When You Get Laid-Off - Go Shopping

Good Morning Everyone!!!

*** WARNING - THIS IS A VERY LONG STORY - PROCEED WITH CAUTION AND A BIG CUP OF COFFEE, TEA, SODA OR WATER!!! POTTY BREAKS MAY BE NEEDED ***

I have been MIA since January, only stopping in and making the effort to perform drive-by posting when I've had the chance to sign on. I have 939 emails waiting for me in my in box - and they're all JDRobb - as I've weeded out the spam and specific personal emails.

So what has been going on in the life of Pammy

In the category - Life Sucks and then you go Shopping ...

I have found myself unemployed. My 3-month paralegal position was axed on Thursday when my boss, the lawyer, decided to replace me with his girlfriend's best friend who just graduated from paralegal school.

Also, it didn't help that his ex-wife (who was my direct supervisor and worked whenever she wanted to - usually for approx. 4 hours a day 10 am to 2 pm) did not like me and never wanted him to hire me. Nothing like feeling the love!

The drama that surrounded this office was so exhausting, I literally worked 9-10 hours a day and then came home and collapsed on the couch, unable to summon the energy to watch TV, read or sign on to read my email.

Jan 14th was my first day at work. I arrived at 8:00 am, as instructed the previous Friday when I was hired. I sat in front of the building for 45 minutes waiting for SOMEONE to show up. This should have been my first clue - with a flashing neon sign - warning me to turn around and go home and look for employment elsewhere.

But no ... I was determined to assist this motley crew of 2 lawyers and 4 staff members by whipping the office into shape and helping with anything I could. I was paid a straight $15/hour with no benefits. NO BENEFITS - no vacation pay, sick pay, insurance, 401 K retirement, etc. This should have been my second clue.

The office is located in downtown York in a beautiful brownstone. Well, it could be beautiful if anyone - besides me - cared to clean the office, organize the filing system and put things away - if there was somewhere to put them. OMG - the dirt, dust bunnies and "crap" laying everywhere was absolutely horrific. Trust me - I'm not a neat freak - but this place was unbelievable. Client files were and still are - lying all around the office. You could NEVER find a file when you needed it. Talk about frustration!!! And they always made me feel like it was my specific fault that nothing could be found in a timely fashion. Believe me, this was an hourly event before I started working there and I can guarantee that this issue will never be resolved and will continue into the next decade.

In addition to Nickey (the ex-wife who has the sickest relationship with my boss), the other workers were right out of central casting for a psycho movie.

The receptionist (Betty) - when she came to work - spent more time talking on the phone with her numerous family members and resolving their hourly dramas. She had no office experience and her un-professionalism shown through like a beacon. OMG. No lie, she sounded exactly like Marge Simpson's smoking sisters (from the cartoon show THE SIMPSONS) when she answered the phone "Law Office". :::shudder::: I have never heard "ain't" or "youse" used so many times in the course on your typical day - in a "supposedly" professional environment, and the "F" word was used as an adjective, adverb, verb, preposition, pronoun, modifier, conjunction and noun.

I think I could have helped Betty learn office protocol, but she never had the desire to improve. She is bi-polar, schizophrenic and non-compliant with her meds and chooses to self-medicate herself with alcohol and coke (cocaine). I have worked with many people with mental health issues - HECK - I have them myself and my family has the market cornered on self-destructive personalities, but I have never come across someone like Betty. Her personality would change minute-to-minute, with either Elizabeth or George making a daily appearance just to make things fun at the office. (Elizabeth and George are her alter personalities and Betty is incapable of working when they take over). Her daughter just got out of Baltimore jail last week - for her 4th internment - and is awaiting sentencing on her credit-card stealing-spending charges that took place the beginning of March. This poor girl, Kayla, is only 19, a crack-whore with a criminal record longer than my arm and with no hope of a future that doesn't include running from drug, physical and mental abuse. And that's just from her family.

The daily drama in Betty's life was a roller coaster to equal the Kingda Ka at Six Flags in NJ, and a constant interruption to our office day that was jam-packed with appointments, court appearances, document filings and a phone that wouldn't stop ringing.

Now this was just 1 of the 7 employees in this firm. I'll post what the other 6 were like. Not a nomal one in the bunch!!!

I know that things happen for a reason ... and I think it's best that I'm out of that hell-hole, though my ego is very bruised and I'm feeling sorry for itself right now. I know I'm better off ... but gosh ... it still hurts. And this is the 5th time. OMG ... I feel like such a looser. Why can't I find a job where I can provide excellent secretarial service and not have to worry that I'll be back on the streets within a few months or years.

This past weekend I put myself out there on monster.com - and sending to my friends notice that if they hear of any secretarial jobs [within a 50 mile radius of York] ... could they keep me in mind and let me know where to send off a resume? I've applied for over 25 positions since Friday, all in the Executive-Administrative-Medical-Legal-Secretary field. As Zig Zigler (a motivational sales speaker) always says ... You have to get 50 NO's to get 1 YES. So I guess I have 25 more jobs to apply for before I find that 1 job that is just right for me. :)

So please keep me in your prayers and thoughts to find that perfect job. I have 20 more years that I must work, unless I win POWERBALL on Wednesday, and I really just want to find the right job working for a boss that appreciates the work I can provide, treat me with respect and whom I can provide the best secretarial-administrative service they'll ever receive.

Well ... As the saying goes ...

When life hands you lemons ...
Grab the Tequila and Salt and make MARGARITAS!!!

That's not a saying? Well ... it should be!!!

Just 3 days till I get to spend Karaoke Night with my TTP Girls!!!

OMG ... Do I NEED this TTP!!! It couldn't have come at a better time.


Pammy
http://community.webshots.com/user/nitneelin
Life is too short for drama & petty things, so kiss slowly, laugh insanely, be a good friend, care deeply, speak kindly, love truly and forgive quickly.
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
http://www.myspace.com/nitneelion
Sleep Well America. My MARINE has your back!
OOORAH - It's a MARINE thing.
If you can read this, thank a teacher. Since it is in English, thank a soldier.