Vent

FYI, I am going to vent about work. If you don't want to be subject to this vent, please do not read.



Ok.......I'm very upset with my work, specifically the person who deals with payroll. I got my paycheck this week and noticed that I was not paid for 4 hours of overtime I had worked. I got regular evening pay, but not the time and a half we get for working over our 36 hrs/wk. Now, our work has started having the employee sign off their electronic time card at the end of the pay period to make sure everything looks fine. I signed off my time card after working the 4 hour extra shift and didn't notice that it was put in the wrong column (I was tired, it was after all extra work on my day off).

So, I wrote a note to the person who double checks our time cards to let her know of the error and could they add the overtime money to the next paycheck. I got an e-mail back from her today saying that I didn't qualify for overtime pay on the extra four hours. Here is where it gets complicated....we can't clock out more than 6 minutes before 7:30am or we get docked a full 15 minutes of pay (so only get paid for 11.75 hours, instead of 12). I clocked out one morning at 7:19am (was tired and just wanted to go home and not sit around for 4 minutes just so I could clocked out), and this is where the problem apparently arose.

Apparently, by losing those 15 minutes, I did not meet my full time requirement of 36 hours for the week, which means, the 4.25 hours of overtime I worked became regular pay, not overtime pay. Apparently there is some clause in the contract that if we don't meet our 36 hours, we forefit any overtime pay, unless we work over 40 hours. So in the end, by clocking out 4 minutes before I should have, I got penalized 4 hours of overtime pay (despite the fact that I had made up the .25 hours by coming in for my extra shift).

Thus I am mad, very mad, but not sure what to do about it. The lady in charge of payroll actually said "I'm sorry the rules are so picky". She actually used the term "picky"! Picky applies to the "clocking out more than 6 minutes before 7:30, you lose 15 minutes of pay". It does not apply to docking someone 4 HOURS of overtime pay when they come in on a day off to help out because you can't staff the unit appropriately! That is called "robbing" someone of their deserved pay, not being "picky". AAAAaaarrrggghhhhhh!!!!! &@#&** (insert desired swear work here).

Anyway, thank you to listening to my vent. I'm going to talk with some others at work and see if they've come up against this before and what the best way to handle it is. I'm also going to look at the contract and try and figure out where this clause is.

Whosits and Whatsits

Oh, where to begin.....

Last Friday I joined my sisters, mom, and chiblings at the Children's Museum in Everett. What a magical and lovely place (I know Kris...only if you haven't been there a bazillion times). It's how I remember the Seattle Children's Museum being when I was younger. Ahhh....the memories of "working" in the grocery store, the restaurant, the telephone operator booth, the bank...they all stay with you, even at my old age. Anywhoo....it was really fun, and I got to hold Elsa a lot, which made me happy. She always looks at me with this curious "who are you and why are you holding me" look, and then breaks into an Elsa smile that just melts your heart and makes your uterus do flip flops. Here are some pictures:



As of late I have been on a Patrick McManus book kick. If you have never read any of Patrick McManus's books, I highly recommend them. He is, by far, the best outdoor humor writer of all times. Growing up, my dad had several of his books, and I remember reading them and laughing so hard tears were running down my face. Not much has change, I was laughing so hard at work (tears and all) that one of my coworkers came in to see if I was ok. I read her the portion I found hilariously funny and she just gave me this "Becki is a weirdo" look. I think it has to do with the fact that she lives in downtown Seattle and has never been camping. How else can you explain her not laughing about your tent attacking you in the middle of the night after hearing a "bear" outside? With titles such as : Real Ponies Don't Go Oink, Rubber Legs and White Tail-Hairs, Never Sniff a Gift Fish, and They Shoot Canoes, Don't They...how can you go wrong! Check them out from the library and be prepared to laugh until you cry (unless you are cold and heartless, live in the downtown of a major city, and have never been camping).

I also want to encourage you to check out the sermon series my church is doing. It's on the Song of Solomon and is called The Peasant Princess. It is amazing and has fabulous teaching and information for singles, young married, old married, and anyone not in those categories. You can watch the sermon or download the audio from www.marshillchurch.org. I highly, HIGHLY recommend taking a peak.

Well, I'm off to go clean my bathroom. Until next time....

Risk

So last Saturday, I got to hang out with some friends and some of us played a game of Risk. I haven't played that game in ages! I made it to the final two, thanks to the kindness of my friend Rodney.

Here are some pictures:

Playing Risk


Still playing risk

Me after losing Risk...trying to not look out the window (we were on the 18th floor and I hate heights!)

My wild, passionate love affair

Tricked you.....you thought I was talking about a guy, didn't you? Read on...

I went to TjMaxx today, a place I rarely visit, as in never! I'm looking for a shirt to go with this cute skirt I bought and I as I drove by, I figured why not stop in for a look. Well, I found a shirt that should work as well as two other cute ones...and then I noticed all the bedding on sale. I needed a new set of sheets, so I meandered over there. The quality of these sheets are amazing! 300, 310, 400, 600 (!!!!!) count sheets for $29-59! Not just one sheet, but they whole shebang (fitted, flat, 2 cases)! I found a 400 count set that looked nice and felt, well, like I'd imagine our beds in heaven will feel like, should we have beds.

I continued to meander and went over to the sale table where I can get an additional 25% off already reduced items. Nothing much of interest....until.....on the edge, tucked under some towels, was this gentle purple (I hope you know what I mean by that) that caught my eye. I had to find out what this color belonged to as it was heaven! After lifting away the towels, I gasped....a 400 count sheet/duvet set (flat, fitted, 2 cases, duvet cover, and 2 shams!!!) reducded to $58 dollars plus an additional 25% off!!!! I unzipped the corner and reached my finger in to feel the material. It was as soft as a baby's bottom! I prayed, "Lord, I know you don't encourage us to steal, and I plan on paying for this, but at this price I feel like I'm stealing from this store. Forgive me, Amen"

Anyway, I wandered up front to the cashier, sure that when she scanned it I would be informed that this wasn't really on sale and I would have to pay the full price, $225! I held my breath, and it rang up at $43.50! I dashed to my car, screeched into my parking spot and sprinted into the house as I was ripping open the package. Everything was shoved into the washer and it was started, the whole while I was mentally calculating if I could get it washed, line dried and on my bed before I had to leave for work in 3 1/2 hours. I'm not sure, but by all that is holy, I am going to try. They could try and kill me tonight at work, and I won't care as long as I can come home and sleep on these sheets!

Thanks for listening to my story about my love affair with these sheets. It just proves it doesn't take much to make me happy.