Did you folks know that I am a criminal???

Well, things are shaping up nicely. After a few days of laziness, watching BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, watching Scott sleep in his crib, hanging with the wife and Ted, I am starting to feel normal. I even penciled 4 pages last night! So, I am doing good….although a cloud is hanging over me with doubts and fears for the first time in my life. You’ve all read me mention brief tidbits about my job and what is going on here and there, especially lately. I have to be careful with what I say and how I say it in reguards to this for legal reasons. Well, here’s the skinny as best as I can put it for now…

A while back, I informed my boss that once my son is born, my wife and I intend to focus more on our family and my artwork and I would want to step down from my management position and let someone else take it over. Also, I would step down to part time, a couple days a week and make my art business more of a priority. My boss totally understood and agreed with me.

Then suddenly, my son was born and all was hectic. The store was short staffed too, so my boss had to pull 7 days a week, all different shifts, etc. But still she remained cool. Even when there was a point when she royally pissed me off and we argued for a day or two, but we worked it out. Just like mature adults do. So I have zero fault with her.

A few nights ago, I went to work and could barely stay awake. I did anything to keep me awake during the midnight shift. (remember this was during the height of our hospital stays and me driving back and forth). For some reason, I took a marker and doodled a bit, as I often do. I am an artist too. But I called Kelly and inbetween talking to her, I was getting mindless and kept doodling with it. As people do when they are on the phone. I took the marker and I markered a pencil. Like, covered it in a shade of red. Then the two memory buttons on the calculator I markered over. And on our calendar, I drew over this building a big red cross and wrote “MASH 4077th.” A 10¢ pencil, a dollar store calculator and the calendar. Not a big deal. My boss jokingly gave me crap about the calculator button giving her a red finger. It was a joke.

Well, our area supervisor came in and for the past couple weeks she’s been making us move this, change that, fix this, etc. etc. Oh, the things I could tell you about this… but I will stick to the matter at hand. Well, she saw the markered items and found out I did it. She wanted me fired immediately for it. Yeah, FIRED FOR MARKERING ON A PENCIL AND A DOLLAR STORE CALCULATOR! Well, my boss didn’t see it that extreme and next time I came in she said simply “not to do that again.” Which I laughed off and understood. No big deal.

The supervisor calls the store the next day and I answer the phone. She sounds surprised to hear my voice. She demands I say where my boss went. She called my boss on her cell demanding to know why I wasn’t fired for what I did. So my boss comes back and tells her that she wrote me up for the incident and that they cannot do two different actions for the same violation, its not fair to me. So deeming this sufficient, the supervisor calls her a “weak manager who needs to better control her people” and then says she has lost all hiring/firing privileges.

On top of all of this, I was told that if I step down from management, that the store will no longer need my employment with them. So If I step down, I will be fired. Just because the priorities in my life have shifted, they will let me go. The longest employee at the store, employee of the region in May 2008, a person with a college degree and 8 years managerial experience. Yeah, they’d fire me. And I cannot retaliate because they have in their handbook a clause called “EMPLOYMENT AT WILL,” meaning they can hire and fire a person at any time for any reason, including retaliation I guess.

So I ask you dear readers… whats fair? My boss stuck up for me and totally supports me. I’ve put up with and observed FAR WORSE things during my employment there and no action was taken on those individuals who committed the crimes. But I get nailed for this??? I really feel betrayed and run out of there. And for what? A dollar store calculator and pencil? Did I “severely and maliciously damage company property?” Since when did jobs become a numbers game and less “people” driven? No one cares about the employee’s needs anymore. Just what you can give them and how much money you are making. Makes you feel valued doesn’t it?

Right now, feelings of betrayal and extreme bitterness aside, what can I do or learn from this? Well, I’ve been out trying to score a new job with not much luck. Commissions are still slow and I am not quite set up with a reliable computer to make online sales and web work a steady source of income. I got a family to feed and my dreams close to me. What can I do folks? What can I do???

Want to know how can you help?

Well, allow me to direct you to my STORE at:
http://www.idiothead.com/STORE.html

Another option is to order a commission from me! Again, I will do 8.5x11 inked only for $10. fully colored in markers and inks for $20. If you want an 11x17 piece inked, its $20. Colored for $40. You get the original art plus some free ashcan comics from me, and my eternal gratitude for helping me and my family stay afloat. I really appreciate it.

Simply email me at: phymns@yahoo.com and we can discuss such matters. I accept cash, check, paypal. Please PLEASE take advantage of this now before I fill to the brim with requests and have to turn people away. Now is the time to get that early Xmas present for yourself or someone you love! The gift of original art, professionally made just to your specifications!

Other than that, I will take prayers/positive thoughts tossed my way. I’ve learned my lesson that my job is not the totalization of me. There’s a verse I keep thinking about that says “beware the man that thinks he is standing, that he does not fall.” Well, even if I get shitcanned, I will not fall. I am not sweating it. In the end, its just a fuckin’ porn store. Who cares? I believe that fate drives me to where it wants me to go. And right now, my heart is driving me on to greener pastures. Where is that? What is it doing??? I have hopes… and only fate will take me on that ride. Lets hope together.

Thanks for listening. Much luv, T