let the rains begin

I guess I jinxed myself. This morning I got up, rushed to get ready because the cleaning people were coming, and got myself up to the school by 8:25. Only to be told that they had cancelled the job. (Incidentally, it's still in my schedule on their online system, awaiting my feedback since before it was even supposed to start.) The secretary said she had cancelled the job, and they now needed subs in the afternoon, but they had them already. But the other sub who was supposed to do morning with me had also managed to get the afternoon, so she was there too, expecting a full day.

They sent her off to one room, and me to another, coincidentally with another sub, who happens to be my neighbor across the street, a very nice woman who recently retired from teaching at that school and now subs occasionally when they need her. The secretary had called human resources and left a message, and when they called back, they asked if I would go to one of the middle schools in the afternoon. Since the weather is bad and expected to be worse, and I was only working till noon, I had told both kids I would get them in the car, and Megan has to be at the Y early today if she wants to do the spin class. So I explained this and that I could not go to that school, which by the way is on the list of "don't show me jobs from here," but that doesn't count when the HR secretary has to fill jobs without the system. (Why have the system?)

I hung up with the secretary after I told her this, and she called immediately back. Now, suddenly, HR had told her to tell me that there really isn't any place that they need me, so they would rather I go home. I have been to many schools where when you show up like that and it's their mistake, they will find something for you to do, at least until 10:30, and you will be paid for the half-day. But I guess they were punishing me for not going to the middle school. That made me more mad than the fact that I wasn't needed in the first place. I had an odd feeling about the job anyway, and had even checked it when I got up again, because I was confused about what was going on with it.

Oh, and just now the system beeped, and it was that same school, looking for an afternoon sub. ??? No way I'm touching that one, but it isn't going away, either. I could designate this as a non-working afternoon, but I like to see the things that come across, just so I know the system is actually live.

So I went out to Target and Marshall's instead, and ran into another sub who said she's having the same kinds of issues. She was on her way down to fill in applications in some retail stores, which is what she did before having kids, but with that, there's always the need for weekend and night workers. So we're in the same boat.

Anyway, overall, not a happy day, unless you are the dogs, who were in the basement because of the cleaning people, so they got out within two hours instead of four. Wilbur appreciates that. Oh, and one small accomplishment: in my Facebook scrabble game, against an old schoolmate who time after time wallops me in the game, I used up all my letters AND got a double word score. So, for the brief time being, I am actually ahead of her. But that's happened before.

In other news, the juniors from Megan's school had a nice trip to Ellis Island yesterday, as I blogged the other day, WITHOUT Megan and her classmates in AP, but WITH their teacher! The teacher had told them they wouldn't be able to go because they had too much work to cover, but then she went and left them with a substitute! This being the same teacher who told them they will learn to hate three day weekends, and piled on outlines and papers that weekend, and fails many of them on all the tests they take. I'm sure they got a lot more out of retyping their papers than they would have from visiting Ellis Island, no doubt.

And Brian is hoping to go to Six Flags this weekend for FrightFest. I said he could go, but he can't go on most of the rides anyway, but I recognize his need to be out and about. Only now the weather is threatening to ruin those plans - I just hope it either gets nice or they don't go. I think the worst thing would be for them to go in bad weather. Megan has the PSATs on Saturday and then swimming, and Brian, who has started taking tennis lessons on Saturday afternoons, wants to play in a round robin tournament on Sunday. In fact, I just reminded myself that I have to call them and confirm that he would like to do it.