Lack of a Cohesive Plot

Forgive me, Readers, it’s been a week-ishy since my last post. The Department of Labor sent the letter with their Official Determination, which makes it Official: My contract work wasn’t as a contractor, but as an employer. Oooooooookay. However, the Determination of Benefits letter was based on very obviously (to me) incorrect earnings for when I was working, so I have to file a correction and blah blah blah.

ANYWAY. I started an on-site contract with a new company this week, and so far, I absolutely love it. It’s immediately apparent that all of the folks in the department really care about each other, and everyone seems to truly enjoy their work. There is no grumbling or rolling eyes, and it feels great to be in such an environment! And, ohmigosh, the paperwork I need for each project is ALL FILLED OUT. Nobody takes a shortcut and assumes that the info isn’t necessary or that someone down the line will pick up the slack. Heavenly and efficient! The breakroom refrigerator is kept stocked with cream/half-and-half/soy creamer for the employees to use! REAL STUFF! Not CoffeeMate crap! Sometimes, it really is the little things that show an employer cares. And did I mention that they’re all nice to the New Girl? There’s talk of bringing me back for a few days in January, when a different person will be out on vacation. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for that! Yay!

I had three imperfect transactions on etsy all in the same day, which was odd, but two of them are already cleared up and I know the third will iron out soon. The first was no big deal: A person ordered an item, but the payment didn’t come through. I nudged the buyer to check his account, and yeah, there was a hiccup in the system. All taken care of now. The second was from a new-to-etsy customer who didn’t understand the shipping fees and wanted a refund of the “excess,” but once I explained how the charges are calculated, we came to mutually agreeable terms. The third was a person who was in a rush and very clearly laid out when and how I needed to ship her purchase, without first asking if it was possible to do it that way (it wasn’t). I’ll be checking the tracking number to see if her dress arrives in time, but there’s nothing I can do if it doesn’t. My fingers are crossed for that, too!

The fabric is all cut out for the more complicated part of my primary Halloween costume. There was a bit of a “d’oh!” moment when I cut one piece from the wrong fabric, but it turns out that I need that piece after all, so that’s a happy accident. However, I completely miscalculated yardage for the skirt, and had to buy all new fabric for that. Dang! At least I hadn’t yet cut the original fabric, so I can use that for some future project. Not sure what, exactly, but I’ll think of something. Probably a handbag. Or three. I found a pair of shoes on eBay for a DOLLAR (plus shipping) and I hope they fit and work with the costume. More finger-crossing!

Okay, kids. My coffee is done brewing, so time for me to pack my lunch, swing by Einstein’s for my Free Friday bagel, and hit the office. Enjoy the weekend!