And now, a Very Special "Ask Uncle Trey Pound..."

Mom always told me my mouth would get me in trouble one day. I figured I'd wind up getting my ass handed to me in a drunken bar fight with a Marine, but it was Twitter.com that was my undoing. One night killing time at work, I logged onto Twitter.com for some snarky commentary with my fellow tweeters. I posted some (pretty rude) comments about a large client of my employer...which said client later noticed and brought to the attention of my boss--who had no choice but to fire me. Looking back, it's clear that it's a mess entirely of my own making. I screwed up, and I got fired. Having said that, I should also mention: it really sucks. It doesn't just suck because of the sudden unemployment, either. Now, whenever someone asks me why I left my job, I have to give them an answer that involves me looking stupid. No matter how cleverly I may try to phrase it, what most people hear is "I'm a moron with poor judgement who shot his mouth off." And by "most people," I mean "potential new employers." With the stink of this embarrassment following me like a bad fart, I had to go back out into the job market after losing a job I loved. I should mention, this is an indictment of neither Twitter.com nor my former employer. I still use Twitter.com (though I have upped my privacty settings), and I still have great friends at my former place of employment. Leave it to me to ruin my dream job by being too outgoing. A few positives have come out this, however. I've learned how supportive my friends can be--I've never gotten more emails containing links to job openings. More importantly, I've learned the age-old lesson to watch my mouth. We live in an age where everyone has the ability to (essentially) self-publish. And I made the rookie mistake of not considering who might stumble across my rude comments. But I would be Uncle Trey Pound if I didn't use my embarrassment to benefit others. So consider the consequences of your words in general, online specifically. As a woman much wiser than me once said, "Never underestimate the power of the internet." Yours, Uncle Trey Pound

Dear Uncle Trey Pound: Working Stiff

Dear Uncle Trey Pound:

I work for a small, privately-owned company. Our owner expects his employees to take on extra responsibility, yet doesn’t want to compensate us for our efforts. We’ve all griped about it, but no one is sure what do, as jobs in our industry are hard to come by these days. No one wants to bite the proverbial hand that feeds us, but it’s getting frustrating Uncle Trey Pound. We’ve been feeling taken for granted, but lately we’ve been feeling taken advantage of which is even worse. Before it seemed like he was just tight with a dime, now it’s more like he’s actively trying to use us.

Signed,

Working Stiff

Dear Stiff:

Yours is a fairly common complaint. Bosses tend to be good at delegating responsibility—that’s usually how they become bosses. But if you’re doing work for which you’re not being compensated, then it’s your responsibility to speak up. You don’t have to have to organize a union, or boycott the company, just sit your boss down and (calmly) share your concerns with him. It’s entirely possible that he’s unaware of the revolt brewing among his minions. If your suspicions are accurate, and he really is taking advantage of your work ethic, then you need to have your exit strategy in place. While there might not be a lot of jobs in your industry available right now, doesn’t sound like you’ll be missing out on too much. Good luck!

A Change is Gonna Come

The last week has been stressful as hell, but rewarding at the same time. My mornings have been spent going through training at the new job, while in the afternoons I've worked at the flower shop. This week marks my last week at the flower shop, so things will hopefully settle down some for me. Honestly, I'm feeling about my last day at the shop the same way a kid feels about the last day of school: a little anxious about the change, but excited about the new beginning. I'm particularly excited about the people I'll be working with. It's been a long time since I've had the chance to work with such fun-loving, high-spirited people, and I'm loving it. For example, last Wednesday we met up at Tavern on 4th for karaoke. We rather euphemistically called it a "team-building exercise," but it only took one song for the team to be officially built. That song was...wait for it...wait for it... Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did It Again." I'd nicknamed us the Hampton Hoochies, and (if I do say so myself) we sang the hell outta that song. To be more precise, George (our new maintainance man) sang the hell out of it.

Who'd have thought that of a bunch of women, one gay man, and a maintainance engineer, the maintainance engineer would be the one to know every single word. Even the spoken interlude in the middle of the song. Giving credit where it's due, George didn't just sing that song, he rocked it. Then he rolled it over and spanked it, lol. Clearly, it was one of those moments we'll be talking about for years to come. It's also especially gratifying to know I'll be working in a place where I can actually contribute something. Boss Lady at the flower shop rides me so hard, sometimes I have to reach back to make sure she hasn't strapped a plow on my shoulders. While I know I'll be working hard at the hotel (especially as we're getting ready for grand opening) I feel appreciated in a way that I haven't in a long time. As douche-ish as it sounds, I can't wait to get to work.