My phone interview did not happen yesterday. Apparently the woman who was supposed to call me had to leave the office for some unspecified reason and would not be able to conduct the interview. It has been rescheduled for next Friday since they only do phone interviews on Fridays. For those who are wondering about the interview, it is with Best Friends Animal Society in Utah. They do great things there and I have always wanted to be a part of it. I'm just not sure about the whole moving to the middle of nowhere thing. Plus, I'm not sure they are going to pay enough for me to be able to keep up with my bills and be able to rent a place to live. I've already decided I will probably have to cut out food in order to make ends meet. My dad is convinced they are a cult but he is being as supportive as he can be. I think he is scared I may actually move and leave him alone with my step-mother.
How about a poker update since this is supposed to at least partially be a poker blog? I haven't played any poker in over a month. There is your update!
I am still doing freelance work. One of my clients renewed his contract with me and plans to continue to do so for awhile. He has a lot of work for me. It's boring and tedious but it pays well. I also just got awarded another job so things are definitely looking up. If this can become more regular, I will quit the hospital for good. I just wasn't cut out to work with people I guess.
I am planning to be in Vegas in June so, if you are going, I'll see you then. I'm thinking about hosting a Stanley Cup party at a sportsbook but that isn't set in stone yet. Let's just say if the Sharks are still in it, there will be a party of some kind!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Next Time, Slap Me!
I don't know what I was thinking last year when I agreed to go back to work at the hospital. I guess it was the money talking or something. I have to give credit to Maura and TxApril for their concern about my decision to go back. Between the two of them they must of asked if I was sure at least 20 times. I replied that, since it was only on the weekends, it would be fine. I thought the drama wouldn't seep into the the weekend shift since I would be by myself but it has and it's even worse when I fill in during the week. Apparently, even though I am per diem, I am taking too many weekends off. I never signed an agreement saying I would work every weekend and I'm not getting paid any extra for working weekends even though there is a program that does pay more for giving up your weekend. So, let's evaluate these vacations.
In December I missed one weekend due to the blogger gathering. There was plenty of notice and no one seemed to mind.
Then I had the chance to go to Australia and I missed 2 weekends. Apparently all my co-workers did while I was gone was bitch about having to work weekends but I doubt if any one of them would have passed up the opportunity I had to do something I have always wanted to do.
My next trip is in a couple of weeks. My great-grandmother is going to be 100 years old and I am NOT going to miss it. I scheduled the trip so I would only miss one weekend even though I usually go back east for at least 2 weeks.
After that is June in Vegas with bloggers. I got a great price on airfare and will probably stay at the secret location again. Plus, I need to see and hang out with all my crazy blogger friends. I feel good about myself when I am around everyone and I just feel refreshed when I leave because I don't have to pretend to be someone else for a few days. The trip is one fucking weekend in June, my co-workers need to get over it.
Now for the kicker, my mom is visiting in July. She wants to go to Disneyland and I've been promising for years to get her there. This summer I am going to do it. She's my mom, she's getting older and she deserves a trip to see Mickey before she gets to old to enjoy it. I may miss one weekend though I haven't completely figured it out yet. I did notify my co-workers though because I'm too fucking nice and figured they wouldn't get angry if they knew far enough in advance. Apparently someone in the department isn't happy as my manager mentioned that if someone else wanted that time off in July, I would probably have to work. Um.....I'm per diem, I'm supposed to be able to say no whenever I want. I guess what per diem really means is that I'm everyone's bitch. I work weekends and whenever they want time off or are sick or need to wash their hair. Seriously, every other department has more than one per diem to fill in, why don't we?
None of this may matter in a few days anyway. I have a phone interview for a job in another state. If the interview goes well I will be spending two weeks at the location on a try-out basis to see if I like the job and area. If I completely fall in love with it, I'm moving the hell out of Dodge. If it turns out to not be for me, I may still leave the hospital. I obviously have no friends in this department and feel I owe them nothing. I've always tried to think of them in the past when planning my life but I give up, I can't please them. Besides, no one should be made to feel guilty about spending time with family whether they are related by blood or the Internet. I've made due without this job before and I can certainly do it again. And please, once I do leave, make sure I never, ever go back....even if it means slapping me upside the head!
In December I missed one weekend due to the blogger gathering. There was plenty of notice and no one seemed to mind.
Then I had the chance to go to Australia and I missed 2 weekends. Apparently all my co-workers did while I was gone was bitch about having to work weekends but I doubt if any one of them would have passed up the opportunity I had to do something I have always wanted to do.
My next trip is in a couple of weeks. My great-grandmother is going to be 100 years old and I am NOT going to miss it. I scheduled the trip so I would only miss one weekend even though I usually go back east for at least 2 weeks.
After that is June in Vegas with bloggers. I got a great price on airfare and will probably stay at the secret location again. Plus, I need to see and hang out with all my crazy blogger friends. I feel good about myself when I am around everyone and I just feel refreshed when I leave because I don't have to pretend to be someone else for a few days. The trip is one fucking weekend in June, my co-workers need to get over it.
Now for the kicker, my mom is visiting in July. She wants to go to Disneyland and I've been promising for years to get her there. This summer I am going to do it. She's my mom, she's getting older and she deserves a trip to see Mickey before she gets to old to enjoy it. I may miss one weekend though I haven't completely figured it out yet. I did notify my co-workers though because I'm too fucking nice and figured they wouldn't get angry if they knew far enough in advance. Apparently someone in the department isn't happy as my manager mentioned that if someone else wanted that time off in July, I would probably have to work. Um.....I'm per diem, I'm supposed to be able to say no whenever I want. I guess what per diem really means is that I'm everyone's bitch. I work weekends and whenever they want time off or are sick or need to wash their hair. Seriously, every other department has more than one per diem to fill in, why don't we?
None of this may matter in a few days anyway. I have a phone interview for a job in another state. If the interview goes well I will be spending two weeks at the location on a try-out basis to see if I like the job and area. If I completely fall in love with it, I'm moving the hell out of Dodge. If it turns out to not be for me, I may still leave the hospital. I obviously have no friends in this department and feel I owe them nothing. I've always tried to think of them in the past when planning my life but I give up, I can't please them. Besides, no one should be made to feel guilty about spending time with family whether they are related by blood or the Internet. I've made due without this job before and I can certainly do it again. And please, once I do leave, make sure I never, ever go back....even if it means slapping me upside the head!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Outsourcing = Frustration
I'm working from home again. Well, let me rephrase that, I'm trying to work from home. I signed up with and created a profile on a couple of different freelance websites. The type of jobs offered are right up my alley and I like that I can pick and choose what I want to work on. Unfortunately, those buying my services make it very difficult to make a living as they will often decline my perfectly reasonable bid to accept the bid of someone in a foreign country who will do the job at a fraction of the price. To say that I get pissed off every time this happens would be an understatement.
Now, I understand the reason for outsourcing to foreign countries, its cheaper and usually the work quality is excellent, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it or like it. Personally I think every US corporation that outsources to another country should be ashamed of themselves. The bottom line should never be more important than the people you employ. Of course a lot of the people who post jobs on these websites aren't big corporations. They are just regular people who need some help so I can't blame them for wanting to go with the cheaper provider. All I ask is that they state in the job description that they don't want to pay a reasonable United States wage. I'll take my services elsewhere and not waste my time or energy.
All that said, I have been offered, and I accepted, two jobs that I have been working on for the past week. One is a tedious, boring job that pays well so I forgive it for being boring. I've already been asked to stay on and complete more work for this client. The other job is performing research and the client was so impressed that she doubled what she was paying me. I'm glad that these people were willing to overlook the cheaper bids and go with mine. I appreciate them giving me this chance to get established. I'm sure I will get more jobs because of them so I will stay the course and keep submitting proposals. Hopefully, I will eventually stop caring so much when a job goes to someone willing to be paid $2 an hour. Then again, is complacency ever a good thing?
Now, I understand the reason for outsourcing to foreign countries, its cheaper and usually the work quality is excellent, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it or like it. Personally I think every US corporation that outsources to another country should be ashamed of themselves. The bottom line should never be more important than the people you employ. Of course a lot of the people who post jobs on these websites aren't big corporations. They are just regular people who need some help so I can't blame them for wanting to go with the cheaper provider. All I ask is that they state in the job description that they don't want to pay a reasonable United States wage. I'll take my services elsewhere and not waste my time or energy.
All that said, I have been offered, and I accepted, two jobs that I have been working on for the past week. One is a tedious, boring job that pays well so I forgive it for being boring. I've already been asked to stay on and complete more work for this client. The other job is performing research and the client was so impressed that she doubled what she was paying me. I'm glad that these people were willing to overlook the cheaper bids and go with mine. I appreciate them giving me this chance to get established. I'm sure I will get more jobs because of them so I will stay the course and keep submitting proposals. Hopefully, I will eventually stop caring so much when a job goes to someone willing to be paid $2 an hour. Then again, is complacency ever a good thing?
Monday, March 03, 2008
Go Play!
Bodog Poker has been hosting a tournament series every Tuesday night exclusively for poker bloggers. If you haven't played yet, you should! Here are the details:
Bodog's Blogger Poker Tournament Series - Tuesday Nights
Next Tournament: Tuesday March 4, 2008
Start Time: 9:05pm EST
For more information and to register please visit the following link: Poker Blogger Tournament Series
What are you waiting for? Go sign up!
Bodog's Blogger Poker Tournament Series - Tuesday Nights
Next Tournament: Tuesday March 4, 2008
Start Time: 9:05pm EST
For more information and to register please visit the following link: Poker Blogger Tournament Series
What are you waiting for? Go sign up!
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