The end

I'm still alive !!

I even scared myself there, seen how long it's been since I last updated my blog.

I really haven't had the time OR the right state of mind to sit down and write. Seen that I'm sitting in a plane and will do so for the following 13 hours, you might say I'm short on excuses to postpone this. So, a lot of things have happened and I have a lot of writing to do. Let's get to it.

So November I returned to work. All went well at first, I had to tell the story about my 2 month leave like a hundred times, I had some catching up to do with colleagues and so on and so forth. It was grand.

Then my boss decided that I should start learning electrolysis, the hair removal treatment I didn't want to learn (I'm sure I wrote about it, last July).

Quick memory refresh on why I don't want to do it :

Girls who have been trained in it seldom do anything else. They complain about pains in their back, arms, eyes, head etc. They have to bend in non-ergonomic positions to be able to work on the wanted zones. They work with a bright light and a magnifying glass to see the hairs clearly which is stressful for the eyes. It is also illegal practice of medecin. So no, thank you.

After a short debate, I told my boss I'd rather leave than learn to do it. She showed me the way to the door. I took it.

I told her the only solution to our disagreement was that I were to leave since neither of us would ever change their minds. The agreement was that I'd leave once I'd found something else so that I wouldn't be with nothing.

After that, she started to get petty and nasty.

At first, I remarked that I no longer had clients. I was the "last resort" for the appointments. My boss who claimed to want to work less and concentrate more on paper stuff started coming to work more often. She did all the permanent make-up clients, even ones that WANTED TO DO IT WITH ME. I shit you not.

I witnessed a few times my superior fixing an appointment with a client that normally asks to be with me, and putting it on the planning of my boss.

At first I thought I was crazy until I called one of my usual permanent make-up clients to ask her to confirm her appointment (we call them usually two days before to be sure that we don't reserve time unnecessarily for someone who will not show up).

I asked her if she had not been satisfied with my work and quite confused, she answered that no, that's not it, she just simply wasn't given a choice. So I offered to place her on my planning and she willingly accepted.

Another client was surprised to see me since she was told I didn't work anymore.

I then understood that it was done on purpose.

Since my planning was quite empty, I was let know that I was paid for doing nothing, that I was simply useless and good for nothing, and that I should seriously consider quitting - since that's what I wanted to do.

I confronted my boss about all that, she tried to deny it, saying I was making things up, but I pressed on, presented my proof and showed her a side of me she hadn't seen before.She then admitted that it was normal to not put clients on a person who was soon quitting. Even if I could've boosted the monthly income.

God is she stupid.

So we were having our version of the Cold War, when I get a message from my plane company telling me that my flight had been cancelled and no longer existed.

(Just on a side note, we were served food just now and a lady with a tray holding glasses of water did rounds on asking if anyone wanted water. She stops to ask the people sitting in front of me, then the people on the other side, takes two steps forward, and I say hello with a smile.

She stays sideways to me with her tray in her right hand, just turns her head and throws me this look of contempt that made me shrink before stepping forward and asking the people behind me if they wanted water.

I think I looked pretty shocked because the steward going in the opposite direction paused next to me, looked at me looking towards where the lady had gone, looked at the lady and then back to me before asking if I had wanted water.

I managed a woeful whisper of a "yes, please" that sent him calling for a glass of water. He was nice. I still don't know what I did wrong...)

So, after calling the air company who blamed it on the agency who blamed it on the flying company, I had the choice to cancel my flight and be reimbursed (meaning I had to find a cheap ticket a month before the departure. Yeah, go fish) or changing the flight date. My initial flight was on February 3rd, just like Olivier's and I was given the choice between the 8th or the 1st. GREAT.

So after planning and reorganizing, I decided on the 1st.

So that settled, I had to ask for 2 extra days of vacation. Haha. Oh boy.

I explained my situation to my boss, telling her I'd lose money and time and my sanity if I had to get my ticket reimbursed and that I was not doing all this on purpose.

She looks at our monthly planning and tells me that it was impossible since we had to be the correct number of people on those two days or risk losing money.

I then asked if it were possible were I to EXCHANGE the days with someone so that we were the correct number of people. She agreed saying that I wouldn't be able to find anyone to replace me on those days aka sure, dream on.

I found two people, gave them my days off in exchange and was content.

Except that my boss didn't want to allow the exchange. There's a name for people like that; it starts with a "b" and ends with a "yatch".

We then spoke of finally coming to an agreement.

I told her I'd be willing to raise the white flag if she would add to my contract a rule that would prevent her to use more than 30% of my time for electrolysis. At first she was scandalized then she accepted, saying that she'd have to consult her lawyer on it. She'd get back to me. I had to ask what would happen if the 30% were exceeded. She looked at me smiling and said that then she'd know that I would want to quit.

So it starts with a "b"...

At least I got her to accept the exchange.

Because the situation at work was killing me (no seriously, I was really at my limit, I even thought of suicide one dark day) and I was tired, so tired, emotionally and mentally that I decided I needed to go see someone.

I went to see my doctor who told me that I could choose anyone in our community, they were all good. So I did some research on the internet and found a lady not far from our place. She's very nice.

I was afraid that at first I'd have trouble talking, but the words just came out. Everything came out. More WILL come out. The 1 hour sessions are not long enough.

I often feel lighter after our hour together and she just knows her job.

Last time I was really excited about something and told her how happy I was blah blah and she just looks at me, concerned and says : I can't believe how stressed you are. How are you managing to hold up ?!

I just stay for a while before the tears just started to flow.

Aaaaand I just derailed to the subject of how I hate myself blahblahblahblah.

Yeah.

It's great.

So I've had some help on making my CV and getting an interview with a very prestigious SPA.

The wife of Olivier's boss works in a beauty school. She is in charge of the formations and finding jobs for the students.

She offered to help me on her own (I guess Oliv speaks of my work problems with his boss who then tells his wife). She redid my CV completely, gave me tips and found me an interview with the Guerlain Spa in the Waldorf Astoria in Versailles.

(a very fancy place, didn't feel comfortable at all when I went to do my interview)

The other interview I found on my own, it's our top competitor based on permanent make-up. The funny part is that the bosses share the same first name xD

So, I sent her my CV complete with a brief presentation in pictures of what I do and how I do it.

She contacted me a few days later and I called to fix the date for the interview the first occasion that presented itself to me.

Now she doesn't make contracts with any of her workers, she only hires freelancers.

That means that if I'd like to work for her, I'd have to start up my one-woman business.

The nice thing about that is that I have more freedom with my freedays and I can work for other people too.

I'd also have at least a few sure days spent working at the reception, answering calls and e-mails, fixing appointments, organizing stuff etc.

On other days I'd work only if there's demand and I'd be paid a % on the treatment fees.So it can be very interesting depending on the work load I'd have.

Now the down side is the cost.

I have to pay for an assurance, make a contract with a cleaning service and pay taxes.

I will also lose the right to lunch tickets, paid vacation and transport reductions.

I will also have to buy and use my own material which is quite costly.

So I would have to calculate to see how most it would cost me to start my business and estimate the time it takes to pay back all the material.

It is also worth it only if I gain from 2 to 3 thousand a month. Ho boy.

So to be remedied.

How my interview went :

She seems pretty decent, strict but decent and quite honest.

When we were getting seated she asked me if my boss had the same name a her and if she even knew how to tattoo.

She's been doing it for almost 20 years now, so yes.

Apparently she's had quite a few people come from our place with badly done eyebrows. But apparently the clients always precised that it had been done with the boss.

What to respond to that ?

Yes, my boss knows how to tattoo but yes, sometimes it's not that great.

Then we talked a bit about my workplace. She was surprised to hear that we were 13 and even more so when she heard I was one of the two lone tattooers at our place.

"But does your boss know you are leaving?" Oh yes. "And she didn't try to stop you?" Well, not really, she understands that I [insert elaborate excuse about wanting to evolve in a different direction]. "She'd rather let you go than give you a raise or some other compensation?" ..it's the economical crisis you see.. "...*stare* So what the real reason? You didn't get along or what?" No, no, nothing of the sort. We just didn't share the same vision on things. "uh-huh." MY, what a lovely place you have here !

She is no fool.

She seemed quite excited when I showed her a presentation I had done on lash extensions. She started saying that she could really see how organized (not) I was and how she could definitely see my as a lash extension teacher. I was like, pardon?

She wants to start teaching lash extensions in her place, she's already set up a training program for permanent make-up and she wants to complete that with lash extensions. Sure, why not.

She just plans ahead, like waaaaay ahead. She was like, yeah, start planning the program so that in March we can start offering the training. Uh.... that's fast.. I am going away for a month so I won't be able to do anything before and during that time..

Oh no worries she says, just send me all the info you have and she'll do it during February. Um, not that I don't trust you, but I'd be giving a lot of information for... ?

Oh no worries, she'll hire me.

Right.

I sent her an e-mail with questions and called her but she never answered. She is busy, ok....

So the situation is :

In a plane with a stewardess that doesn't like me, sitting next to a obnoxious man who doesn't stop sighing (a kingdom for a fresh mint), pushed to the edge, seeing a shrink and unemployed (oh yeah, I did quit) with no new job in sight.

Things are REALLY looking good.

What keeps me alive and kicking ?

EMINEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEM !!!!!!!!!

I have FRONT floor tickets to go see Eminem in August !!!! I was soooooooo excited!

I got my brother to get them for me ! Yay for Bro !!

I'm soooooo excited to get to see him. I'll be the insane fangirl screaming and fainting, disturbing everyone and getting crushed against the safety fence.

Oh joooooy.

So that's about it.

In Sri Lanka we'll hopefully get to do lots of different things, see beautiful places and taste wonderful foods. Yumyum. A good friend of mine is coming as well, she's spending one week with us before returning to Thailand and from there to Finland.

It's going to be so cooool ... !

Well not really, smoldering hot and painstakingly humid.

Sun, my old Nemesis... [song of Valkyrie] Try me.