am I really that late?

wow! Steve (5 Pound Pack) my bestest buddy, thought he was pretty late on starting BLOGGER...but here I am just starting mine a few months later. Am I really that late?

Still effectively unemployed and still pretty p'oed (<---lol, that I'll be using for p!$$ed 0ff from now on btw) about not having steady employment.

How did it start? Lots of small mini stories and avenues of thought to answer that question. We could explore the butterfly effect from many angles and situations. Flashbacks on decisions I may have altered a little or a lot, or none at all...all in all, it doesn't change much because I'm still not getting a paycheck. Wonder how many of you out there who may stumble onto my blog site feel the same or going through something similar...

My last steady paycheck was at a Bio Pharmaceutical company in Oceanside, California. I was working as a "Real Estate Management Facilities Technician" for about $18 an hour. Was a great job because I was really just a glorified handy-man. Install dry-erase boards, replace lights, hang shelves, replace batteries in those super awesome automatic toilets (which I really appreciate btw, since I hate having to flush the toilets using those cruddy handles every other place has...come one, those are creepy right?), input work orders called in to the help center, close out work orders (on an overly complicated peice of software called SAP that mostly no one knew how to use for the first 6 months...and honestly, no one knew how to use it better than me. I have proof of that because I knew more than those idiots who were supposed to train us on how to use it), and a bunch of other things that didn't take too much skill or effort.

Of course you are saying to yourself "you had it great! That was a sweet deal! How could you F! it up?!?!?" I ask myself the same thing every once in a while...but one of the major contributors to my losing said employment was horrible management. Not on my part of course, but who doesn't have managers and supervisors over them who don't know a thing about the department they are supposedly running? (**Gets out a calculator and tally machine to do a census**)

No, I'm not a disgruntled employee (yes, you could argue the point...but argue with yourself, not me! This is my blog. LOL Anyhow, I wouldn't care much. Might even be funny). Ok, where was I?

I just didn't like the fact that my managers and supervisors took all the credit for our hard work (and I did work with some great people...I think we all do, and some not so great, but those folks also try and pitch in...sometimes) and wouldn't show appreciation in the only way that counts, on our paychecks. The first few raises I received were decent since I started out at the place in 2006 at $15 per hour. But my last raise in May of 2008 was an insult at 50 cents when I know I did more work than some of my other coworkers did the minimum. My only fault was that I didn't pucker up to pay homage to the proverbial you know what. I took the lead in many projects and accomplished work none of the others could do even if they tried.

Don't get me wrong, our group had its specialties...and I was good at what I did. I still have 2-3 former coworkers employed at that place. And they're great people. I wish them the best. I just could not bend enough for the management to keep me around. Pride does have its dangers and consequences. Pride also doesn't pay my rent. Lesson to file away in my oopsy files.

I was laid off in May 2008 with the diplomatic "reducing department budget and personnel" excuse...

That is just a portion of the story. Write ye laters.


PS: By the way... The reason I call my blog "ArchieGump..." is because I really don't know how to finish my sentences/thoughts well, gramatically or otherwise. So I just use run-on sentnces and breaks. I also sidetrack a lot using parantheses and emotes (using the ** doing something something here ** kind of thing). But I'm entertaining. Like a little monkey with a used hypodermic needle. So come back often and just read my ramblings whenever it suits you. I promise not to be overly depressing and to sometimes add insights or helpful hints whenever the whim takes me. Peace, love, and real bacon (not those fake bacon bits) in your salads...