So here it is:

Tomorrow is my last day at Artisan fucking Magnetics.

😁😁😁 I am STOKED! 😁😁😁

I know that probably sounds terrible, but I've been walked upon and shat upon for long enough. Three years is long enough, right?

For those who have somehow missed out on my periodic rants, let's recap: I worked my ass off and received virtually nothing (except the experience I'm walking out the door with) in return.

When I started the office area was in shambles. There was no organization, no method to the madness, no files set up (except for those that my co-worker created and used). But that's it. There were piles and piles of paperwork - in boxes or just stacked somewhere. Guess who had to organize all of that, and figure out what was in the accounting system or not, and what had been paid for or not? Me. And I did. And I did it well considering that this was my first bookkeeping experience straight out of college. (The teachers pretty much expect that you'll get a job working under someone with experience... but that didn't happen in my case. I was pretty much on my own and I think I handled things well).

Anyway, I've endured:

• being laid off at inopportune times
• the company randomly shutting down and re-opening
• Nick being laid off out of spite (because I stood my ground one day)
• stress and anger almost daily due to terrible management decisions
• being lied to
• watching the boss's family and friends getting paid outrageously and promoted

... and that's in addition to steadily taking on more work (including two other people's jobs) and not getting a raise IN TWO YEARS. There's (unfortunately) so much more that I could say, but I just don't want to get into the specifics. Not today, anyway - I'm in a fairly decent mood. So yeah... you can probably only imagine how fed up I've been. My main goal this year was to leave this place and I can't express how excited I am that tomorrow I get to walk away and not look back.

I know I probably sound really terrible for saying all of these things (and I realize that this is wayyy unprofessional - hence this being a preferred post), but this shit was affecting me. It was affecting my mood daily, and thus, my quality of life. Nobody wants to come home angry every day (or dread their days before they even start, for that matter). I know that I sure don't.

Things weren't always this way, though. When I first started I was excited and happy to come to work. As time went on I saw more and more ridiculous things happen and my "happy and excited to be here" started fading until it pretty much turned to contempt over time. I just couldn't do this anymore. I'd rather work part-time, or two jobs, or something - ANYTHING - to get away from here. And so that's what I'm doing - stepping out of my comfort zone and going for something better.  Things are changing and it's scary, but it will just have to work out.

P.S. If you have any odd jobs or hear of anything part-time or flexible - send it my way. I'm good at cleaning, laundry, bookkeeping, and handling animals. I'm not quite getting enough hours at my part-time job for the time being... hopefully that will change soon, though. 😊

Scruffy

Well, again with the new additions to the family. This is Scruffy - an adorable, sweet little fella who was thrown out at least twice that we know of. He was fortunate enough to cross paths with Shelby, (the groomer who has taken care of him for the last four months or so). He was brought in to the salon to be groomed and was never picked up. The owner left a disconnected phone number with us and later returned and left his rabies tags. Shelby at some point found out that this was not the first time that he'd been dumped out. Between the two of us we can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want him... he's house trained, sweet, good with kids and other animals, cute, appears to be neutered already...

Anyway, he needed a family that could keep him indoors and once I met him my heart just went out to him. I brought him home to see how he fit in and what everyone thought of him and it was like he just belonged. So as of last night he's our new baby... even though he's grown.

He and Shadow have become fast friends if you can't tell. Shadow likes him because he's cuddly and because he can walk the little fella without him pulling him all over the place. They're very sweet together.

Still haven’t been bitten...

but today, I had my lip busted at work. By a dog. 😂

I was trying to put a collar on a Great Dane who was very ready to go home and she was bouncing around a lot... she jumped up and her head hit me in the mouth. It busted my bottom lip pretty good. It's gashed open and bruised and swollen. But I'm ok. 😊

The bad to my good...

Due to the amount of hours I'm working lately I'm never home. Before starting my second job (which I'm still enjoying, btw) I was home every afternoon with Shadow. Well, this morning he informed me (with tears in his eyes) that he didn't even feel like he had a mom anymore.

I felt like I could vomit.

Having two jobs is temporary... even if I wanted to I couldn't do this forever. But I still feel guilty and bad. That's not all, but the rest is nothing I want to get into right now... When I think about it, though, I just want to run away.

Today...

Today, I am now in the system at work so I can sort of have appointments (for baths and stuff). How awesome is THAT??

Also, I washed a Great Dane today... he was a baby, but he was HUGE. Very sweet, though. I liked him.

AND, I was almost bitten today. By a pug. 😂  He wasn't fond of bath time or getting his nails trimmed. Brandy, bring me your bath-loving pugs any day. 😃 Anyway, he just touched me with his teeth so it was a warning. Shelby saved my day. Too bad I didn't save hers. Yeah, she got bitten today. 😰 But that's all part of it so I imagine it's only a matter of time before I'm inducted in... with TEETH.

Anyway, goodnight. I'm pooped and tomorrow's another full day.

Miss me?? I miss you. :[

I have been working. SO. MUCH.

Right now I have two jobs. One is supposed to be full time, but since I started the second one I don't really get to put in all 40 of my hours. The other is definitely part time, though I wouldn't be surprised if I put in nearly 40 there. This is a typical day for me as of late: Wake up before 7 AM, get Shadow ready for school, feed my animals, go to work at my bookkeeping job. Leave there at some point and work at PetSmart until 7 or sometimes 9 PM. Whew! As you can imagine I don't have much time for anything else... so if I'm slow to respond to a message or call or whatever - that is why. Either that or I'm up to some dumbassery - like locking myself out of my house twice in the same day. Seriously, I did that this week. 

Don't get me wrong, though... while I do miss Shadow and my pets (A WHOLE LOT), I'm having a blast working at PetSmart. I'm a dog bather in the grooming salon and I have so much fun. Yeah, it's wet and messy and dog hair gets in my nose and mouth - but I love being around the animals and my new coworkers, too. I like it so much that it's hard to believe I'm getting paid to do it. 😁

Anyway, aside from that I guess there's not much else worth mentioning. Just wanted to let you all know what I was up to. So what's new with you??

Little Bird

Sooo... yesterday when I got off from work I stopped by my mom's house to pick up my son. She handed me this:

She said she found it on a mound of dirt. We looked for its nest to no avail. She has cats and dogs so leaving it out there would have meant certain death. Plus it was sort of chilly that evening... so, I took the little shit home. I have heat lamps all over because of our reptiles and spiders and also various kinds of food because of our array pets.

Anyway I took it home and tried to feed it. It appeared not to be interested. It was the late evening so I imagine that the poor baby was tired. I just put it near a lamp and hoped for the best. Morning came and it still wouldn't eat. Knowing that I couldn't feed it every hour or so due to my jobs I began looking for someone to take it. I called the Museum of Natural History and they gave me the names of a few people who rehabilitate wildlife in the area. I called around and a police officer in the area met me at around 9:30 am. By then the baby was opening his beak - he was ready for breakfast. 😁

The officer said that he had an incubator and some different things to feed him so I sent the little one with him. I figured he had a better chance of survival with someone who knew what they were doing. I'm wishing him the best!