Another year has come to a close.
And personally, 2022 has been a challenging year for me. Career-wise, health-wise, and other wise.
Employment
I spent most of this year working at Macy's, an employer that I re-started working with back in October 2020. It was originally meant to be just for the winter holiday season that year. I applied to be on Macy's merchandise team (the ones who organize items on the selling floor in the morning), because I like to organize stuff. But with their bait & switch tactics (sadly typical), they had me sanitize hi-touch points, which I just went along with because it's an easy job. That "seasonal job" was extended to year-round.
However, the geniuses at Macy's corporate office decided to do away with sanitizing hi-touch points when the mask mandate ended in March 2022. I thought that was stupid because that would be when you needed sanitization the most since all those maskless people would be spreading their germs.
Then the geniuses at Macy's thought it would be a good idea to switch me to "back of house support" which has plusses (organizing incoming materials, which I love doing) and minuses (working with machines, which I hate doing). After a few weeks, I had a discussion with them, telling them they are negligent about workplace safety, I told them I'll go to OSHA, and I told them they should've asked me if I liked working with machines before switching me to a position involving machines. After that, they switched me to "front-of-house support duties" (folding towels and clothes, replenishing the shelves, etc) which was what I should've been doing the whole time because that's where I excel. But now the new problem is the reduction of work hours.
Meanwhile, I keep applying for other jobs. My main preference is libraries, but I also applied for office clerical positions.
Then by September of this year, I decided it's time for me work at the schools again. I was a substitute teacher from 2005-2018, and I was a library assistant from 2019-2020. I was considering returning to substitute teacher in late 2020, but I've heard from other substitute teachers there wasn't much work for them available due to the classes being online.
But by Fall 2022, in-school classes were back in session. Time to go back.
In October of this year, I did reapply with Kelly Services (an organization that provides substitute teachers for private and charter schools). At the same time, someone from Kama‘aina Kids saw my resume and encouraged me to apply for their afterschool program. Within a few days apart, both organizations hired me. But who to pick? Kama‘aina Kids had a more consistent schedule.
Kama‘aina Kids had an after-school position at Mary, Star of the Sea School (aka MSOS aka Star of the Sea), a private school in Kahala. I started the position in November.
I was happy to be back working with the kids again, though in a different context from the sub teaching I've done in the past. The problem was that the admin at MSOS thinks that we should "move on from covid" and doesn't understand the seriousness of contagious respiratory diseases.
I blogged about the issue at https://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2022/12/covidiocy-at-star-of-sea.html
Meanwhile, the state Department of Health, whom I interviewed with for an office position back in September, offered me a temp full-time office position that started this December.
I was done with the afterschool job at MSOS.
And I was done with Macy's. A part of me was sad to leave, a part of me was happy to leave.
My main mentors in my last few months at Macy's were wonderful people. I was sad to leave them.
But the position was only part-time, and they cut my hours earlier this year due to budget reasons. Also, I didn't totally like some of the directions the corporate office wanted to take the company.
So, I'm now a temp office assistant with the Department of Health. I'm applying some clerical skills I learned in the past, as well as learning some new procedures. Basically, I'm organizing both physical and digital items for the department. I don't have to interact with the general public (for now).
Being that I'm a temp, there's no guarantee I'll still be in the position a year from now.
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I did spend some time volunteering with the Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH) this year.
They have a bookstore Village Books & Music located at Ward Villages. They're open Tuesday - Sunday. For most of the year, I came in on Monday (when the store is closed to the general public) to reorganize and replenish the shelves. I loved it.
However, with my new job, I won't be able to come in on Mondays anymore. :(
FLH did have their annual summer booksale again this year, after the pandemic cancelled it the previous 2 years.
We still took the pandemic seriously, and we still required attendees to wear a mask to prevent it from being a super-spreader event.
Whereas the past summer booksales took place at my alma mater (McKinley High School - should be renamed Honolulu High School), this year, it took place at the former Pier 1 Imports location at Ward Village. It is also across the street from much smaller Village Books & Music.
At the annual booksale, I mostly did exit surveys, questioning those leaving how they found out about the event. Some just wanted to rush out of there, while others were willing to answer the questions. The greatest part for me was when I talked to a former classmate, and he mentioned his regrets from his past.
FLH will have another booksale at the former Pier 1 Imports location in January. Not yet sure if they'll require masks, but I'll wear one anyways. Learn more about the upcoming Music & Book Sale at https://friendsofthelibraryofhawaii.org/2022/09/26/2023-flh-music-book-sale/
Health
Music/art
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and going back to music, here's my list of favorite tracks by other artist this year
- Post Malone & Doja Cat "I like You"
- Harry Styles "As it Was"
- Harry Styles "Late Night Talking"
- Tyga & Doja Cat "Freaky Deaky"
- Doja Cat "Get Into It (Yuh)"
- Tyga, Jhena Aiko, Pop Smoke "Sunshine"
- Destiny Rogers "Summer Nights"
- Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa "Sweetest Pie"
- Dua Lipa & Young Thug "Potion"
- Chainsmokers "I Love You"
- Steve Lacy "Bad Habits"
- Muni Long & Saweetie "Baby Boo"
- Fior "YoYo"
- Stela Cole "Rhapsody in Pink"
- Lizzo "About Damn Time"
- Lizzo "2 be Loved (Am I Ready)"
- Bebe Rexha "I'm Good"
- Marshmello w/Khalid "Numb"
- Camila Cabello w/ Ed Sheeran "Bam Bam"
- Lil Nas X "Star Walking"
- Wiz Khalifa "Memory Lane"
- New Kids on the Block (w/Salt N Pepa, Ric Astley & En Vogue) "Bring Back the Time"
- Swedish House Mafia (featuring Sting) "Red Light"
- City Girls w/Usher "Good Love"
