Some of you may be wondering how I've been doing lately, so here's a bit of an update.
I've been back at work for over a month. This is mostly good news; I got lucky and transferred to a store closer to where we live, because the new baker they hired for that one quit the day I came back. It's much less stressful and the new GM there actually has a clue what he's doing. We actually didn't run out of anything this week, which was a miracle in and of itself. Yesterday and Thursday were crazy in preparation for the Mother's Day weekend; the other baker there, his last day was Wednesday. They've got one of the other bakers from my old store helping me some days, but he can't be there every day until they hire someone new for the other store and they're having a hard time hiring and keeping people. My husband quit a few weeks ago so he can return to school for the summer semester. I will have a six day week this week, but I'm not complaining because I need the money.
So I'm the lead baker at the store where I am now. The ironic thing is I originally applied to that store in the first place, did my training there before they sent me to be the baker at the other store. So I basically have my old job back, which I'm happy about. They're still hoping to get health insurance by August, last I heard, but I'm not holding my breath. The corporate head baker asked me if I could commit for the rest of this year, so I said yes. Perhaps foolishly, but I figure unless they make me sign a contract I don't owe them anything if something better does come along before then but right now I don't have any other prospects. I'm going to ask for a raise soon, probably not this week but next week; I probably also have a better chance of getting a raise there than at my old store. (Oh, also good news--they finally got rid of the incompetent, lying buffoon GM at my old store!!)
I had half a dozen interviews in about a two week span while I was on leave. One place (not sure if I'm allowed to drop names here) refused to start me at more than $9/hr even with my experience. That interview sucked. The best offer I got was $10/hr plus tips; everything else was either part time and/or $8-10/hr. Another place has been stringing me along; I had an interview with them back in February, but they didn't have anything at the store then and the interviewer said she'd forward my application to other locations who were looking for bakery help. A few weeks later I got a call from HR at one of them saying they'd call me for an interview the following week, which they never did. Then yesterday I got another message from their HR asking if I was still interested and if so to go back and reapply as their application software on their web site had changed. Several other places said they'd call me but then I never heard from them. I will never understand why places do that.
Anyway, I'm feeling a lot better. I'm back on my anti-depressant, which helps me sleep. I'll have to find a new therapist though, as our current therapist will be retiring in a couple of months.
Also my favorite uncle died last week, so my husband and I drove to Kansas for the funeral last weekend. I hadn't been there in four years, since my other uncle died. I missed three days of work, which of course weren't paid time off either. This is why mandatory paid time off needs to be a thing, and a $15/hr minimum wage, so that when things like this come up people can afford to take the time off to be with family. Especially these days when families are spread out all over the country in different states, but we can't afford to take time off of work to go visit just for fun.
So yeah. That's what's been going on.