On gratitude. A week late…

Yes, Thanksgiving was a week ago. It was also Monday (meaning the first day of the week for me). My Thanksgiving dinner was at Red Robin the preceding Tuesday (no Turkey, no Gravy Volcano, but at least there was bacon). There is much to be grateful for. My job (it may not pay much, but I do have benefits, and it pays my bills). My family (yes, we had issues like all families do, but they’re still my family). My health (I’m still diabetic but I get up in the morning, and I’m still wearing pants). The future (things can always get better).

Gratitude shouldn’t be restricted to just one day a year of stuffing seasoned bread up a turkey’s ass. It should be year round. It should be a state of mind…

Plans were changed…

After I called out last week, I thought I could make up time, so I volunteered to come in tonight. Got as ready for as I could. Even had Thanksgiving dinner early (take-out from Red Robin). I got up and headed out to work. Caught my first bus (which was late), and subsequently missed my connection. Which I didn’t realize until after I had gotten off the first bus, and it had pulled out. Had I stayed on the bus, I could’ve made a connection in downtown Tacoma, but this was a case where Onebusaway went down right as I was looking up my route. So, I was stuck in Parkland stressing out about making it in to work on time, and then I realized something. Tonight was originally my day off. Management didn’t ask me to come in, I had volunteered. So I decided to quit stressing about making it in to work on my day off, called the store, & went back home. Now if I was scheduled to work tonight, then I would’ve waited the hour and tried my darndest to get it to work on time. But I’m not going to put myself through that level of stress on my supposed day off. I work retail and the most stressful time of the year are upon me, and I’m not going to give myself anymore stress than I need to…

One thing leads to another….

I use the onebusaway app to look up my bus rides. Using this, I give myself 10 minutes to walk to the bus stop, and I have 3 minute cushion at the bus stop. Except for today. I didn’t check the app, because the bus is supposed to come at 7:24. So I left at 7:14. And saw the bus go by my stop 3 minutes early. Needless to say, I missed the bus. As the bus drove past, I check the app, and I saw that the bus was 3 minutes early, and I wasn’t supposed to have showed up yet. This is not good. But a quick check of the bus schedules showed I could still make it to work on time. The transfer window was going to be really tight, but I was willing to try. So, and hour later, I head back out the bus stop and wait. And wait. And wait. I check the app, and the bus is running late. Late enough that I’ll miss the really tight connection, and won’t make it to work on time. And I would’ve been an hour late or more. And at my employer being an hour late or more is the same occurrence as an absence. It sounds strange, but those are the rules. So, if I’m going to take the same attendence hit, I might as well call out…

And it didn’t help that at my second attempt to catch the bus, there was an unstable gentlemen at the bus stop having a heated argument on the phone, and I’m really not in the mood to jeopardize my safety waiting for a late bus…

Update on the fiscal front, and some other things…

Paycheck hit my account about an hour ago. So, I decided to pay my bills. Bills are now paid, but ninety percent of my paycheck is gone. Well, not completely ninety percent, but a good chunk of it. I still have money left.

Thanksgiving is next week, and of course, I will be working. Par for the course for my job. I don’t begrudge it, I knew what the deal was when I started with my employer. So I’ll probably celebrate it the day or so before. At Mrs Fields, with Red Robin. Or Chinese takeout. Or even Soylent Green. Don’t know Soylent Green. After all, the taste varies from person to person.

Christmas is coming up next month. Which means Christmas shopping. This year will be a little bit more frugal tha last year, since I cut up most of my credit cards this past spring. But I will still be able to afford it this year. Especially since I no longer shop at Worst Buy. If I can find it at Worst Buy, then I can get it for a lower price at Spamazon, Newegg, or Wally World. Who knows, I may even do some of it at eBay…