Boomerangs Make Snap Decisions Well

Or not. And if I'm being honest with you I probably shouldn't be posting anything about this, for fear of it hurting future chances of employment. Or not.

It has at this point, I feel, been established that I have two part-time jobs. Now I have one. Today is the Fourth of July and seeing as I am an apple pie-loving, baseball-watching, farmer-tanned, red-blooded American, who woke up with two jobs, I went to work. As I'm driving on back roads to avoid all the parade routes and pedestrians who are having fun and not being safe near moving vehicles I pick up my beeping phone. My job had called.

Apparently I was late. The girl who had given me my schedule last week had messed up and I was supposed to be at work at 12:15 PM not 2:15 PM. I call work back and explain the mistake, tell them I'm on my way, I'll be there in 20 minutes. The response back was an unpleasant "We'll discuss it when you get here." So my mood, already low, is soured. I am one of the people who 97% of the time is punctual and the other 3% is with 15 minutes and I felt bad for being an hour late but am a good worker bee and would make up the hour I missed at the beginning of my shift by staying late.

At some point someone blabbed over the headset that all the breaks were done. I pointed out that despite being late, even if I didn't make up any of the time I had missed at the beginning of my shift that I worked a long enough shift to require a break. No one responded and I didn't get a break.

But more unhappy things are going down, the manager took the day off but all the lower management is in the store most of whom are acting as if they own us. I hear from one of my co-workers (the newest sales lead at that) that after I called in there was a little chat about me lying. Which is funny because I'm a horrible liar so I stick to telling the truth like nobody should and that is one of the reasons there are a few people who do not like me at the store I work(ed) in. Some funny things went down with my numbers from yesterday, petty stuff. But petty stuff is becoming a problem so I made comment to the Co-Manager (fancy name for crazy assistant manager who calls you at all hours of the night drunk) about the changing of numbers and accusations of lying and she assured me that they would have chats.

And I can only imagine what chats were had.

So I'm folding tables, because people shopping on holidays are absolute pigs, and up storm to me eyes blood shot and voice in that strange raised whisper (didn't stay low for long either) and then:

Her: "Just so you're not made at me I gave you that card* under your number!"
Me (and I'm seething that this is happening so my left eye is rolling around in my head) "Good. Because it's mine."
Her (yelling)"Blah, Blah, Blah, It's mine. Blah, Blah, Blah, I didn't change the numbers."
Me: "So after last night K******* came in and changed the numbers?"
Her: "I don't know who changed the fucking numbers, I don't give a flying fuck about the cards (out right lie) something something fucking something blah blah blah. Next time you can fucking walk out."
At this point I've stopped being calm and started handling things badly. I've thrown a sweater in this woman's face (zing!), taken off my holiday apron which held my walkie-talkie and chucked on to a not so near by table and stormed out.

Embarrassingly I had to go back to get my purse. I slammed my locker, but didn't talk to anyone. And now I have one job.

Future employers who may read this don't hold this against me, just know that I will not take it. Fair is fair, professional is professional and I am not a liar.

Also, walking out was the best thing I've done in a long while.





*Credit Cards are the main thing that goes in our performance review, the problem is there are a few people who take credit for cards when other people "sell" them. The day before this happened I had "sold" a card to a customer who had said she wasn't interested initially (thus my card as it has been discussed many many many times). The lady who would confront me later believed that I had given it to her, so when she found out I hadn't she flipped out on the only other manager working, who is not the manager. This morning I came in and found the official numbers changed. I don't care about the cards so much as I care about the sneakiness and lying.

The Boomerang Needs to Write to an Advice Column

As a boomerang I often get picked as the house sitter. No biggie, easy cash most of the time and a bit of time alone never hurt.

What hurts is the Christmas cookies that I made, with love because I didn't have the money for gifts, untouched in the pantry. It appears that every one I wrapped and boxed is still there, the only thing missing is the peanut brittle but I packaged that separately.

So my question to the world is, what do I do?

I know that most advice columnists would suggest I ignore the slight. Not my problem, I offered the gift freely and after I gave the gift I have no say on how it is used. And that's true but we're talking some perishable goods here and they're just so obviously there.

So I let it slide. I have to. But it kind of hurts. The bags of store-bought cookies all sit empty next to the homemade cookie box. And that hurts more.

The Boomerang Used to Be a Cinephile

The problem with movies and with films, and yes, I do see a distinction, is that they tend to speak to the times. Politically and socially relevant film speak the most to people, they move the most people and we the people pay to see them.

I love cinema almost as much as I love literature. They are both escapes but lately the movies are hitting me a little hard. I got drunk watching Casino Jack, though admittedly that was both a mistake and a bizarre occurrence in and of itself. I don't remember the movie being funny, just Kevin Spacey wearing trucker hats which is tragic rather than funny.

Bridesmaids made me sob with self-loathing. I mean I laughed. I laughed hard. I laughed so hard I cried but I also cried because the movie hit way to close to home. I thought for a moment that that movie would be the short break from my life and yet poof it's laid out in my lap for me to hold.

Now, sitting at home, I am watching The Company Men it is nauseating. Don't get me wrong, it's brilliant, it's beautiful, it rings so wonderfully true. And though I am not a middle-aged and up ex-exec I'm still gagging over the cruelty. It's too real, to close to home.

I can't stay awake through less serious movies. I can't sit though mindlessness. I'm on edge. I'm restless. I have no escape without books now. So I cling to them. I'm reading like I've never read before. I'm reading as if I were breathing the words. And the words sustain me.

Things aren't as bleak as they could be. But today while in an interview I looked a VP in the eye and confessed to here that I didn't want numbers I wanted words and I was swallowing my pride to take the ideas of numbers and make it a career. I am ecstatic about the opportunity and I am crying as I give up a dream.  

A Boomerang Tilted in the Correct Direction is a Smile

Some good things have come my way in the last week or so, which is nice because I was beginning to despair again, but the universe has tilted in my favor and gumption has paid off. After a few nerve wracking days of HR trying to get a hold of me, she finally showed up "to say hi" today. I know I haven't done anything wrong, but with the last few months of drama fueled HR visits and despicable old lady behavior I was worried accusations were flying again.

But my worry was undue, much to my relief. HR pulled me into the conference room for a chat and suggested I apply for a job, a higher paying, full-time, more important job. HR thought of me when making the job posting and personally invited me to apply (that is redundant, I know, but I'm still waiting for it to sink in).

I filled out my application and giggled a little bit, half of the application is reminders that you have to be in your position for at least six months before you are allowed to apply for other positions within the company. I have not been with the company for six months, let alone in my position. Though not all rules apply all the time, I'm still super stoked that I'm breaking one that is laid out quite seriously in several places.

This opportunity has me feeling a very good at the moment, though I'm sure I've said as much already. It's acknowledgement that despite what that commentator on CNN says my college education wasn't a waste of time or money or paper (though thats removing the context of the article). It's vindication for my hard work and drive. This year and a half of unmentionable disgust is beginning to clean itself up. I am having a good day, I am having a good week, I am having a good month.

To the fortune cooking being 12 next Mondays late but correct nonetheless.

Boomerangs Can Hope Too!

It's summer, if you hadn't noticed yet. The heat is amazing. The prospect of a vacation, doubly so. And as summer buds I'm working on becoming less down about this whole boomerang situation, it is hard though, a year and a half later, the other boomerangs are all flocking back to school to get higher and higher degrees and I'm trying to pay my minimal rent from my two jobs wondering where I went wrong.

But I didn't, so that thought is banished and hope springs anew. This week has been full of a tiny bit of social promise and a social life is half the battle with this boomerang thing, that and it's kind of like networking which, if I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure I have a grip on. I'm running screaming from my second job this week, I'm tired and this week I have three (yes, three!) events.

Two are wedding related, one actually being a wedding, and the third is a concert, and I do love concerts. And in the whirlwind of my new found summer social life I got a call, just an old roomy throwing out the idea that we perhaps make a move in the fall. And though it is just throwing it into the universe it is an excellent idea, one that gives me renewed hope and panic, but in a good way.

When I went to college the one thing I learned about myself that kind of surprised me is that I love change, I love moving and discovering new places. I've spent the majority of my current 23 years in the same town that I am writing from at this very moment. And there are tons of awesome people here and even a few nice things but nothing has changed enough to keep this place alive for me.

So renewed hope don't let me down this time. Get me out of here and back into the real world if only for a little while.

The Boomerang and Exasperation

I am over this whole "it's a bad economy" thing. I understand that it took a bit for everything to turn around but enough is enough. Last year I started off strong with an internship and had a few interviews before I broke and took a job that I needed but isn't relevant to what I want to do with the rest of my life, professionally that is. I have had two interviews so far this year and alas have started applying for internships again.

I'm on the brink again, working 12 or more days a week and somehow not making any money. I need a vacation and it doesn't look like I'll get one until July, I know it's only a few weeks off but I'm ready. I want to enjoy the humidity that everyone keeps complaining about, I have yet to have a day to spend outside, heck I haven't even opened my sunscreen yet this year!

Now that summer is here I look forward to losing my mind and becoming super-duper broke because I want back into the realm of words. Help me!

The Boomerang and Competition

Congratulations to all of my friends who graduated over the last few weeks. And an even bigger congratulations to the few who have managed to line up employment, to the rest of you welcome to the back swing and do not apply to the same jobs as me.

Ok, friends, here's the story. I've been interviewing again. I'm not feeling super confident about any of my last few but I would like to note that I have had two editorial-related interviews since February that is only one less than the entirety of last year. But even with the pick up in frequency I am worried about the new influx of graduates who want jobs.

I have to be optimistic though, that the new grads are optimistic in their abilities and they'll be looking for higher positions where as at this point I'm ready to settle, in a way. That sounds cynical. But this job search has sucked up nearly two years of my life and is chipping away at me a little bit. My friends are certain that they have accomplished more than me and have better plans and I wouldn't doubt it. But I'm worried that at this stage in the game I'll be that person who resents anyone's success. I don't want to be that person.

I have, in the past, used competition to create a nice place for myself but what this competition has done to me is make me good at my current jobs. And I've frightened myself.

So new competition watch out. I'm on to you and I will win, eventually.