Michael and Jaspenelle

Walmart Dream

I was up late with Damian last night so I napped today. When I did I had this really horrible dream reflecting something that happened when I worked at Walmart (over 4 years ago.) It was the first place I worked after I left home and moved to the USA.

A little bit of history on the source of the dream; when I was going through orientation for Walmart we had to watch a couple videos about the evils of unions and how to deal with someone who approaches you about them. We had to fill out a questionnaire about them too and sign an anti-union pledge as well I believe. I just barely 18-years-old at the time and very naive, I believed everything in the videos. At one point my manager flat out told me that I could lose my greencard if I joined a union (which I believed.)

Some time later one of my coworkers approached me and said he was having a talk at his place after work about starting a union. Being the good little worker bee I was, I went to my manager, like the video taught me, and reported him. He was fired a couple days later. It didn’t occur to me at the time that it was because of the union thing.

So my dream:

The person who was fired from Walmart showed up at my door. They were addicted to methadone or some other drug and very angry at me. He said I had destroyed his life and he couldn’t get a job after Walmart fired him. He told me his wife had left him after being jobless for months and wouldn’t let him see his children. I was afraid he was going to kill me though I woke up before anything like that happened.

Anyhow, the dream unnerved me a little. I haven’t really thought of Walmart since I left it and moved here to Spokane. A lot of crap happened there, stuff that in retrospect, I can’t believe I let happened. I allowed myself to be discriminated against for being a woman, I worked off the clock so I wouldn’t get fired for overtime since I also would have been fired for not finishing my job, I drove machinery I was not certified on because my manager said so. I saw people dispose of dangerous chemicals down the drain so we wouldn’t have to pay for hazardous waste disposable and didn’t stand up for anyone who was demeaned by another. Not exactly moments I am proud of, but ones that shouldn’t be forgotten either.

It amazes me that people can shop there. I think they know exactly what kind of things Walmart does and gets away with but turn a blind eye, all in the name of saving a buck. It is funny because when Michael and I crunched the numbers we save a ton more by not shopping there.

Soapbox aside though, I wish I would have never turned that guy in, he was a nice hard worker, he didn’t deserve to be fired over something like that.

Early Saturday Musings

I usually sleep in on Saturdays, and even more so when we stay up late feeding our Smallville addication. But this morning was different. About 6am, I woke up because the fan was blowing on me, and it had finally cooled down enough that it was uncomfortable. I tried to ignore it, but finally gave in and got out of bed to turn it off. I laid in bed trying to fall back asleep, but instead it seems I’m up for the day — my mind wouldn’t go back to sleep, it has been racing a million miles a second. It seems I am stressed about work, specifically maintaining country of origin labeling (COOL) codes in the computer. And I guess I should be, we have some 7000 item codes that need to be kept up to date. It was originally supposed to be a cooperative effort, the buyers working together with me to keep them maintained. But it seems somewhere they got it into their heads that I would be taking care of everything, updating the COOL codes from the bill of lading paperwork when the item lands. I took this up with my boss Thursday, and she said she would get back to me. I suspect I’m going to be stuck with it.

When I lay in bed awake on mornings like this, I am able to brainstorm and problem solve very efficiently. So now I have a plan to make my life easier when it comes to maintaining COOL codes - I will have to experiment on Monday to make sure it works. I am hoping it will, or I will have to have a part time assistant to get everything done, at least if they don’t want me getting overtime (they already start nagging on me if I even approach 40 hours).

After coming up with my solutions, I rolled over and cuddled with Jaspy, propping myself up and watching Damian sleep. Sleeping children are a beautiful thing. I think he was having a nightmare, though of what I have no idea, he has never had a traumatic experience. I wonder what he dreams of. His eyes are twitching, obviously in REM sleep. He startles a few times, makes sad faces, and makes a few sad sounds. What could make my baby-cakes so sad? It tears my heart out, so I stroke his face and he calms down. He wakes up a few minutes later, and Jaspy takes him potty.

Today, we are going apple picking, what has become a yearly tradition to celebrate the autumn equinox. The equinox is close, just a few short days away. The equinoxes and solstices have always been power days for me, when I reconnect, and re-balance, and re-evaluate my life. I can feel this one coming on, I feel the stress fading away and I an energized. This weekend is going to be good.

Litter Bugs

I have found one predominate thing since working part time in parking lots; that my previously conceived notions that it is a social requirement to not littler is a completely falsehood. Every morning there are dozens of beer bottles, fast food containers and other miscellaneous objects (diapers, clothing, cigarette cartons etc) laying around the lot. Especially when there is a city trash can on every curb around the lot.

Today really took the cake though, I found a urine catheter bag totally full of pee in the lot today. Totally totally totally gross! I don’t care if it was frozen solid and in a sealed bag, I consider it completely unacceptable. People, please take your own hazardous, potentially disease ridden bodily fluids home with you!

Needless to say, I had someone else come and dispose of it.

So how was your day?