Monday, September 29, 2014

Careful What you Wish For

I have been so doggone busy that I cannot believe it.  I jokingly tell DH that my part time job is really interfering with my quilting. 

In August we had "bid day" where the drivers who had been with the company longest bid on routes.  I was the low "girl" on the totem pole and all the routes and 3 aid positions were taken.  I was worried would I work enough as a sub driver to help pay bills since there were 2 other sub drivers ahead of me,  lots of the drivers came up to me and told me not to worry that I would be plenty busy since they had started only a year or so before.  I was actually in tears when I spoke to DH that afternoon.  You see his ex wife worked there for about 16 years, and for the first 6 years she was a sub driver and she barely worked. 

I have been working every day!  Morning and afternoon.  The first week I drove a route because the driver who bid on it was "sick".  The 2nd week I drove that route part of the time, I had to take a mandatory state training class for 21 hours, and pass their test.  If you were a new driver and did not take the class and pass the test you cannot drive.  In the afternoons I filled in doing ISD runs for special needs students .

Week 3 I am filling in for someone who is ill again.  2 routes are put up for bid, and one of the routes is the one that I had been driving and knew very well.   Unfortunately one of the other drivers decided that she wanted to switch routes so she took one route, the 1st sub driver took the route I wanted, and the sub driver 2 took the route that had been traded in during the 2nd route bid.  Everything will be changing the following Tuesday.  I am left as the only sub driver and to help the mechanic in the shop, as well as be the standby driver, and help answer phones and dispatch.  That lasted all of 2 days!

Week 4, Monday I am still filling in for the person who is ill from week 3.  Then the mechanic and I are running around picking up buses which had to go back to the dealership for repair and warranty work, picking up parts.  I do a different run in the afternoon.  Tuesday I walk in and am handed key to the sub driver's route who bid the week before.  He has decided that he is going to move on.  This is the route that the one driver traded in because of the behavior problems.  So I have a route.  I do a high school/Jr. High route in the early morning, and a grade school/young Jr. High (5/6th grade) route afterwards.  Then the same in the afternoon. 

With all of that work, not much is getting accomplished.  Still quilting away on my Quilty Barn quilt.  I have 3 days left to get it finished..., bound, and a hanging sleeve.


I got all my pieces cut out for the applique for my challenge quilt and sewed them on.
By the way I love the applique scissors that I purchased!

And I did a little retail therapy.
I bought a fat quarter bundle of Oh Clementine in blues, and a cute text fabric which was on sale!
I also purchased some of these Titanium coated rotary blades they were on sale.
I am thankful that I have a job and it is going to be more steady.  Now for the big push to get my quilts done for the guild show.  3 days and counting!



12 comments:

  1. Wow! You have been busy! I am glad you are getting work though. I sure hope you will be able to finish your projects in time! Love the applique you did on the challenge quilt! What brand of scissors did you get? Lots of pretty fabric!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know you're so thankful for the work but I'm so happy I'm not the one driving a bus. :) Love that fabric! blessings, marlene

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know you're so thankful for the work but I'm so happy I'm not the one driving a bus. :) Love that fabric! blessings, marlene

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good luck finishing the barns! Can't wait to see them!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love those fabrics. Driving a bus seems like a very hard job to me. I hope all that work won't interfere with your quilting..lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well done on getting a permanent route, it must be easier than sub-ing, it does sound like you've been pretty busy though.

    I'm looking forward to seeing your challenge quilt all finished.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy to read you`re busy and your job will be more steady in the future!
    Great fabric you picked up!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Let me know if those blades are better

    ReplyDelete
  9. glad you are busy working. it is tough out there. your challenge quilt is beautiful. love it! just remember to put one foot in front of the other and before you know it they will be done. I do a little each night even if 15 min. I see progress that way

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's the way it always works! I thought I would only be working 3 1/2 hours a day, nope, working all the time!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You got the route with behavior problems? Are they really naughty or was the bus driver not capable of handling them? I'm so glad you got a route of your own, but please don't forget I'm here waiting for you to post things. :O)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yes, like Carol, you got the one with behavior problems....do you have someone ride with you to take care of those matters ? When I drove I only had a couple of rotten kids, and thankfully they were off in the first 30 minutes.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for dropping in to visit.