1 day off NOT 2

Last night I found out a computer I worked on earlier in the day still had problems.  It worked fine for me but apparently not for the user.  Since the company is going away on a trip I decided to be a nice guy and said that I would have it fixed when they get back.  That means I have to give up one of my days off to make it happen.  It will be strange to be in the office by myself but I am sure I will get a whole lot more done since no one will be bugging me and the phone won’t ring!  I am going in on all days Friday.  Yeah, I know but Thursday is all MINE!

Plans for Thursday are to get my car serviced.  Just routine maintenance, nothing special.  To eat at an Italian place that I have always wanted to stop at.  Hopefully, to file for our Civil Union license.  Not too much for one day, right?

Today I drove a total of 4 hours (2 hours each way) just to hook up a computer.  Yeah, I know.  This was a machine that was supposed to get shipped by FedEx but the person who does the shipping decided to send it to the wrong place.  Translation, it’s been a nightmare trying to get it back and to speed up the process of delivery, I took it there myself.  Sometimes that is the only way things get done, is that if you do them yourself. 

I stopped in for Pizza at the best pizza place in town.  It was heaven but I had to stop myself or else I wouldn’t want supper.  I also went home right after lunch.  I arrived about 3:30pm but then someone was having some problems so I had to do some work from home to help them.  I got that cleared up in a half hour and so I got an hour all to myself.  I crawled in bed with my partner and took a nap.  Then we went out for a bite to eat.

Yesterday I got a call from a lady that I used to work with.  I learned that my so called friend from HR was let go.  It was just corporate downsizing.  As much as I wished that would happen to her because of what she did to me, I felt really bad.  She had been on my mind for a couple days.  Turns out this all took place a month ago but word travels slow since the company has grown so big.  Anyway, I wanted to reach out to her and try to help.  I told my partner and I got the strangest look from him.  So I decided to set my feelings aside and sleep on it.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it and it nagged at me all day long.  So I spent the last couple hours composing something.  I fine tuned it and then I sent it via e-mail.  We exchanged personal email addresses prior to my departure.  I know I am the last person she expected to hear from but it’s like I told her, my passion is helping people and if she can benefit from some of the mistakes I made then so be it.  It’s the Christ like thing to do and it just feels right.

I have no idea what she will do with the e-mail, but I did what I felt I had to and the rest is up to her.  Who knows maybe she will laugh at me.  She has college, experience but age is not on her side.  She is close to 60 and that combined with the high ranking position she had will work against her.  Meaning that she will struggle like I did to find someone to hire her.  Age is a BIG factor when people make hiring decisions and it is illegal to refuse to hire someone on the sole basis of age but it’s done everyday and companies get by with it.  Discrimination in any form in employment is illegal but again companies get by with it every day.

So at least my mind is at ease.  Perhaps I will sleep really good tonight.  I still have some work to do for us to be able to get our license tomorrow.  So I am going to get cracking on that so I can hit the sack and veg out.  I have to get up early and I know I won’t want to so the quicker I get to bed the better off I will be.

I leave on Monday morning and it already feels like Friday to me.  I am looking forward to getting some good food.  I did my research last night and places like Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Outback Steakhouse are in my future!  That is 3 meals now I just have to plan 6 more, provided I get breakfast at the hotel each morning.

Take care, stay warm and do something kind to pay it forward.  You will be surprised when it comes back to you!  Talk with you peeps later!