11. like the old south, tuesday's gone with the wind

I'm off work til Monday! And I'll actually get paid as if I were there! I know it's hard for you to believe, but this will be the first paid holiday I've had in about 10 years. I guess you could count the ones when I worked for hubbie #2 as paid holidays, I got paid the same every week, and pretty much had it made there, except for smelling like fish all the time...
My vocational pursuits since leaving H2 (that's what we'll call him from now on.) have been ...ummm...chaotic. I think when I was younger, I may have been attracted to a little chaos, but now I'm just too tired for it.
It was hard, hard, hard! I can't stress how HARD it was to find a prospective employer who:
1. paid over $7/hr
2. offered benefits, any at all!
3. paid any sick days, funeral days, holidays (the days when they weren't even unlocking the door, if you WANTED to work)
4. treated employees with courtesy & respect
5. spoke in complete sentences & didn't say "shit" or "damn" while interveiwing
6. didn't seem to encourage a lot of "witnessing" on the job
and
7. didn't look at my ass before my head was even turned around good.

Sooner or later you have to pick the lesser of 2 (or 7) evils & just go to work.
Granted, yo's truly, me, myself & I, brought most of my vocational limitations on myself.
I don't have a degree. I'm one of those "some college" people on those tests. But baby, I'm proud of the some college I do have!
I've never really stayed at a job long. 5 years, tops.
I cannot tolerate malicious gossip or verbal abuse.
There are also certain background checks I don't think I'd pass...I have to stay away from some lines of work...

On my tax returns for 2003 I had w2's from 6 different jobs. I was exhausted!
Long story short, last November I started at my present job. It didn't pay what I needed (wanted) but I just had a feeling, and I took it. It's been such a blessing (if you believe in blessings, I'm still open). I have a really cool boss who's always kind to me, is smart, and gets my jokes, loves all kinds of movies, and even though he is a baptist, he NEVER witnesses to me, but we do have conversations about what's wrong with religion. I think he knows kinda where I stand there...
I pick up & take on more responsibilities pretty often, and a lot of our business is through e-mail, so I don't even really have to TALK to people much. (I never could stand working in a store, or a very public office, seeing & talking & touching all those people EVERYDAY!)
The other people there are all also kind, and everybody just minds their own business, and on downtime we can surf the net, AS LONG AS IT'S NOT PORN, so that's about the kicker for me.

The reason I tell you all this is sometime in the next 10 days or so, I'm gonna sit down with Mr. T (that's my boss) and he'll get to tell me what Mr Green (the company owner) has allotted for my raise. It better be good, or I'll have to get a second job at walmart or something.
Wish me luck & money happiness!!
I'm keeping an optimistic outlook!
love, tired,
azb