Payroll Fiasco

I believe that I've mentioned that I work for a large urban school district. This district rolled out a new payroll program 11 months ago. The payroll program (BTS) is an unmitigated disaster. Thousands of employees have either not been paid, have been underpaid, or in my case have been overpaid.

One would think that being overpaid is a good thing. I can tell you from first hand experience that it isn't. The financial implications, as we approach the end of the 2007 year, are overwhelming. We have been told that we have until December 10th to pay back any overpayments made to us, and we will be able to pay them back at the net rate (because the district will have time to recoup the taxes that they've paid to the gov't). If we don't pay the money back before December 10th, then we will have to pay back the gross amount.

I spent a good portion of yesterday (from 8am-3pm) at the Districts downtown headquarters, trying to get clarification as to exactly how much I've been overpaid. No one was able to give me an amount. Not Michael in payroll. Not Michael's supervisor Julianne. Nor Yvette. Isabelle from Human Resources tried to help me out, under the watchful eye of her supervisor Colleen, but no one could give me any information.

They all told me that I would have to wait until the next 'payroll run' which won't happen until November 15th. I was told that after that run, I will get a letter telling me the amount I owe. Knowing this district, as I do, I figure the letter won't even get to me until after the December 10th deadline.

Guess where I'll be on November 16th.

Are you Stoopid?

Elle asked me to take this test. Turns out I'm not stupid at all, much to Elle's surprise. What about you? Are you up to the challenge? Click here to take the test.

What Makes A Person, Personable?

There must be something in the air relating to words, play on words, and language in general. Patches has been posting about it.

Then last night Elle, my thirteen year old daughter, asked me this question. Maybe you can help me with the answer.

"If a person who eats another person is called a cannibal, then why isn't a person who eats from a can called a personable?".

O.K., clearly she didn't understand the meaning of the word personable, or even how funny what she asked was, but I couldn't stop cracking up.

Spring Ahead...Fall Back

At 2 o'clock this morning those of us who live in areas that participate in Daylight Savings time had to turn our clocks back one hour. Last night before we went to bed DH and I did just that.

Unfortunately, my brain/body is very uncooperative, and didn't get with the program. This meant that I woke up at 5am, with my brain/body thinking that it was 6am. I don't know about you, but I try to sleep in until at least 7:30am on a Sunday morning. Now I knew that there was no way that I would be able to remain sleeping until what had been, just the day before 8:30. But 5am...that just seems unusually cruel!

What stinks is that I know sometime around 11am I will be wanting lunch and that somewhere around 8pm I'm gonna want to close my eyes and fall asleep. This is"jet lag" without the jet or the promise of a vacation. Since we are no longer, for the most part, an agrigarian society, can anyone tell me why we have to go through this two times a year?

Studies indicate that there is a rise in car accidently in the few days following these time changes. You all drive safely!

Take Your Vitamins Please

Today my mother turns 86 and 1/2. I know that it is mostly young children who usually focus on the 1/2 year. Generally, once we turn a certain age most people stop counting it. However, at some point in time, I think that the 1/2 a year becomes important again. Heck at some point, each and every day becomes a day to celebrate wakeing up in the morning.

A little over 6 and 1/2 years ago, my father died. He was 1 week short of turning 86 and 1/2. Now my mother has passed that milestone. I must admit, I didn't actually think of it as a milestone until it dawned on me yesterday that she has lived longer than he did.

There have been times when I have had to fill out forms, at doctor's offices, asking whether or not my parents were still living, and if not at what age they died. When I've listed my mother's current age, and my father's age at death, the doctors have always replied, "You certainly have longevity in your family".

I guess this means that each and every day that my mother lives is one more day on the Longevity Scale. I better go make sure my mother takes her vitamins.

You Are Hereby Excused...

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how both my mother and I each received a summons to serve jury duty on the same day, at the same location. Although Meno suggested that it might be interesting to have my 86 year old mother (who has dementia) show up for jury duty, I figured the justice system might not appreciate having her serve. (just a wild guess on my part).

So instead, I promptly returned the forms (o.k. I waited more than a week to send them back, but don't tell anyone, because the forms clearly stated that they needed to be returned within 5 days) . Evidently the fact that I have a child under the age of 12, and am the primary caregiver for my mother, along with an explanation of my mother's dememtia, and my mother's age, were enough to convince the powers that be, that both my mother and I should be excused from jury duty. At least for THIS TIME.

I'm just a little concerned that both of our excusal post cards said "Good cause having been shown, you are hereby excused from Jury Service. This excusal has no bearing on notices for future jury service." Now, I understand that at some point in the future, when Ten is at least Twelve, and I am no longer the primary caregiver for my mom, that I will once again be eligible for jury service. But I wonder if the courts really think that somehow my mother will miraculously no longer have dementia, and will be able to serve.

One can only hope.

Time Keeps On Slippin'...Into The Future

I can't believe it is already November 1st. It seems like just yesterday, it was summer vacation. Oh who am I kidding, it seems like just yesterday it was Thanksgiving, and yet now the holiday season approaches and it will soon be Thanksgiving once again. I can't figure out where the time has gone, and how it could have gone by so quickly.

They say that as you get older you are more aware of the passage of time. That certainly seems to be the case with me. I remember when I was younger (o.k. lots younger) it seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r for it to be summer vacation. Now that I am older (o.k. lots older) Summers seem to come with greater frequency.

This rapid movement of time and the quick passage of the seasons, scare me. I look around me and I know that life is fleeting, and I fear, at times, that it is slipping through my fingers and that before I know it, I will turn around and be nearing the end of my life.

There are so many things that I want to accomplish, and so many things that I feel I still need to do, what if I run out of time? What if I can't finish it all? I would hate to leave this world with things left undone.

I'm not sure what has brought this awareness of time to the forefront of my consciousness. Maybe it is because I have a birthday coming the end of this month. Maybe it is that I am now the mother of a teenager. Maybe it is that I am feeling overwhelmed at the thought of another holiday season and all that I need to do. All I know is that suddenly I am feeling that time is passing too quickly.