Income(ing)

So I'm sitting around here on Friday, writing a cranky blog post, and the phone rings and it's K, telling me he wants me to start on January 3rd. (I'm still going to try to collect unemployment for the intervening five weeks, however.) I'll apparently be doing laminated doughs rather than cake decorating, which is more than fine with me. After I've been there a week he'll decide what to pay me, which is also fine (that's pretty much how they do things in the food business). I start at 7 am, which, if I work an actual 8-hour shift (i.e., I work 8 hours and get paid for 8 hours, rather than another trick in the food business where you work about 12 hours but get paid for 8), then I'll even get off in time to continue playing handball. He pointed out that I would be making considerably less than in my current position, and I told him I knew that and didn't care. (I'll probably make about 20% to 25% of my current salary, with little or no paid time off--I'm now eligible for four weeks paid vacation.) It's not going to be enough for C and I to have many luxuries (or even really make ends meet completely), but I'm going to start doing some stuff for C's sister's store, and maybe some other unrelated something on the side (that means you, kStyle), and we should be okay, so long as he can find a job.

When Chef Bob came through our kitchen today I thanked him. He congratulated me and gave me a hug, and everyone was pleased (not as pleased as I am, but, hey, that's to be expected). I don't have to tell you what a relief it is.

I do have to relate the stupidest comment I heard today. I was at the unemployment office, filing some kind of statement of wages (I brought my W2 and pay stubs and so on), and the person w/ whom I was dealing tells me, practically over her shoulder as she's walking away from me, that I need to make sure my employer reports my wages. Um, yeah, I'll see what I can do about that. She was the first stupid/sullen person I met in this process, but it was pretty annoying. It did make me all the more determined to get my unemployment compensation, however.