Not Quite Sick Leave...

Apparently my being a Type 2 Diabetic with heart issues puts me in a high-risk category in regard to the Corona virus. I haven't got it yet but I've been asked by my supervisor to stay home the next two weeks in order to prevent any possible on-the-job exposure.

Fortunately, I have some vacation time coming so it shouldn't be too much of a financial problem for me. Plus I'm already starting to lose weight so I might end up being healthier when I go back to work than I've been so far. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And I'm grateful that I already have a box of face masks on hand that I bought long before anyone ever heard of the Corona virus. And I'm especially thankful that I'm not in the hospital right now. All too many people nowadays don't have a choice about that.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

I am currently recovering from a fall at work -- an incident that lasted less than five minutes but had consequences that have lasted for at least a week so far.

I went to the local hospital almost immediately after the accident took place on Tuesday of last week and was later transferred to a physical rehab facility on Tuesday of this week because I was still having trouble standing on my own for reasons too complicated to describe here.

On the plus side, none of my bones are broken, none of my organs are injured or impaired, and despite my worst fears, I have shown no signs of a head injury.

On the other side, I really, really, really, really can't wait to get out of here and go home. I'll give you more details about that last part when I get home.

Health Report

I have been seeing a physical therapist about my neck and so far her efforts have paid off. I have been back at work for over a week now and so far my neck has not bothered me like it used to. It helps that I'm doing exercises to improve my neck muscles. It helps that I am paying more attention to my posture. (Holding up your head is actually a good way to prevent future neck pain. Who knew?) And it helps that I'm getting neck rubs on a regular basis. (I used to get regular neck rubs from my mejor amiga but since she retired and is no longer with us, that is no longer an option for me.)

Of course, I'm not totally out of the woods. I recently had to change health insurance companies and as you might guess, that is causing all sorts of problems. Plus the sight of my physical therapist makes me miss my former novia and bride-to-be even though the two of them are hardly identical.

Oh, well. When I was in the hospital, I saw so many people who had worse problems...

TV Quote of the Week

I got what the world would call a normal, boring job. I wake up in the morning, get dressed, drive myself to work, put on a nametag... take my brain out of my skull and place it in a drawer. I spend the next 9 hours smiling at people, pretending to be interested in their happiness, tolerating the company of my coworkers... staring at the clock. At the end of the day, I take my nametag off, open the drawer, reach for my brain, plop it back inside, walk to the employee parking lot, drive myself home and it's really, really... really boring. Looks like I'm going to be doing it for a long, long time.
--Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds, "No Man Is Pudding"

Apparently I'm Puerto Rican Now

At least that's the impression I got from a Hispanic customer at my current place of employment yesterday when she asked me if I were Puerto Rican.

I'm not, of course, but apparently to her eyes, I looked like one. Needless to say, that's hardly the worst thing that could be said about me. Nor is it the first time I've been mistaken for a member of a different ethnic group other than the one I'm in. (Of course, as an ethnic half and half (half-Polish, half Mexican), I'm technically not a member of one ethnic group but still.)

At any rate, when I was growing up, I used to obsess about the fact that I didn't look more like my Mexican-American relatives. Apparently that's still true but at least I'm being mistaken for actual Hispanics now. So that's a good thing, right?

Another Year Older and Deeper in Debt

I had a good birthday celebration last week thanks to my mother and my youngest brother, but I'm finding it harder and harder to find time to write, and when I do write, I find it harder and harder to resist the temptation to sound like Dr. Greg House. And of course, it doesn't help that the last time I got out of the hospital, I thought quite seriously about buying a cane due to assorted health problems. Such problems have since been resolved but still...

On the bright side, I'm still employed.

I hope that all my loyal readers are enjoying good fortune as well.

Show Tune of the Week: "A Very Good Day"

A song that never fails to make me cry. And one that is, of course, dedicated to all the people out there who do the work that others would rather not deal with.

A Return to Retail

My first official job -- at least the first one I actually got paid for -- was a retail job so it naturally makes some kind of sense that my current job is also in retail.

It's probably just as well. I could not stay unemployed forever and while I don't consider my current job to be my ideal job, it does provide me with a regular paycheck and the opportunity to pay off many of the bills I acquired during my long period of unemployment.

Anyway, lately there has been so much bad news in my life that it seems like no wonder that my last few posts have been devoted to celebrity obituaries. Worse yet, most of my friends are having a bad time of it as well. Of course, neither my life nor theirs is as bad as it could be but that's not always a convincing consolation.

On the bright side, I do get to meet a lot of interesting people at work. Then again I also get to meet a lot of people I would not rather have to meet.

But such is life. If nothing else, my job gives me the opportunity to observe people in a way that I could have never done when I was unemployed. Plus I get the opportunity to interact with people in a way that I haven't done in a long time. And I've already been at my job for over a year so I should be due for a vacation some time this coming month. At least I hope so.

I'm Back!

But for how long, only time can tell.

I'm still relying on the kindness of family for my Internet access -- though I suspect I might have been better off when I was relying on the kindness of strangers.

On the bright side, I'm still working and I actually managed to go in and out of the hospital in record time this year. Of course, it might have been better if I had managed to stay out but I guess you can't have everything.

Anyway, I hope all my readers are well.

My New Job's a Hassle...

And the kids have the flu. But it's sure nice talking to you folks. It's sure nice talking to you...

Wait a sec. I don't have any kids!

Movie Quote of the Week

I can sit there and do nothing as good as anyone.
--Parker Posey, Clockwatchers (1997)

Yes, I Am Still Alive

Either I'm working too much or else I'm sleeping too much. Either way I have not had time to update this blog in the way that I wish to.

I am supposed to see a doctor later this week and with luck, things will improve after that. In the meantime, I'll be visiting this site in my dreams.

Movie Quote of the Week

You get paid what I say. You do what I say, I run you, there is no discussion. I want, you work, until you are burned-out, you are busted, or you're dead... You get it? You got responsibilities -- tighten up n' do it. Clean this mess up, get 'im outta here. Back to work, Frank.
--Robert Prosky, Thief (1981)

Thoughts on Re-Entering the Workplace

I have forgotten how tiring it is to work in a retail store.

For that matter, I have forgotten how tiring it is to work any full-time job.

For many months, I had woken up early in the morning to take a neighbor to work and I believed that because I was waking up as early as the guy I was driving to work, that that alone constituted a big sacrifice. Now I'm working again and when I get off work -- even if I work only five hours -- I feel so beat that I can barely make it to my car. And once there, I have to rest a few minutes before I can summon up the energy to drive home.

Maybe it's my age catching up with me.

Or my health.

I don't really need to be working in a stressful job like the one I recently obtained but then it's not like I have much choice. Most of the jobs that seemed like better fits for my personality were under the control of people who did not believe me to be all that qualified for those positions. And quite frankly, I'd rather be working an imperfect job right now than be waiting forever for a perfect job.

At least, this way I still have a chance of getting out of debt. And I don't have to beg for money from my friends and relatives in order to pay my bills. And it feels so good to finally have money coming in again.

I just hope I make it through probation. I don't think I could stand to go through the whole job search process any time soon.

Buscando Trabajo de Nuevo: Parte XXIX

I think my search finally ended this week.

I am keeping my fingers crossed just in case.

If nothing else, this past week has reminded me all too well about how exhausting some "simple" jobs can be.

If my blogging seems especially light in the weeks ahead, please consider it a sign that my work schedule is keeping me busier than usual. And in this case, "busy" is good.

Of course, part of me would rather be blogging but since I have yet to find a way to make my writing help pay my bills, I am forced to earn my daily bread in other ways.

Please wish me luck.

Random Thoughts

What does it say about my life that my initial response to the first declaration of love I have received from a woman since I broke up with my former bride-to-be was to try to argue her out of it?

Do I have to vote for a presidential candidate this year?

If automation is truly putting an end to the repetitive and soul-destroying jobs of yesteryear, why do so many of the jobs available nowadays tend to be repetitive and soul-destroying?

Of course, having to continually search for work in this economic climate isn't exactly an ego-booster either.

If atheism is so fashionable nowadays, why do so many people other than me throw around words like "soul-destroying"? I thought atheists didn't recognize the existence of a soul.

Movie Quote of the Week

All my mother does is work. That's how you get to be Spanish.
--Elizabeth Peña, Lone Star (1996)

Whatever Happened to Labor Day?

Labor Day was originally a day set aside in September so that working people could count on at least one day off each year that was not Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day. So why are so many businesses always open on this day?

Apart from banks and government offices, it seems like almost every business from grocery stores to video rental shops is open at least part-time* on Labor Day and while this must be most convenient to those few working stiffs who actually have the day off yet still feel the need to run errands, it's not so convenient to the many working stiffs who actually have to work that day.

Ironically, the best way to assure that you won't have to work on Labor Day is to become a member of management. Because managers rarely have to work on Labor Day while laborers more often than not do.

What else can I say about all this except, "Heh. Irony"?

* Slightly less than 24 hours, at least according to the New Math.

Where Have All the Stories Gone?

I have decided to stop posting my "cuentos de mi id" -- aka my short stories -- until the first of August. I start training for a new job next week and I am not sure how much time I will be having on Mondays to post anything.

Besides, I also wish to transcribe more stories and -- if luck is with me -- even write a few new ones without the added pressure of having to post something once a week on this site.

I will try and keep up with my other regular features. If any more changes occur, I will let you know.

Thank you for your patience.

Turn and Face the Strange Ch-Ch-Changes

If I pass orientation next week and am able to start my new job successfully, I'll probably be posting less stuff on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and more on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I already plan to start posting my Movie Song of the Week on Monday when my schedule allows for it and my Pop Song of the Week on Tuesday.

For some reason, there seems to be a law on the Internet that for every unembeddable music video out there on the Net, there's at least a dozen embeddable ones. Of course, that could change but then I kept expecting to run out of entries for my Movie Song of the Week all this year and so far that doesn't seem likely to happen.

I wouldn't mind requests, though.