The Aftermath of The Storm

So after last night's rant about how things really hit the fan all at once, today has passed. Surprisingly, I have made it unscathed.

Today I got the testing done and was back in the office by 1:30. We did not have to test all of the girls, but the traffic was bad enough that I decided to not make the trip to NY today. My dad got my uncle (his brother) to go to the golf tourney with him, and I got to get home early.

That was the good news.

I still have not been paid. I got back to the office to the good news of "We can leave at 2pm." With only 3o minutes to spare I quickly inquired about my paycheck. An hour later, after finally reaching someone at payroll, we were given this message "I was really busy and just did not get to it. I apologize but there is nothing I can do now. Cutting a check is a 3 department process and it is after 2 pm on a holiday weekend Friday. No one is here to do that for you. We should definitely have you a check next week." That last part was apparently supposed to be encouraging. Unfortunately, the word 'should' after 6 weeks of work keeps that sentence from meaning anything other than "I can't give you an answer that is at all definitive."

Luckily my mom is kind enough to lend me enough cash to make it through the weekend. I literally, other wise, would not have had enough cash to pay for gas. I actually dont even have enough money to afford a weekly train pass for work next week. I wish I could use that as an excuse and stay home, but I have too much to do.

At this point I am absolutely astounded at the incompetency. First my last name coming up twice in their system was too confusing (imagine enrollment and common last names). Second I am now told that, despite the urgency of the situation (an employee is owed 110 hours of back pay) our payroll contact was too busy this week to get to paying me. I can't imagine, and hope that this happens anywhere else. Sheesh.

The Perfect Storm

Tomorrow somehow compounded rather terribly. Somehow, the university found a way to get confused over two people submitting paperwork at the same time with the same last name. Despite the fact that one is male and one is female, two separate addresses, and one was applying as a student, one as an employee - they still were unable to get past this. 6 weeks after my first day and I have not been paid a dime. I love my job, and I say that a lot on here. It helps a lot when something like this happens.

I am assured that a paycheck should be made for me tomorrow. Tomorrow, however is not the typical pay day, as they are a biweekly system and we are at the off week. I was told if I checked online, it would listed the pay check that I would be picking up tomorrow. There is nothing online. By the time I found this out, there was no one around to inform.

On Tuesday I agreed to go test at the facility this Friday (tomorrow). My plan was to head to NY and if I could leave from testing, I would already be an hour into my trip and that would mean out of the city to avoid the congestion of traffic on a holiday weekend.

My dad called me Wednesday to ask if I could get time off to come to watch Tiger play at the golf tourney that is in our area tomorrow to which he somehow got passes to. The day of the passes: Friday. I found out that he had asked all of his friends, but on such short notice, no one could get off on a Holiday weekend. He called me figuring I could, and hoping that to be the case as the result of a no would mean going alone or not going at all. Unfortunately he was a day too late and I already committed to testing.

By volunteering for testing, and after realizing that I may not actually get paid tomorrow, I need to follow up with accounts during the day to make sure I have money in my bank account by the end of business tomorrow. Unfortunately, again, I will be offsite testing. At the facility I cannot bring in my cell phone, and if I leave, I have to go through security again. With this being a holiday weekend, even if we get out at 3:30, the people I need to talk to about getting paid may already be gone. Additionally, I may not make it back to the office in time to even pick up the check. You see, since this is my first check (after 6 weeks) it is a physical check. Only after the first will they do direct deposit.

You know what that means. I have to drive back into Philadelphia tomorrow after heading an hour towards NY, so that I can pick up my check because otherwise I literally won't be able to afford the gas to get me home. I am that broke.

Why am I that broke? Because 6 weeks ago when I was convinced to not bother financing my computer, I had the money then, I was sold on the idea that yes I would be down to a couple hundred dollars initially. But I also had my Go Trip coming up where I would not be spending any money for a week. By the time I returned, my first check would be waiting for me and it would replenish my funds.

I spent all of my graduation money on my Trip cost and the computer and 6 weeks later I have almost no money to my name. You know what that means. If I do not get paid tomorrow, and having no one to contact anyone to force them to write me a check by any means necessary, I will be unable to even go to NY for 4th of July weekend. With no NY trip, there would be no reason to volunteer to test in NJ tomorrow to make myself closer to my destination. Had I not volunteered I could have been around to sit down with people at payroll and finalize things. I also would have been able to go to the golf tourney with my dad.

So, somehow, everything converged on this day leaving everything up in the air, me broke, my dad without a friend to go to the golf match tomorrow, my friends in NY unable to make plans since they do not know if and when I will be coming, etc. etc. It's both incredibly frustrating and impressive at how much this situation is total FUBAR. Sheesh.

Troubles

Today, while continuously boasting the new features of my brand new MBP, my mom's computer did just the opposite. Without moving, without touching anything, she was faced with the infamous Blue-Screen-Of-Death. After running several diagnostics, the computer found nothing wrong. We shut it off, and came back to it a bit later. Restarting apparently was all it needed. Maybe it was a temporary glitch in how it started up. Hopefully it is nothing more. Regardless, she now has made several mentions about how it would be nice if she could afford to buy herself something like I have.

I do not pity a woman who is able to support a family, own a car, own a house, and put food on the table. This is especially true after her remark yesterday of, "once you pay for the train, and health care, you won't be making anything. What are you going to do?" I'm going to enjoy my job, and take advantage of my opportunities within it. I love going to work, and I love what I am doing. It' so much and it is absolutely overwhelming, but I wouldn't trade it. I was added to a paper being submitted for review today. This means I am getting co-authored, aka published. It's my third week. I was just asked to co-author a manuscript that I will begin working on at the end of the summer. These are in addition to getting credit for writing a grant later this year, and speaking at a national psych conference next March. So - that's what I am going to do. And I cannot wait!

2 Down

Today completed my training, my cushion, my safety net. Today we said good bye to Meghann. She was an incredible help and guide and made my first two weeks at this job amazing. We really got along well and I loved the natural feeling to it all - it was as if we'd always worked together. Unfortunately, for both of us as we admitted, the only reason I was even there was because she inevitably would not be.

That time has come. When the work week starts again things get real. The entire department - the undergrads and the experiences they'll gain, need and use for their careers, as well as the grad students and the studies, the treatment, and the research they are conducting, and the overall product for Naomi all fall into my hands.

I don't think it has hit me yet, and I don't know if being there alone Tuesday will do that or not. What I do know is I am, in theory, ready and excited. Let's see how it goes.

Mississippi in 1 week!!!

Aaaand ...SOLD!

I made my mac purchase today. Due in sometime next week. I cannot wait.

In other news, my RAs set off the fire alarm today causing the entire 13 story office building to evacuate. I was out to lunch with the person I am replacing. When we came back we walked in and were immediately told to close the door behind us. Then came the story.

"We had a fire alarm"

"Well that's the whole story, way to ruin it."

(false- only 1 small part of the story)

"Well, while she was in the bathroom, I decided to make my Mac & Cheese. When mine finished, I started to make hers. As I was putting it in the microwave she came back. About one minute in, something started to smell terrible. When I looked back to the microwave I notice it was all cloudy. I opened it and...well...it was filled with smoke. I took the easy mac container out and put it in the sink and filled it with water - this caused even more smoke, and then the alarm went of. We all had to evacuate the building. The firemen and police came- they questioned a bunch of people. At one point I overheard someone say 'I heard it was girls on the 10th floor' and just started to laugh."

Turns out, in being distracted with the other girl coming back, the first did not remember to fill the easy mac bowl with water. The seasoning lit on fire and that is that. A building full of faculty and other staff, 13 stories tall, on a 90 degree day, was forced to evacuate - meaning taking the stairs. This cuased me to remember being annoyed at a firetruck driving by during lunch (we ate outside). Yes, this truck was on it way to our building because of my RAs.

We laughed about it most of the afternoon.

Oh, and our floor is now without a microwave. Maybe because its broken. I think its punishment. The old - if you can't use it properly, you don't deserve to have it.

(courtesy of the 10th floor psychology lab)