It has been a long time since I ranted (ha ha ha) so.....

I'm mad. I'm just so mad. I can't even tell you how mad I am right now.

This morning I walked in to my office to find a letter on my desk saying annual increases are upon us and, in a nutshell, everyone gets 4% but if you were on probation on July 1st you get 0%. I completed my 9 month probation period on July 9th.... just 8 days later.

This amounts to a $170/month difference in my paycheck (do the math and you can figure out how much I make at the U of L LOL) so I decided to look into it more. Turns out, the collective agreement between AUPE (of which I am a member) and the U of L states that all employees are eligible for a 4% increase every July 1st unless they 1. lack merit or 2. have excessive absences... neither of which is applicable in my case. I double checked and probationary employees ARE NOT exempt from this rule.

So I wrote to HR. I'm paraphrasing but their response amounts to... we decided to do it this way years ago but it's not in the collective agreement because it has never been an issue. Well baby, it's a frickin issue now!!!!! It is literally in writing that I should get an increase retro-active to July 1st and I'm going to either....

1. file a grievance and fight for my money or
2. leave and find a non-union job elsewhere where I don't have to fight for my basic employee rights that the employer has agreed to

I have started the process for both of the above. Not sure which one will come in to effect first though. Wish me luck.

Locker room etiquette

After I'm finished working out I, like most people, go to the locker room to shower and change before going on about my day. For reasons of keeping things simple, I opt to change in the locker room "at large" if you will. It's just easier to change next to my locker rather than look for a change room (none of which are near my locker) or go into a bathroom stall (many are near my locker but are cramped and dirtier than the open space and unused bench next to my locker).

The only real downside of my choice is that women walk by all the time and they see me naked. If those women are family or friends or even strangers I don't care at all. I'm just not hyped about nudity in front of other women... with one exception: co-workers. I don't want to be naked in front of co-workers... it's just weird. But since my gym is in the same building as my office, I end up changing in front of co-workers a lot.

So here's what I usually do... pretend I don't see them or ignore them until I/we have finished changing. Here's what I don't do.... engage them in conversation! So why do they so often start a conversation with me????? It's awkward. I know they feel it too. Do they feel once they have started a conversation they are committed to continue it inspite of the palpable tension? The problem is, the dressed person is by default in the position of power. The naked person is automatically vulnerable by virtue of being naked in front of someone they frequently see while fully clothed.

So, to keep the balance of power fair between business associates in various stages of nudity, here are my rules of etiquette if you ever see a co-worker in the locker room:

1. If one party is dressed and the other is naked then the dressed party is under obligation to completely ignore and in no way acknowledge the naked party
   
2. If one party is dressed and the other is partly dressed (ie. at least underwear and bra on) then eye contact and a nod of acknowledgement is all that is allowed
   
3. If both parties are naked (ie. in the shower) then all effort must be made to keep a side profile or 3/4 turn so parties are mostly back to back. Brief pleasantries may be exchanged (ie. "have a nice workout?"... "it was great. thank-you" THE END). Every effort must be made to ensure the business of being naked is completed as swiftly as possible.
   Note: this only applies if there are no physical barriers (ie. shower stalls) between the naked parties. In the case of shower stalls or other physical obstructions then rule #4 applies instead.
   
4. If both parties are partly dressed (ie. at least underwear and bra on, or the exception to rule #3 above) then limited conversation may occur. Topics should be restricted to the weather, pop-culture, and news headlines. Nothing personal, family, or business related.
   
5. If both parties are dressed you may speak to each other in a normal fashion as you would outside the locker room.

I hope this clears up any confusion you may have with regards to locker room etiquette. Please feel free to distribute to your co-workers, especially the frequent offenders, as you see fit :)

Not a rant.... need opinions

Vince & I have been talking about opening up our home and renting out the spare bedroom. I am very reluctant but the money would be nice so I'm seriously considering it. We could rent it out to.....

1. Foreign exchange students (pros - they are usually quiet, especially older students. cons - language & cooking barrier)
2. University students (pros - often here just for a fixed period of time... semester or two. cons - newly out of parents home so may not be responsible)
3. Visiting faculty (pros - responsible, here for a short period of time, sometimes only need to stay for a couple nights/week. cons - can't think of any right now)

The bedroom is basically furnished and the renter would have use of the rest of the house.... I was thinking of asking $500/month. Any thoughts?

Since I'm on the subject

What is the deal with people who don't wash their hands after going to the bathroom? I know they were taught to do it at some point. I even remember when I was little (this was in England so I was probably 5 or 6 years old) we had a video shown to us in school that stressed the importance of washing hands. Everyone knows they should do it. I've even noticed signs in public bathrooms such as in hospitals, restaurants, and even the University that remind people to wash their hands.

Yet whenever I use a public bathroom, I am constantly amazed by the number of women who walk out of a stall, check their hair in the mirror, and then leave. I would LOVE to yell after them "YOU FORGOT TO WASH YOUR HANDS!!!" but that would make me the crazy one. But it would be worth it just so I wouldn't be so grossed out by them.

It has been too long since I've had a good rant!

What is the deal with the U of L toilet paper? Seriously!

Most bathrooms in the university (at least in the area I work in) all have the same products.... great soap (comes out foamy so easier to lather up and rinse off than a true gel-liquid) in great dispensers (it senses your hand under the dispenser and gives up a portion of soap without the hand-washer having to touch anything). By the same token the paper towels are equally good. There is a trick to getting a decent amount out of the touch-free dispenser but once you understand the trick it's an easy-peasy procedure.

As it turns out the soap and paper towel are consolation for skipping out on decent toilet paper. It's the really thin kind (totally see-through) on a giant roll. So when it's a new/heavy roll you have to figure out the physics of bunching together as much of the TP "tail" as you can to give it the strength needed to handle the pulling action on the ultra-heavy roll of tissue-paper... I mean toilet paper.... without tearing it off prematurely. What a song and dance for the prickliest, least-absorbing excuse for toilet paper I've ever had the misfortune of placing in private places.

One day I'll remember to bring a roll of Charmin from home. Until then I'll either have to "hold it" or suffer with the rest of the U of L staff, students, and faculty.