Fluff

Rather than sit here and make my headache worse by continuing to color code this effing spreadsheet, I'm going to blog. About what you ask? Hmmm…not actually sure. Figure I'll just make this into a stream of consciousness post and hope for the best. Which means you should all be preparing for the worst.


Any of you who are friends with me on my "In Real Life" Facebook page (rather than the "Natural Name" one) will know my good news. As of a few weeks from now, I'll officially be hired on at my job as a permanent employee. I've been picking my ass for the last year, waiting for the bomb to explode in my life. Waiting for my contracting job to be dissolved and to be handed a pink slip. (Why do they hand out pink slips…why not blue…or green…or just plain white??) Ever since they told the contractors in the department that our jobs were being shipped overseas, I've been waiting.


Oh, I was told how valuable I am as an employee…that they were just waiting for an opening that they could hire me directly for…"Be patient Christina".."Don't panic yet Christina"…"We aren't going to get rid of you Christina". But then I sat back and watched all but TWO of my contracting coworkers get hired on by the company..one by one. And still I sat. Still doing the same job as I'd been hired for back in May of 2007, but not reaping the benefits of more days off, higher wages, better insurance, 401K, short/long term disability, blah blah frigging blah. This went on until May of this year. And then after the contract officially ended, I was told that I'd be kept on as a contractor for now until they could open a position "for real" for me.

The issue I have had the past few months is that I'm doing the work of a full time employee. Instead of collecting $8M in accounts receivable…I've been collecting on a $100M accounts receivable portfolio. Same hours as everyone else, but again, not getting anything out of it really. Greedy? Maybe. But I've got two kids who are going to need braces soon (God help me now) and a $500 contact lens/eye glasses bill every year that I'd love to be able to pay without having to sell an arm or a leg or my first born (BAD joke..I know…). But last week, I was told that things were going to change for me. I'll be hired on within the next few weeks and won't have to worry about my job anymore. The relief I feel is immense. The sense of security is so much better than it was this past year.

After they announced that I'd be coming aboard permanently, the conference room filled with all the managers and my peers erupted into applause. They know how difficult it's been for me to be patient and not to panic. They've supported me emotionally..much like all of you support me too. They knew there wasn't anything they could really do for me except let me vent and cry when the stress became too much. And it did…it became too much…a lot. But I'm coming through the dark tunnel…out into the light and I am so glad I hung in there to see the reward.

How's that for a positive post? I mean, my blog shouldn't be all negative all the time, right?