The city for which I work cares about the health of its full-time employees. Apparently, they care considerably less about the well-being of their part-time employees, because when I worked for them part-time I wasn't getting the flu shots or health counseling or incentive programs that I receive since moving to 40 hours a week. In fact, even though I was doing basically the same job when I was part-time, I didn't have to sign anything saying I'd undergone safety training or that I wouldn't steal office supplies or use my computer to look at porn until my hours increased, either. Well, joke's on them, because I couldn't convince anyone in my department to give me safety training, so I never returned my forms to HR. As soon as I figure out how to use the copier or microfilm machines unsafely, I'm gonna. I'm still as unsafe as I was when I worked part-time.
Annnyway, now the city cares about me, and today I participated with some of my co-workers in a personal training session at the city gym. It involved some painful exercises that required me to hold weights over my head while lunging across the floor. I exercise, but my weak little arms were not prepared for this. Several years ago, I sustained a shoulder injury and when I got new health insurance later that year, my shoulder was excluded from coverage, so if I injured my shoulder playing sports or exercising, my health care would consist of my insurance providers standing around saying, We told you so. So, my shoulders are weak.
It was kind of nice having such a legitimate reason to excuse myself from sports. It's so much easier to say, I can't play on the softball team, because of a shoulder injury than I can't play on the softball team, because as a teenager I played on a co-ed team with this one kid who was such a misogynist in the making that I never really got over his ball-hogging, girl-patronizing ways. And I throw like Madame 5-yr-old. I also have lasting volleyball trauma from the 2nd grade, when the entire 2nd grade was regularly made to play volleyball together--50 kids on one side of the net, 50 kids on the other. We each stood in our one square foot of space and prayed that the ball would stay far away from us, because we didn't have enough room to move our arms and hit the incoming ball.
But back to today's training session. It was at noon, so I had to come to work flushed and sweaty, change clothes in the bathroom, and go straight to a meeting. It was very much like junior high gym, which is not really an experience anyone voluntarily revisits.
The end.
5 comments:
oh, junior high lockers rooms, panic attack.
so wait, is your shoulder included in your coverage now? and did you get my EMAIL?!?!?! the one about the job.
So many thoughts. I enjoy the image of you exercising. Lunges are the most horrible exercise ever invented, which is why I know they must be good for me. And whoever invented midday workouts was a person who doesn't sweat. But you just were glistening probably so it was fine.
Rebekah--My shoulder IS included in my current coverage, because I have insurance through my job now. Do you mean the email from last week about the job in Arlington? Because I must tell you that only a REALLY excellent job would tempt me to move to the DC area right now. Like a job that involves dating British men and eating chocolate as its essential duties.
Eliana--I glistened my pants off.
Man. Life is rough sometimes. At least people did not use explicit lyrics when you screwed up in gym. Some of my students are bullies like that. I hate it. Seriously, I would not try if I was called names when I played. But, more seriously, I never had a problem in gym class. I feel for you though! :)
what is your deal, son?
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