Work Ramblings & Shingles

A lot of my writing is from work during the slow parts of my office day. Lately, the slow parts are evaporating. Which means my writing time is also disappearing. Back to writing from my shower floor. This is probably where I’ve done a lot of my best writing. So it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

My client load is picking up as the cold weather hits. I’m not really sure why. Before covid it was definitely double this easily. Even triple some months. But I’ve got far more than I did in November. If this trend continues I’d be back to a normal caseload before summer. I’m assuming it’s with all the “free” money going away – it’s taken a bit but it’s finally causing issues again.

The huge catch is I get far more complex clients than most. So 10 clients for me is easily worth 20-30 hours a week of client time with their extreme barriers. It’s been -40+ with the windchill and I’ve got two homeless families (thankfully in hotels this week), 3 clients with extreme physical health issues. It’s been an in-depth month that’s for sure.

I got that promotion like 6+ months ago to be the “Lead Worker”. Basically a step below supervisor as they didn’t have supervisor money with out new budget coming out and that takes up a good chunk of time.

Now they’re redoing the contract for my job as it’s grant money and takes bids. This time it’s far different and instead of bidding on regions you’re bidding on the whole state. My agency’s fairly confident they’ll succeed. We should know any day as the new contracts are to begin 2/1 and have extra work. Nothing like last minute. I LOVE the government.

My boss asked if I’d be willing to do a “training role” a couple weeks ago. Yeah. Sure. Whatever. How much money? It’s a HEFTY hourly increase. Well worth it. It’s supposedly temporary but they’ll always need training. She’s also got me in “management trainings” and simply said “we will need remote supervisors”. So I’m pretty confident should they get the contract my wage increase is very likely either way and the promotion. Should this happen – I will have officially doubled my wage since starting back in government jobs 11.5 years ago. Not bad.

And if they don’t get the contract? Well, I’m not applying with the business they’re in competition with because it’s NOT government which means my time/benefits doesn’t carry and I’ve heard they’re advertising positions at $5-$6 less than I make now with a “based on IF we get said contract”.

We don’t get the contract…. I’ll put my time in until I’m laid off – September at the latest it sounds like for the full roll out. Then I’m going to enjoy my reduction in force benefits and debate my life… New government job? CPS would pay the same. (God, I hate working there though.) Or sell my house and go live off the equity and cash outs in my car somewhere warm. (I’m dead freaking serious. Too serious says my therapist.)

I’ve decided I’m not worrying about it until it happens. No thank you. We should know in the next 2 weeks tho.

Assuming I keep my job I’ll have to move into the next pondering – Spend my extra raise money on vacations and saving for vacations. Or pretend I never saw it and throw it all towards paying off my car and house faster. Maybe I’ll 50/50 it? I’m NOT counting on that money until it happens tho. No way. I’m fully preparing for the living in my car somewhere warm adventure too.

That’s about it. I’ve struggled to focus and didn’t accomplish shit again today. Lots of client time. Like easily 4 hours with clients and 2 hours in meetings. But I have that many hours in case notes to write. Tomorrow.

I did go to the doctor on my lunch hour. My ear has this great rash thing. The rash hurts, tingles, itches and I could see bumps. Today it looked worse than yesterday. I fully planned on seeing until Friday and then going in. It’s just one ear.

I showed my boss while on a video call and she thought I should go right away. Partially because it had spread to INSIDE my ear today and was hurting more. Okay. Cool…

Well, it could be a reaction to something. But based on the fact nothing has changed, the rest of my body is fine, it hurts and it’s presenting along the ear following a nerve path…. Oh it’s likely shingles.

Seriously? Wtf?! Because it’s in this specific spot it’s more dangerous than normal – Can cause deafness if it continues to spread in my ear. Blindness if it follows the path to my eye. Partial face paralysis. Oh you know. The good stuff. Because I don’t get normal stuff.

Turning 40 Saturday and my gift is Shingles. A couple decades too early. Yay for me!

She did give me antivirals to hopefully stop it. Chill on the stressful parts of life. Rest up. Seriously, I’ve cut so much stress out of my life I’m offended the small amounts of stress I have left can cause this.

But remember. My last round of COVID caused a full body chicken pox rash (literally) about 6-8 weeks after it. So, I’d of had covid about 12 weeks ago or so this. Guess it was time for this happy immune response. My body seems to stay angry after viral infections for quite sometime.

Oh well. I’m using this as my excuse to force myself to just chill at home indefinitely (unless I’m at work).