My manager can ruin a perfectly nice day

I have an interesting working relationship with my manager. Sometimes, I dig what he does. Other times, I shake my head.

Our team has these brief chats at the end of the workday. Last week, he suggested that each person lead a chat with a topic. I was the first person to say that I liked how casual and natural it flows. We think of topics to discuss as if we were in the office, chatting in the lunch room. It should not be a structured meeting. It's a chat.

Yesterday, a colleague congratulated me on my ten-year work anniversary. Naturally, my manager ruined it by saying that in our human resources system, my start date working for the company is September 24 and that I should contact HR to have it fixed.

Why? I told him that I know what my start date is. Obviously, my three colleagues in this chat knew what my start date was, because they signed my virtual card. He dropped the ball by failing to sign it. He got the e-mail. He chose to not act on it.

Anyway, I contacted HR and spoke to a nice guy. I know that my manager won't and wouldn't do it. As noted, in the system, my start date is correct. However, my signed contract date is September 24, 2012. It's practically two years after I started working for the company, which obviously makes no sense! Anyway, he has a separate department who will fix this issue.

It's always nice when my manager ruins such a lovely occasion. It's not every day that one hits a milestone like what I just did. He could have been more attentive. That's just my take on it.

Anyway, my colleagues left me nice messages in my virtual card. They made Monday far more cheerful.

I got to select a gift to commemorate this occasion. I got a fancy tea steeper. I drink lots of tea, so it will come in handy. It will take a month to ship, which is the downside. Luckily, I am patient.

Rough waters that are calmer now

My love interest and I have had a few rocky days. He is stressed out at work. We had our first major disagreement last Friday.

In a nutshell, he signed an employment contract where if he is contracting equipment and it is faulty, he needs to foot the bill to fix it. I found that odd. Why doesn't his employer help him out?

He basically needed $4500 to repair a crane, including labour. He didn't have that much money and didn't tell me about his problem it until I was his last resort.

I lost it. I like when people are open with me. He shouldn't have left things bottled up inside.

So, I told him off. I went one step further and said that it wouldn't work between us. He doesn't think straight when he is stressed out, which was another red flag. He wasn't the person that I thought I knew.

We both were upset with each other. We also realized that we are a good fit when we take a step back.

I told him that I felt disrespected. He wouldn't take no for an answer about my helping him financially. I like helping people out. I don't like the pressure. He realized that he was wrong.

I overreacted being dismissed in this whole ordeal. I took some time to think things through. He was under so much stress that I added more stress for him than was necessary. He is a decent person. He has just had a ton of bad breaks.

I thought of a better financial solution to help him out. I have been working on reducing my debt for a while now and did not budget to lend money out. I managed to juggle a few things around and can lend him money. Basically, he can't proceed with his construction work until he pays for the crane repairs. It also means that he doesn't get paid until he completes his construction work. It's a vicious circle.

Here's hoping that he negotiates a better employment contract for him and a better customer contract down the road. Lessons learned on so many fronts for both of us.

Dating a worrywart

My new love interest is a worrywart. He was trying to secure his first contract with a customer. He got so stressed out that when we were chatting on Tuesday night, he said that he couldn't have dinner and needed time to think.

Wow. That's all I can say.

Meanwhile, I had a lapse in my cold on Tuesday. My congestion went through the roof. I told him on three separate times that I was taking an early evening. Thank goodness for my humidifier.

Did he take any of what I said into consideration? Nope. Stress does weird things to him.

He texted me at 1 am my time to say that he can't sleep. Really? I said that I'm not feeling well once again. He apologized. I proceeded to switch my phone to do not disturb. I'm so glad that I did. He texted me at 6:30 am and beyond. I was sleeping in till 8 am.

The good news is that he got the contract. His very first one. I was so proud of him.

I am also thrilled that I don't have to deal with his crazy, worried text messages. I, too, can sleep well tonight.

Dreaming of a new cell phone as my current one needs a new battery

My cell phone contract will expire next month. We have two-year contracts in Canada.

I love my Google Pixel phone. The problem these days is that the battery does not hold a charge. Part of me wants to get a new battery and swap it out. The other part of me thinks that I can wait over a month to get a new phone.

It's exciting getting a brand new phone. My issue is whether to stick with Google Pixel or jump back to being an iPhone user.

The good news is that both companies will be showcasing their new phones before my contract expires, so I have time to compare and contrast.

In the meantime, it's sad that my phone needs to be constantly chained to a power source. Perhaps I will go ahead and get a new battery for it. It is a good phone.

Throwing my hat into the job ring

The other day, a job recruiter contacted me. It was for a position at a major cell phone provider.

I decided to submit my resume. The unfortunate thing is that this job is a contract position for a year before you get converted to being a full-time employee. I'm not crazy about losing health benefits for a year. Then again, I could buy my own.

The tradeoff is that I would be working from home. No more long commutes to and from cities. I would save some money on fuel, too.

We will see what happens. Part of me would like a change of pace. The other part of me likes to be comfortable.

Birthday suggestions, including unwrapping my guy

My guy and I had this chat over lunch on Tuesday.

"Thanks for letting me drive your car yesterday," I said. "It was like an early birthday present."
"Speaking of birthday, what gifts would you like?" he asked me once again.
"The usual... I want you. Can we put you in a box? It may be difficult finding a tall one, but we'll make sure that there are holes at the top so you can breathe," I teased.
"How about just putting a bow around my hard member?" he said, smirking.
"We need an elastic for the bow, as your member expands and contracts," I remarked.
"What else would you like?" he asked me.
"I want a spanking," I replied.
"It doesn't have to be on your birthday," he hinted.
"I know. I want one, though. I'd also like to unwrap you," I pointed out.
"I would like that," he replied, smiling. 

We had a good lunch. I told my guy that he is great at giving gifts. I did give him a gift suggestion. He liked it and it won't be difficult for him to find the item.

There's part two of our day, which will be covered in an upcoming post. It has been a great couple of days seeing my guy so far this week.

Latest e-book reading from The Spanking Hand Book and the Spencer Spanking Plan

I am currently reading The Spanking Hand Book: The Authoritative Guide on Adult Discipline. I am throughly enjoying reading books on my small e-reader. It also helped that Kobo had a pretty good sale on e-books over this long weekend.

Anyway, I was reading up on the Spencer Spanking Plan, which is a contract originally created in 1936 by Dr. Dorothy Spencer for couples to sign. The following is an excerpt from the Erotic Story: The Spencer Spanking Plan:

Date _______ 19___ 

I, . ____________________ wife of ____________________ .
do hereby acknowledge that I have read the Spencer Spanking Plan and approve of the doctrines it advocates. From this date on it is my wish to have my conduct regulated by the enforcement of these doctrines. I give to my husband, therefore, the full right and permission to spank me whenever he feels such discipline would prove helpful and be in accordance with the spirit of the Spencer Plan.

This Agreement has been entered into willingly – and for no other purpose than to improve my disposition and secure the general benefit that always comes from the enforcement of intelligent discipline. I understand that I will be spanked without fail if I break my promise to refrain from: (List Causes which have been agreed upon.) I promise to cooperate with my husband faithfully. I will get ready for the punishment promptly when asked to do so and I will bear him absolutely no ill-will for so disciplining me. 

(Signed)
x _________________________________ (wife)
x _________________________________ (husband) 

II. For Her Husband
I, _________________________husband of ____________________________:
in accordance with her wishes, as expressed above, do hereby promise and agree to spank my wife when-ever I feel such discipline would prove helpful to her.

My guy and I don't have any sort of doctrine. We just have an agreed understanding that I am his bad girl who needs to be punished fairly often.