Perpetual Ruminations

Monday

Happy two year anniversary to me~

Two years ago I joined this group, unsure of what it was and what I expected. That first year was a great year, I learned a lot and enjoyed a lot of time in here, reading, reviewing, and writing. Of course, I had plenty of time when I joined, but by spring, six months later, that all changed.

I had been unemployed when I joined, but started a new career the following spring. I began working as a security guard. I was only part-time, and had the supervisor stuck with the schedule, I would have had plenty of time to spend in here. Unfortunately, he could not work the schedule fairly, and every time I turned around, my days off changed. Of course, he didn't do much else any better.

So, withing a few months of starting my new career, I found myself promoted to supervisor, and tried my best to get things back on the proper track. I was met with nothing but resistance every step of the way. Part of it was the fact that I was the new guy on the block and had been promoted past them. The other part was the fact that nothing had been done right, and no one had been held accountable for anything.

They resisted, and one by one, they fell by the roadside, passed up and passed by. The last "old guard", my previous supervisor was persuaded to resign this past spring, about one year after I had started working, and from that point, things finally began to work right. Unfortunately, it also left us very short on help, and we had great difficulty filling all the positions with people who really wanted to work.

As a result, I have had no time off since April. I also have been putting in a great deal of time to cover shifts all summer, as well as putting a great deal of my own time in with things like hiring, training, and getting things working right. All this has left me with little time to do anything other than work and sleep.

Now, it's finally beginning to pay off. Last week Rhonda and I had two days off in a row, together. There was still some work I had to get caught up on, and we did have two people call in and try to take time off, which would have ended our time off, but we worked them through it. This week, starting today, another two days off together. This time no calls, so far.

Also, even though I have some work to do, I'm putting it off until after my days off. This is down time for me to enjoy some time doing  something other than work. So, I will wait with the work, until after my time off. This also means, that I will finally be able to start planning some time to spend in here, again.

It has been a long time, and I have been lucky to scratch up a few reviews here and there, write in my journal, and read a little. It's been hit and miss as time permitted me to do a little, or maybe a little bit more. So, the thought of having time to enjoy this wonderful site is pretty exciting.

My first year started out great, but the last six months were a bit restricted. Not real bad, but with a constant changing schedule, it was difficult to spend the time I desired in here. That lasted for a year, then this past spring, the excrement hit the proverbial fan and there was work, more work, and then work some more. But we made it.

I should also add, Rhonda came to work for me in the spring, right before everything fell apart. The idea was for her to work a temporary, part-time position over the summer. We had hopes that a certain person would be gone by the end of the summer and Rhonda would fill her position. By this time, it was planned for Rhonda to be permanent part-time. Instead, the bottom fell out and she was my greatest asset and best worker, filling in as needed, and working forty plus hours a week.

She also had very little time off all summer, and what little I could get for her, was spent trying to hold things together on the home front, since I was doing so much work from home as well. She was spectacular through it all, and I owe her so much for her hard work, dedication, and professionalism.

So, that's why I say, "We made it." She was as much a part of it all as I was, and it was us, together, that succeeded in making through the summer. Now, we are finally getting a couple of days off each week, and we are getting them together. Long overdue, and along with spending more time in here, enjoying WdC, I also want to spend more time with Rhonda, my wonderful wife, my best friend, my lover, and now, my most valued employee.