Frustrating LONG day, plus a new prayer request

First my prayer/positive thoughts request, because I think its more important than anything about me and what is happening in my life right now.

Today, at Lowes I was checking out an older woman (maybe in her early 50's so not OLD), and I noticed that she had a hospital wrist band on her arm with the pink and blue baby carriages on it, so I said oh someone has a new baby in their life! She said "Yes how did you know?" (LOL)

I pointed out her wrist band and said I have had three similar to that over the years.

She just laughed and said, oh yes, I forgot about that thing, its been a stressful couple of days, do you want to see her picture? Its my Granddaughter Jordana, she was born on Thursday morning.

Of course I said yes, and out came her cell phone. :)

Then she tells me that, she is on her way to pick up her daughter at the hospital here locally, to drive her to Macon to see the baby and meet with the baby's new doctor up there, because the baby isn't doing so well.

Jordana was born at 36 weeks via c-section, and while she was a good weight, she is having some serious breathing issues that have stumped her pediatrician here. So her had her transported to the children's center in Macon to have the doctors there see if they could figure it out.

I told Jordana's grandma that I would keep her in my thoughts and prayers, and I decided that I would ask all of you too do so as well. I also told her to google Nathan and Tricia and that their story would give them hope, because I believe that if little Gwyneth Rose can make the strides she is making, Jordana can too! I am sure I will never remember who this grandma is, even if she walks through my line tomorrow, but perhaps she will remember me the next time she sees me at work and will give me an update, if she does I will pass it on.


Also if you can say a prayer/think thoughts for...

MH from Lowes who lost his dad this week.

EP from Lowes who lost his sister this week.

K from Lowes who lost her Granddad this week.

And C from Lowes who lost her Aunt who raised her this week.

(wow its been a rough week at Lowes)

Also for my Great Aunt Fern and her family who lost my Great Uncle Jake this week (he was in his late 80's and has had Alzheimer's for several years, so it was not a shock to my system, but I have been too busy to blog about it).



Ok on to what is happening in my life....



AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

It has been a frustrating, long day, and its not over yet!

I got into Lowes to open this morning, and that is where it all started. As I said last night, they have changed the opening hours of our Lowes to "spring/summer" hours. At my old store we did not have such things, we had the same store hours 52 weeks a year, so I had no warning that this hours change was even a possibility until Wednesday, and even then it was a this may happen by the end of March, but right now it doesn't sound like it will.

Then last night BAM! Our store hours starting tomorrow are 6am-10pm Monday-Saturday and 8-8 on Sunday.

Which if I was not subbing during the day would be ok, but I am subbing and have to be there at 745 or so, which means leaving my house around 7 to get DJ to school, so I can get to school. Working until 10:30, getting home around 11, and then getting up to work the next morning at 6 is out of the question. I have been practically killing myself trying to sub all day, and work at Lowes until 9:30, and then add an extra hour each day to that? SURE... NOT...

Now I am not egotistical enough to think that this is all about me, and I know I am not the only one who having these opening hours changed effected. But right now, its all about me! ;)

Last night, like I said, I put in a new availability form, pulling Wednesday completely off the board, changing the weekends around a bit (just to see if they would let me, really, because there are a couple of people who have limited availability on weekends), and then saying that on Mondays I had to be out by 10 (I did it to Friday too, but I wasn't thinking about Fridays, being Fridays when I did that).

As soon as I walked in the door this morning I let A (the department manager) know that I had done a new availability form, due to the new hours of operation, and that it was in D's box. She said OK, D has to approve it first, then I will come talk to you about it.

A few hours later A comes by the self checkout (where I was chained, I mean stationed), and says Patty, you can not have these requested hours. To close during the week you have to stay at least 30 minutes past closing, so Monday and Friday you have to work until 1030, and on the weekends you HAVE to have open to close on your availability.

I got kind of upset with this whole conversation, because of the way she was saying it, with an attitude. But I handled it, and said ok, change Monday to unavailable then because I have to be up and sub on weekdays at 745, and can not possibly do it if I don't get home until 11, Fridays, I just wasn't thinking about it, Saturday open to close is fine, but Sunday I have to be off by 7 as I teach online at 8 so I have to be home by 750 in order to do that.

A, just looked at me and said well we will see about all of that!

If she would have been at least a little bit more sympathetic to what I was saying I would not have gotten upset, but she made it seem like she was saying that my job was on the line because I can not work until close on Sunday and because I need to pull my Mondays and Wednesdays off the availability.

When I went to lunch I called Jerry and told him about it, and said that I was going to try to talk to D (our HR manager) about it all, but it felt like A was telling me either to shut up and color or to quit. Jerry said well what are you going to do, and I said I guess if they wont work with what I can do and not kill myself, I will just have to work until I kill myself, because we can't afford for me to quit. I was still calm and ok with it all, but mad at the same time. I finished up my lunch, went out the car to take out my bowl and cup, and then went in to see D. She was doing an orientation and asked if she could come get me in a few minutes, and I tried to say yes, but then started crying, so she asked her orientation group to give her a couple of minutes, and we walked in her office.

When we got into D's office, I unloaded on her, which I know is the last thing she needs (considering our store manager bailed last week), but I couldn't help it. I explained what happened with A and my availability form, and that I couldn't afford to loose this job, but I also can't afford to kill myself working that many hours. She got upset with A's attitude, and told me that she would talk to S (the ops manager) about my situation, but she didn't see it being a problem, and that she wanted to see if perhaps I could go in and work with her on weekends for the spring (which I don't think is going to fly).

Then she asked me what else is going on, because she could tell I was frustrated with something else with work. I told her that I had already brought it up to A, and she said tough cookies tell me anyway.

In our department (the cashiers that is) there is a BIG problem with favoritism, between both A and several cashiers, and the head cashiers and several of the cashiers. One in particular, who was working today, the same shift as I was. Since I have been there, she has been late both to work and from lunch, not shown up and not called, changed her lunch and break times on her own, walked away from her register and left someone else to handle it, without permission, and no one writes her up or reports it, not even the admin manager.

Today though was the straw that broke my back, so to speak. This morning "they" decided to do a McDonald's run, which was fine by me, I didn't have any money, but I don't care if they go and get some, as long as everyone still pulls their weight. SV, volunteered to go to McDonald's for everyone. Ms. G told her to get me a sausage biscuit. SV, clocked out to go, and clocked in as soon as she walked back in the building, before she even put the food in the break room (she used the register next to mine so it was easy to see). Ms. G came out from the cash office to cover self checkout and sent me in to eat, and said just be quick because I am behind. So I ran in and ate, then came back out. Ms. G said you didn't have to eat that fast, silly. Which I knew, but since she did me a favor and bought it for me, and then was watching my register I wasn't going to take advantage. This whole time SV was in the break room, leisurely enjoying her breakfast, for the next HOUR! I probably would not have realized how long she was in there, except for the fact that I got a couple of the customers from the area where she was supposed to be checking out customers, who said that there wasn't a cashier down there, and then I noticed when she went beebobing by. This entire hour A (remember A? the department manager?) was in the break room with SV, talking about their pregnancies. Plus SV took about 3 more breaks for 15 minutes or more before I went to lunch at 10.

I had tried to bring up the favoritism to A when she came by self checkout a while later, and tried to be very tactful about it, saying that as a teacher and a former manager I know how favoritism can happen without a person realizing that it is happening, and that I had heard other cashiers complaining about it, and that I was also frustrated by it. A knew exactly who I thought was the favorite, but thought I was just referring to the head cashiers, as the ones playing favorites, and then made excuses about letting her eat and drink on the floor (which I didn't even know about, and really didn't care about).

So all of this is what I told D today at lunch. Because it is hard to work 7 days a week, 8 to 15 hours a day (because even when I am not working nights at Lowes I am teaching on-line), and to sit there and watch someone get paid the same as I do (probably more, because it seems that starting pay at this store is a bit higher than it was in Florida), and not do what they should be expected to do, just ticks me off. D said that they had already talked to A about it earlier this week, but if this happened today then obviously they didn't get through, I didn't tell her that I was pretty sure that B (the admin manager) knew that they were in the break room talking for that long.

D came by a while later and told me that S (the ops manager) was ok with my availability change. I "think" I have to work the two schedules that are already on the board, I have to ask tomorrow to be sure, which if I do means very little sleep will be had these coming weeks.

After I left D's office I had a few people come up and ask me what was wrong, and if I was ok, because I was not my usual chipper self. Which was nice that they noticed, and a couple of them went out of their way to stop and say something each time they came to the front, just to cheer me up (thanks M and T).

When I got home my frustrations continued though. I nominated to pick up 3 teaching hours today after I got off from Lowes, starting at 4 pm est. I know that I double checked before I submitted the nomination that I had not accidentally put in for a time that I would not be home (because that is my biggest fear when I self-nominate for hours outside of my normal ones). I got home today and told Kelsey to give me the computer so I could see if I had picked up the 4 pm session, and had an email saying I was scheduled for the 3 pm session. (WHAT?!?) I logged into the program right away, and didn't have any students yet, but still. GRRRRRRR So I had to send a IM to the team leader, and an email about it to the program.

Then to add insult to injury I had tech issue after tech issue, with students tonight. I sent 5 emails other than my one about the 3 pm session to the program about students, which is something I rarely do, but a couple of them needed to have attention brought to it.

Thats all I need is to get in trouble and loose that job, over something that stupid. We really would loose the house, car, truck, everything if that happened.

I really really am praying for a full time teaching job for the 2008-2009 school year, with full benefits, and a full salary so that I can stop stressing out over the money situation.