So the last time I wrote, I was at work. Bored as usual, I decided to create a blog that after logging out of, I couldn't figure out how to log back into...until today. I'm truly not sure if I'll keep this up, as my daily obsessions with checking myspace and facebook consume most of my energy, but I can make you a promise that I will try my darndest.
Shall I give a recap of the previous 14 months? I continued on with my wonderful job for another month or so before accepting a position at the drug and alcohol rehab facility through Foote Hospital. Hours were 3rd shift, pay was hourly, benefits were equal to what I was receiving already, but the biggest difference was it guaranteed me a steady paycheck. If you know me at all, you know the mess I put up with regarding payless paydays, etc. so this was HUGE. So I worked 2 full-time jobs for a month, trying to use up all vacation and comp time at job #1 before officially leaving the position. After that month, I decided that the crazy hours, less pay, and lack of a decent job description at job #2 did not make up for the guarantee of a paycheck, so I left. Crazy, I know, but the mental state I was in was something I was not prepared for, and my only explanation was that I had accepted a job making less money and working crappy hours.
So, I was back to the grind at job #1, telling myself that I loved what I did and could put up with the questionable stability for a bit longer. Besides, I have my degree in Criminal Justice, not Substance Abuse Counseling. I didn't know how to respond to somebody at 7 a.m. when the fire alarm is going off but they refuse to leave because they're a drug addict and have no logic. Apparently, taking a crap is more beneficial than leaving a burning building. (no the building wasn't on fire...one of the residents just tried cooking breakfast and burned the bacon, but still...)
Fast forward to October. I'm at the eye doctor for my yearly exam, excited to order new glasses and have my insurance pay for them. But before I even see the doctor, the secretary tells me I don't have eye insurance and they can't see me unless I have insurance, or I pay upfront for the visit. Whaa?? Whoah Whoah Whoah. I don't know that I'll actually get paid when payday rolls around, so I definitely can't write a check for a $95 eye exam and $230 glasses. So, I call the secretary at work and she tells me they've been having some problems with the insurance and they're working on straightening things out. So I simply reschedule my eye appointment and follow up with work to make sure my health insurance truly is being straightened out. Long story short, it's April 2008 and it's still not straightened out.
Oh, did I mention I was under the impression at the end of October that things had been straightened out and saw the doctor for chest pains I'd been having? Yeah, he ran an EKG and everything, ordered an ECG for me to make sure my heart murmur wasn't anything too concerning and sent me on my way. I found out immediately after that visit that I still did not have health insurance and there was no answer for why. Currently, I'm awaiting payment for approximately $2000 in medical bills that I acquired between August 31, 2007 and December 18, 2007. I know you wish you were me.
I say December 18 and not December 31 because on December 18, 2007 at approximately 2:15 p.m. I was no longer employed by my job #1 employers. Can't give a reason why, except I was trying to figure out why I hadn't been paid in almost 3 weeks. Nobody seemed to have an answer and I got fired for wanting to know. I guess that was life lesson #2898: if you're employed by unethical, money grubbing scum, don't ask why you're not receiving payment for the 40+ hours you put in every week. I'll be sure to always research potential employer's integrity before applying. Never again will I put myself in the position to be treated so poorly. I deserve much better than that.
So here I sit, April 25, 2008, reliving the past year in a matter of sentences, hoping for a much brighter future. I've had a splendid 2008 thus far, improving my health by exercising daily (most of the time) and eating "right" (gotta be heart-healthy and cancer-preventing!) with a view all too different than I had a year ago.
As I said in the beginning, I'll do my best to continue to update more frequently, but I just can't say what will happen in the coming days, weeks, or months. Or if I'll remember how to log-in again after today...
