Last November I was working on Month Eight (or was it Nine?) of being unemployed. I was still receiving severance pay from my former company, so I’d kinda slacked my way through the summer. But now it was getting scary…
In January the payments would stop, along with our health insurance, and I had no prospects. None whatsoever. Sweet sainted mother of Blue Moon Odom! Every day I walked around feeling like someone was yanking the drawstring on my sphincter.
Then I was offered two jobs on the same day, after months of nuffin, and was able to avoid disaster. Heck, the COBRA payments alone would’ve been something like $125,000 per month. At least that’s the way I remember it…
So, I’m not really complaining when I explain to you how I’ll be working both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve this year. Not complaining, explaining.
I seriously can’t remember working a Christmas Eve before. I probably have, but it was likely one of those deals where everybody showed up for a few hours, drank coffee, ate cookies, mocked someone’s hideous sweater, then called it a day.
This year I’ll be there until 8 pm or later — actually working. Have you ever heard of such a thing?!
By the time I get home the Secrets will probably be in bed, or ready for bed, and that’ll be that. I love Christmas Eve, it’s better than Christmas Day, in my estimation. But this year it’ll be nothing more than me klunking through the door at 9:30, scarfing down a Marvine Catheter frozen meal, shotgunning four or five Yuenglings, and trying to set up a drum kit quietly. Happy holidays!
But, it’s better than unemployment. Much better. Here’s a piece I wrote at the height of that frustration… So, I feel a little guilty when I go grrrr every time it crosses my mind. Yet, the grrrrs keep coming, involuntarily.
I know a woman whose teenage daughter is very sick, and I think of her when I complain about something minor. Like when Comcast changes the cable channels around, for no known reason. These kinds of things piss me off, and trigger a daisy-chain of profanity.
And I’m fully aware it’s small, small stuff, compared to the hardships some folks endure. But I can’t help it; it makes me crazy. In fact, I suspect I’d do better with a major catastrophe, like our house burning down to its foundation, than, say, sitting in a parking lot waiting for some shitball to back into a parking space.
Not that I ever want to test that theory, mind you….
In any case, what schedule will you be working this holiday season? Is it like my Gucci deal of the past, or will you actually have duties to perform all the way up until the cusp of Santa’s arrival, like my current situation?
Help me out with it, won’t you? Maybe it’ll help cut down on all the grrrrs that keep busting out around this place.
And don’t forget to enter our Fun With Filth contest! There will be no prizes (I’m a very busy man), other than the gift of community involvement. It takes a village, dammit. Here are the details.
See ya next time!
All the updates! They make me dizzy. Or maybe these pants are just too tight.
Oh Hell Yes Surf Reporters!!!
2 updates in one day! Got to love that!!
3rd!
OK, now I feel better. I knew the new format promised multiple daily updates but I was skeptical. I can live with this.
And by Friday afternoon I’ll be unemployed. No work whatsoever for me from the 21st until January 5th.
Then it’s back to school, which as we all know, beats the hell out of work.
Sweet! Multiple updates!
6 and I already read the update… amazing
Eve and Day off, work til 5 the 23rd and then drive 2+ hours to the ‘rents house to camp out til we all get pissed at each other and i have to drive like a bat outta hell to get away…
We have always been open on NYE day where I work. Then – the last two years we were actually closed – but this year, we are open.
Ok… I’ll be working one of those half-ass days on the 24th… it is also my first venture into working on Christmas Eve. Evidently my promotion this year has put me in a position where either the President, the CEO, or I have to be here… and unfortunately I’m on the bottom of that totem pole.
I am the opposite of you, Jeff-I worked retail for years. Christmas Eve open to close, Black Friday, etc., etc. Now I have an office job and I never thought I would say this, but I LOVE Mond-Friday, 8-5-all holidays and their “eve’s off, and sometimes the day after-all PAID. Died and gone to heaven (except for the actual work part, of course).
I gotta admit, I’ve got a pretty sweet deal at my job. Off the whole week of Christmas, with pay and without it coming out of my vacation time. Then I’m off the 31st, 1st, & 2nd. Ahem. With pay. So I will work two days over the two-week holiday period. Makes me go against everything I believe in and insert an emoticon. 🙂
10ish!
I don’t have to be back to work until January 20. Hell Yeah!
I took off Eve through 12/29 and heading to Tennessee.
Since you brought it up… When did backing into a parking spot become so f-ing cool again? I swear that I have seen an increase in the number of dipshits trying unsuccessfully to back in.
If you know what you are doing, then have at it. But, if you can’t get it right in one shot, then you are an asshat!
I meant to make comment on the old work schedule, but then my computer decided to freeze up and shit the bed , as it has been doing lately.
Christmas Eve we’ll be here in the afternoon, although I think we officially close at 1:00. That is the day for the office Christmas party, and we’re bringing booze into the workplace.
Same for New Year’s Eve, although I think there won’t be any boozing on the premises.
We’ll be open for business the Friday(s) after each holiday.
Mrs. JCIII is stuck working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year Day, although that isn’t all bad because she’ll be making double time and a half. Got to love them Union wages.
Sorry Jeff, I will only work until 11 on the 23rd, then at 12 theres a company dinner in the fab shop, followed by Dirty Santa Gift exchange in the Office and then we are free to go home, I am off the 24, 25 & 26, back to work on the 29 & working full days the 30 & 31st. Off the first, back the 2nd. Woohoo. This is a sweet holiday, too bad the hubby is in the desert and can’t be with us, It will just be me and the hoodlums, 8, 10 & 11. They’ll be fighting and I’ll be drinking. Just the thought brings tears to my eyes.
*** or maybe it’s just time and a half
Working Christmas Eve, off Christmas and the 26th.
Working the 27th, 28th 29th & 30th, off New Year’s Eve & New Year’s Day.
I think. I have to check the calendar.
I sell real estate, so I do pretty much nothing in December and the first half of January.
I’m off from 12/24-1/4- Yipee!
When I was at certain TX based computer GIANT, we would get two weeks off for the winter holidays. We also always had vacation to burn before the end of the year and so I became accustomed to working four day weeks for the first three weeks and then taking two weeks off. The Boss o’ Me was very tired of seeing my mug by the first of January. Now I have to work Christmas Eve and New Years Eve at the day gig and then both evenings at the liquor store.
12/24 – half ass day
12/25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31…..01/01, 02, 03, 04
OFF….THAT’S 11 DAYS!!!
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Sorry, I don’t get much time off and I’m a little emotional.
I’m going to enjoy a couple of days of Christmas then gather the firearms for practice and for killing cute fluffy forest creatures.
Then I’ll put the guns away and lay drunk for a few days…hehehe!!!
I’m off the 24th thru the 26th, but my wife has to work the 24th and 26th.
In the words of Nelson Muntz, “HA HA”.
I had been planning on taking the last 3 weeks of the year off (as I do every year – squirrel them away till its use it or lose it!) then my job decided to downsize me the first week of November and I only got 3 weeks severance (after 8 years there) so my Christmas is pretty miserable and I will still be sending out resumes and meeting headhunters who call you in under the guise of having a position and when you meet them the next day, the position was filled while they “hold on to your resume for something in the future” grrr.
I am taking off early on this Friday and then will be back the 29th and 30th. I have let folks around the office know they can call me to give me money. My guests are arriving this Thursday– 5 days earlier than usual and leaving 3 days early. My tree is still not up and I have many many beds to make.
The place I work at is open 24/7/365. I’ll be working 6p-6a both Christmas eve and Christmas day – same for NY eve and NY day…. but hey, it pays well. At triple rate for holidays, I will be making $63/per while working on these 4 days. Woohoo!!!
I’m a stay at home mom, so I work 24/7 365 days of the year. I just don’t have to go to an office. Which is AWESOME! The Evil Twin’s last day of work will be Friday the 19th and then with combined holiday and vacation leave, he won’t go back until the 5th of January. Typically, this type of schedule offers us “too much togetherness”, but we’re going to work on having a happy season this year. 🙂
i’m working. boo to that.
i get paid time and a half plus holiday for each xmas eve and day and newyears day. but that means i have to stay on staten island and not eat all the good foods that my gf’s fambiily makes.
again… boo
i wouldn’t mind so much but i’m not gonna be doing anything. i’m gonna sit here and stare at the poweplant accross the street.
but i have to be here because of a government contract. but they’re not coming in… so.. wts?
I work 4pm until midnight on the 24th. Then up bright and early on the 25th for a 2hr drive to my folks (if the weather cooperates). Back to work 7:30am on the 29th.
Since I became a statistic in November, I, along with my mother, sister and brother, am leaving for Italy Christmas Day. My husband and brother-in-law are holding down the respective forts. We are visiting family in Pisa and won’t return until January 6th, at which time please refer to LunaChickNYC’s post – that will be my life.
Happy Tuesday, Surfers!
I’m digging these multiple updates!
My work closes on the 24th at 1 pm and we are not expected back until 9 am on January 5th. This is paid time off in addition to vacation time, so I’ve got no complaints.
A few years back I was lingering in grad school and had been there long enough to have been given actual courses to teach rather than being a lowly “Teaching Assistant”. I loved teaching, and can’t understand why Professors constantly bitch about it, but at Christmas it did get to be a little much. Usually by the time exams, endless help sessions, make-up exams, marking, and mark submissions were done, I could take the 25th off, but had to go into my lab daily until classes started in January just to get caught up on my research. Whenever I start missing university life, or someone starts giving me grief about my decision to leave academia I just think back to all the 80 hour work weeks, the years without vacation, and the “sparse” income and I feel a lot better about my decision.
Tyrosine- Ya did the right thing leaving. Those ivory towers aren’t so pretty from the inside, are they?
from what i hear, we’ll be having a half-ass day on the 24th, and apparently at about 2pm the big boss walks through and sends us all home.
When I worked for the consulting firm in San Francisco, not only did we work Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, we had to work Thanksgiving Friday. Before the move I worked for the U and there we’d always get an e-mail the day before a holiday telling everybody to make sure that we all left by 2:00 p.m. At the “fabulous” consulting firm, we’d get the same e-mail, with one small caveat “Please feel free to go home early, if you have PTO (paid time off) left.” Well, freaking duh! If I have PTO left, I KNOW I can leave early. Awfully fucking generous, I thought.
I’m back amongst the Gucci Class, however, and have Christmas Eve through January 4 off this year. Woohoo!
We get Kristin’s half-assed day on Dec. 23. The problem is that my boss has the day off (like last year), so how do I know when to go home? 2:00 is my regular going home time, so that’s not really half-assed in my book.
Tyrosine – But doesn’t it make you crazy when you hear people bad mouth professors for only working 12 hours a week knowing full well that the time in the classroom is not the only working hours?
Oh yeah, I’m so with Jeff and Currage on the backing into a parking spot. It’s so pretentious…of course, I can’t back up for shit, but can parallel park like there’s no tomorrow.
I am off starting Friday the 19th and return to work on January 5th. Ahh, University employment….have to use bennies for two days, of course, but, ahhhhh….
Jeff,
Can certainly agree with your philosophy of work because you got it.
I work at a country club during the summer, so I have the winters off. sounds great doesnt it? not bloddy likely! wintertime is also Christmas time, thanksgiving time, heating bill time,etc. not to mention that it seems like you spend more money when you are NOT working!
so, I will work any freaking time anybody asks me to, that includes the eves, weekends, festivus, whatever.
yeah sure, my bad for choosing a careeer in foodservice, but its better that not having a job at all. even if it eats ass.
I’m off to the big city Jan.10th for three weeks of skoolin’. The guy I wok for has turned into a turd rolling beetle turd beetle man. I’m too old to be screamed at. Notice I didn’t say yelled at, Take me aside and ask WTF and I’ll be glad to tell you WTF. Easy stuff I would think. So I guess I’ll sit here a while (aka Christmas Holiday) till I spend the bucks and “invest in my future”. He’s the carrot and I’m the donkey and as I’ve read here before…”I can’t have that.”
The cork in the bottle of wine I just opened broke. Please don’t check the time and judge me. I’m off to go back up on the roof to shovel off the two and a half foot of snow up there. So if I fall off the ground is two and a half foot closer I would think.
I think I’m having carrots tonight with the meat loaf that’s in the works. She’s evil or has a great scense of humor.
harumpa- To be fair I enjoyed my time there. Like I said, I loved teaching. It’s the lifestyle (no money, long hours, no time off, never seeing your family) that I was not willing to endure. I’ve seen too many Profs that are on their 3rd marriage by 50, have no retirement savings, and are alienated from their kids all because the culture in academia demands that research comes before EVERYTHING else.
@Knucklehead – Will you bring me a good chunk from the shady side of the tower? Or is that the sunny side. whatever, just bring me a chunk. It will help complete my collection of rocks from famous Italian buildings. I almost got caught with a piece of the Forum but it was such good sport. I hear GW won’t be making any more surprise trips until the other shoe drops.
Kathleen – 12 hours a week! 🙂
Lets add up the average week of an Assistant Professor (desperately hoping for tenure):
6 hours lecture prep
2 hours lecture time
4 hours “office hours”
2 hours exam preparation and marking
6 hours student committee meetings
4 hours meetings for various department committees
30 hours direct lab time and grad student supervision
10 hours reading current articles on research interest
6 hours writing (grants, publications)
2 hours miscellaneous
If you can do this for 4-6 years you MAY be granted tenure depending on your publication record, so by your mid 40’s you should be able to cut back your hours to ~50/week. Oh, and don’t forget all the evening seminars and committee meetings because you can’t have these during the day as that would cut into valuable “research” time.
Well, as of about 2 hours ago I was informed that I’ll be off for christmas and new years…..and january, and feb, well you get the idea.
The airplane maintenance world can go south real quick and we are losing 3 heavy maintenance lines for the time being.
So as of thursday I’ll be off but it makes for a perfect thursday theme. I plan to keep up my end of the bargain.
At twelve minutes past every hour, stand up, yell “IT’S NOT FAIR!!” then sit back down.
I just celebrated one year in the Federal Government so things are going really well for me (knock on wood.) We have unofficial half days on the 24th and 31st plus the 25, 26 and Jan 1st off with pay. I’ve also booked off Jan 2 as a vacation day.
I could have booked off the 24th but then I’d have to use a full vacation day. Instead, I’ll roll into work around 9am, pour myself a Kahlua and milk, join the holiday potluck at 10 am and be out of there around noon…
I’ll work half a day on the 24th, then off 25 & 26, then probably half a day on NYE and off NYD.
But I’m with you, Jeff. Having once spent several months either unemployed or under-employed, they could make me clean toilets on Christmas day as long as the paycheck keeps coming in.
I know it is natural once you are comfortable in your job to start whining about things, but all it takes is having spent a few months staring at the e-mail inbox or looking at the phone waiting for some good news, to put it all into perspective.
Oh, I guess it helps that I lost interest in holidays years ago when I spent most of them working shift work in the military. But even then, I felt guilty if I complained too much since there was some poor guy toting an M-16 around in the cold while I was inside doing “important stuff”.
Life is good.
Not sure what my Schedule will be like for the Holidays.
It comes out for the following week on Thurs.
I DO KNOW:
If I have to work I get paid 8 hours regardless
and I earn time and a half for every hour worked on the holiday
New years eve and day are holidays.
Double-time and a half?
Cha-ching!
I work ’til noon on the 24th. Off the 25th and 26th. Going to St. Louis to spend time with my gma. It is the first xmas she has had since gpa passed away. so the dog and i will be there for moral support. I have to be back at work on the 27th.
I work ’til noon on the 31st and am off the 1st and 2nd. we are going to MI to spend time with Wally’s step brother and his wife. And, that way I do not have to mail the xmas gifts.
Wally has to work the 24th, 25th, and 31st. But it’s all double time, baby!
Hope this makes sense, i have a head full of darvoset!
Fun with filth, item # 5, critical piece to the Millenium Falcon…… Jeff , you are one crafty bastard ! You have to let us know how that turned out.
My shift will end 7:30am xmas morning. Since I mail out unemployment and disability checks in California, I should be glad to be getting any time off (or receiving a paycheck).
Shit, I have to work at 5 AM on 12-25 and 1-1.
Sucks.
I’m semi-Gucci – have the 24th and 25th off, as well as 01 Jan.
Taking the 26th off too for a quick trip to NYC for the holiday. Mmmm, bagels.