Seems like a LONG TIME since I left State employment... but in reality it's been less than a month. Irene and I are getting used to our new schedule(s) pretty well, and been working hard together to make ends meet.
The tattoo equipment selling business has just gotten better with time -- it's more common than not to make $1000 - $1800 a weekend selling kits and supplies over a weekend in Austin or San Antonio. Sure beats sitting in a dark doorway listening to leetle felons snore and fart all night, among other things!!
We just got back from about a week at WA State to take care of some business and were greeted with 16" of snow and freezing temperatures -- and a 3 day power outage. Sure makes us appreciate Texas, where y'all were enjoying temps in the 70's. It still was good to get out for a change of scenery and see the Family Units, so all was well, overall.
Been keeping in contact with a still-active JCO friend who lives down the street, and he's been keeping me advised of the situations on campus -- don't see much of a change happening in the past few weeks, and don't really expect much of any, either. Sigh.
Guess I best close here for the moment and "get to work", such as it is. There's tattoo machines to tune and kits to be made up and ink to be poured... it's a dirty job, but you know, SOMEBODY has to do it!
Tomorrow will mark ONE WEEK since I left the Giddings State School and embarked on what may be a frighteningly uncertain (unstable?) future as a self-employed middle aged dude. Been feeling pretty good about my choice, so far, and have a video here that kind of sums up my feelings on the subject.
AND THE FUTURE...
Who knows? I suppose/hope it will be better, but making it happen will take a lot of effort and energy -- it won't happen on it's own. For anyone who is at the...
It was actually kinda anti-climatic. Went to HR and told them "today is the day", filled out the paperwork, handed in my badge and parking permit, and walked out. That was it. I thought for maybe 4... 5... maybe 6 BILLIONTHS of a second as to maybe stopping by the dorm... then thought nahh -- what good would it do? The kids never listened to me anyhow, and the day staff could most likely care less -- so I trotted on out the gate and closed the final chapter of my 6.5 years as a JCO. An am...
Guess this is where the rubber hits the road. I'm going to go into the HR office at GSS and tell them yes, I had written them an official letter saying I planned my last workday these to be the 10-6 shift on Saturday, 1-14-12 -- techinically that would mean my last actual day working there would be on the morning of Sunday, 1-15-12.
But I think that is not to be.
I have the option EITHER having to lie to some ODS about why I wasn't coming in (~~ shall I say "sick"? ~~) the next couple day...
The New Year is only a few days old... but SO FAR, here's some things I've either seen/experienced myself, have heard about (as rumor or fact) or know of that you can take with a grain or salt as you like, ALL within the past few days:
* Yet another dorm had a WHOLE SHIFT call in, leaving both sides to be worked by visiting staff. That's never a pretty picture, is it?
* A female staff on my dorm up and quit without notice. Word is she'll be looking for another State job. Good luck -- qui...
OK, I know a picture is worth 1,000 words -- at least that's what they say. Maybe so. Just to be perfectly clear, here's a few thousands words worth of pics to get the idea across...
I think 6 1/2 years of working at this thankless job is enough, if not mebbe a wee bit toooo much. I'll take that back -- DEFINATELY more than a "wee" bit. A LOT too much. I've lost my edge, my effectiveness, my bite. And more. I've lost my heart and soul for what it was I was hoping to accomplish by...
The State Schools are supposed to be "secure facilities" and indeed, for the most part, they are. Very few kids seem to get over the fence and/or back out into The Free without our letting them -- and that's a GOOD thing. In that aspect, we're all doing the jobs we're getting paid for, keeping the kids securely locked up behind the fence to serve their sentences.
Sure, it comes at a high price. A VERY high price. The cost of maintaining secure youth lockups is millions and millions of doll...
What is it we're supposed to be trying to DO every day when we come to work... besides make a paycheck? I'd like to suggest it's a combination of things -- not least of which is to HELP THE KIDS learn enough to finish up their incarceration with the knowledge and skills to stay out of the justice system, right? Not an easy job, for sure -- but as most of us would have to admit (if only privately), a job we're NOT succeeding at very well.
And what are the KIDS supposed to be doing while they'...
Good news! The year is almost over, and what a year it's been. Christmas is tomorrow, and the New Year will soon be upon us as well... and to my fellow JCO's I wish y'all a better year coming up than what THIS one was.
My wish list? Well... I haven't been TOTALLY nice this year so I probably won't get (nor deserve) EVERYTHING I'd want. But that's OK. What might Santa dock me for, you ask? Let's see...... I've called in 6 times these past 12 months, been put "under investigation" at leas...
When you're ready to leave the State School, they ask you to fill out an "EXIT QUESTIONAIRE" and select just ONE answer as to why you're quitting. Talk about a tough decision!! Here's some of the reasons you can choose:
1. "Conflict with co-workers": That's a great one to start with, but is it the MAIN reason most folks quit? Dunno. MAYBE. Over the years, there's been more than a few I simply couldn't stand to be around, let alone work with, for one reason or another. These reason...
