Mike, my manager at the hotel where I've worked part-time for the past thirteen years as a front desk agent, called me today. I knew why he was calling even before he told me. He called to inform me that I was temporarily being laid off because the hotel was cutting back on staff because of the virus that is spreading like wildfire across the world.
He advised me that I could apply for unemployment insurance. At first I said "No, that won't be necessary" but then the more I thought about it I thought "why not?" I'm losing pay. Although I only work part-time at the hotel, the $12,000 (average) I make a year pays for my trips and helps out with the extra bills here at Casa Tipton-Kelly (which there always seems to be).
The last time I applied for unemployment insurance was when I lost my job at the bank in my hometown in Pennsylvania. I was fired from that job because a new boss came in and when he discovered I was gay, he fired me. Which at that time he could because, as the unemployment office at that time said "He could fire you for any reason, even if he didn't like the ties you wear." Of course he wasn't so blunt as to say that's why he fired me but I found out later at my new bank job. Another new employee was a woman who used to work for this same person in Philadelphia. When she found out I worked for him she said "Did he fire you because you're gay?" I told her I didn't know why he fired me because I had always got good job performance reviews. I just assumed he wanted to clear the deck when he came in and he didn't like me. She told me that when she worked for him in Philadelphia (she was a lesbian) that he was known for manufacturing reasons for firing gay employees who worked for him (he was a vice president). She suspected he did this because he had a son who was gay and he hated gays. She also said that's probably why he lost his job in Philly and came out to my hometown which is a suburb of Philadelphia. Of course he was eventually fired from his job at my former bank. Sorry to go off my subject of this blog but my losing my job today brought back all those bad old memories.
Anyway, when I lost my job I collected unemployment funds for a while until I got a part-time job at a hotel. And I've been working at hotels ever since. Now the irony of losing my job at the hotel where I work now.
My job loss now isn't all bad news. I'm just being temporarily laid off until life gets back to normal, if ever, after this conoravirus, Covid-19, pandemic passes. I hope I don't die and I can go back to my job at the hotel.
My part-time job was a nice balance with my retirement. Not only did it provide extra funds for my trips and to help out with unexpected financial bills here at home, it gave me a purpose in life. I know others who retire prefer not to have any job in retirement and that's all right, if it works for them. But for me, who has had some kind of paying job other than home chores like mowing grass for my grandmother, since I was ten years old. Just some of the jobs I've had since I was ten years old in chronological order:
Paper boy (five years)
Dishwasher
Meat Market (a real one at the Farmer's market)
Cleaning offices
Shoe store clerk
Department store clerk
Army
Hotel night auditor
Accounts payable clerk
Remittance clerk bank trust operations
Trust operations manager
Bank reconcilement manager
Estate gardener (when I lost my bank job)
Hotel front desk clerk (last 21 years)
I may have missed some jobs that were short-lived. As you can tell from my work history I wasn't one of those Chosen Children that had parents who guaranteed a college education for their eldest son. My Mother told me when I was in eight grade when I had to make a decision what kind of course I was going to take as I entered high school; academic or commercial. She said "We're not going to pay for your college education. If you want to go you'll have to work your way through college." Back at that time in my life I was so beaten down psychologically by my father (who constantly belittled me), I didn't have the self confidence to embark on that course. I chose the commercial course in which I learned to type and I have never regretted since as I type this blog entry. See how somethings work out?
I eventually got my college education via the GI Bill after I got out of the Army. I guess in a way I did "work my way through college."
Do I sound a little bitter that I wasn't among those "Chosen Children" that had parents who paid for their college education? Yes, I plead guilty. Something I'll never get over but which I probably should let go at this time of my life. What my Mother's statement said to me was "you're not good enough to go to college" and thus the rest of my life I've always felt "not good enough" when I socialize with those people who led that privileged life of having their parents care enough for them to provide a college education or them. Of course I wasn't the only goofy fourteen year old who was told their parents weren't gong to send them to college. Both my brothers and my good friend Lar had the same situation. My brother John eventually got his college education by working his way through while he was in his Forties.
Notice how I veered off the subject title of my blog? That folks is how I blog. I don't do blog entries ahead of time. I do them in real time. Once my finger start typing I let go with my pent up thoughts, ideas, wishes, and yes, even grievances.
Probably what got me started on this subject today was being laid off, which reminded me when of that day in September 1998 when I lost a job that I loved and was well paid, for nothing else other than the fact that I didn't hide the fact I was gay. How did my new boss know I was gay? We went to lunch one day (which he did with all his new employees to get "to know them better") and I introduced him to Bill, "my partner." That was the beginning of the end. A few weeks later he wrote me up for poor job performance. Funny thing, when he called me in I thought I was getting a promotion for a job well done, which I was doing.
Enough of this memory, which I will bury now in the back of my mind.
Now that I'm laid off from my job at the hotel, my so called "lifestyle" will change. I have to admit I do feel safer in this new dangerous environment where a stray droplet which contains a deadly virus would infect me and cause me to die a painful death of suffocation.
Interesting times we live in folks. If this pandemic passes and I survive, I still plan to go to Palm Springs and help Pat prepare his condo for sale. Always have something to look forward to.
By the way, I applied for unemployment compensation today online. That was an ordeal, wow. At least I didn't have to go in person like I did back in 1998. Even online it took me about an hour to fill in the forms. Now I await to see if I am approved for pay. I have to tell you I'm not holding out much hope though because I only work part-time and I receive three small pensions, payments combined which are less that what I make at the hotel. Banks don't index pensions, that's only for government workers. But I'm thankful for the pensions. Who gets a pension these days from their job?
I have to tell you though, I am looking forward to spending more time at home, doing yard work and caring for Bill. He always got sad when I went off to work but he understood how important my job was too me. Hopefully I'll get some pay with unemployment and stay at home until this virus passes. Also, and this is very important, I feel a lot safer now that I'm not going to the hotel and interacting with guests. I do feel a bit relieved. I don't want to get sick nor see Bill get sick because at ninety-one years of age, he is definitely at the high risk category.
Long blog posting folks. I have time on my hands.
