Strangely, This Makes Sense

Oh, so Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer was in the NYTimes Magazine this week.


A lot of people, even some of your supporters, hire low-paid undocumented workers. Do you think they would be willing to pay minimum wage?
There are plenty of people to mow your lawns and clean your houses at a reduced rate.

When you said “plenty of people” did you mean plenty —
Plenty of citizens of the United States.

I wish the interviewer had pressed her a little (okay, it's apparently very hard to press Jan Brewer--she's a slippery lady, so I will cut the interviewer some slack) to state outright what she believes. Because if I'm reading this correctly, Jan Brewer believes U.S. citizens should work for less than minimum wage. Jan Brewer also probably believes that people should should be able to hire others and not have to bother with pesky details like paying taxes or Social Security for employees, worker's compensation, or even covering them under the homeowner's insurance if the dog bites an unemployed American citizen you hired to clean your house. Although she'd probably all for the people doing the work getting the book thrown at them for evading taxes.

Well, that's nice. I hope she's also down with the U.S. citizens living off the grid and not paying taxes and their less-than minimum wages, like undocumented workers do. I don't know if wanting the destruction of America the lazy way, through non-participation in the social and governmental contract, befits a state governor.


As an additional datapoint from the land of unemployment/underemployment, they had about 1,000 applications for positions at my new retail job. They hired 37 people. And these are good jobs--$10.50 an hour, eligible for benefits, including healthcare, after 3 months, 40 hours a week, full-time work. I know I'm lucky. But guys? I made $10 an hour my first job out of college in 1997.

Good News!

I feel Amy Rigby's "Like Rasputin" should be my new theme song.

So, my big news is that I have work! I took an on-call position at a local hospital as a library technician; they may only need me one or two days a week but the per hour rate is good and healthcare librarianship is an area I am interested in. I also got offered a temporary position with a large national retailer opening up a new store here in Phoenix. That might be turning into something too! And I am applying for other things!

When you go to work at a hospital, you get extra benefits if you can't provide vaccination records--free MMR and D-Tap booster shots! And a TB test! That's some sort of health benefits at least.

Red Flags In The Workplace: Part 1

As someone who has been in the workforce over 20 years now and is currently looking for work, I thought maybe I should write down some of the red flag situations I've ignored due to my need for security and misplaced feelings of loyalty. Hopefully, I won't make the same mistakes again--I'll have learned and grown enough to make new, exciting mistakes!


1. When it becomes apparent that larger management thinks shame is a good motivation tool, get out.

2. When there's no independent HR person or department to take concerns to, walk away. Yes, I know that HR is not working for employees but is there to protect the organization. But I think that having HR in general is a good signal that the organization is cognizant of the need for checks and balances, and negotiating between competing interests. That way, it won't take a year for someone to realize that a new manager should not be managing his roommate or the people he vacations with.

3. If you work in a fair sized department or organization, and a third of the department belongs to the same religious/cultural group, be wary.

4. If the dominant group makes any mention of religion in the workplace, such as inviting you to services or jokingly saying, "You should be a __________!", get out. See also #2.

5. It's hard for me to form relationships and feel safe. I seem nice but quiet and standoffish for a long time. I don't like being transferred among different teams without a permanent person/manager type in my corner. I need to be more proactive striking up relationships, but the idea that people should be able to do their best work as an interchangeable cog on a team is not a valid notion.

6. Introverts doing introvert-type work need introvert environments to do that work. If it seems like management doesn't support this, start to think about getting out.

7. Is the environment critical for the sake of being critical and perfectionistic, or is it honestly critical with the aim of doing better? If you're not 100% convinced it's the latter, scoot tout suite.


Sadly, these are all lessons learned from my last job. But I've got more experiences to review! Stay tuned!

Scoring Factory Washout

Okay, true confession time: I haven't been working the past two weeks. I washed out at the scoring factory floor after 1 week.

Not for the lack of trying! I just couldn't keep my scoring accuracy statistics up. These are the metrics that ensure that the responses are being scored accurately. Basically, two readers read the same response, and if their scores differ it gets referred to a third reader who decides which is closer. What I liken it to is the great Cassie Edwards plagiarism scandal. When you read a lot of shitty writing, it all starts to run together and it gets hard to tell what level of shittiness it is.

Working is good for teenagers because it encourages independence, responsibility and they can make money. Actually, the responses were really depressing with the overwhelming focus on consumerism, the fact that no one knows anything about saving for retirement (Roth IRA for the win!) and no one can explain exactly what responsibility or independence is. The ones that really made me clutch my brow are the ones that praised teenagers as a great pool of workers for business owners because they will work for cheap and are eager to be exploited.

However, good news though: I have a job interview on Wednesday for a part time position over at Scottsdale PL. It's just shelving, and only 19 hours a week, but it would be something. And it would be back in the public library world, which I really enjoy. And when I dropped by my branch library on Thursday, they rold me that they

Dispatches From The Scoring Factory

Oh, hi there. So I haven't been around because I have a temporary job. I'm working on a project for Pearson Education scoring a 10th grade writing exam given to another state's students.

I call it "the scoring factory" because I'm being paid piecemeal--I make 79 and some infinitesimal portion of a cent for every exam I grade. I made $13/hr during training. The piecemeal situation works this way--you're guaranteed $10/hr, which means you'd be scoring about 13 pieces per hour. Do more and you make more--they estimate you should be able to make about $13 an hour pretty easily, and they want you to get your rate up to 20 pieces per hour.

I started the 12th, and went through the training but my scored weren't high enough to be hired on so I went home. They then called me back on Friday and offered me another chance at training, and if you pay me $13 per hour, I will do a lot of things. So back I went! And this time I passed, and am apparently doing so well I would have been eligible to come over and do overtime this weekend. If there's an opportunity next weekend, I'm taking them up on it.

This is supposed to run until about April 18th. I'm not planning to have or get anything done in the evening. It's pretty much get home at 6pm, feed the cats, feed myself, run the dishwasher, charge the iPod and turn in. I get up at 5am, and catch the first bus at 6:15am. From there I take the light rail, another bus, and have a 10 minute walk. We start at 8am and it ends at 4:30pm.

I'm pretty impressed with myself that I've managed to bring lunch and snacks, two books and an iPod every day--that's an achievement in organization for me. I've gotten compliments from my fellow scorers on my clothes(!) and the good questions I asked and comments I made during training. The people are pretty nice and friendly--after all, we're all a bunch of unemployed college graduates (and some retired/furloughed teachers) sitting at computer terminals clicking our way through 200,000 exams in an office park in Mesa.

As for content, I can't comment on that. But I really, really wish there was such a thing as a debate magnet school. Screw arts education--we need people who can communicate clearly and persuasively, both orally and in writing. Not to mention integrate research and facts well. Actually, when I'm reading these exams I'm sometimes reminded of Maude Hart Lovelace's tales of Betsy Ray's high school days, when she'd square off against Joe in the yearly essay contest which was like some sort of term paper writing marathon. Oh, the things they used to teach students back in the early 20th century!

Hopefully I'll have some time and energy to write bits in the next days. But I'm doing pretty well overall,even if I'm not here.

It's Never Easy, Is It?

So as I have mentioned, I have a job doing academic factory piecemeal grading. It starts Monday and lasts about 4 weeks. It's out in Mesa, but reachable on a bus-train-bus-walk commute. Hours are good and it gives me the chance to make some new friends, earn some money, get out of the house and wear work clothes. Fabulous.

I've got my birth certificate (had to get a new one as I seem to have misplaced mine), mapped out my route, have comfy shoes, and was planning to hit the grocery store this weekend for lunch consumables. I even reset my sleep schedule so I can be sure to get up on time.

Except that this morning, the bus drivers went on strike.

Today's buses ran at 20% of the normal schedule.

Commence freakout.

I will probably be okay--I can ride my bike down to the light rail, and then through the streets of Mesa if necessary. Better get a haircut though--that bike helmet doesn't fit over a bun.

But jeez louise, when I get hit by a fucking car and killed or grievously injured, will the conservatives in this damn state cut me a break? After all, I'm trying to work here. I'm also carless because it's really damn expensive to own a car when you don't have a job that requires one. So take your crowing about how people should be responsible for themselves and shut your pieholes. A decent, well-run public transportation system makes it possible for people to work low-wage temporary jobs like this one that I'm doing. And I'm not bitching about the union striking because they've been trying to work out a deal for the last 2 years not with state, city, or regional government, but the private company hired to provide bus transportation.

Private industry always does it best, my ass.

Getting A Grip

So as some of you know, I had a job interview this week for a position that everyone told me I'd be sort of insane to take. This was primarily due to the fact that I would have had to buy a car or scooter for a part-time job in a far off part of the city that paid $12 an hour. Other bits of advice included my own tendency to wind up in weird situations where I'm taken advantage of as part of company culture, that the pay was equal to unemployment, and there were no guarantees of it turning into a full-time job at any point soon.

I did do the interview as practice and enjoyed having a conversation with people and showing myself off a bit. It made me realize again how miserable I was at last job having my personality ground down.

However. I filled out an application to do standardized exam scoring, and have secured a position for March-April grading 10th grade writing exams. Yay yay for that. It's out near the Marlboro Mesa, so I'll get to see the bebes.

We are on BabyWatch! My sister is due Thursday, which also happens be be my maternal grandmother's birthday. And Groundhog Day. It's the prospect of having a kid born on that wacky narcissist's birthday that fills us all with a bit of fear. I went round her place twice last week to watch Peaches (to do the primary interacting and hanging out with her and take her to the park) and give my poor sister a rest.

And to top it off, I went to a breakfast Meetup today and talked to Geek Girls of the East Valley.

Anyone Want To Be On My Career Advisory Board?

Let me know in the comments. Cookbook is in.

I'll be emailing you on a situation I'm facing tonight/tomorrow.

You Know What Makes Me Happy & Grateful?

This year, I will not have to sit through a potluck office Christmas party (who the hell forgets the sour cream he volunteered to bring?) featuring either a baked potato bar or bad Mexican food. I will also not have to participate in an excruciating gift exchange, a contest, watch my sickeningly sweet religious colleagues be goofy, or sing Christmas carols.

I can also baste my fruitcake in Maker's Mark, and foist it off on everyone I know and hang out with, without worrying about offending Mormons.

CHRISTMAS IS AWESOME.

The Sum Of My Week

I woke up at 2:30am today to the realization that my fridge was broken. Thankfully the compressor was still working for the freezer, so I didn't lose my stash of meat. However, I did lose a lot out of the fridge section as it has been dying over the past day or two. Lovely.

Maintenance switched me out with a new one by noon, but I am going to have to tip them as the produce section may have contained remnants of lemons. Okay, it certainly did. I have admitted my tendency to keep a Katrina fridge before.

I have been increasing my enthusiasm for my job hunt by reading Ask A Manager this weekend. She gives solid advice on jobhunting, and even tackles wacky topics like what to do when your coworker is working as a prostitute on company premises and what to do with a coworker who pees himself daily. She has an e-book that I am tempted to purchase.

I shelved again on Thursday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I found the new Lydia Loveless CD on the racks. I had been planning to get that at some point, so hooray! I also took out Elvis Costello's Sacred, Profane, and Sugarcane.

I also did some Christmas shopping. I have credits on Buy With Me, which got transferred to Gilt, which means that Genevieve's baby girl is getting some cute clothes and a blue chicken rattle. Bruiser is getting the same rattle, although he isn't supposed to arrive until January. And I still have some credit left! My other ideas for chocolate lovers Peaches and Benjamin were these neat chocolate bars sourced from different cacao regions--available at Trader Joe's for $8. They will also get books or appropriate toys.

We Are All The Poors Now

Last week I went to unemployment orientation. This involved taking a bus down to south Phoenix to the Department of Economic Security's office, listening to a presentation, and meeting with a counselor who certified I had been there. It was better than the unemployment bootcamp I went to in Ohio, where they told us that time was running out on our unemployment, that you should always try to find jobs through people you know because that's the best way, and when I met with the counselor she looked at my resume and said, "You have a Master's degree--you shouldn't have any problem finding a job" and dismissed me.

It was extremely unhelpful.

This time around the leader who was doing the presentation gave me faith in my presentation skills, as she merely lead us through our packet of papers and did so fairly incoherently. I mean, I managed to get what she was driving at, but that's because I'm smart. According to her:

--DES will audit our asses on a moment's notice and force us to pay back all unemployment received if we don't hunt for jobs;
--If you do all your jobhunting through the Workforce Connection then there will be a paper trail that will help us in case we get audited,
--And there's no health insurance for single adults available because of "the abuse by a few." At this I almost raised my hand and started arguing; the reason why single, childless adults are getting dropped from AHCCCS is because the state is broke and got a special waiver from the feds to cut the Medicaid rolls. And the Legislature hates the citizens of Arizona (or they are all Republican, same difference most days.)

She also informed us that we should kiss our previous standard of living goodbye; people are only finding work that pays "half or a third or an eighth of what they made before." Arizona is not a high wage state; there's no unions out here and it's completely right to work.

So yeah, life is bleak. We're all the poors now, no hope for the future. I even got turned down by Target, and that's right across the street. I said I was always available and I thought I answered as a positive, upbeat, hardworking person on their little personality test. Guess not. Maybe Jersey Mike's Subs will pay off.

In Which I Make Some Plans

So I asked myself, "Self, should you have to move from Arizona*, what would you feel ashamed of not having seen?" And after a bit of thought, I narrowed down to 2 things: the Grand Canyon, which I did visit at 13 but barely remember, and Bisbee, because I want to stay at Shady Dell. And while Arizona has a lot of pretty mountains and hiking and caves and such, I am not an outdoor girl. Nor am I a small town hanger-outer. Besides, I've seen scenic downtown Florence, and it has really declined since Murphy's Romance. As a second tier of places to go I'd put trips to Tucson and Ajo down--it might be interesting, but not really worth the effort.

So while I'm unemployed, I am going to try to schedule trips out of town. Maybe I'll even see snow up in the mountains. Of course, I still have my Groupon-like deal for the Greer Lodge and Resort Cabins, but since the lodge and restarant burned down last spring in an arson fire, I'm thinking I can get a refund for that. Plus, scorched earth in fall--exciting!

I'd also like to go to New Mexico, since that was the prettiest part of my drive in 2009, and Denver, because you can rent bikes to get around the city. And Portland and Seattle are also appealing.

One of the things I hated about my job is that I never got to take time off in summer to flee the heat, because that was when the audits were due, and it was year-round scramble.

I also took my first unemployment monies and bought a ticket to see Genevieve and her family in January, after the Christmas rush and before she returns to work.

*Not happening any time soon, but I am still embarrassed that I lived in Ohio for 15 years and only went to Columbus a few times, and never visited the 15 room used bookstore.

Up To No Good

Since I have been wearing RED lipstick in many hues, I paid $125 for a dental cleaning. I may have to break my Target ban to go over and purchase some deluxe whitening toothpaste.

It seems like I will be getting unemployment--I haven't gotten a payment yet due to the vacation payout, but I have been filing weekly claims and the woman who called to ask me questions said I almost certainly would be able to collect.

I wish someone was watching The Good Wife (season 2, just released on DVD) with me. We could discuss Eli Gold and his teenage nemesis Becca, whether Kalinda's superpowers stem from her boots or are due to the fact she's probably Canadian, Blake Calamari, why Diane Lockhart (and Christine Baranski) could mop the floor with Zooey Deschanel* in both her fictional and real-life personalities and why we would watch that, and the double and triple crossing going on in order to solidify control of the firm. It's really one of the best shows ever, all.

I gave up Coke a week ago.

If you paint your nails navy blue, it makes your hands look thinner and your fingers longer.

I am dogsitting out in Apache Junction for the next week. I shall take pictures of the mountains, but I should also come up with some ideas of things to do out that way. Trouble is, there is not much to do out that way, huh huh. Except hike. I also need some projects for here in town.


*I just finished watching two episodes of The New Girl, and my, does it suck.

True Confession: I Suck At Being Unemployed, Guys

The "Rules for Unemployment?" I'm having a great deal of trouble living by them. By noon on Monday, all I could think was "God, I hope the library calls soon for me to volunteer, because I do not know what to do with myself!" But I did throw a little party on Thursday night. This required me to agonize, clean, cook, and move all my clutter to my bedroom.

The shame. I haven't done yoga, I'm on season 5 of Midsomer Murders (where it's gotten completely ridiculous, with bellringers getting killed, Sgt. Troy getting hit on, the police breaking and entering, and the suspension of disbelief is killing me as well as putting me to sleep) and I woke up at 11 am yesterday.

I am someone who needs to leave the house to get anything done, so I will start hanging out at GateWay next week. I also have book club on Monday, group on Tuesday (I am also getting acupunctured that day), and the art museum with my mom on Wednesday. Exciting.

It's Not Like I Have To Go To Work Tomorrow

So yes, I have sat in my cubicle like a disfavored Japanese salaryman for the past 2 weeks. That's how they force people out the door over there--they just don't give them any work and ignore their presence. The whole thing is awfully dehumanizing.

I actually didn't stay all day Friday--I just couldn't bear it any longer. I gave in my stuff, went home, made myself a celebratory BLT and took a 3 hour nap. I had been up late watching Aces do comedy in a dive bar in the near west side of town. And drinking.

Tomorrow starts the hard part--actually living by the Rules for Unemployment. Especially since I have gotten hooked on this mindless British television series called Midsomer Murders. I must try to restrain myself.

Rules For Unemployment

Since my previous bouts of unemployment have been marked by paralysis and not getting shit done, I developed a list of rules to follow this time along. In no particular order, they are:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday are for job hunting. Tuesday and Thursday are for household chores and visiting.

This is because I know that unless I have a particular time to turn to cleaning off my balcony, sort papers, do laundry, etc., I will do that and procrastinate on writing cover letters.

Also, my sister will want me to come over and hang out, and she and Peaches are the best distractions.

You will read 1 book per week.

My reading of items with covers has been sparse. Face it, unless I make it a priority all I read is the internet.

You are banned from Target after September 9th.

I'm not a crazy Target shopper, but it is a source of Coke, frozen lasagna, expensive watermelon, and other junk food. I don't need that.

You will wear work clothes Monday, Wednesday, Friday--ironed. And makeup.

Because being dressed up and looking nice gives one confidence. Plus, I love my work clothes.

Sleeping is from 9-5 (pm to am)

Yes, I go to bed at 9pm.

There is daily am yoga, 2 cups of coffee only, and oatmeal for breakfast.

From the Crimson Conquest: "Gah! Is this bootcamp or something?"

The bike is to be used for transport whenever possible.

The Crimson Conquest said, "So that will start in October...?" since it's so hot outside, but I have faith it will cool down soon.

You have Freedom installed--use it.

Freedom is a program for Macs that cuts off your internet and makes you do other things. In case one spends too much time clicking on Twitter and Facebook...

No Netflix until after 6 pm.

This is during the week--it's a little strict for weekends too.

That 20 yoga class Groupon that expires in November? Use it.

It's a way to get out of the house and exercise.

Sit at your desk.

As opposed to laying on the bed, or lounging on the futon. Discipline!

Don't lose touch with people.

I am making plans to go to Happy Hour with Winter and the Crimson Conquest on a regular basis. And the Cupcake Love-in with the Huntress.

Network.

As suggested by my therapist.

No Coke!

Well, we have to have a reward other than a paycheck and benefits.

Resources For Unemployment: Food and Healthcare

So I won't be without healthcare while I am unemployed. I intend to sign up for the NP Care program, a low cost clinic run by the ASU College of Nursing for the uninsured.

And then there is the food co-op Bountiful Baskets.

I had heard of them before, but when I saw Poor Girl, Rich Food's latest basket, my interest was reawakened. And the pickup is at a park about a mile from where I live, and on Saturday morning. It's kismet. It's like a CSA in that the food is random and regional, but it's only $16.50 ($26.50 for the organic baskets). There are also other add-ons you can order, such as a box of oranges, bread, granola or the tropical box.