Link's Blog

from: needtopaytherent@me.com
to: TheBosses@TheCompany

Dear Bosses,

I have been giving a lot of thought to my position at The Company.

I know that there are a lot of projects that need to be completed (Project Uno, Spanish Brochures, the BigCommerce switch, Item Professional, Item Ultra, Chicago, Puerto Rico, China, Moscow..etc)  But, after carefully reviewing the pros and cons of coming back to Long Island, I am afraid this is not something I can do. When I was able to carpool with dumb and dummer it was still a difficult commute but manageable.  Now a 3 hour daily commute plus spending $350+ a month on trains and buses is not something I can maintain.  I appreciate you offering to pay for commute costs, however without a steady and reliable paycheck the problem was never solved and still exists.  

In regard to the past week, I had no money for the commute and thought you could use a chance to catch up financially.  I was saddened that you reacted the way you did.  To quote you both, “Business is Business.”  Just as you expect me to perform my assigned duties fast and effectively, I expect to get paid on time for my work.  It has nothing to do with loyalty or personal matters.

About the projects that need to be completed and beyond, I have a couple of proposals for you:

I am offering you my services as a commercial designer on a freelance basis. All projects can be quoted depending on time. I can invoice you for my work and we can both benefit from the agreement.  I think it will be cheaper for The Company to work this way, as I have found that in between trade shows there is a lot of down time.

If you prefer to have a full time graphic technician on pay roll, and if you would like that to be me, I would propose to telecommute. I would send a daily report of what was accomplished each day so that you had up to the minute updates on my progress.  In today’s economy and with all the available technologies, this makes the most sense for both of us.  And for reasons previously explained, a daily commute to The Company it is not something I can afford.  Also, the ability to contact me regarding projects I am working on will be far more accessible for you both, as you can easily reach me at anytime and not only when we all happen to be in the office at the same time.

In both instances, I would suggest having face to face meetings weekly or biweekly to discuss the state of current projects.  This will be a great opportunity to evaluate current projects and plan future ones. Since I’ve been in The Company I only recall 2 meetings of this nature; something I’m sure you agree will be very beneficial.

I am not copying Nancy on this email as I would appreciate you taking the time to contact me directly to discuss what our next step will be.

Sincerely, 

Me

————————

Of course, I never hear from them. Not even a line to send me to hell. If they cannot respect me enough to write me a line back, then why bother. 

It has been tough looking for a new job. 

A friend of mine told me once that job ad and HR departments can be very dumb.

“Seeking Graphic Creative with 10+ years of experience in Museum Work”  - I am not a curator

“3+ years professional retail automotive experience” - I never sold used cars

“Must have 5+ years experience in Creative Suite 5 (CS5 came out last year)” - No comments

“Must have a car, we are located in Manhattan” - Because the MTA doesn’t work in Manhattan

“Fast Food experience a plus” - As in eating it? 

“Experience in the entertainment black market a plus” - I dont know  if they mean experience amusing the afro-american community or experience amusing underground traders

And I keep continue my search from an out of the “The Company”

From: Needtopayrent@me.com
Subject: PayChecks
Date: January 21, 2011 
To: thebosses@thecompany 

Bosses,

It has been 4 weeks since we were able to cash a paycheck.

 The continuous pressure of unpaid bills, the loss of my savings, plus an expensive daily commute to Long Island has made it impossible for me to keep waiting for paychecks that never arrive.

Until I have all 4 paychecks that are currently owed to me I will not be able to come in to the office. I am confident that this week Nancy will be able to gather the money the company owes its employees. Once I am assured that it is financially safe for me to return to The Company, I will continue my assigned duties.

I do understand that The Company is having financial delays and I also know that I am not the only employee at The Company who is under financial strain.  I wanted to be a team player, which is why I have stuck it out as long as I have.  Just the same, I am sure you understand why it is not viable for me put in work without getting compensated.

Please contact me as soon as the situation has been resolved. 

______________________

Havent’ hear from them yet, why I am not surprised.

I remember the first time I touched snow.

I was 5 years old. I was out with my mother, probably running errands. She was carrying both, me and a tube of candy very similar to M&Ms.

My mother, as new parents tend to do, had covered me in so many layers of clothing that I walked like a penguin. My tiny hands were encased in thick mittens, but the tube of candies allowed me to pop the sweets directly into my mouth, no problem.

Our house, somewhere in the Bronx, was in front of an empty lot, which was covered in snow. On the way back from the store she used to purposefully walk across this empty lot. We are both South American, and for her, snow was as amusing and new as it was for me.

I ran ahead of her as she followed me, laughing. My dad was waiting for us outside the house and my mom stopped chasing me to wave back at him.

I was a few feet ahead of her by now, and I stopped to check why she was no longer behind me. I noticed my dad, and I also happily waved back. Then I lifted my tube of candy to my mouth, but I did it too fast and some pieces fell on the thick, fresh, powdery snow.

I looked down for my missing candy; the bright colored pieces of candy shined like Christmas lights in the white, virgin snow.

I crouched down to reach for my candy, but my thick mittens only pushed the candy deeper in the snow. I tried a few times, but it was pointless. The mittens were a problem.

I stood up and looked at the candy half buried in the snow. I was told by my parents to never take off my mittens when we are outside. What was I to do?

I looked back to my mother and saw her already safely wrapped in my dad’s arms.

I would have to take risky action if I wanted to get my candy back from the grasp of winter.

I took off my right mitten and reached again to my tiny colorful pieces of treasure.

My little hands reached again for the candy in the snow. I would never forget the moment my skin touched snow. It shocked me. It burned my hand. It hurt a little. I quickly pulled my hand back, not knowing what had happened. I knew snow was cold, but this was particularly frozen.

The candy was still in the snow, teasing me, mocking me, daring me to try again.

I reached again for my sweets, a little more prepared than before, but I only managed to grab one piece, which I quickly popped in my mouth. The candy’s cold surface tasted so good in my mouth.

I had three more pieces to go.  This time, I did quick motions with my arms, pinching my fingers like tweezers, as if my hand was a chicken picking corn from the cob.

I would pop each salvaged piece of candy back in mouth until they were all gone. Oh the sweet taste of cold victory.

I quickly put on my mitten and ran back to my mom and dad, who were watching me this whole time, but didn’t say anything about me taking off my glove. I figured they knew why I did it, and I felt justified to do so.

Yesterday I was very sad.

The people who knows me knows that is take a lot for me to be sad. But yesterday I was in the brink of tears.

The Company is yet again, not paying their employees. This Friday it will be the fourth week that we don’t get paid. To add insult to injury, we were hand out checks last Friday, 3-week-old checks, but we were told not to cash them until we are told we can do it. Now we are all carrying useless pieces of paper that aren’t any better than I.O.U notes. The pattenr here is that if you don’t get paid on Fridays, then you are not getting paid that week. Promises of payment coming up the following Monday or Tuesday are never true. Conveniently the bosses do not show up on Friday and the account person becomes unavailable until is time to go home and nobody got a paycheck and we all know that there is not point in demanding an explanation.

Today I learned that this next payday doesn’t look any goo, add that to The Company’s lack of interest in helping me find a solution to my commute from hell problem. I am spending $450 + a month in commute, and the company is not paying me. I am already overdraft, the bills are piling up and there are not signs that this situation will improve anytime soon.

So, last night, I was sad. I felt defeated. I felt hopeless. I felt trapped because this crappy job is all I have now. I felt like an idiot for agreeing to this job in the first place. I just wanted to cry. I wanted to just not come back to work at all, what would be the point? Is not like they are paying me anyway.

This morning I traveled to work in autopilot. I wasn’t there. I let me body drive me to the office, and for better or worse, the trip was smooth and with no delays.

Today I had to call a previous provider for The Company. We have run out of boxes for a small product so they asked me to call the company who made the boxes before for pricing on a second order.

The sales person, James, told me a few things before we can start talking about business.

Before I tell you anything about pricing, you should know that The Company is a on a credit hold list. You guys broke the payment agreement of 30 days. It took us a year to collect the money you owe us. If we are to work with you again, we have to establish a new payment agreement and take all the payment upfront before we start to work on your order”

I was mortified. Who could I ask for products if The Company is good at demanding services but not so good at paying for them?

I saw a similar behavior with some translations we needed in a rush for the trip to Shanghai.  I was order to rush the translation, and the translation company charged us a rush service fee. The translations were done in record time, but the payment wasn’t. I started getting regular emails requesting payment and I would forward those email to the account people who would toss them aside, not considering a priority. After 3 months of bugging them to pay the translators, they finally did when I complained directly to the boss, in front of the account people and the boss order an immediate payment.

The same situation is happening to out printing provider. The lady who runs the company is so good at bringing me proofs, pricing, and good quality products, and The Company is so bad a delivering payment. I feel terrible each time she calls me and begs me to remind the account people that they owe her money. 

Every new years day, Coney Island (which never cease to keep me amuse) hosts the annual New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge.

On that day, hundreds of people come to Coney Island, in the middle of the winter, at 1:00 PM, the national anthem is sang and MC announces that the plunge is officially on. At that point, hundreds of brave newyorkers jump in the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

There is a lot of excitement, and a lot of screaming and cheering.

My brother and I barely made it on time.

We got to the beach, strip to out swimming suits and run the long beach until we reach the water. We stop at the waters edge and encourage each other:

-“I will follow you brother!” – my little brother said to me. 
-“Ok, remember the trick: just keep screaming!” – I replied.

So we ran, full speed, into the water, screaming to the top of our lungs, just like everybody else was doing. People splashes water, tries to swim (unsuccessfully) push and play and make a lot of noise. Odd enough, we did not hear any swear words. 

The water is so cold. It feels like thousands of needles poking you from every direction. Full immersion was the goal, and we did it, twice.  

It feels great afterwards. The air feels nice, the sun feels so warm, and you cannot feel your toes or fingers. Very invigorating.

The weather was unusually warm (mid 50s) for a winter day, so it was a good year to do it for the first time.

Something more to scratch off my bucket list.

Here what happened in my world in 2011

-I freelance a lot
- I sailed around the Caribbean (again)
- I sailed across the Atlantic.
- I visit Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid)
- I traveled first class international from Madrid to New York.
-I did summer stock theater in Indiana.
- I got a importantish job at “The company”
-I traveled to China
-I move out of my place in 171st st
-I moved in with Tim
- I got my first apartment lease on my name.

As my dad always says on new years eve: “This year will be better”
I am sure it will.