So, I have been at my current job for 12 and a half years. Pretty much a record for me, because its the longest that I have ever stayed at a job in my life. Not that I bounce around, but, well, the first - real- job I had lasted 5 years, and it was horrible work that ground me done physicly and emotionally - I had worked at a nursing home, and I kept getting exposed to TB and every thing that people brought in when they came to visit their family and I lost a full inch of my height from lifting people who refused to stand up. I quit, and a week later I learned that the owner of the place was arrested for murdering 4 of the people who lived there (including his mother who had retired there, and was in her right mind and held the purse strings)

My next job was with a dept store selling ladys foundation garments and fur coats, and that lasted 18 months before the owners decided to go to the kentucky derby and wipe out the retirement fund of the people who worked there, and when they tried to recoup their losses, they lost- everything.

my next job was food service- and I was pretty good at it, and it paid for me to go back to college and I left there just before the manager was arrested for embezzelment of fund (he had set up a catering service on the side and was using the money from the buisness to buy things for the dinners he catered- he got caught because the millage on the van when they took it in for servicing was higher than expected by several thousand miles)

the job I had after that was another short term one, simply because the manager was again, embezzling funds, and changing the time cards so that we wern't getting paid, though we had worked a 40 hour work week.

I went back to work at a dept store (different one) in the childrens dept, and it was pretty good while we were on commission. but they changed that, and after 5 years, I found myself making minimum wage again, and I was pretty pissed, but left on good terms with them.

the next job I had lasted 10 years. It started out with one company who was doing great, and then, alas, the CEO who thought he could get gold from sea water and yes, you can, well, the investors discovered that it cost more to make it than it could get out...

so he pulled the money out of the company to pay off his investors and sold it to a rival company, and they started merging the locations, the district manager had no clue about what I knew, or what I was able to do- and in a way, I really didn't care. the company was sold to different subsidiary companys as they tried to beat the tax man, and after a while, they just closed everything.

I kicked around for a while, did vollenteer work at the local library (which IMHO if your unemployed, do volenteer work because it shows that you are still doing SOMETHING besides sitting around collecting the checks. A position became avalible there and I applied for it, didn't get it, and it was funny, because the woman said :"Oh, but you will still be here as a volenteer..." and I shrugged and said, "I need a job. Funny that I am good enough to work for free, but your not willing to pay me for the same work. " and I walked out.

I filled out a bunch of applications and I knew that at *my age* they look for the young kids who are dumb and can hustle. well, Im not young, Im not dumb and with my current health, I can't hustle.

I was hired, at my current job, but under a different company. 12 years ago the company bought out one of its compeditors, and thus began the race to be the biggest in its market. Problem with that is that not all are equal, and failing buisness locations don't make more money, only more debt. But they were Solvent, and they gobbled up more than they could swallow, and they were bought out by another company who was bigger, and wanted to be in the top 4 but- funny thing... the owners sons ran it to LOSE money so they wouldn't have to pay taxes... and that lasted all of 24 months before they sold to another company who had COOKED THEIR BOOKS in order to make the aquisitons work.

When I married my husband, I was making pretty good money- some of the highest wages I'd ever made in my life. Since the buy out, things have changed.

If I hadn't been frugal all of my life - I would have been totally screwed.

Which gets me to my current spot.

I don't - gossip at work, I don't talk down, I don't trash people I go, do my work, and I don't complain. I know I'm winding down in my energy and dealing with cancer and arthritus and other issues, I know that the chances of being hired again are pretty slim.

So, yes, dispite the cutbacks in my salery, I am still making pretty decent per hour wages- (maxed out in the companys list) I was grandfathered in with my vacation time,and yes, I have medical for my husband and I.

I have been there for 12 years, and I have 2 degrees, and I can work in any area of the company as needed.

Sigh

Enter in the assistant manager. She was hired at 17 because she flirted with the past manager and hung on every word he said and cooed how handsom he was...

she has a- certificate- in -- being a hair dresser...

and she has been there for 5 years.

Well, one of the big issues is that NO ONE is supposed to know what any one else makes in the company. It's like lawsuit issue dont breath what you know and somehow, she found out that yes, I make more money than her per hour.

She is always WHINING about her credit card debt and paying for her sports car and she's decided to ask off for every weekend that she can.

Knowing that I make more money per hour than her, (and forseeably more money than her) has caused a burr under her saddle that she keeps complaining to the district manager about

so,

they have cut my hours to 20 a week. the only thing that has kept me in medical coverage is the fact I am using up my vacation time.

but the company as a whole, is showing signs of failure. they haven't been able to make the overall payroll for the last month, and the fiscal year ends in feb.

With the current economy, I don't see the company lasting and I know that people are telling me to jump ship, If I should "ride it out" there is un employment for 6 months, not alot- half of what I would be making now, but still, enough to keep the house for that time.

I have - dreams of a house- a victorian, with polished wood and the bay windows, a tower room-

I almost purchased one- (but the neighbor was nuts)

I thought about it,

If I should win the lottery, what would I do?

and the answer is clear,

I would build the victorian of my dreams,

move into it, and use this house as my studio.

there is "so much" that I want to do, yet , have no space to do.

sigh.

and yes,

I would wish, for a horse.

which brought me to my current employment, I filled out the application, and