1. So remember how I got written up at work? Yeah, it happened again. Fuckers. The problem:
- I came in one morning expecting to have product from one of my distributors to shelve. My immediate supervisor told me 'Oh, that load got thrown by night crew last night', meaning that it should already be on my shelves. I didn't question this; he's my boss and he doesn't like to be second-guessed. As it happened, he was wrong. The next day I arrived to a write-up. The product had not been put up, simply shoved into my chickenwire cage where I assumed it was simply a u-boat of seasonal product- there were already two similar boats in there, so it wasn't much of a logical leap. Consequently I had reordered that distributor's product while what we had was still not out, so basically we got twice as much of everything as we needed.
Now, granted, I should have looked more closely at the boats in the cage and questioned my boss's word. Never in the year I've worked there have night crew ever stuffed a boat in my cage without telling me, though, and questioning my boss is courting trouble.
Considering that all the extra product fit to the shelf with no real trouble, I don't see why this was writeup-worthy.

2. I lost my wallet after game last weekend; it arrived in my mailbox on Thursday. A kindly jogger found it on 116.

3. Life is otherwise fantastic.

So, I got written up at work today.

1. The store manager waited until 3:00 to deliver the writeup.
2. The human resources/advocacy woman is on vacation, so my 'advocate' was an assistant manager in the store manager's back pocket.

Both of these contradict company policy.

3. The writeup, ostensibly, was for 'not using enough critical thinking / independent decision making'.

My company restructured in December. Managers and manager trainees at my level were flattened into a non-managerial 'specialist' position with some of the more experienced clerks. No updated job description was ever furnished. Therefore I have no way of knowing what kinds of independence and personal initiative are actually required of me.

In addition, my attempts at independent decision-making at work are generally shot down with minimal explanation; I am usually furnished step-by-step task lists in the same way as an ordinary part-time clerk- of whom, I will add, thought of any kind is not expected.

As far as I can tell, the sole purpose of this write-up was to create the beginning of a paper trail so that I can be removed at the next round of lay-offs and terminations.

That or they're hoping I'll get so frustrated that I'll just leave.

Foolishly, I thought I could escape this winter without even one cold.

When I went to bed last night I had a scratchy sore throat with some associated sniffles. This morning it was decidedly worse- thankfully I had the day off anyway.

My condition has not improved. I have tried the two extremes- this morning I threw some Nyquil at the problem. I was hoping it would stop the sniffles and allow my throat to heal. It only made me slightly loopy. When it wore off, I took some Advil Cold & Sinus (the original formulation with pseudoephedra, which you have to sign for at pharmacy counters now). It caused me to sleep from elevenish until about ten minutes ago.

What day off?

I have done one thing: I've loaded the dishwasher. Now apparently I have to take the dog outside, so she tells me.

[pause for pony-size dog interlude]

And we're back.

Gods help me, she wants to play.