Lisa has decided to take up a small extra-curricular activity as of late. She first stated that she would never figure out how to ever post, if she felt led... Now she's out-smarted her own husband by changing the layout as well as adding a poll. She actually wants some interaction.
She's so demanding!
You can witness her first post here.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Too Much Time On My Hands
I've spent the last three months cooped up in our small house with only limited travel to the outside world. Now I'm not saying this because I feel like I'm a prisoner in my own house, or that my wife keeps me locked up in shackles while she's at work during the day, but I've kept my roaming to a minimum.
I've done this for two reasons. The first is that unless I have a specific destination in mind, there really is no need to just go out, especially if I'm driving. The second is in relation to the current fuel prices. I never thought that the day would come where the possibility of $4 per gallon for regular unleaded wasn't a possibility anymore, but more like an eventuality. I don't struggle with that anymore. I struggle with "will it be here by the end of summer or the end of the year"?
Anyway, I digress...
The title of this post is quite an understatement, in my most humbling and honest opinion. When I was first released from my last employer (a really nice way of saying that I was fired), I thought that the emotional scarring of being stabbed in the back wouldn't take very long to heal. Boy was I wrong!
I filed for unemployment back in February. I felt that my termination wasn't handled in a fair manner. Do I admit to making a mistake? Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that I screwed up by making an adjustment and not contacting the proper personnel afterwards. I sat at my desk for a good four hours a day, if not longer (depending on the workload from the warehouse) keying adjustments, making new item numbers, running reports and altering item descriptions codes along with all of my other job responsibilities on any given day.
Trying to pinpoint an exact adjustment made can sometimes be difficult, especially if it was over a week ago. As detail oriented as I am, a lot of it can become a blur when you're constantly entering and adjusting data for over half of your work day. According to my “release” I was asked if I had made a specific adjustment, to which I replied, “I don't remember.” It was later brought to my attention that I had made the adjustment. I never argued that fact. Computer programs these days can pull some of the most minute details that I never doubted if they wanted to find out who created the adjustment, that they would. Twenty-four hours later, I was without a job driving home in complete silence.
By the grace of God, my unemployment insurance was approved. Even though I obviously wasn't happy with the recent turn of events, at least I felt that I had scored one run before I was ejected from the game. Unfortunately, two weeks later, I come to find out that my unemployment was being contested. I felt bad enough as it was, but this was like being kicked while I was down. When my scheduled telephone hearing finally arrived on the first week of March, I could hardly keep the butterflies in my stomach from wanting to regurgitate my breakfast.
The biggest surprise, after everything was said and done, was that my former employers claimed I lied about making the adjustment. That seemed rather odd, considering that my separation notice never stated that. The impression I was given when they handed me my “pink slip” was that my adjustment made the accounting books for January unbalanced and that they were going to lose a significant amount of money. I was willing to accept that answer.
Thankfully, three days later, the state of Tennessee ruled in my favor, stating that my employer did not provide sufficient evidence that I had maliciously performed any kind of misconduct. There's nothing quite like the sweet satisfying taste of vindication. The hardest part, and to some degree still is, was the surprising act of betrayal by my former boss.
I remember a conversation I had with him almost three years ago. He had taken the time to call me and tell me that he was leaving the company and that he didn't want to me to hear it through the rumor mill that was very predominate in our store. I was somewhat shocked, because as close as I thought we were, he never expressed that he was unhappy with where he was in his career. However, I completely understood.
Less than two weeks later he was saying his goodbyes to everyone and he finally came around to me. We walked outside and I asked if I could give him a genuine critique, a piece of advice coming from someone who he worked closely with for the last couple of years. He agreed and I told him if he only takes away one thing, that he needed to learn to be more forgiving. That people make mistakes sometimes and that he needed to be able to give people a second chance. We then said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I find it rather ironic now, that less than three years later, I have now fallen under his strict and stubborn “sword of judgment.” Maybe throughout his career he had been screwed over just one too many times by giving people a second chance. Taking the time to speak with his former colleagues that I had also worked under, I began to realize that some of his biggest weaknesses that he had possessed back then, like his stubbornness, wasn't anything new to them. Perhaps one day he might change and be able to grow into a more forgiving person.
It has taken me quite some time over the course of the past three months to finally be the bigger person and forgive him. We're all human beings and we all make mistakes. Some are unfortunately bigger than others and some can't reward the opportunity of second chances. I know the kind of integrity I possess. I'm not the kind of person who could lie to a direct superior, especially about something as minimal as what I had done. But what is done, is done. Maybe one day he'll stumble across my site again and read this.
Writing this post has been rather therapeutic. I know I haven't been on topic for the past several months, but I hope to change things around very soon. Thank you for lending me your ears and/or eyes (and since I don't personally read my posts to you, I guess you only lend your eyes to me and your ability to be literate). So, I guess I thank you for being blessed with the faculty of sight, the wonderful gift of literacy and ability to tolerate my writing.
I promise bigger and better things in the next few days to come.
Until next time, dear readers.
I've done this for two reasons. The first is that unless I have a specific destination in mind, there really is no need to just go out, especially if I'm driving. The second is in relation to the current fuel prices. I never thought that the day would come where the possibility of $4 per gallon for regular unleaded wasn't a possibility anymore, but more like an eventuality. I don't struggle with that anymore. I struggle with "will it be here by the end of summer or the end of the year"?
Anyway, I digress...
The title of this post is quite an understatement, in my most humbling and honest opinion. When I was first released from my last employer (a really nice way of saying that I was fired), I thought that the emotional scarring of being stabbed in the back wouldn't take very long to heal. Boy was I wrong!
I filed for unemployment back in February. I felt that my termination wasn't handled in a fair manner. Do I admit to making a mistake? Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that I screwed up by making an adjustment and not contacting the proper personnel afterwards. I sat at my desk for a good four hours a day, if not longer (depending on the workload from the warehouse) keying adjustments, making new item numbers, running reports and altering item descriptions codes along with all of my other job responsibilities on any given day.
Trying to pinpoint an exact adjustment made can sometimes be difficult, especially if it was over a week ago. As detail oriented as I am, a lot of it can become a blur when you're constantly entering and adjusting data for over half of your work day. According to my “release” I was asked if I had made a specific adjustment, to which I replied, “I don't remember.” It was later brought to my attention that I had made the adjustment. I never argued that fact. Computer programs these days can pull some of the most minute details that I never doubted if they wanted to find out who created the adjustment, that they would. Twenty-four hours later, I was without a job driving home in complete silence.
By the grace of God, my unemployment insurance was approved. Even though I obviously wasn't happy with the recent turn of events, at least I felt that I had scored one run before I was ejected from the game. Unfortunately, two weeks later, I come to find out that my unemployment was being contested. I felt bad enough as it was, but this was like being kicked while I was down. When my scheduled telephone hearing finally arrived on the first week of March, I could hardly keep the butterflies in my stomach from wanting to regurgitate my breakfast.
The biggest surprise, after everything was said and done, was that my former employers claimed I lied about making the adjustment. That seemed rather odd, considering that my separation notice never stated that. The impression I was given when they handed me my “pink slip” was that my adjustment made the accounting books for January unbalanced and that they were going to lose a significant amount of money. I was willing to accept that answer.
Thankfully, three days later, the state of Tennessee ruled in my favor, stating that my employer did not provide sufficient evidence that I had maliciously performed any kind of misconduct. There's nothing quite like the sweet satisfying taste of vindication. The hardest part, and to some degree still is, was the surprising act of betrayal by my former boss.
I remember a conversation I had with him almost three years ago. He had taken the time to call me and tell me that he was leaving the company and that he didn't want to me to hear it through the rumor mill that was very predominate in our store. I was somewhat shocked, because as close as I thought we were, he never expressed that he was unhappy with where he was in his career. However, I completely understood.
Less than two weeks later he was saying his goodbyes to everyone and he finally came around to me. We walked outside and I asked if I could give him a genuine critique, a piece of advice coming from someone who he worked closely with for the last couple of years. He agreed and I told him if he only takes away one thing, that he needed to learn to be more forgiving. That people make mistakes sometimes and that he needed to be able to give people a second chance. We then said our goodbyes and parted ways.
I find it rather ironic now, that less than three years later, I have now fallen under his strict and stubborn “sword of judgment.” Maybe throughout his career he had been screwed over just one too many times by giving people a second chance. Taking the time to speak with his former colleagues that I had also worked under, I began to realize that some of his biggest weaknesses that he had possessed back then, like his stubbornness, wasn't anything new to them. Perhaps one day he might change and be able to grow into a more forgiving person.
It has taken me quite some time over the course of the past three months to finally be the bigger person and forgive him. We're all human beings and we all make mistakes. Some are unfortunately bigger than others and some can't reward the opportunity of second chances. I know the kind of integrity I possess. I'm not the kind of person who could lie to a direct superior, especially about something as minimal as what I had done. But what is done, is done. Maybe one day he'll stumble across my site again and read this.
Writing this post has been rather therapeutic. I know I haven't been on topic for the past several months, but I hope to change things around very soon. Thank you for lending me your ears and/or eyes (and since I don't personally read my posts to you, I guess you only lend your eyes to me and your ability to be literate). So, I guess I thank you for being blessed with the faculty of sight, the wonderful gift of literacy and ability to tolerate my writing.
I promise bigger and better things in the next few days to come.
Until next time, dear readers.
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