I had a busy weekend.
I've already blogged about the craziness of Friday and Saturday; at least what had happened up until that point. Saturday night I drove the trip that was actually scheduled to me. Myself and another driver (L) were scheduled to take a specific team home (1 of 4). Before we had arrived at the stadium in Seattle, we got a call that the "guy in charge" (a coach for the high school in our district - NOT our boss) wanted us to take another team home and have the two drivers already there take home a team that wanted to leave right then.
When L and I arrived at the stadium, the other team had not yet come out to the buses so L and I dialogued with the two other drivers, both of whom were above us in seniority. Lynn and I abstained to their decision since they were above us. From what L and I both saw, they elected to drive our team back to the hotel, leaving us to stay for the other team. L and I ended up getting another hour of work since the team we had now been given stayed until the end of the game (they were watching, not playing).
Then on Sunday I got a call around 10:10am that a second bus had been added at the last minute and I was offered the job. Since I live across the street from work I was able to get to the hotel with a bus within 20 minutes. As I drove the trip, I knew that an issue would come of this because there are 34 people ahead of me in seniority who would have loved those two hours of overtime pay. I was more than grateful to get that work!
This morning I went in to work and talked with J in dispatch about the weekends events. I particularly told her about the errand I ran when the guy called me on Saturday. She agreed with me that I should get paid for that since I was doing work for the district. Now our contract has a policy that any work you do, no matter what the length is, will be paid no less than 2 hours.
After driving my route, I went back in and talked with her more about what was going to happen. The first thing I discovered is that those two drivers who elected to go back on Saturday with the team belonging to L and me were complaining that we got more hours. I told her exactly what happened in the conversation from the perspective of L and me. We both made it clear that we had lower seniority and left the decision up to them. They elected to leave. According to J in dispatch, this was not the story she had gotten.
I also talked to my boss about my little unscheduled Saturday errand. He doesn't want to pay me for it!! According to him, what I should have done was called someone and told them what was going on. Apparently, they don't want me to try and fix a situation like that (and potentially save the district some embarrassment) unless I have been authorized to do that. Can you believe that shit? He said he was going to talk to dispatch and the coach in charge of this whole mess (the one who screwed up!) to see if I should be paid. I have a sneaky suspicion what the coach's feelings on that will be. He won't want to get charged for my help!
Thankfully, my union rep has a much different take on this situation. "Tough shit!" her words. I was trying to help the district and I should get paid. Granted, I thought I had screwed up and that's why I ran to base, but once there, I continued to try and fix the problem by running down to my bus, turning it on and getting on the radio to make sure the drivers responsible for that trip had actually shown up. The lesson I am getting for the district now is that when they want my help I should tell them to shove off and not offer to help them. That's complete bullshit.
Another issue I am dealing with involves my Friday schedule. I have an out-of-district route and one of my schools is not going on Friday. However, one of them is and I have one student from that school. But rather than pay me as they should, the district would rather put her on another bus and pay that driver since he's above me in seniority. Again with the bullshit! I don't think it's right that I get shorted hours just because they don't want to pay me.
Though I am a worker who always shows up on time, do what I am supposed to do and have students and parents who think I am a really good driver (and, I would think, a value to the district), I'm getting the impression that the district really doesn't care about me at all.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Catching up
Yikes. I haven't blogged about anything in a week.
Last weekend I went to the Puyallup Fair with my former roommate. Essentially, I wanted to experience three things: The Weird Al Yankovic 3D movie about the human brain, an a capella group called The Coats, and a fantastic ride called Extreme Scream. I did do all three things!
As a longtime fan of Weird Al, I was excited when I heard about his exhibit at the fair. It was at the Puyallup Fair that I saw his concert two years ago - a concert, I might add, that was one of the best I have ever experienced! Before the movie, you are handed a pair of glasses (and a wet wipte for steralization) as you walk into a room with many facts about the brain. The only problem with this is that they cram everyone into the room for the next show so you really can't read many of the facts unless you ask someone to move over. As more and more people are crammed into the room it becomes less and less possible to read anything.
Right about the time I started getting antsy, the lights dimmed and overhead a parody of 50's educational movies started. It was a great tongue-in-cheek parody typical of Weird Al. The movie itself was corny, but really funny. It reminded me a lot of Weird Al's show. The format is set up as a Q&A with Al answering video questions. At one point, a boring Dr is turned into a clever owl and, of course, many opportunities for shameless 3D effects are employed. At the end, Al launches into an original song about the brain. It is fast-passed and frantic at times, making it hard to catch all of what he is singing. It would have been great if they'd added subtitles with a bouncing brain so we could get all the words.
I found myself humming part of the song after the show, but the memory of the tune didn't really last as long. I'm not trying to slam the exhibit in any way. I'll go see anything featuring Weird Al. As far as I'm concerned, the guy is a genius and I was glad I got to see the 3D film!
The Extreme Scream is a fair tradition for me. You've probably seen versions of this ride all over. It's a tall tower with a base of seats that gets rapidly shot up the tower. I've ridden other versions of this ride. What sets the Puyallup Fair's version apart is that you get both experiences. First, you're shot up the tower and you bounce a little. Then you are slowly lifted up to the top and it drops you. This is the first time I've been on a ride like this that gives you both elements. People think I'm crazy for going on it, but you just can't beat the rush this ride gives!
I also went to all three concerts performed by a group called The Coats. I can't say enough about these guys! They are SO talented! After the first show I bought four of their CDs and got them autographed. While talking to the guys I was encouraged to come back for their other shows. The 2nd Tenor Jamie promised that each show would feature a different set of songs. How could I pass that up? If you ever hear about anything having to do with The Coats, check whatever it is out. You won't be disappointed.
My only other fair experiences revolved around the hypnotist Travis Fox. More accurately, the experience revolved around one of the people he hypnotized. At the first show was a volunteer named Junior. For that show, Fox had him perform as Aretha Franklin to the track Respect. The guy was awesome! At the end of that show, Fox asked Junior's family if he could hypnotize Junior to come back for the next show. Still in a hypnotized state, Junior was told that he would wake up thinking he had missed the show. He would have no recollection of having been in it, but at 6:55, he would feel an urge to return and try to catch the 7:00 show. He was told to walk up on the stage and sit in a chair when Fox called for volunteers.
Sure enough, my friends and I got excited when we saw Junior enter the concert area. At first he raised his hand but wasn't called on. Then he suddenly stood up and walked up to the stage. It took awhile for Fox to recognize Junior, but when he did, he had him peform as Michael Jackson to a Billy Jean track. Once again the guy was awesome! He even jumped off the stage and danced with a young girl from the audience. Once again, Fox asked if Junior could return for the 9pm show and repeated his suggestions from before.
My friends and I had planned to leave but with the promise of more Junior, we decided to stick around. Junior's family ended up stting in front of me and I struck up a conversation with them. They told me that Junior had been shown pictures and video of his other performances, but repeatidly told them he'd missed the show! They also told me that he is a dance instructor which explains his awesome moves from the first two shows.
This time, when Junior entered the stage area, he received a standing ovation! He looked at all of us like we were nuts...and we probably were. When the show started he once again walked on stage and ended up being featured at the end as one of four divas from the song Lady Marmalade from the movie Moulin Rouge.
Other than that, the previous week was uneventful. It just felt so long, but I think that's because I'm actually working 8 hours every week. Okay, okay, some of you are thinking "Uh...yeah...welcome to the real world!" Well this is the first year I've actually gotten guarenteed hours like this. They actually added two hours a week to my route due to it running long in the evenings. So now I'm done at 5pm. Now figure that my morning clock in is 5:45 and you can see why my day feels so long! My route just feels SO long! I do a lot of driving during the day and with the added trouble brought on by the autistic girl, I feel drained at the end of each day.
Last night, I signed for a trip, but since I get 39 hours a week now, I had to put next to my name +40 to let them know that they'd be paying me overtime. Essentially this means that should no one else want to do it, I could actually get the trip and get paid time and a half for it. This rarely happens, yet last night they called me as I was finishing my route and told me I got the trip. Suddenly I felt very rushed! I raced home to grab something for dinner (which didn't amount to much) and then raced down to the bus lot to start up a bus.
The whole thing ended up being VERY confusing! Whoever requested these trips for the week really screwed up. There were already three other buses at the site trying to pick up other groups and no one seemed to know who was going where. By the time I arrived, some of the coaches were understandably a little surly. The team I ended up driving was really awesome, though. Those poor guys were all crammed into my bus like sardines. In an effort to save money, they were dropped to one bus. I had guys practically hanging off the edge of seats in the aisle.
Today the madness continued. I was awarded a Saturday trip which is VERY rare! All Saturday trips pay time and a half. Last night I checked to make sure what my clock in was before leaving. Today, I got a call at 2:20 asking me why I wasn't there to pick up the football team. I told him that I have the return trip and then panicked. Did I screw up??
I rushed across the street to work and thankfully discovered that I wasn't one of the two drivers who was supposed to pick up the team. I am on the return trip later tonight. I still had to run down to my bus and call the drivers on the radio to make sure they had picked up the team. It turns out that the guy who called me wasn't even a coach. He had recieved a text that the buses hadn't shown up. By the time he called me, the team had been picked up and was on the way to the stadium. He had only called me because he had my number as a driver, but he didn't know ...well...much of anything.
On Monday I'm going to ask them if they'll pay me for the running around I did today. I think it's only fair! I was essentially doing someone else's job. I was the one running around in a panic for 30 minutes trying to make things right and I hadn't even done anything wrong! It's a good thing (for my boss) that I live so close to work...and that I had been home at all. I was actually starting to get ready for a trip to the library (which still hasn't happened).
I did continue watching a video I rented from the library called Heckler. It's a film my Jamie Kennedy about people who yell out at comics. Midway through the documentary, the focus shifted to movie critics. As I watched it became apparent to me that Jamie Kennedy takes critique too seriously. His opinion is that movie critics are not entitled to their opinions. He ends up taking what they say personally and, to a degree, I can see where he is coming from. Some of the things they say are personal and don't belong in a movie review. But he also takes it personally when one of them says he isn't funny. He claims they don't have a right to say that, but the way I see it, they have every right to say that about his performance because that's what they are being paid to do. If they don't find him funny in the movie, then it's something they should put in their review. At least that's how I feel about it.
In the film, Jamie Kennedy confronts several critics and asks them why they hate him. Most of them said they didn't hate him, they hated his performance. To me, that's a valid opinion, but Jamie takes it personally.
I thought Kennedy was great in the Scream movies. But later he started making movies about his characters from the Jamie Kennedy Project that just weren't funny! Son of the Mask was terrible, but not because of Jamie Kennedy. It was just a poorly written movie that took the rules previously established in the Jim Carey movie and threw them out the window.
At the end, during the credits, they interview Jamie's father who says "He's never been able to take criticism. He can dish it out, but he can't take it." That pretty much summed up the documentary for me. If you're going to be a comic or an actor or a filmmaker or even a writer, you need to be prepared for criticism. If you think about it, a comic dishes his own critiques, though. I've seen Jamie Kennedy's stand up and like most comics he makes fun of people. His observations could be called critiques, can't they? They are his opinions of people and he is sharing them to get a laugh. Why then is it so hard for him to take criticism back?
Another thing that bothered me about the documentary was the fact that many of the people interviewed were attacking critics as though they have no right to voice their opinions. Many times, those interviewed for the documentary said things like "They don't make movies so what right do they have to attack what we make?" Frankly, I think they have every right. Even if someone doesn't know how to make a movie (or doesn't have the financial backing to make one) doesn't mean they don't have the right to know what they think is good or what is bad. I've never made a movie, but I know when I am watching something that is poorly written or acted. As long as a person is able to intelligently explain what it was they didn't like about a movie I think they have every right to do so. Isn't that what America is all about?
Look at me pretending to be a movie critic! LOL. I suppose I should expect a visit from Jamie Kennedy, now. Jamie, if you're reading this, I don't hate you. Just haven't been crazy about many of your movies. Sorry, dude!
Last weekend I went to the Puyallup Fair with my former roommate. Essentially, I wanted to experience three things: The Weird Al Yankovic 3D movie about the human brain, an a capella group called The Coats, and a fantastic ride called Extreme Scream. I did do all three things!
As a longtime fan of Weird Al, I was excited when I heard about his exhibit at the fair. It was at the Puyallup Fair that I saw his concert two years ago - a concert, I might add, that was one of the best I have ever experienced! Before the movie, you are handed a pair of glasses (and a wet wipte for steralization) as you walk into a room with many facts about the brain. The only problem with this is that they cram everyone into the room for the next show so you really can't read many of the facts unless you ask someone to move over. As more and more people are crammed into the room it becomes less and less possible to read anything.
Right about the time I started getting antsy, the lights dimmed and overhead a parody of 50's educational movies started. It was a great tongue-in-cheek parody typical of Weird Al. The movie itself was corny, but really funny. It reminded me a lot of Weird Al's show. The format is set up as a Q&A with Al answering video questions. At one point, a boring Dr is turned into a clever owl and, of course, many opportunities for shameless 3D effects are employed. At the end, Al launches into an original song about the brain. It is fast-passed and frantic at times, making it hard to catch all of what he is singing. It would have been great if they'd added subtitles with a bouncing brain so we could get all the words.
I found myself humming part of the song after the show, but the memory of the tune didn't really last as long. I'm not trying to slam the exhibit in any way. I'll go see anything featuring Weird Al. As far as I'm concerned, the guy is a genius and I was glad I got to see the 3D film!
The Extreme Scream is a fair tradition for me. You've probably seen versions of this ride all over. It's a tall tower with a base of seats that gets rapidly shot up the tower. I've ridden other versions of this ride. What sets the Puyallup Fair's version apart is that you get both experiences. First, you're shot up the tower and you bounce a little. Then you are slowly lifted up to the top and it drops you. This is the first time I've been on a ride like this that gives you both elements. People think I'm crazy for going on it, but you just can't beat the rush this ride gives!
I also went to all three concerts performed by a group called The Coats. I can't say enough about these guys! They are SO talented! After the first show I bought four of their CDs and got them autographed. While talking to the guys I was encouraged to come back for their other shows. The 2nd Tenor Jamie promised that each show would feature a different set of songs. How could I pass that up? If you ever hear about anything having to do with The Coats, check whatever it is out. You won't be disappointed.
My only other fair experiences revolved around the hypnotist Travis Fox. More accurately, the experience revolved around one of the people he hypnotized. At the first show was a volunteer named Junior. For that show, Fox had him perform as Aretha Franklin to the track Respect. The guy was awesome! At the end of that show, Fox asked Junior's family if he could hypnotize Junior to come back for the next show. Still in a hypnotized state, Junior was told that he would wake up thinking he had missed the show. He would have no recollection of having been in it, but at 6:55, he would feel an urge to return and try to catch the 7:00 show. He was told to walk up on the stage and sit in a chair when Fox called for volunteers.
Sure enough, my friends and I got excited when we saw Junior enter the concert area. At first he raised his hand but wasn't called on. Then he suddenly stood up and walked up to the stage. It took awhile for Fox to recognize Junior, but when he did, he had him peform as Michael Jackson to a Billy Jean track. Once again the guy was awesome! He even jumped off the stage and danced with a young girl from the audience. Once again, Fox asked if Junior could return for the 9pm show and repeated his suggestions from before.
My friends and I had planned to leave but with the promise of more Junior, we decided to stick around. Junior's family ended up stting in front of me and I struck up a conversation with them. They told me that Junior had been shown pictures and video of his other performances, but repeatidly told them he'd missed the show! They also told me that he is a dance instructor which explains his awesome moves from the first two shows.
This time, when Junior entered the stage area, he received a standing ovation! He looked at all of us like we were nuts...and we probably were. When the show started he once again walked on stage and ended up being featured at the end as one of four divas from the song Lady Marmalade from the movie Moulin Rouge.
Other than that, the previous week was uneventful. It just felt so long, but I think that's because I'm actually working 8 hours every week. Okay, okay, some of you are thinking "Uh...yeah...welcome to the real world!" Well this is the first year I've actually gotten guarenteed hours like this. They actually added two hours a week to my route due to it running long in the evenings. So now I'm done at 5pm. Now figure that my morning clock in is 5:45 and you can see why my day feels so long! My route just feels SO long! I do a lot of driving during the day and with the added trouble brought on by the autistic girl, I feel drained at the end of each day.
Last night, I signed for a trip, but since I get 39 hours a week now, I had to put next to my name +40 to let them know that they'd be paying me overtime. Essentially this means that should no one else want to do it, I could actually get the trip and get paid time and a half for it. This rarely happens, yet last night they called me as I was finishing my route and told me I got the trip. Suddenly I felt very rushed! I raced home to grab something for dinner (which didn't amount to much) and then raced down to the bus lot to start up a bus.
The whole thing ended up being VERY confusing! Whoever requested these trips for the week really screwed up. There were already three other buses at the site trying to pick up other groups and no one seemed to know who was going where. By the time I arrived, some of the coaches were understandably a little surly. The team I ended up driving was really awesome, though. Those poor guys were all crammed into my bus like sardines. In an effort to save money, they were dropped to one bus. I had guys practically hanging off the edge of seats in the aisle.
Today the madness continued. I was awarded a Saturday trip which is VERY rare! All Saturday trips pay time and a half. Last night I checked to make sure what my clock in was before leaving. Today, I got a call at 2:20 asking me why I wasn't there to pick up the football team. I told him that I have the return trip and then panicked. Did I screw up??
I rushed across the street to work and thankfully discovered that I wasn't one of the two drivers who was supposed to pick up the team. I am on the return trip later tonight. I still had to run down to my bus and call the drivers on the radio to make sure they had picked up the team. It turns out that the guy who called me wasn't even a coach. He had recieved a text that the buses hadn't shown up. By the time he called me, the team had been picked up and was on the way to the stadium. He had only called me because he had my number as a driver, but he didn't know ...well...much of anything.
On Monday I'm going to ask them if they'll pay me for the running around I did today. I think it's only fair! I was essentially doing someone else's job. I was the one running around in a panic for 30 minutes trying to make things right and I hadn't even done anything wrong! It's a good thing (for my boss) that I live so close to work...and that I had been home at all. I was actually starting to get ready for a trip to the library (which still hasn't happened).
I did continue watching a video I rented from the library called Heckler. It's a film my Jamie Kennedy about people who yell out at comics. Midway through the documentary, the focus shifted to movie critics. As I watched it became apparent to me that Jamie Kennedy takes critique too seriously. His opinion is that movie critics are not entitled to their opinions. He ends up taking what they say personally and, to a degree, I can see where he is coming from. Some of the things they say are personal and don't belong in a movie review. But he also takes it personally when one of them says he isn't funny. He claims they don't have a right to say that, but the way I see it, they have every right to say that about his performance because that's what they are being paid to do. If they don't find him funny in the movie, then it's something they should put in their review. At least that's how I feel about it.
In the film, Jamie Kennedy confronts several critics and asks them why they hate him. Most of them said they didn't hate him, they hated his performance. To me, that's a valid opinion, but Jamie takes it personally.
I thought Kennedy was great in the Scream movies. But later he started making movies about his characters from the Jamie Kennedy Project that just weren't funny! Son of the Mask was terrible, but not because of Jamie Kennedy. It was just a poorly written movie that took the rules previously established in the Jim Carey movie and threw them out the window.
At the end, during the credits, they interview Jamie's father who says "He's never been able to take criticism. He can dish it out, but he can't take it." That pretty much summed up the documentary for me. If you're going to be a comic or an actor or a filmmaker or even a writer, you need to be prepared for criticism. If you think about it, a comic dishes his own critiques, though. I've seen Jamie Kennedy's stand up and like most comics he makes fun of people. His observations could be called critiques, can't they? They are his opinions of people and he is sharing them to get a laugh. Why then is it so hard for him to take criticism back?
Another thing that bothered me about the documentary was the fact that many of the people interviewed were attacking critics as though they have no right to voice their opinions. Many times, those interviewed for the documentary said things like "They don't make movies so what right do they have to attack what we make?" Frankly, I think they have every right. Even if someone doesn't know how to make a movie (or doesn't have the financial backing to make one) doesn't mean they don't have the right to know what they think is good or what is bad. I've never made a movie, but I know when I am watching something that is poorly written or acted. As long as a person is able to intelligently explain what it was they didn't like about a movie I think they have every right to do so. Isn't that what America is all about?
Look at me pretending to be a movie critic! LOL. I suppose I should expect a visit from Jamie Kennedy, now. Jamie, if you're reading this, I don't hate you. Just haven't been crazy about many of your movies. Sorry, dude!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Unbearable Doubt
Last Sunday, I was actually excited. I was taking a chance on a new aspect of my job, believing that I would be able to rise to the challenge.
Four days later I am laying around my apartment feeling sorry for myself.
The past two days have brought more challenges to me than the past six years total. I have faced hectic traffic conditions into schools, a school bus full of excited children, parents who think they know better than me how their child should behave on my bus, even an accident or two.
Today, I saw something that shoved all of those experiences into a file marked: Whatever.
But first, here's what happened yesterday.
The morning portion of my route doesn't start until next week, so I have been subbing another driver's morning route. The children on this route are in a program called "Cascade" which is designed for children who have behavior issues that make it hard for them to ride a larger school bus full of children. I have actually been able to handle those kids, though there was some drama on my bus yesterday.
One of the boys was having a difficult time staying in his seat. He would lean into the aisle to talk to another student. I found myself constantly reminding him what he should be doing to safely ride the bus, but my recommendations went ignored. About half-way through the route, as I was driving on slightly curving road, I heard the boy cry out as he fell out of his seat and onto the floor. He just lay there crying. I was finally able to find a place to pull over and go back to see what happened. He had decided to put his feet up on his seat and his knees inside his shirt. The bumping of the bus caused him to lose his balance and he fell out of the seat and onto his head.
The only good thing to come out of this was that he stayed in his seat for the rest of the ride. It was the ultimate object lesson! I had to keep calling back to him to make sure he was awake - fearing the whole time that the boy had a concussion. At school I told the teacher what happened and she promised to make sure he was okay. I had to fill out an incident report once I got back to base.
And yet, that was the easiest part of my day. That afternoon I met, for the first time, the female high school student about which I have been so heavily warned. She's a heavily autistic girl who had a reputation for being physically violent toward staff. Another driver told me how she came at him with a broom. She rode my bus for the first time yesterday and though I was completely scared the whole time, it went well. She stayed in her seat, buckled in. The entire time she yelled out questions. Apparently, her only voice level is ultra loud. Several times she saw a house and asked me who lived there. She yelled about every bus we passed. She yelled about every car we passed. She yelled about how the others on the bus were being too loud for her taste.
My ears were ringing by the time we got to her stop, but at least she had stayed in her seat. I had been warned that if I didn't answer her questions then it would make her angry and unpredictable, so by the time we got to her stop I was mentally exhausted. Oh, and of course her mom wasn't at the stop to pick her up. I called to base and was told that they had, in fact, been trying to call me since I left the school. I couldn't hear them because I had a very loud passenger on my bus whose mom was back at the school. Fortunately, her mom pulled up about thirty seconds after we arrived, which was great because we were blocking a lane on one of the busiest streets in town. Of course, this woman was in NO hurry! She drove up to her parking spot, parked her car and calmly walked back to the street where I had, by then, been waiting almost three minutes - blocking a lane of traffic. She barely thanked me as her daughter got off the bus.
Today, I was told that this girl REALLY needs to have a safety vest that literally buckles her to the seat. Without it, she has the potential to jump out of her seat and attack the driver or another student. When I arrived for my route this afternoon, they asked me if I had a safety vest and I told them I did. I had gotten one yesterday and knew that it was still in my bus.
When I arrived at the school, I went back to the pocket where I had put the vest and it was gone. I then had the embarrassing task of calling into base and telling them that I was, in fact, without a safety vest, even though they had asked me before leaving. I KNOW that I put one in my bus yesterday. The only explanation I could come up with was that someone had gone into my bus and taken it because they needed it. It's happened before.
Another driver at the school had an extra one, but it was a medium, not a large. Unfortunately, the girl is a very largely built black girl. The moment she saw the vest she started screaming. She hit the teachers and began running up and down the aisle of the bus screaming at the top of her lungs. The other kids on the bus had such a look of horror on the bus. I did as well. Five school employees were on my bus trying to get the vest onto this girl. They finally got it on but it was too small for her and the more she struggled, the more it came off. She screamed, she hit the staff, she hit the window. She almost hit another student.
I called into base and was told that obviously she couldn't ride if she is acting violent like that. The head of the special needs program at the school came onto the bus and offered to ride with her if I could bring him back after my run. Somehow the staff was able to get her calmed down and actually into the vest. Don't ask me how. With a blessing from dispatch, we left the school.
Thankfully there were no more incidences. However, I got a call from dispatch asking me to remind the girls mother that she still has two safety vests that belong to the district that she doesn't seem to want to return. It was my task to remind her to bring them both of them to school tomorrow.
I should probably mention some of the horror stories I have heard about the mother. She usually takes the girl to school in the morning without a vest and then blames the school bus driver in the afternoon. She often is not at the girl's stop to meet her daughter as she is supposed to be. When she finally shows up and is reminded of the bus stop time, she gets angry, hits the side of the bus and yells curses at the bus driver. Everything that happens is the staff's fault, not hers. She has been like this ever since the girl started riding buses in our district.
So now I was worried about how I was going to confront this woman about the two district vests we needed returned. Fortunately, the mother was not at the stop. Instead, it was her boyfriend who knew nothing of the vests but promised to take it up with the girl's mother. Frankly, I am not holding out much hope.
For the first time in my career as a bus driver I am scared to death to go to work. I keep having visions of an angry autistic girl coming at me while I'm driving and our bus rolling over into a ditch as a result. What the HELL have I gotten myself into? Four days into the school year and I am already wishing it was June! I have never dreaded going into work and now I am wondering if I should suddenly develop a cold tomorrow - and have it last the next 176 working days.
I don't know if I can handle this!
Oh, now about the mystery of the disappearing safety vest. Apparently yesterday afternoon, after I had gone home, the woman in charge of issuing them went down to everyone's bus and took out vests that were still in bags. Mine was because I hadn't yet used it. When I got back to base today, I was told that I should have "double checked for the vest" before leaving the lot. Okay, maybe I should have, but frankly I had no reason to think it wouldn't be there! I had put it in there yesterday and I am the only one who uses my bus. Why the hell would it NOT be there?? I ended up going and getting another one and it is currently in my backpack. I don't even want to let the thing out of my sight. I am mentally trying to think of hiding places on my bus...
I hate this feeling of helplessness. I hate that I am now dreading my job. I have always loved my job! In fact, I did get a bit of good news today. The kids on the routes I have had the past couple years were told by their current drivers that I said "hi" and they literally cheered when they heard my name! One of the routes actually called me legendary! Whatever, right?
So can a guy who loves his job one day, suddenly go to being a chickenshit, dreading it? Can one violent high school girl really have that much power? Right now, I feel this crushing weight of unbearable doubt pressing down on me. The thought of going into work tomorrow afternoon gives me the kind of heartburn I usually get after eating really bad junk food.
All the stress I had about last year's route now seems so laughable. Hell, I wish I could laugh about this year's stress, but right now, all I can do is worry. I have no idea how I am going to get through this year. I'm starting to worry that the stress of my route will cause me to drop out of yet another concert with the Seattle Men's Chorus. How can I face the stress this girl brings to my life and then go and rehearse for a show, get home late that night and then face an extremely early clock in - and the knowledge that I might have to face a violent girl once again.
I am not in a good place right now. Not at all...
I have even lost the excitement I've had about seeing the musical Wicked on Saturday. I have been looking forward to that all summer long, and now I'm worried that I won't even be able to enjoy it.
I HATE THIS!
Four days later I am laying around my apartment feeling sorry for myself.
The past two days have brought more challenges to me than the past six years total. I have faced hectic traffic conditions into schools, a school bus full of excited children, parents who think they know better than me how their child should behave on my bus, even an accident or two.
Today, I saw something that shoved all of those experiences into a file marked: Whatever.
But first, here's what happened yesterday.
The morning portion of my route doesn't start until next week, so I have been subbing another driver's morning route. The children on this route are in a program called "Cascade" which is designed for children who have behavior issues that make it hard for them to ride a larger school bus full of children. I have actually been able to handle those kids, though there was some drama on my bus yesterday.
One of the boys was having a difficult time staying in his seat. He would lean into the aisle to talk to another student. I found myself constantly reminding him what he should be doing to safely ride the bus, but my recommendations went ignored. About half-way through the route, as I was driving on slightly curving road, I heard the boy cry out as he fell out of his seat and onto the floor. He just lay there crying. I was finally able to find a place to pull over and go back to see what happened. He had decided to put his feet up on his seat and his knees inside his shirt. The bumping of the bus caused him to lose his balance and he fell out of the seat and onto his head.
The only good thing to come out of this was that he stayed in his seat for the rest of the ride. It was the ultimate object lesson! I had to keep calling back to him to make sure he was awake - fearing the whole time that the boy had a concussion. At school I told the teacher what happened and she promised to make sure he was okay. I had to fill out an incident report once I got back to base.
And yet, that was the easiest part of my day. That afternoon I met, for the first time, the female high school student about which I have been so heavily warned. She's a heavily autistic girl who had a reputation for being physically violent toward staff. Another driver told me how she came at him with a broom. She rode my bus for the first time yesterday and though I was completely scared the whole time, it went well. She stayed in her seat, buckled in. The entire time she yelled out questions. Apparently, her only voice level is ultra loud. Several times she saw a house and asked me who lived there. She yelled about every bus we passed. She yelled about every car we passed. She yelled about how the others on the bus were being too loud for her taste.
My ears were ringing by the time we got to her stop, but at least she had stayed in her seat. I had been warned that if I didn't answer her questions then it would make her angry and unpredictable, so by the time we got to her stop I was mentally exhausted. Oh, and of course her mom wasn't at the stop to pick her up. I called to base and was told that they had, in fact, been trying to call me since I left the school. I couldn't hear them because I had a very loud passenger on my bus whose mom was back at the school. Fortunately, her mom pulled up about thirty seconds after we arrived, which was great because we were blocking a lane on one of the busiest streets in town. Of course, this woman was in NO hurry! She drove up to her parking spot, parked her car and calmly walked back to the street where I had, by then, been waiting almost three minutes - blocking a lane of traffic. She barely thanked me as her daughter got off the bus.
Today, I was told that this girl REALLY needs to have a safety vest that literally buckles her to the seat. Without it, she has the potential to jump out of her seat and attack the driver or another student. When I arrived for my route this afternoon, they asked me if I had a safety vest and I told them I did. I had gotten one yesterday and knew that it was still in my bus.
When I arrived at the school, I went back to the pocket where I had put the vest and it was gone. I then had the embarrassing task of calling into base and telling them that I was, in fact, without a safety vest, even though they had asked me before leaving. I KNOW that I put one in my bus yesterday. The only explanation I could come up with was that someone had gone into my bus and taken it because they needed it. It's happened before.
Another driver at the school had an extra one, but it was a medium, not a large. Unfortunately, the girl is a very largely built black girl. The moment she saw the vest she started screaming. She hit the teachers and began running up and down the aisle of the bus screaming at the top of her lungs. The other kids on the bus had such a look of horror on the bus. I did as well. Five school employees were on my bus trying to get the vest onto this girl. They finally got it on but it was too small for her and the more she struggled, the more it came off. She screamed, she hit the staff, she hit the window. She almost hit another student.
I called into base and was told that obviously she couldn't ride if she is acting violent like that. The head of the special needs program at the school came onto the bus and offered to ride with her if I could bring him back after my run. Somehow the staff was able to get her calmed down and actually into the vest. Don't ask me how. With a blessing from dispatch, we left the school.
Thankfully there were no more incidences. However, I got a call from dispatch asking me to remind the girls mother that she still has two safety vests that belong to the district that she doesn't seem to want to return. It was my task to remind her to bring them both of them to school tomorrow.
I should probably mention some of the horror stories I have heard about the mother. She usually takes the girl to school in the morning without a vest and then blames the school bus driver in the afternoon. She often is not at the girl's stop to meet her daughter as she is supposed to be. When she finally shows up and is reminded of the bus stop time, she gets angry, hits the side of the bus and yells curses at the bus driver. Everything that happens is the staff's fault, not hers. She has been like this ever since the girl started riding buses in our district.
So now I was worried about how I was going to confront this woman about the two district vests we needed returned. Fortunately, the mother was not at the stop. Instead, it was her boyfriend who knew nothing of the vests but promised to take it up with the girl's mother. Frankly, I am not holding out much hope.
For the first time in my career as a bus driver I am scared to death to go to work. I keep having visions of an angry autistic girl coming at me while I'm driving and our bus rolling over into a ditch as a result. What the HELL have I gotten myself into? Four days into the school year and I am already wishing it was June! I have never dreaded going into work and now I am wondering if I should suddenly develop a cold tomorrow - and have it last the next 176 working days.
I don't know if I can handle this!
Oh, now about the mystery of the disappearing safety vest. Apparently yesterday afternoon, after I had gone home, the woman in charge of issuing them went down to everyone's bus and took out vests that were still in bags. Mine was because I hadn't yet used it. When I got back to base today, I was told that I should have "double checked for the vest" before leaving the lot. Okay, maybe I should have, but frankly I had no reason to think it wouldn't be there! I had put it in there yesterday and I am the only one who uses my bus. Why the hell would it NOT be there?? I ended up going and getting another one and it is currently in my backpack. I don't even want to let the thing out of my sight. I am mentally trying to think of hiding places on my bus...
I hate this feeling of helplessness. I hate that I am now dreading my job. I have always loved my job! In fact, I did get a bit of good news today. The kids on the routes I have had the past couple years were told by their current drivers that I said "hi" and they literally cheered when they heard my name! One of the routes actually called me legendary! Whatever, right?
So can a guy who loves his job one day, suddenly go to being a chickenshit, dreading it? Can one violent high school girl really have that much power? Right now, I feel this crushing weight of unbearable doubt pressing down on me. The thought of going into work tomorrow afternoon gives me the kind of heartburn I usually get after eating really bad junk food.
All the stress I had about last year's route now seems so laughable. Hell, I wish I could laugh about this year's stress, but right now, all I can do is worry. I have no idea how I am going to get through this year. I'm starting to worry that the stress of my route will cause me to drop out of yet another concert with the Seattle Men's Chorus. How can I face the stress this girl brings to my life and then go and rehearse for a show, get home late that night and then face an extremely early clock in - and the knowledge that I might have to face a violent girl once again.
I am not in a good place right now. Not at all...
I have even lost the excitement I've had about seeing the musical Wicked on Saturday. I have been looking forward to that all summer long, and now I'm worried that I won't even be able to enjoy it.
I HATE THIS!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Going Back - Going Forward
No, this isn't another blog about work starting up tomorrow. Though I've been at my apartment almost seven months now, there are still boxes I haven't gone through. It's ridiculous, I know and I don't really have a good excuse. I'm just lazy.
I did go through (and eliminated!) a box and found an old journal I wrote in June of 1994 when I graduated from high school. A couple weeks before I graduated I was forced to deal with the death of a friend. Her name was Marsha and she died at 38. This happened right after Memorial day because we had just gotten back from the annual Trinity Lutheran Church retreat at Lake Arrowhead in California.
During that retreat, my brother Matt and I became really close with Marsha. She rang bells with us in our church bell choir - The Jubellation choir. Get it? I remember that weekend really well. Marsha, Matt and I hung out a lot together during those few days. I remember sitting at a table outside the dining hall and just talking until late. We went to see the movie Maverick and laughed because a black smudge on the screen gave Mel Gibson a mole. Most eerie about that whole weekend was that Marsha drove me home that Monday. I needed to get back early due to work, but my parents were in charge of running things that weekend and had to stay until everyone left. Marsha offered to give me a ride home.
According to what I wrote in my journal, Marsha dropped me off at 3pm, called her mom at 4:30 and made lunch plans for the next day and was found dead on Wednesday. Later, I would be told that I was probably the last person she knew who saw her alive. Marsha's death really hit me hard. I started the journal the day I found out about her death and for pages, she is all I could write about. At one point I mentioned that my mom was worried because my journal seemed to be only about her. I guess in a way Mom was right - though why the hell did she read my journal? I go on for pages and pages about what I was feeling about her death and then talk briefly about my actual graduation day. It's like that milestone of my life was greatly overshadowed by her passing.
It was really weird going back and reading about my life back then. I read my thoughts from when I was 18 and cringe! I was SO immature back then. I guess I can blame that on my being a late bloomer. I tried my hand at awful poetry and I also had REALLY bad penmanship! I was also a major Jesus freak back then! HUGE, even! I talk a lot about God's plan and His will. I talk about him calling Marsha home to be with him and marvel at the sentiment that the pastor shared at her funeral - she had passed before the eyes of God.
I have lost a lot of that. Not the poor penmanship...I still have that. But I'm not nearly as spiritual as I once was. A lot of that has to do with my sexuality. Unfortunately, the two don't go hand in hand that well. Back then, I was in denial about being gay. I don't even mention it in the journal, though I am certain I was dealing with it. I think it's missing from those pages of my life because I was afraid that someone would find and read it. I know that I was aware of it back then, though. I just wasn't willing to accept it. Part of that must struggle must have come from my strong spiritual nature.
I imagine a confused 18-year-old boy at odds with himself. He has no clue where he's going to college - something that everyone else in his class had taken care of earlier in the year like he should have - yet he is willing to commit to the Columbia House CD club. He is a young man that bitches about a "witch in the Principal's office" who refused to give him graduation tickets early even though he is going to be on a field trip when they would be handed out later. Life seems so unfair to him. He hates his job as a janitor, cleaning the school owned by his church, and is thrilled when someone mentions that the bathrooms have never been cleaner.
His penmanship is sloppy and scribbled. It reminds me of what he must have been going through at the time. By legal standards, he's an adult. He can vote, but mentions that he forgot to go vote in the primary elections. Society sees him as an adult, but he seems so very young - so very unprepared for life. And worst of all, he seems clueless about a lot of things.
Fifteen years later, I hope that boy is more grown. His penmanship is still really sloppy, but now he journals on a computer so it doesn't really matter. It's not even called journaling - now it's called blogging. College is now a distant memory in that boy's life. Even in college, he seemed to have no direction. Decisions were made fleetingly, choices were haphazard.
Hopefully his writing has improved! He no longer writes bad poetry. Now he likes to write fiction, particularly about confused gay teens like he once was.
I think there is growth in him, though. He's no longer a scared gay teen. Now, he's comfortable about that part of his life. Some may see the shift from his once powerful spiritual life to an acceptance about his homosexuality as a perversion. Some may see that as a lack of growth - a step (or perhaps several steps) in the wrong direction.
I see the young man that scared teen boy became and I do see growth. He's a proud member of a gay chorus - one of the best in the nation! Okay...it seems he sometimes still brags. He is taking chances, now. He moved to an apartment closer to work and got rid of his car. It was a scary move, but he did it and he succeeded at it! He decided to try something different at work by taking a job he doesn't usually do. It was another scary move on his part, but he is boosted by the success of his recent move into thinking that he's made another right choice.
Does he screw up? Often. He's a bit heavier than he wants to be and doesn't do the things he should to get himself healthier. He is afraid of always being single, without a romantic partnership, yet he can't find the courage to go out and find someone to fill that void. As he was back in 1994, the young man is still very unorganized and sometimes sloppy. He is lazy and doesn't want to make the time to get his apartment in order even after seven months.
Will he ever find that strong spiritual side of him that was so strong back then? He might. In fact, I think that it is still in him but the nature of that spirit has been changed by the difficult differences he has faced between his sexuality and the views of the church where he grew up. He recognizes the lies he was told as a teen - the lies that made him so scared and confused - and he believes with all his heart that they were (and still are) indeed wrong.
He has done a lot of growing these past fifteen years, but he has a lot of growing yet to do. He's not a bad person, but he is far from perfect.
He is me and he is doing pretty damn good.
I did go through (and eliminated!) a box and found an old journal I wrote in June of 1994 when I graduated from high school. A couple weeks before I graduated I was forced to deal with the death of a friend. Her name was Marsha and she died at 38. This happened right after Memorial day because we had just gotten back from the annual Trinity Lutheran Church retreat at Lake Arrowhead in California.
During that retreat, my brother Matt and I became really close with Marsha. She rang bells with us in our church bell choir - The Jubellation choir. Get it? I remember that weekend really well. Marsha, Matt and I hung out a lot together during those few days. I remember sitting at a table outside the dining hall and just talking until late. We went to see the movie Maverick and laughed because a black smudge on the screen gave Mel Gibson a mole. Most eerie about that whole weekend was that Marsha drove me home that Monday. I needed to get back early due to work, but my parents were in charge of running things that weekend and had to stay until everyone left. Marsha offered to give me a ride home.
According to what I wrote in my journal, Marsha dropped me off at 3pm, called her mom at 4:30 and made lunch plans for the next day and was found dead on Wednesday. Later, I would be told that I was probably the last person she knew who saw her alive. Marsha's death really hit me hard. I started the journal the day I found out about her death and for pages, she is all I could write about. At one point I mentioned that my mom was worried because my journal seemed to be only about her. I guess in a way Mom was right - though why the hell did she read my journal? I go on for pages and pages about what I was feeling about her death and then talk briefly about my actual graduation day. It's like that milestone of my life was greatly overshadowed by her passing.
It was really weird going back and reading about my life back then. I read my thoughts from when I was 18 and cringe! I was SO immature back then. I guess I can blame that on my being a late bloomer. I tried my hand at awful poetry and I also had REALLY bad penmanship! I was also a major Jesus freak back then! HUGE, even! I talk a lot about God's plan and His will. I talk about him calling Marsha home to be with him and marvel at the sentiment that the pastor shared at her funeral - she had passed before the eyes of God.
I have lost a lot of that. Not the poor penmanship...I still have that. But I'm not nearly as spiritual as I once was. A lot of that has to do with my sexuality. Unfortunately, the two don't go hand in hand that well. Back then, I was in denial about being gay. I don't even mention it in the journal, though I am certain I was dealing with it. I think it's missing from those pages of my life because I was afraid that someone would find and read it. I know that I was aware of it back then, though. I just wasn't willing to accept it. Part of that must struggle must have come from my strong spiritual nature.
I imagine a confused 18-year-old boy at odds with himself. He has no clue where he's going to college - something that everyone else in his class had taken care of earlier in the year like he should have - yet he is willing to commit to the Columbia House CD club. He is a young man that bitches about a "witch in the Principal's office" who refused to give him graduation tickets early even though he is going to be on a field trip when they would be handed out later. Life seems so unfair to him. He hates his job as a janitor, cleaning the school owned by his church, and is thrilled when someone mentions that the bathrooms have never been cleaner.
His penmanship is sloppy and scribbled. It reminds me of what he must have been going through at the time. By legal standards, he's an adult. He can vote, but mentions that he forgot to go vote in the primary elections. Society sees him as an adult, but he seems so very young - so very unprepared for life. And worst of all, he seems clueless about a lot of things.
Fifteen years later, I hope that boy is more grown. His penmanship is still really sloppy, but now he journals on a computer so it doesn't really matter. It's not even called journaling - now it's called blogging. College is now a distant memory in that boy's life. Even in college, he seemed to have no direction. Decisions were made fleetingly, choices were haphazard.
Hopefully his writing has improved! He no longer writes bad poetry. Now he likes to write fiction, particularly about confused gay teens like he once was.
I think there is growth in him, though. He's no longer a scared gay teen. Now, he's comfortable about that part of his life. Some may see the shift from his once powerful spiritual life to an acceptance about his homosexuality as a perversion. Some may see that as a lack of growth - a step (or perhaps several steps) in the wrong direction.
I see the young man that scared teen boy became and I do see growth. He's a proud member of a gay chorus - one of the best in the nation! Okay...it seems he sometimes still brags. He is taking chances, now. He moved to an apartment closer to work and got rid of his car. It was a scary move, but he did it and he succeeded at it! He decided to try something different at work by taking a job he doesn't usually do. It was another scary move on his part, but he is boosted by the success of his recent move into thinking that he's made another right choice.
Does he screw up? Often. He's a bit heavier than he wants to be and doesn't do the things he should to get himself healthier. He is afraid of always being single, without a romantic partnership, yet he can't find the courage to go out and find someone to fill that void. As he was back in 1994, the young man is still very unorganized and sometimes sloppy. He is lazy and doesn't want to make the time to get his apartment in order even after seven months.
Will he ever find that strong spiritual side of him that was so strong back then? He might. In fact, I think that it is still in him but the nature of that spirit has been changed by the difficult differences he has faced between his sexuality and the views of the church where he grew up. He recognizes the lies he was told as a teen - the lies that made him so scared and confused - and he believes with all his heart that they were (and still are) indeed wrong.
He has done a lot of growing these past fifteen years, but he has a lot of growing yet to do. He's not a bad person, but he is far from perfect.
He is me and he is doing pretty damn good.
It starts...
Tomorrow is the big day. I purposely set my alarm this morning to wake me up at 7:00. I figure now is as good a time as any to get back into the schedule of bus driving. Thankfully, my early-morning 5:45 clock in does not start this week. My whole morning run consists of picking up those three hard of hearing students and driving them to Edmonds Woodway High school north of Seattle. Since that school district doesn't start until after labor day, my morning run doesn't go next week.
I had been assured that I would get morning work for the week anyway. Sure enough, I got a call on Friday with some options. Since I have a route and seniority number, I get first pick ahead of all the on call drivers. Initially I chose a job as an overfill bus which consisted of sitting around in the lower lot waiting to be called if drivers need help on their morning runs. Joan, one of our faithful dispatchers, told me that I'd definitely do that on Monday and Tuesday, but most likely be driving a route the last three days of the week.
In the end, I decided to just take the route the entire week for consistency. If I'm going to have to learn it anyway, I might as well struggle through it the first couple days and be a pro at it the rest of the week. Besides, I figure being an overfill bus would be challenging anyway because they'd call me and tell me where to go and I would just have to know exactly where that stop is they need covered. To me, even though I know the area fairly well, it sounded a little stressful.
Anyway, thanks to the morning work, I'll get a little closer to my usual hours this week; probably around 36 1/2 hours. Getting as much work these first two weeks is crucial! Our September 30th check tends to be terribly light due to only getting a couple weeks of work on it. This is why they offer us an attendance bonus at the end of August for the previous year. Once again I got the full $1000 bonus this year. I only missed the full bonus once my second year when my alarm clock failed to go off the last week of school one morning. $500 down the drain!
This year, I figure I'll get around $1200 on that low check so if I can save $600 of my bonus, I should be sitting nicely on financial stability for the month of October. A lot of people hate the concept of the bonus because it encourages people to come in sick when they might not be at their best for driving. Frankly, I have come to depend on the bonus to get me through the months of September and October every year and I'd definitely miss it. My only problem with the bonus is that it is put into our check before taxes. Who ever heard of getting taxed on a bonus?
I had been hearing rumors of a new driver being gay. I finally met him last Thursday at the special needs training class. All the new drivers were required to be at it, in case they are called to sub for a special needs route. I was sad to hear that all the newly hired drivers didn't get routes this year. All of them were placed in on-call positions. In fact, two drivers who had routes last year were told that they wouldn't be given routes this year! Can you imagine having a steady job and benefits one year and have them taken away the next? I'm glad I'm high enough in seniority that I don't have to worry about that!
I technically didn't need to go to the special needs training since I did a lot of those routes as midday work last year, including wheelchair tie downs. I went anyway because I wanted to get some advice on how to best to deal with autistic high schoolers. And to finally meet the new gay driver! Oh...and I got paid for the two hours...
The new guy seems to be a real ham! All the other new drivers would roll their eyes when he made a comment as though they had heard all his shenanigans before. To me, he comes across as a bitchy queen. He was definitely an attention whore! I doubt I could ever date the guy, though isn't that when you're most likely to date someone? At least that's how it seems to work in those romantic comedies. The pair most likely to hate each other at the beginning end up falling in love. Not that I hate the new guy at all! He's funny most of the time. He just isn't the kind of guy I'd see myself dating.
Plus, isn't there a VERY important rule about NOT dating co-workers? They tell me that about dating guys in the Seattle Men's Chorus, too. Should there be a terrible breakup, you have to see that person all the time. The thing that sucks about this is that it's just so stinking hard to meet other gay guys outside of work and the chorus! How am I supposed to meet the future love of my life? Of course, I could very well be blogging about a future date with that new driver in a couple months. Who knows...?
I still haven't gotten any news about the Wicked contest! I guess they are still reading entries. That means that they got a fair amount. Ugh, more competition! I am confident that my entry was really good. Those who read it liked it and declared it a good shot for a winner. I'm hoping I find out this next week. In any case, I still have the ticket that I bought and will be seeing the show on Saturday! I can't wait!
I had been assured that I would get morning work for the week anyway. Sure enough, I got a call on Friday with some options. Since I have a route and seniority number, I get first pick ahead of all the on call drivers. Initially I chose a job as an overfill bus which consisted of sitting around in the lower lot waiting to be called if drivers need help on their morning runs. Joan, one of our faithful dispatchers, told me that I'd definitely do that on Monday and Tuesday, but most likely be driving a route the last three days of the week.
In the end, I decided to just take the route the entire week for consistency. If I'm going to have to learn it anyway, I might as well struggle through it the first couple days and be a pro at it the rest of the week. Besides, I figure being an overfill bus would be challenging anyway because they'd call me and tell me where to go and I would just have to know exactly where that stop is they need covered. To me, even though I know the area fairly well, it sounded a little stressful.
Anyway, thanks to the morning work, I'll get a little closer to my usual hours this week; probably around 36 1/2 hours. Getting as much work these first two weeks is crucial! Our September 30th check tends to be terribly light due to only getting a couple weeks of work on it. This is why they offer us an attendance bonus at the end of August for the previous year. Once again I got the full $1000 bonus this year. I only missed the full bonus once my second year when my alarm clock failed to go off the last week of school one morning. $500 down the drain!
This year, I figure I'll get around $1200 on that low check so if I can save $600 of my bonus, I should be sitting nicely on financial stability for the month of October. A lot of people hate the concept of the bonus because it encourages people to come in sick when they might not be at their best for driving. Frankly, I have come to depend on the bonus to get me through the months of September and October every year and I'd definitely miss it. My only problem with the bonus is that it is put into our check before taxes. Who ever heard of getting taxed on a bonus?
I had been hearing rumors of a new driver being gay. I finally met him last Thursday at the special needs training class. All the new drivers were required to be at it, in case they are called to sub for a special needs route. I was sad to hear that all the newly hired drivers didn't get routes this year. All of them were placed in on-call positions. In fact, two drivers who had routes last year were told that they wouldn't be given routes this year! Can you imagine having a steady job and benefits one year and have them taken away the next? I'm glad I'm high enough in seniority that I don't have to worry about that!
I technically didn't need to go to the special needs training since I did a lot of those routes as midday work last year, including wheelchair tie downs. I went anyway because I wanted to get some advice on how to best to deal with autistic high schoolers. And to finally meet the new gay driver! Oh...and I got paid for the two hours...
The new guy seems to be a real ham! All the other new drivers would roll their eyes when he made a comment as though they had heard all his shenanigans before. To me, he comes across as a bitchy queen. He was definitely an attention whore! I doubt I could ever date the guy, though isn't that when you're most likely to date someone? At least that's how it seems to work in those romantic comedies. The pair most likely to hate each other at the beginning end up falling in love. Not that I hate the new guy at all! He's funny most of the time. He just isn't the kind of guy I'd see myself dating.
Plus, isn't there a VERY important rule about NOT dating co-workers? They tell me that about dating guys in the Seattle Men's Chorus, too. Should there be a terrible breakup, you have to see that person all the time. The thing that sucks about this is that it's just so stinking hard to meet other gay guys outside of work and the chorus! How am I supposed to meet the future love of my life? Of course, I could very well be blogging about a future date with that new driver in a couple months. Who knows...?
I still haven't gotten any news about the Wicked contest! I guess they are still reading entries. That means that they got a fair amount. Ugh, more competition! I am confident that my entry was really good. Those who read it liked it and declared it a good shot for a winner. I'm hoping I find out this next week. In any case, I still have the ticket that I bought and will be seeing the show on Saturday! I can't wait!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
"Here's your sign" - Episode 1 - Utah Governor Herbert
I have decided to start a new ongoing series on my blog. I prefer not to call it a "copy" of Bill Engval's brilliant "Here's your sign" routine. For legal reasons, lets call it a "tribute". That being said, I bring to you the first installment in my new ongoing series.
Here's Your Sign - Episode 1
Here's Your Sign - Episode 1
Utah Governor Herbert: Discrimination Against Gays Should Be Legal
Utah Governor Gary Herbert, who took over for moderate Governor Jon Huntsman after Huntsman resigned to become Ambassador to China, has spoken out against anti-discrimination laws which include sexual orientation:
Unfortunately, that's why we have anti-bias laws. Because people don't do the right thing.
WOW - this guy strikes me as a genuine idiot. Do you suppose Utah has any laws regarding discrimination against people who are dumbasses?
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Luck be a....very attractive gay man
I have recently discovered a new vice. Correction: I have discovered a new vice and rediscovered an old one.
Last month, a coworker and I were talking about a new casino that has opened up east of Seattle near Snoqualmie Falls. Appropriately titled Snoqualmie Casino, it's a twenty minute drive from work (about 30 from Seattle). The coworker offered to drive me out to this new casino so I could check it out and she promised to give me a free buffet through the points she has accumulated on her membership card.
When I got there, the first thing I did was sign up for a membership. Finally, card in hand, I was let loose among the beeping and flashing slot machines. I am a fan of slot machines. Cheerfully they entice you into their rolling-wheeled world with bonus games and wild symbols. One game I was particularly fond of had a picture of Sally the Shrimp Catcher in the corner and if you touched her she would giggle and say "That tickles!" Quite erotic, to be sure, but it just made me giggle...and press her more.
That first trip to the casino saw me losing $20, but I discovered the wonderful buffet that they have to offer. Not only do they have a Mongolian BBQ set up (the food was a fair bit blander than my favorite restaurant, Changs) but their salad bar has everything to offer that I like putting on my salad - including the honey mustard dressing. Oh! And don't get me started on the cascading chocolate fountain that, when poured over ice cream, hardens. Heavenly!
A couple weeks ago, I received a flyer from the casino in the mail with a couple coupons. The first was for $30 from the casino. I kid you not! You simply take the coupon to the cashier and walk away with $30! The second coupon was for a free buffet. So, I enticed my coworker to take another trip to the casino by reminding her that tonight was "triple points night".
After getting my $30, I started looking around for my favorite slot machines from my last visit. Party Bonus started eating my money right away. After I'd lost a couple dollars, I cashed out and went to Sally the Shrimper. I had a little more luck there. Right off the bat, I got a bonus game and won $10. I was starting to enjoy myself when a woman sat down next to me and lit a cigarette. Time to move.
I made my way to the non-smoking section where I found a new slot called Richville USA. Before I knew it, I was up to $30! Keep in mind that I was still playing with the first $10 I had put in the first machine. When you cash out, you get a ticket that can be played on any other slots. It was time to meet up with my coworker so we could attack the buffet. YUMMY!
I told Sherrie (my coworker) about the Richville USA slot and we both went to play after filling our tummies. She put in $20 and within 15 minutes was up to $60. My $30 went up and down but I was discovering that this game, though lacking cute little bonus games, was still a really good payer.
My method for playing is setting a limit for loss. Say I have $30 in the machine. When it gets down to $25, I cash out and move on. There were several times that I'd get close to $25 and then I'd get 10 free spins and win $10. It was SO much fun!
I moved around to other games. Kiss the Frog was a lot of fun and I got both the bonus games on that one. I went back to Sally the Shrimper and at one point was up to around $50. I still was playing on the $10 I put in when I first arrived. Sally started being mean to me (despite how many times I tickled her) so I moved on. I went back to Richville USA and was soon up to $60. I started losing, though, and after about 45 minutes I was down to $48. Still, I thought I was doing pretty good.
I searched the slots until I found Sherrie to see how she was doing. She was down to her last $17 but seemed to still want to play. I found a new machine, something with an America theme and added a little to my score. A couple other slots eventually got me down to $40. I was about to go back to Sherrie, sure that my winning streak was over when I heard maniacal giggling from a slot machine called Wild Coyote. It just looked like too much fun. I figured even if I blew the $40 I had, I still had the $20 from the casino that I hadn't even touched all night. I'd still call that a win.
I played Wild Coyote a little and was doing okay. At least I wasn't losing. Suddenly, I hit 5 sombreros in a wow and one $16! Then I hit something else and won $5, then another $5 on a bonus game! Suddenly I was sitting on $66! I started losing and set my downhill cap at $60 which is when I pulled out. I still can't believe it! I made $60! Well, $80 if you count the $20 in my pocket, which I do! After cashing out, I handed Sherrie $20 to thank her for driving me out to the casino.
On top of that, I also noticed that over the course of the night, I had earned 680 points. 200 points will get me a free buffet. Now, the buffet costs $22, so if I have earned 3 buffets, I'm going to go ahead and call that $146! I was there four hours so lets just say I made $36.5 an hour tonight!
Okay, okay, don't worry. I'm not addicted to gambling. Actually if I really want to be accurate, I should factor in the $20 I lost the first time I went. Still.... $126? That's pretty nice. Now I realize that I won't always have nights like that, but even the first time when I was losing, I was having a blast! And as long as I have enough points for a free buffet, I'll always consider myself a winner.
Besides, I always go to the casino with a set $ amount in mind and when the money is gone, then I'm done. If Sherrie is still playing I watch her have fun.
And I can always walk by Sally the Shrimper and tickle her.
Last month, a coworker and I were talking about a new casino that has opened up east of Seattle near Snoqualmie Falls. Appropriately titled Snoqualmie Casino, it's a twenty minute drive from work (about 30 from Seattle). The coworker offered to drive me out to this new casino so I could check it out and she promised to give me a free buffet through the points she has accumulated on her membership card.
When I got there, the first thing I did was sign up for a membership. Finally, card in hand, I was let loose among the beeping and flashing slot machines. I am a fan of slot machines. Cheerfully they entice you into their rolling-wheeled world with bonus games and wild symbols. One game I was particularly fond of had a picture of Sally the Shrimp Catcher in the corner and if you touched her she would giggle and say "That tickles!" Quite erotic, to be sure, but it just made me giggle...and press her more.
That first trip to the casino saw me losing $20, but I discovered the wonderful buffet that they have to offer. Not only do they have a Mongolian BBQ set up (the food was a fair bit blander than my favorite restaurant, Changs) but their salad bar has everything to offer that I like putting on my salad - including the honey mustard dressing. Oh! And don't get me started on the cascading chocolate fountain that, when poured over ice cream, hardens. Heavenly!
A couple weeks ago, I received a flyer from the casino in the mail with a couple coupons. The first was for $30 from the casino. I kid you not! You simply take the coupon to the cashier and walk away with $30! The second coupon was for a free buffet. So, I enticed my coworker to take another trip to the casino by reminding her that tonight was "triple points night".
After getting my $30, I started looking around for my favorite slot machines from my last visit. Party Bonus started eating my money right away. After I'd lost a couple dollars, I cashed out and went to Sally the Shrimper. I had a little more luck there. Right off the bat, I got a bonus game and won $10. I was starting to enjoy myself when a woman sat down next to me and lit a cigarette. Time to move.
I made my way to the non-smoking section where I found a new slot called Richville USA. Before I knew it, I was up to $30! Keep in mind that I was still playing with the first $10 I had put in the first machine. When you cash out, you get a ticket that can be played on any other slots. It was time to meet up with my coworker so we could attack the buffet. YUMMY!
I told Sherrie (my coworker) about the Richville USA slot and we both went to play after filling our tummies. She put in $20 and within 15 minutes was up to $60. My $30 went up and down but I was discovering that this game, though lacking cute little bonus games, was still a really good payer.
My method for playing is setting a limit for loss. Say I have $30 in the machine. When it gets down to $25, I cash out and move on. There were several times that I'd get close to $25 and then I'd get 10 free spins and win $10. It was SO much fun!
I moved around to other games. Kiss the Frog was a lot of fun and I got both the bonus games on that one. I went back to Sally the Shrimper and at one point was up to around $50. I still was playing on the $10 I put in when I first arrived. Sally started being mean to me (despite how many times I tickled her) so I moved on. I went back to Richville USA and was soon up to $60. I started losing, though, and after about 45 minutes I was down to $48. Still, I thought I was doing pretty good.
I searched the slots until I found Sherrie to see how she was doing. She was down to her last $17 but seemed to still want to play. I found a new machine, something with an America theme and added a little to my score. A couple other slots eventually got me down to $40. I was about to go back to Sherrie, sure that my winning streak was over when I heard maniacal giggling from a slot machine called Wild Coyote. It just looked like too much fun. I figured even if I blew the $40 I had, I still had the $20 from the casino that I hadn't even touched all night. I'd still call that a win.
I played Wild Coyote a little and was doing okay. At least I wasn't losing. Suddenly, I hit 5 sombreros in a wow and one $16! Then I hit something else and won $5, then another $5 on a bonus game! Suddenly I was sitting on $66! I started losing and set my downhill cap at $60 which is when I pulled out. I still can't believe it! I made $60! Well, $80 if you count the $20 in my pocket, which I do! After cashing out, I handed Sherrie $20 to thank her for driving me out to the casino.
On top of that, I also noticed that over the course of the night, I had earned 680 points. 200 points will get me a free buffet. Now, the buffet costs $22, so if I have earned 3 buffets, I'm going to go ahead and call that $146! I was there four hours so lets just say I made $36.5 an hour tonight!
Okay, okay, don't worry. I'm not addicted to gambling. Actually if I really want to be accurate, I should factor in the $20 I lost the first time I went. Still.... $126? That's pretty nice. Now I realize that I won't always have nights like that, but even the first time when I was losing, I was having a blast! And as long as I have enough points for a free buffet, I'll always consider myself a winner.
Besides, I always go to the casino with a set $ amount in mind and when the money is gone, then I'm done. If Sherrie is still playing I watch her have fun.
And I can always walk by Sally the Shrimper and tickle her.
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