and ask for more hours? She, the manager discovered, is also first cousins with the person fired after I was hired. We assume she was going to 'take' the drop offs for herself for extra cash(again the extra money) like we do. Like we do???? Do not think so. The owner told the manager to hire someone as he cannot afford the overtime he pays us. I do hate greed. Everything in that shop is paid for. All he pays for is the repairs, which are slow to happen, and supplies for doing laundry. Oh! and the lease. He has money and thinks everyone is out for the sole purpose to take his money! And what is sad is his wife thinks the same way! So right now, it is just the manager and me running the place. All he does is show up to drop off supplies and get his..money! lol Maybe it is a blessing in discuise. Will have enough to maybe have some sort of a Thanksgiving this year. And even get gifts for Christmas for a change. Been too broke for the past years to get gifts. Update: He is letting the managers' husband work in place of the third worker...just so he does not have to pay the overtime to me or the manager. He even suggested a "package" deal with hubby and wife..wife said no, he gets paid separately. I hate greed. I have lost all respect for that man because of it. It is pitiful and sad. Yes, I have greed, but not at the expense of others and I am struggling as it is. He, the owner, is not. He pays the lease and utilities, business license..that is about $30. Everything else IN the store is paid for!

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings I work from 3pm to 10:30pm(closing). Saturday is usually 11am to closing, Sundays is 8am to closing...14.5 hours! During the school week I watch grand daughter from 8 am to 2pm. Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, I also watch grand son along with his sister when he gets out of school til 10:30-10:45. Son helps on out on Wednesdays when I work nights. I need to figure out some 'me' time! When I get home from work, I am too exhausted to do anything else. I manage to fix some food to eat and that is it. When I take a shower, I have to be extra careful with fatigue and vertigo. It is interesting when I lean my head back to wash my hair. I have to put an elbow on the shower wall to minimize the swimming of my head! Hopefully, soon, I will be able to have a 'life'. Right now, family needs me and I am here for them.

Hired a third worker so am back to struggling for 40 hours! Had to get an advance on my check so I can pay part of my rent and so my check is smaller. My kittens like to curl up on me and sleep. Maybe it is the natural nurturing of a female or my soft boobs they like..lol! They are getting big and is difficult to get all three to fit on my lap/chest area. Mom cat even wants on the lap at times now. People at work are so strange. One man put money in the machine and said it is not working. "Sir, the lid needs to be down for it to operate". Couple alerts me about the big mac that holds 4 loads of laundry that it is on the 600..."That is the price, $6.00." But it did not rinse. "Since the machine is on $6, then the machine is done. It has gone through it's complete cycle." Same machines, they complain it is not working after putting money in..."Did you press the start button?".......I am the only one there and folks come in and ask, Mary not here? Instead of a "Here's Your Sign" remark, I have to be polite!! Do like the people that tip when they drop off their laundry. All should tip. For what some drop off and we have to clean, all should tip well! It would help in me getting little things like milk, food for us and cats, gas for car, etc.

Where I work, I have discovered that men are dirty people. Women have their draw backs, but at least we know how to wipe our behinds! Gentlemen, PLEASE learn to wipe your behinds!!!! Cleaning drop offs with fecal matter in them is unhealthy and nasty! The manager and I have refused to do several drop offs because of this. Have had to sanitize several coin washers after the discovery of poop in the washers! Just plain nasty!

Am working 7 days a week again. The girl we had quit. She has some personal problems as well. First she was $22 short one night and the boss took it out of her pay check, then she claimed that Mary got mad at her for not doing a drop off that was full of poop. None of us did that drop off..Mary gave it back to the customer and told her we could not do it. The day she quit, she left the store unattended to come to my house to tell me and to leave me the keys. I went in and took over her shift and at the end of the day was strangely about $21 short. I took it out of my pocket and told Mary. She also told Al and he gave me back my $21 and said he would take it out of her check. Also she did not clean very well, and did only one drop off a night. If busy, I do an average of 3-4 drop offs a night. Mary does the same during the day. The day she quit, I am assuming she saw what was ahead of her in drop offs and said no way. I just did a drop off from the Eastdale Mall. Table cloths. LARGE table cloths. 78 lbs. worth! Her grandmother had just passed away and she is having problems dealing with it and was heavily medicated....so she says. Mary says she came in singing and happy at 3 and all changed as I had to go in to take over at 4:30. Kittens are six weeks old today and are a handful and a joy all at the same time. Litter box training is a chore especially since mom cat does not use it. She goes outside to use the potty. Working 7 days wears a body out! This body is in need of some gentle TLC! By the time I get home, I barely have enough strength to fix something to eat. And dating has been put on the back burner as well. It is not high on my priority list right now. Later...

Things have gotten better. Went to do laundry in January around the 16th and after I was done was talking to the lady behind the counter and she suddenly says if I knew anyone that needed a part time job? I told her I have been looking since May and she gave me the run down on the hours and such. She suggested I think about it and let her know by Saturday. On the 22nd I was in training for my job. I trained with her on Tuesday, Thursday and with the second shift lady on Friday. Told her about me and the weekly stuffing of advertisements for my landlord (my rent for this month is $195!), so Wednesdays are my day off. Boss pays for training which is normally 2.25 but paid me 3.00 an hour. Landlord has gone to once a week with the papers because he did not like the $195 payment! lol! He uses it to pay the mortgage he has on his house. He finally got the other side rented out so maybe he will resume the papers more than once a week or his greed will get to him and remain once a week. Unplugged the big freezer as there is nothing in it so I can save on electricity, even though it is on a budget plan. Been stuffing newspaper sleeves with ads for landlord to lower the rent. $50 a week. Dirty work with the ink an all but, hey, you do what you gotta do...I use the freezer door to hold the big garbage bag that I put the ads in so landlord can put them in his car and deliver them. Friday evening I trained with Sephanie on what to do at night. Saturday she calls saying her kid was sick would not come in. Apparently there was something else going on because by Monday morning, Sephanie was fired. I asked about getting paid full pay on Sat and Sun..my supposed other training nights. Mary the day shift lady told me it takes most others she had hired a week to get every thing..I took three days. She said he would start me out at minimum wage, I think it is like 5.85 here. Got my pay check and he started me out a 6.00 an hour. She said that was very rare for him to do that. He, the owner, has already called me a told me how a good job I am doing and hopes I stick around. Mary has said the same thing. Sooo, I am employed. Work about 55 hours a week. At least until they find someone to take the part time I was supposed to work...lol. Now, April, we have a third person and I asked for a raise due to the missing 21 hours. The boss said he was unable to as he had the wage board keeping a close eye on him now. All his fault. I asked Mary about the overtime and the 10 years she has been there, he had not paid her any overtime. Wow, I thought. I told her he needs to start doing something or it will come back and bite him in the ass...and it has. The last girl he fired complained to the wage board and they are now keeping a close eye on him. Unfortunately, a new law passed that he can go back two years and back pay the overtime. Mary deserves more, in my opinion. The man at the labor wage board told Mary if he had to go back 10 years, the boss would have to close his shop down just to pay her! Oh! On Christmas or the day after, a gray tabby cat "appeared" at my feet. Did not see where it came from. She took up with us. And, she goes outside to use the potty!! I am assuming she "appeared" for some reason, so I decided to care for her until she decides to leave. The landlord, has seen her and did not complain, especially when I told him she goes out to use the bathroom. Son is thrilled! Concerned about the $$ for care but got her a couple of toys and cat food. We call her "Kitty". LOL! Kitty seems to know when I am especially down or hurting. She is right there purrrring away and trying to ease my stress. Kitty recently had three good sized kittens! Been about 3 weeks now and they are starting to explore their surroundings..they are soooo cute! Son was wrongfully terminated at his job, just when he got this package deal with Charter (cable, internet, phone). He is going to be included in the class action law suit that is being formed with his now former employer for the same reason. He was terminated because he did not show for work..first time he did that, and the manager has a habit of changing the schedule and not telling anyone. And, they are supposed to give them a copy of their schedule when they go in for it and they did not give him one for the last two weeks. FYI...he worked at Game Stop. A place where you can buy, sell, or trade games and game systems.

Am going to make the most of this, thanks to my son. We now have phone, cable and internet again. I am working for just above minimum wage. It does manage to pay a bill a week. Also continuing the assistance of son's dad when he sends a money order. Now son is going to get his 360 fixed and he will be happy. When that is fixed, he and I can be on line at the same time. No hogging the computer..lol!! Gotta go! Being taken out to lunch. Later!