World of Mayja

Hyperbole and a Half

Posted by Mayja

Sheer genius. Enjoy!

Alot is better than you at everything

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Epic Fail Marriage

Posted by Mayja | Posted in Random Thoughts

This one is worth repeating. Enjoy!

see more Epic Fails

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Now that I have the Droid Eris firmly in hand, I have been going application crazy. I invite all of you to recommend your favorite Android applications.

So far, I have picked up a few, such as:
Pandora
AndroBlogger
The Weather Channel
Swift
Facebook
Zedge
Astro File Manager
RingDroid
Keyring
Flixster

What am I missing?

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Pants on the Ground

Posted by Mayja | Posted in Random Thoughts, Shows

I need to share this one. I'm not an American Idol follower, but this is just catchy and funny. Enjoy!

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Say YES to Michigan! and the Civil Service Commission!

Posted by Mayja | Posted in The Job

It has happened - I got a job! Almost one year to the day of my layoff I will finally rejoin the workforce. With an unemployment rate of 20% in MI, it has been a long hard year of searching and all of that work has finally paid off.

Back in March, I submitted my resume and credentials on the MI.gov website. It wasn't until September when I received a call for a phone screen that eventually got me a panel interview. I had to take a few MS Office tests too. All in all, it was pretty easy and all of their questions were scripted.

This past Monday I received a phone call from a representative from the state's HR department. I had 24 hours to complete a drug screening if I wanted to be considered for an immediate opening. Plus, I had to get fingerprinted. Well, I was out of the house in 10 minutes and on my way to the Dept. of Health and Human Services to pick up my forms. In 24 hours, I was tested and printed.

They must have rushed the results of my test because I got called back today. The position is for an Assistant Payments Worker. I'll be reviewing cases to determine eligibility of benefits for state aid. I certainly can already relate to the customer experience. Now, it's time to see what happens on the other side. Orientation begins after Thanksgiving. Time to start getting up early again.

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The UIA

Posted by Mayja | Posted in The Job

Anyone who is unemployed knows who the UIA is (Unemployment Insurance Agency). In my state, I have to contact them every other week to collect my benefits. I have a specific time period to contact them, otherwise I could lose my benefits.

I requested access to the Internet reporting system and they had to mail me my password - not email - MAIL the password. By the time the letter arrived, the password had expired because there's a very short window when it will remain active for login. Brilliant. So I used the phone system instead.

Well, the phone system has been overwhelmed by the number of people calling every day. They've had some issues with it, and have had to do emergency repairs/system upgrades in the recent past.

In mid September, I called the system to report that I'm seeking work, haven't found a job, blah blah blah. I made sure the call completed and hung up. You have to wait a mandatory three business days before you can check to make sure your payment was processed. I waited and called to verify. They claimed that I never called the system as there was no record of my call, thus no check. And, to top it off, I was going to lose my benefits because I didn't contact them within my call-in timeframe. That's government for ya.

I filed a claim stating when I called and that I understand how the system works as I have been doing the same thing since January (omfg). I finally received a determination today - in November - in regards to my September claim. Since I failed to contact the system within the required timeframe, they are not going to give me my two weeks of benefits for mid September. Since they didn't think I was lying, they're not going to kick me off the system completely and they're going to allow me to finish collecting my final weeks of unemployment.

Can I protest this? Sure, I could. I'm debating if it will be worth the effort, paperwork and the hearing I'd have to attend. Plus, if they find that I'm still ineligible, I'd have to pay them fees for the hearing/lawyers/etc.

The best part about all of this is now they're also trying to make me pay back money I received the week after the two in question. This is obviously due to a clerical error as to when the ineligibility period ended. As I write this, I'm on hold with the UIA to discuss the errors of their ways.

I've been on hold for 45 minutes so far... wish me luck.

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Death Star Pumpkin

Posted by Mayja

I know... I've been slacking on my blog posts. Honestly, it's been frustrating lately. I've gone from totally energetic to blah during September. This is my favorite season of the year, and I'm bummed out. Not good. Time for cider and doughnuts at the usual orchard. That should bring some of the spirit back.

Plus, I need to start thinking about pumpkin carving! Last year, I won my office's pumpkin competition for carving a Death Star - check it out:

This sucker took two, 4 hour evenings to carve and a massive handcramp after each session. It was worth every minute. I'm not sure what I'll do this year, but it should be fun. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to post them here!