PayDay

O Hallowed Day

So today was payday. A rather strange day of the week to get paid, I've always thought, but I'm not complainin. I was somewhat disappointed not to see the annual cost-of-living raise take effect this paycheck, as it was supposed to... but it's not like it's gonna break me. Perhaps it's supposed to take effect on the paycheck that results from the first timesheet submitted in September. Who knows. I'll have to ask the other bi-weekly staff if they saw theirs.

*break to take care of a sudden case of Ms. Pukesalot's namesake. I certainly go through a lot of carpet cleaner... *sigh*

Evolving Position

Amway, there's more than one reason I'm not horribly concerned about the missing 3.5% increase today. After talking to the Office Manager at work this morning, I believe the uncertainty which has enshrouded my future employment situation is beginning to clear up... with some mighty fine prospects for a much more consequential raise.

See, I joined this particular department of the University last November. Mine is technically a "temporary" position... expiring after one year, but with full indication that I'd be kept on afterwards, in one capacity or another. One of the ladies in the office is due to retire this coming year, and she has a LOTTA stuff stored up in her head. Essentially, I was hired to spend a year and a half to download all that stuff into MY head. Then, during the course of the last 10 months, it has been discovered that I have a number of uses, and my responsibilities have evolved and grown into a potential brand new position.

What to Do With Me?

Unfortunately, this left a few options to be considered: Do they extend my temporary billing and have me replace the Retiree when she leaves? Do they create a new position for me and hire somebody else to replace her? Do they combine the two positions and not hire anybody else? Honestly, I don't begrudge my boss the dilemma of which is the best and most economical choice for the department. I've just been concerned that the decision-making process may bypass the appropriate amount of time needed to process the paperwork... and there I'll be without a job. Again. (I'd been hunting for work for about 4 months before I started here... a rather long story for another time.)

But I've tried to check in on a regular basis just to see how progress is going (and stuff a gentle reminder in his face.) Also, the Office Manager (consequently, the other tattoo'd chick) has been completely in my corner, applying pressure at the top. And it seems our efforts are finally bearing fruit. From what I understand of our discussion this morning, they're starting the process of creating a new position for me to slide right into in November. And when I switch from temporary to permanent, I should be able to keep my accrued benefits AND pull in the salary they'd WANTED to offer me when I started but couldn't cuz... well, the University system plain and simply screwed me over. But I'll go into all that when I return to the long story mentioned above.

New Toy

Amway, the long and the short: all is good. :) Of course, I can't really pop the cork until the deed is done and documented in triplicate, but definate progress is being made. And it didn't stop me from spending some entirely unnecessary but highly satisfying money today. Well, some of it was VERY necessary, and the other... well, I guess it depends on one's point of view, I suppose.

Okay, okay... so I bought me a new $350 digital camera for $125 on e-Bay. Woo-hoo! But see... there's a reason I suddenly decided out of nowhere that I needed a digital camera. Cuz I've started developing a gameplan for my blog, here. And part of that gameplan is instituting a Photo of the Week... which, really, requires me to have a digital camera with which to regularly download pics, correct? So see? Definately necessary... and I found one that gives me enough flexibility in options... but also operates on autopilot when I don't need anything special. This will be my first dig cam, and I'm all kinds of lookin forward to pokin around and playin with it. :)

Helpin Out

Also, to counterbalance my totally selfish acquisition (for which I'm still rationalizing, as you can see), I finally sat down and figured out how to send a li'l cash out the way of the Red Cross and Humane Society for Disaster Relief. It's not an awful lot, but I know every little bit helps. So many places, inside and outside the U.S., have suffered at the hands of Charley, Frances... and now Ivan. Hopefully, Nature will decide to give it a rest... or at least let up a little, soon.

Return Guaranteed?!

On a final note, I just wanted to share a job ad I found in my local paper's online site a few weeks ago when I was playin with the idea of mebbe gettin a second job for extra cash... I printed it out and have it taped to my cabinet at work:

TRAVEL U.S.A.
Publication Sales Co. hiring 18 sharp enthusiastic individuals to travel the U.S. Travel, training, lodging and transportation furnished.
Return Guaranteed.

I'm thinkin that's the dealbreaker. *grin*