Hmmmmm....

Well, last Friday was a mixed bag. Tom and I got into a kind of big fight that weighed heavily on me all day. Fortunately, it got resolved - sort of. More on that later. On a more positive note, I got Jonathan all packed up and moved back home for the summer. I got to see the Harrisons - always a joy for me - although we were all so busy packing the boys up, loading our vehicles, and cleaning their room that we barely got time to enjoy each other. Oddly, I got kind of misty saying goodbye to Nathan, though I'm sure he didn't notice - or care. I sort of look on him as family I guess. After all, he was Jonathan's first roommate, which is a pretty memorable thing, and I liked him from the first email he sent Jonathan. I'll most likely always follow Nathan's blogs, especially as he spends next semester in the British Isles. He really is a wonderful young man and I love his writing style. I'm glad he was Jonathan's roommate, especially because I got to know his family as a result, and JoAnn is one of the best people I know. There is something about her.... I suspect we'd be great pals if we lived near one another. So, moving out was bittersweet for both myself and Jonathan. He already misses dorm life, although he is glad to be home. I'm happy to have him home, but it is another person to cook for, do laundry for, argue with... it should be an interesting summer.

Jonathan talked to his boss from the golf course on Saturday. He starts full time this Wednesday except he will be off Thursday the 19th, his 19th birthday and the opening day for Star Wars Episode III! Then he starts right up on his 5AM to 2PM work schedule for the summer. Thank goodness as he needs the money.

Now, about last Friday - Tom got called into his boss' office where she gave him a letter of reprimand after saying her gut told her to fire him!!! He was stunned. This is a man who has gotten nothing but 6.9 and 7.0 out of 7 on every performance review for the past 18 years, performs at over 100% of goal on a daily basis, and is one of the best couriers in the entire company! Her reason? She "claims" he is improperly coding his timecard" and that there are "inappropriate time gaps" between his last stop and his break. You see, FedEx has a policy that you must take your break within 5 minutes or 5 miles of your last stop. The last stop shown for his day is a pickup he makes at about 2:30 every day. From there, he has to drop off his outbound freight at a designated location so that another driver can take it down to the station in time to make the plane. That stop does not show up on the time card because management requested about 18 months ago that the couriers stop coding that stop and just do it, but don't enter it. From the dropoff point he drives 4.6 miles to his break, which takes 10-15 minutes. In actuality, 4 miles of that distance is actually the route he has to drive to return to the station, so technically, he is only driving .6 miles to his break location (the gym) and spending about 3 minutes doing so. The manager knows where he goes on his break, has always known, he's been doing it for 6 years, and has even been dropped off there by past managers during check rides. Why is it suddenly a problem? And how is anything he's doing "improper coding" of his timecard or taking inappropriate time gaps? He was stunned. He called the personnel rep and talked at length with him. He seemed to indicate the warning letter was totally unfounded and planned to discuss it further with his manager. I just talked to him on the phone and he is supposed to meet with his manager again tonight. Now I'll be on pins and needles waiting to hear what transpired. The thing that got him, though, was that he was basically being accused of being dishonest, lying and cheating, which is the very last thing he would ever do. Tom is one of those people you PRAY you hire. He is so honest it's hard to believe. He NEVER sandbags at work, and he has an incredible work ethic. He busts his butt to do everything he can to get the job done, even when it appears to be impossible. To be disrespected this way is just beyond comprehension. The sliver lining is, it "cured" our fight.

Time to go grocery shopping.