Morning Installment
The distant sky is pink with first light. Attila is making a lot of noise outside, with the snowblower, for which i am very grateful. Last night he removed the snow from my car, before we retired to our bed, so that this morning’s preparations for work will be minimized.
It is the first day of March, we made it through the dark days of winter. At -19C this morning, winter is not over yet, but we can dream of spring now, it won’t be more than a matter of weeks before the snow will begin to retreat. Tomorrow night the temperature is to fall to -23C. This week will be one of struggling to maintain a reasonable temperature in the house. This morning it is 14C in the warmest part of the house, temperature falling quickly as one moves away from the masonry heater. We look forward to warmer days.
I am heading out the door early this morning, because when it is this cold it takes time for the frost on the interior of the windows to melt/evaporate/sublimate or whatever is happening there, to allow one to see through the glass. Attila and I will arrive home for lunch at approximately the same time. Coming home for lunch is a luxury. When I lived on a farm we always came home for lunch when working, it was a short walk up the lane from the fields. Progress has changed all that; there is usually quite a schism between home and work.
Second Installment
Where I work there is seldom good news. Today another piece of unpleasantness came down the pipes. I took the job that was offered with their promise of “opportunity for advancement”, only to find that other’s had worked for up to fifteen years before being offered part time hours, that is 18 hours a week or less. They ask me to remain on six day a week call, offer me no regularly scheduled hours, no benefits, no pension, no mileage when asked to work miles and miles away…
Those with part time and full time jobs at the corporation have always been less than sympathetic, they said, “we went through it now its your turn”. Well they were wrong. It is not my turn, and it never will be my turn. The corporation is changing the deal for the on call people, on call people won’t make the same wages as the people they fill in for, their wages have been slashed… I should say my wages have been slashed. Same job, same responsibilities, less security, no benefits… So, all that working hard and giving it my all has only resulted in slashed wages, not really the “opportunity for advancement” the corporation advertised. Of course the current full time and part time staff are still well looked after, but their numbers will eventually diminish to nothing as their privileged positions die off by attrition.
Well, that is enough about that. I can’t change it, so I’m going to ignore it as long as I can.
Attila and I are still enjoying Netflix. Because we don’t go out to movies, or have movie channels on television, we haven’t viewed current movies for several decades. So all those old movies, well, they are brand spanking new to us. We have seen some excellent films, including Elizabeth, The Last Emperor, Elling, Evelyn, Slumdog Millionaire and more. We have yet to receive a high speed Internet billing since we began the service though, that bill might just taint the experience. We will have to wait and see.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
-19 °C
Condition: Clear
Pressure: 102.6 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: -19.0°C
Dewpoint: -20.5°C
Humidity: 88 %
Wind: SE 4 km/h
Wind Chill: -22
Quote
“Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity and not by quality.”
George Santayana
1863 – 1952
It’s good to know you go out of your way to make sure your windshield is clear. One day this winter in Wadena I saw — and I am not kidding, though I could barely believe it — a man driving down main street with only the driver’s side of his windshield cleared off. I mean, there was even SNOW on the passenger’s side of the window. How friggin’ dumb can a man be?
LOL Kate, you have to ask!! People are doing some crazy things out there. My morning drive involves traveling directly into the sun, so sunglasses, a dropped visor and a clear windshield are mandatory for any visibility at all.
It is appalling that promises get broken-they will use the excuse “It is the economy”. No-they want to get as much out of you as possible. Eventually, they will get a bad name and will go out of business. It may take some time, but it will happen. But in the meantime, you have bills to pay and a budget to meet that you had planned around their promise. Yeesh-it stinks.
On another note-have you ever thought about writing for money? You have a wonderful way with words.
You are so right about their motives crochetlady!
I have thought about writing for money, but wouldn’t know the first thing about doing it. I’ve tried a few things, but they haven’t lead to a regular income, even though I enjoyed them.