Some are gone, Summer forgotten.

Taking role of those who have disappeared in the last few months is fair. I don't easily forget one person in particular. The youtube evangelical from Buff-alo. His collage of guidos on the loft ceiling in the shop is nearing the end of its tenure. The negative internet comments on his less than stellar service remain, however. The knots he tied are almost straightened and the other remnants will fade too.

We take in our first clean breeze of Fall into our lungs as dry air with the promise of lower power bills sweeps through the swamp. Summer was long and tortured, but not as bad as some I can place. Feelings that each year my output is waning have been put to rest as I sense a shift in my accomplishments away from physical labors to delegation and conservation through technology. It seems common to most that when you visit a retail business, there is a smoothness in transactions and order. Not magic, it's hard work to create and maintain systems of information for this fluidity. Still without constant prodding, we will wander backwards into the chaotic, frenzied habits of rough, weak transactions that require much effort.

The day is mine. A rare Friday to wander. An extra day off is a tease. A run away from the taunts of work and persistent interjections of others work being fawned onto me without prejudice as the customer waits. A polite seize of nothing in particular on the way to tomorrow.

Piffed Off and Po.

One week's work = one week's pay. I work for a small business and sometimes money gets tight. The boss and payroll check writer is not communicative when we get into these places. Not getting paid on time is a real bummer. It causes stress, anger, anxiety, and generally makes me feel insecure about my job of fifteen years.
Don't get me wrong, I love where I work. My clients are some of the best people you will ever meet. The color, flavor, and diversity of their wishes are always refreshing. I am happy with them most of the time. It is our internal management that is unpredictable. It is seemingly impossible to plan very far into the future, both within the shop and consequently, in my personal life. Who would keep a job that left you without money for the weekend? I don't live check to check, but all of the pay I receive has been budgeted and any disruption brings my short term plans to a halt. It follows that upon returning to work after my "weekend", I have a hard time motivating to the point of excellence I expect of myself.
So, not being paid leads to a sort of depression. Even if my pay is provided three to five days late, it is demotivating. My time is all I have to sell and I feel like my time is being discounted. Feeling the need to search for a new job is a weird type in job insecurity. I don't want a different job, it's a knee-jerk reaction to this situation. I wish it would stop. The other employees ask me what they should do. We are all in it together and allowing the unknown to control your decisions is madness. And so the cycle continues until pay becomes regular again.
Sadness I define as love for something or someone that is not healthy for us or working out as promised. I consider pay the promise of work. Right now, this promise is being broken.