Tuesday, September 26, 2006

coffee and cigarettes, without the cigarettes

i guess i technically fall into Generation X. as one who doesn't like to belong to any one group or stereotype, i am not proud to fall into this category.

i read an article in the newspaper (hardcopy, delivered to the driveway, recycled when complete) yesterday about benefits for Gen X'ers. they don't want to work long hours to get ahead. they want to find a balance (no shit). i looked for the link today, and i cannot find it. so not only am i a very late entry to the blog scene, i am obviously technologically challenged if i can't find a link. idiot has-been hag.

i work for a national engineering company based in the midwest. although i used to live in the midwest for the majority of my life, i moved away from there 10 years ago and i would not choose to go back. i have benefits that i pay for (supposedly at a reduced rate since they are group plans) like health and dental insurance (vision consists of a Lenscrafters coupon - yippee!). my maternity leave consisted of two weeks of sick leave (that i had saved over six years of employment with the firm), four weeks of short-term disability at 66% of my salary (i would have gotten two additional weeks if i'd had a C-section), and roughly another six weeks where i kept some resemblance of a paycheck coming in by using any remaining vacation i had saved over the past six years of employment. those were my 12 weeks in accordance with FMLA.

today, my Gen X and Gen Y coworkers have asked for Starbucks instead of Folgers. The Folgers is free in my office; Starbucks is about a block away. i suggested we just move the whole damn office to be closer to Starbucks. i guess free coffee is a benefit. free Folgers, (free decaf Folgers in my case) is like the crappy health insurance plan offered by my employer. it's hot and brown, rather like the description of a turd, but lacks much in nutritional value.

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