One of THOSE Days

You ever have one of those days where you witness an act of kindness and it restores your faith in humanity?

Well today I am having the opposite of one of those days!!  Today I feel like most people flat out suck and life is just shitty.

It started like any other Monday.  I dropped my daughter at school and headed to the Nursery to work.  Before I got there my boss texted me that he wouldn't be there until 11.  I was actually happy he let me know because more than once now I have driven all the way up there and he wasn't there so I couldn't get into my barn to work which is a total waste of my time!

A few weeks ago I arrived and the door was locked so I called him and texted him and he totally ignored me so I just ran some errands and then gave up on working for the day.  It was rude and I was a little pissed.  The next day he wasn't there either but he did answer my call and tell me he was on his way.
 
Anyhow.....when I finally did get there, Sarah was in the office with him; something I hadn't seen in a very long time.  (Maybe she was hiding due to shame.)  So the fact that she was there perked my suspicions.  She moved out of my chair and I sat down and started working.  A few minutes later my boss, Jacob, told me that he wanted to talk.  He then told me that he would have to let me go, that they just can't afford me, etc. (which is true, they can't afford me) I kind of thought this would be coming so I wasn't upset.  I was however a little offended that Sarah was there.  Was she his witness in case I went berserk?  What ever happened to a private meeting when discussing something serious like the termination of your employment?  I felt a little punched in the gut at the loss even though it was not a total surprise.  I had kind of hoped to get a new job and leave gracefully in the near future. 

Oh well.

I couldn't help but sit there wondering if they knew that I knew about them.  If his wife told him she talked to me.  If she did tell he didn't let on to it.  What a freaking mess his life is.  He really is pathetic.

I left there and headed to the construction company to drop off a book I had borrowed.  When I arrived they informed me that John had been sent home for hospice care.  I was pretty upset, but again, not surprised.  John is / was our trucking manager.  A really super great guy with kids and grandkids and even great grandkids.  He was diagnosed with cancer in January and has been going down hill very fast.  It is just heart breaking.  I so wish I would have given him a hug when I left the office last time he was there.  As I drove off that day I knew it was a mistake that I didn't.

Next I went by Kevin's office to collect a much needed hug.  He, of course, was awesome as I told him all the bad news.  He gave me a hug and told me everything would be OK.  I fussed that I was worried about money and he assured me we would be fine.  He even offered me some cash to be dramatic.  He is my rock!

Next I swung by Ramone's house.  She still doesn't have a phone!!!  Her new boyfriend (who I actually like) does have a phone so at least there is that.  They were home and I chatted with them for a bit.  Then Ramone told me that her father, Friss's adoptive father, had a talked with her the other day to warn her that when Friss gets out (in 3 years) that she is not to hang around him since he will be bad for her, etc. etc.  I thought to myself "she is more likely to be a bad influence on him!".  I was very shocked that he did this.  I didn't tell Ramone I was upset.  I just gracefully wound up the conversation and headed to my car.  In the car I thought I might call him and bitch him out but then I decided that was pointless.  Instead I just made a mental note to myself "He is dead to me now".  I need to learn to cut shitty people out of my life and not look back!

You see, I started dating their dad when Friss was only 4 years old.  After we were married he adopted Friss.  He is the only father Friss has ever known!!  He hasn't been to visit him in a long time and Friss has been telling me how disappointed he is that his dad is blowing him off.  His dad actually works close to the prison so it would be easy to stop by for a visit.  His dad recently got remarried and has evidently decided to turn his back on Friss.  What a gigantic POS!!!

I drove Monster to the gym today and asked him if his dad had said anything to him like he did Ramone.  He said he did not but he was quick to add that it was shitty and that if his dad made him pick between his "new" family and Friss he would pick Friss.

At 3 I met with my attorney.  She was the only bright spot in my day.  She is an amazing woman and I just love her.  She encouraged me to go back for child support.  I explained that he is not really sharing bills as we originally agreed to.  So after the move I will confront him and see if he wants to pay me the money he owes me or if we will be headed back to court.

STRESS

So today, the bonding company asks for a more recent job schedule.  I put one together and it shows that 3 of our recent jobs tanked, lost lots of money.  Meanwhile the auditors alert me that we have to book another $90k loss for fiscal year ending 3-31-14 due to some GAAP rules.  All the while we are not paying all our bills on time and have angry vendors calling daily about past due invoices.  Did I mention the bank loaned us an extra $100k in May and we have a $33,000 payment due at the end of July that I know we can't make?  Oh and we are bidding new jobs but if we don't get any more work, the current jobs will all end in about two months.  AND even if we get the new jobs, I bet the margins are not enough to cover the overhead.  Work is scarce at this point because the government is rather broke.

See why I want out?

This afternoon around 2 the bonding lady (sales rep with HUGE diamond wedding ring and too much makeup) shows up to pick up the new schedule and discuss business.  It all makes me nuts.  I talked with her, promised her everything she wants (even if it is nonsense) .....Q1 financials by early next week, more work-in-process reports in a format that makes her happy.  She wants our managers to start monitoring jobs so we know if they are going to lose money before they are even done.  Well that is all great in theory but these old men who are stuck in their ways will not do it.  They don't even know how.  This place is not set up that way.

Any-hoooo I have a shit ton of work to do before I leave.  I plan on working a half day next Friday July 25th because we have a float trip planned.  I plan on working a half day on Monday July 28th and then being done for good.

My boss is still not talking to me about the end of my employment.  He is in denial.
I get that he really needs me right now.  All the extra requirements due to the poor income last year fall on me mostly.  I feel bad leaving like this.  I still think in the next month or two the bonding company will pull out for good.

What a mess. 

Getting Told NO!

First I tell my boss I want to quit....tell him I want part time....tell him I don't want to do my assistants job (he had asked me to fire her just a few weeks ago) etc.  He says he won't except my resignation and that he will keep the assistant and let me work part time.  Basically he is willing to do anything to keep me.  Well that is all fine and dandy BUT, this place is going down.  I know the finances and there is NO WAY it will last another year.  If we make it thru summer I will be shocked.  The bonding company made my boss give them $250k just so they would keep bonding us.  It is not a viable company at this point and I WANT OUT!

I told Kevin about how cheap Husband's insurance is.  He told me "Hell no you will not be accepting help from him!"  I think this is man pride shit, not him being logical and economical (like me).  But I respect that he doesn't want it and I won't do it.  He told me that he would marry me and put me on his health insurance before he would let me go on "Jimmy's" insurance.  (Jimmy is the not so nice but not terrible nick name he calls my husband.)

I finally looked into Obama care....it will be expensive for me.  As best I can tell I will pay $200 per month for coverage but have a $6500 deductible or something like that.  And office visits are covered at 100% AFTER the deductible is met.  Basically I will spend a lot of money but only use the insurance should I get cancer or in a car wreck, something catastrophic.  BLAH

I wonder what my blood pressure medicine costs with no insurance?

Not looking forward to telling my assistant I quit.  I will tell her Friday.

Need to talk to the boss again and reiterate that I am not staying.  He is dodging me at this point.

NEW JOB

Today they called, the nursery where I applied for a part time job.

They want to hire me.

I accepted.

I am very excited.

The only bad thing is no health insurance. I plan to check into Obamacare. My new boss, Jacob, told me that if business keeps growing that I will work into a full time position with health insurance. Unfortunately, all my research into health care indicates that most all private companies with smaller work forces  (not like the university that employs over 13,000 people) will no longer be able to afford health insurance plans in the near future.

Over the past 10 years we have seen the cost of our insurance here increase 30% every single year and we are being told that this year when it is time to renew in December it will be way more than that! Ridiculous if you ask me.

I remember when I graduated from college back in the 80s and it was a given that I would have a good job with full benefits including insurance because I had completed a bachelors degree in accounting.  Back then my co-pay was $10 per visit.  It seemed more of a right than a privilege.  All that has certainly changed. 

I asked Husband how much it would cost me to jump on his insurance (he works for the university) and he said $100 per month.  Thinking I won't be able to beat that!

Tomorrow I will tell my boss that I am giving two weeks notice. I am so ready for this change.  It is a huge cut in pay but at this point I have a lot of money saved up and when Husband pays me for my house I will be fine for a long time at a lower pay.  I hope to spend more time with my kids, especially the 6 year old.  The plan is that this fall when school starts I can pick her up at 3 pm each day when school lets out.  This will be a huge money saver too, because the after school care at her school is $10 an hour!

The red barn thing you see in this photos is actually my office.

Fun facts about the new job: no indoor plumbing....we have an out house.  I will be working in a fancy shed basically surrounded by beautiful plants and sweaty people with dirty hands.  I haven't asked but I hope I will be able to eventually bring my dog to work with me like I do now.  He told me that things are behind and the current "book keeper" who is working from home is just not cutting it.  I am confident that I can go in there and make huge improvement on how the books are kept and all the processes involved with their finances.  One of my super powers is streamlining and making things efficient and simple.  I have actually worked myself out of a job more than once by setting up systems that work so well any idiot can do them.  I look forward to helping make this beautiful nursery and landscaping business thrive.

Also, because I will be getting paid by the hour, I won't be able to blog at work.  However, at home I am beating my internet provider over the head to get the kinks in my service fixed so I can blog from home.  My home internet has never worked well and I finally made a service call weeks ago and they came and checked/tweaked the indoor wiring and declared the issue outdoors.  Then they supposedly fixed that but they didn't so they have scheduled me for this Friday to "fix" it again outside.

Unemployed

My boss just informed me that the bonding company is no longer going to bond us.  That means we can't work so the company is going out of business.  The jobs we have already started will get finished but no new jobs.

He told me if I stick around to help "land the plane" he will take care of me.  Meaning he will be sure I get paid well.  It would buy me about 2 more months of pay but it will also SUCK BALLS.  I will have to fire my assistant and deal with all the bullshit that happens when 60 people find out they are out of a job.

Tomorrow I am leaving to go visit my brothers; a family reunion of sorts. So another 3 day weekend.  While I am on the back of the motorcycle I will have plenty of time to think about my next move.  I really don't think the money is worth the stress.

Still Here

I am still at my desk.  The crews are still building bridges and highways. 

However I am really lacking motivation to work.  We still might be closed down in the next few weeks.

We are currently waiting on the bonding company to take a look at the books and give us the "Yea" or "Nay" as to whether or not they will continue to bond us.  Without bonding we can't work so it will be the end.

I feel there is about a 50% chance they will still bond us and that will be at a reduced volume.  Not sure what will happen then. 

The other job that I had my sights on has never called me back and I even talked to the owner about it so I don't know what that is all about.  Bums me out tho.

The good news is I have a lot of money saved up and I have a practically free place to live if I need it.  So I am not really worried.  In fact, right now is a good time for more change.  Everything is changing and that may be just what I need.

Job Update

With the loss for our fiscal year end (3-31-14) so big, it is very possible that the bonding company will yank our bonding.  This will effectively end our company.

So, we have postponed our annual audit and are working on a proposal to present to the bonding company to see if they will continue to bond us.  They still haven't found out about our loss as of today but we hope to convince them that it is a fluke and next year will be so much better.  If they say yes to our proposal and let us continue to work we will then try to reduce costs, increase margins and continue to stay in business for a while longer.

I firmly believe that the owner, my boss, can pull us from the jaws of certain death as he has done it before.  I also believe that he is incapable of running this company so that it is profitable in the long run so we will continue to flounder on the verge of bankruptcy no matter what.

Meanwhile, I am networking my way into not one but two potential new positions.  Between the two of them I hope that something will pan out.  For now though, I am still working here at the construction company and getting paid well for it.  (New job will certainly mean a pay cut.)

So far, nothing crazy has happened and I am optimistic that things will all work out.

Employment

In a rather strange twist of fate......I think I will soon be out of a job. 

(unless a small miracle occurs)

The company I work for has always had financial issues.  The owner does things his way and well, often, the accountant (that's me) does not agree with his choices.  I knew it wouldn't last forever, that he would sink the ship.  I just thought we would go down slow.  I assumed cash flow would be the kicker, not a really terrible financial statement.

SO.....next week is my annual audit.  As of today I do NOT have things ready.  The NOL (net operating loss) is so big that my boss, the owner, has some experts at a CPA firm looking into my numbers.  My numbers are solid.  I did not make a mistake.  The company has been miss managed into it's grave.

How does this affect you and I?  Well you may not hear from me for a while because I will be out pounding the pavement for a new job and the Internet / computer situation at home will need to be fixed before I can actually type a blog post.  I only have a tablet at home and the keyboard sucks.

Not sure how this will effect my divorce.  Going to see my attorney today.  She is awesome BTW.

I am not happy about losing my job.  The timing is rather terrible.  This job has been a gravy train.  Easiest job I ever had for the money.  BUT, as you might have already figured out, that is part of the mismanagement issue.  Everyone here is over paid, especially the owner and his two VPs.

On the bright side, I have a lot of money saved up, Husband should be buying my house which will put some $$ in my pocket and if all else fails, Kevin already offered to pay my rent for me if I can't.  (see how damn kind he is!)  I can pay it though.

My life is in transition here.  I sure hope it all works out.  I think it will. 

*************
I just checked Craig's list and there is a perfect job for me listed.  AND (get this) I know the people that own the company.  Cross your fingers cause this might all work out just fine!!

Job Update

I sent out a resume yesterday....haven't heard a word back. It was a construction company similar to this one. I should be a shoe in.

Today I ran the bank account down to $9000 here at work. We have about $100k in job payables that are behind and we have about that much in regular payable too that we can't pay. We are due some money next week which I hope will be here in time and cover payroll. The bills will get farther behind! Angry vendors are calling. I hate this!

I worked on cleaning up files and getting ready to quit today. I have been here for about 10 years so I have so much stuff on my computer and in this office it is crazy. I have been taking things home one by one. If we don't make the payroll I am walking out!!

I might even give two weeks notice soon. I am just not in the mood for this stress right now. I want to enjoy my daughter while she is still young. I want to press Husband's hand and see what he does. If he won't support me I will leave him!

Job Concerns

My assistant (at work) returned today from 7 days of vacation. She actually took a total of 9 days off this month. And you know what….she was playing Farmville on her computer at her desk already. And my boss, the owner of the company, saw her doing it.

SOOOOO…I get called into his office and asked “do we really need her? Seems she doesn’t have enough work to do.”

I can’t argue really. It’s true. Right now neither one of us has a full week’s worth of work to do. There are times in the year….like at the calendar year end, fiscal year end and audit that we are both pretty busy but lately it has been VERY SLOW around here. I am at least bright enough to look busy at all times though. She is kind of lazy and it shows. But she does the payroll and a bunch of boring stuff I really don’t want to do. If we let her go, I will get her work and it will put me back into a position where I have to hustle to get everything done. More work than I want!

Add to that the fact that we mostly work for the government and they are broke so they are not spending money on bridges and roads. Things are tight around here. The money is drying up quickly for our little construction company.

My boss, the owner, told me to consider how I wanted to handle her. Should we try and give her more work, like special projects or just let her go? I even suggested maybe offering her a part time job. I think she will get upset no matter what happens so I don’t even know how much it matters what we choose. Luckily he told me I can think about it for a few days.

Unfortunately…I have been flirting with the idea of going to ¾ time so I can pick up my daughter after school. I mentioned it to my boss when we were talking and he said that would be fine but the concern is who will mind the office after 3 if we let my assistant go.

Also, while all this is going one, my boss is trying to go into semi-retirement and is only working Tuesday through Thursday. He is now living at the lake which is at least an hours drive.

AND there’s more!

The other woman in the office (the non accounting clerk) has been in a piss ass mood lately and we are all afraid she is going to quit soon. The VP is also hoping to modify his hours so he can leave early to take care of his farm.

It’s a giant mess and I don’t know what to do. I really think it won’t be long and we will be bankrupt. I kind of just want to get the heck out of here before it gets ugly. I need a new job and I need one fast but in this little dinky town that is just not how it works. It could take months and months for me to find a new job.

I wish I could go home and have a discussion with my husband about the whole thing and we could come to a mutual agreement about how we should best proceed as a family unit. BUT, we all know he doesn’t think like that and it never works out well when I try to talk to him. I will just end up more frustrated than ever.

MONDAY BLAH

It’s Monday….one of my least favorite days. I had crazy interesting dreams last night / this morning and woke up sleeping alone in the basement guest room because I was too hot upstairs. (I often overhead at night, worse lately, I am getting to be “that” old. *sad face*)

I like sleeping in the basement though. The bed is soft and it is VERY quiet and cool except the perfect hum of the little box fan I have strategically placed in the corner to circulate the air ever so slightly. I was dreaming about how I had rented an apartment in a new, cool town. It was two stories and the lower story was the bed room. I shared it with a roommate but he slept in a bunk bed on the opposite wall. We were brainstorming how to best cover the concrete walls. The basement bedroom had one wall that as not underground. It was just a lot of windows. Outside I saw the rain drizzling on a side walk. I loved the apartment though. At one point I walked outside to find a wilderness wonderland (it’s a dream so it doesn’t have to make sense) complete with wild animals and majestic views. It must have been Montana or Wyoming.

When I finally woke up to realize it was Monday I immediately felt anxiety. You see, my job is not going well. The owner of the small company I work for has a nasty habit of spending up all our cash so we are currently fighting a very serious cash flow battle. I predict that in the not too distant future, we will be hard pressed to make the payroll. We are already getting calls from angry vendors about past due invoices that we have not paid. I have vowed that I will quit my job if it gets too bad. I am just too darn old and bitter to put up with the nonsense that is coming. I have already paid my dues in that respect when I worked in automotive during the not profitable years. (Still find it hard to believe that Ford and Chrysler are actually making a profit. I am suspicious.)

Another option, that is heavy on my mind, is firing my “assistant”. She does the grunt work and processes the weekly payroll. Stuff I really hate to do, but, at this point work is so slow that one person could easily do both jobs.

This week I have to help her with the payroll in preparation for her taking a huge vacation next month. I don’t usually do payroll so I need a refresher on the details. I also know that this “training” period will help me out should we need to fire her. Blah…I hate being a grown up.

Ideally, I would get a new job and leave her here to do both jobs. This would also help our little company with cash flow as I am crazy overpaid at the same time I would not have to fire her or deal with the sinking ship. WIN – WIN!!

Which leads me to a story that you missed earlier this month.

Clink >>> HERE <<< to go back and read it.

A New Job is Handed To Me

Last Thursday morning at 5:30 I reported (as usual) to my group run when my friend Brent asked me if I needed a job. I said yes, of course, if you have a lead pass it on. He told me that indeed he knew that the accountant at my daughter’s soon-to-be private school was going to quit all of a sudden like. We didn’t get to finish our talk though because it was time to start the workout and everyone took off running.

Later I recalled our conversation and emailed him. He sent me back her resignation letter and her boss’s response! So yes indeed she had quit that very day. (I guess he is dating this gal cause he was really sketching on how he was privy to all this information.) He also told me it was strictly personal and she was not quitting due to adverse work conditions.

I happened to also know the I.T. guy at the school and emailed him immediately to ask how I should proceed if I wanted to put my name in for the position. While I waited for his response, I looked around the school’s website and found the open book keeper position had already been posted! I quickly spruced up my resume, composed a cover letter and shot it over to the school via the internet per the instructions listed on the web page. Meanwhile my I.T. friend responded and I told him I had sent it and he said he would put in the good word for me.

At this point I am so excited. A job falling into my lap and an inside connection; how could I go wrong. At 4 pm I got a call from the school to set up an interview. My dreams were coming true; this might actually work out perfect for EVERYONE!

The very next day I took a long lunch break and went over for the interview. I thought it went well but salary was never discussed. I asked about the time frame for filling the job and they said they wanted it filled by next Thursday. I left feeling very positive that I had a real shot at the job and I mulled over how low I would be willing to go salary wise. A huge benefit of the job would be that I could work from 7:30 – 3:30 which coincides with my daughter’s school day so we would not have to hire after school care nor would she need to be dropped off on my way to work. Also, the school is about 4 miles from our house; so handy. It would be perfect!

All weekend long I was happy and excited but tried not to tell the whole world in fear I would jinx myself. Monday came and went and no word but that was fine. When Thursday came and went and I had not heard a peep my hopes were pretty much gone and disappointment was settling in.

This morning, the phone rang around 10 am and it was an unfamiliar number. I knew exactly what it was. I answered and sure enough, I was a great candidate but they chose someone else for the position. To say I am down is an understatement. I am CRUSHED, devastated. It would have been ideal. It is so hard to find a job here. I had started to pack my stuff…I was getting things in order so I could leave. UGH

In retrospect, I asked a ton of good questions and everyone seemed eager and happy at the interview, but they didn’t ask the questions you would expect if they are serious about hiring you. They never asked me how soon I could be available. They never asked what kind of salary I was looking for. They didn’t ask for references. I think they already had someone in mind and talked to me as a backup plan.

So dang disappointed!!