Month: April 2022

So I have started to carry around a black sharpie to modify signs of businesses that say things like “Closing early because of staff” I typically just mark out staff and put Low Wages. Today was a different day though. I was in the drive through of a Burger King. The workers are always great, probably the best Burger King I’ve ever been too. First window opens up and an older lady is working. She looks tired as hell. Like I felt bad going there now. I asked, how long have you been there and she said she opened. It was closing in on time to close. So we are talking a long ass day. I paid her and told her I hope she gets some rest soon. So I go to the next window and a Younger worker is there. She also looked exhausted. She apologized for the wait…

So, first some background. I work in a grocery store as a sandwich maker, while I'm doing my Masters. In my country we have our ww2 liberation day may 5th, which where I currently live is celebrated excessively. The exam is for a qualification to work the liquor-cigarette section of the store (seperate register) So when I planned the exam, I had to work around the three week notice from my job and my schedule for uni. This left only may 5th, in the morning. So i scheduled it, 5 weeks before the date I requested time-off. 3 weeks before it got denied, because they needed me as a lot of people were going to be gone due to the festivities… So I send back an email, basically saying its not okay, and that I would not be there, even if i found no replacement. (Its a holiday… good luck…

Hey guys, I work in a school in Shanghai. Shanghai is not doing well right now with the lockdown, food shortages, and general havoc. I told my bosses I want to leave the country and continue online work (we have been online for around 2 months already), but they are insisting I can only go if there is a death in the family. Safety should be a valid reason but apparently not. They are also trying to guilt-trip me into staying and shame me that my situation is not so bad compared to others in Shanghai and that I am abandoning my team and students while they are fighting COVID. Now… I would like to finish the school year and be paid for it and I would like my sweet sweet summer pay (to get that, I would have to give my 1 month's notice in July I think). How…

There was some talk a while ago to do a general strike to show how seriously bad the situation is in America, and to get the government to follow through on the student debt cancel. The last time I heard about this was like in February but it was “decided” that May 1st would be the start of it. Just a reminder/question if it's happening.

I work in the insurance industry… definitely everything I aspired to be doing with my life, and not depressing at all. I have a work colleague, who we will call Debbie. She is a genuinely lovely person. But overly happy people rub me up the wrong way. Maybe it makes me more aware of my own deep despair and frustration, but yesterday Debbie said something that made me almost die of cringe… ‘I don’t wake up and think I’m coming to work. I think I’m coming to see my friends and have fun’. Almost vomited right then and there, but in reality I – of course – nodded as if I could even somewhat empathise with her artificial bubble of bullshit. I wish I could be one of these people. It was like listening to Tony Robbins or one of those American self help gurus. I cannot be happy for…