Not a great start.

On 02 January 2015 I walked in to my job at great clips in tacoma wa. The past few weeks had been rather bad but with the new year I was determined to make the best of it. I could always spend my free time looking for something new. I had my second job with The Party Staff, and those people loved me.

Walking in, I noticed the area manager trying to fix the POS POS machine. The problem with the system was always the same, the person who built them was running out of obsolete parts, and time kept moving forward. These things ran Windows ME, aka Windows Fuckit, or the great Microsoft experiment to see just how poorly an os could be made.

I had told everyone up the chain of command that the ram and most likely the hard drives were almost dead. But hey, what do I know. I only cut hair, it isn't like I've built several computers, or spend my free time on the Internet... And it looked like I was correct. The hard drive was fried. I smiled at Zhan and asked "did it finally give out?"

I recieved a glare and the reply "I need to see you in the office."

I knew what was coming. The week previous, I got in trouble for asking questions. Kinda... A week ago I found out, by way of her telling me, that my coworker got a massive raise and I got upset by it. When I asked my manager why after almost two years of service I was not eligible for a raise, but my coworker was after two months, I was told that it wasn't any of my business, and if I was unhappy 

that maybe I should just quit.

The next day I was handed a formal write up for performing services that the company does not provide, except they do provide them. Let me explain. I will sometimes clean a person's neck line with a device called a nape razor. It is very similar to a feather razor except it made with a much tighter guard to allow for easy shaving. What this does is makes the neckline nice and smooth, it also 

gives about a day or so extra between cuts.

The state board says I can use it with my licence, and no where in the company policy manual does it say I can't. Considering the amount of military that comes into the shop, it just made sense to use that, especially on darker hair. No one ever said that I could not use it. I used it plenty of times in front of management, so they knew I was using it.

So when I was handed this write up, I knew exactly what it was, it was retaliation by management for me asking questions and demanding answers. In fact, I took the step to write just that on the form. I then asked for a copy for my records.

But anyway back to 02 January... Zhan walked me to the office, handed me a termination form and said "unless you eat me, you are fired." just that straight forward about it. I was gobsmacked.  I said no once I realized she said what she said, and she tore up the paperwork and said "then you just quit."

I very angrily gathered my things and walked out the door of the tacoma central great clips for the last time.

That was over a month ago. They kept my final two paycheque claiming that I owed them. The Party Staff has been working me, which I am grateful for. But I miss getting up and going to a job everyday. I miss having a regular, steady income. I worry that maybe at 33 I actually am a loser and a failure.

I don't know what I want anymore, but I know I don't want this.