Wow, has it really been 3 months?

Hello everyone. I'm back. I've had a lot of technical difficulties with such things as computers, money, and in general life. But I'm back for right now and hopefully will be back for awhile. A couple of "major-ish" type things have happened in my life.
1) I was working at 2 jobs. Both were opened by sisters; Jessica & Cori. (Name changes to protect the not so innocent and all that.) Well they were opening a new "french" cafe in one of the malls here in town and they wanted Cas and I to help them open it. They had a espresso machine they had no idea how to operate, food to still be able to cook and put on the menu, etc etc blah blah. Well, so me and Cas both started there and I was also hired at Jessica's bakery. A couple of weeks goes by and everything is peachy keen. Monday morning (after Jessica's sons birthday party at said cafe) I get a call from Cori stating that she was from both establishments, and that I had received *another* customer complaint, that I was not to show up to work today or in the future. [Side note: Mondays I worked at both places.] I say ok, and end the phone call. The next day I go down to the unemployment office and file unemployment. Now let's fast forward a couple of week later. 9 am is my scheduled on the phone fact finding interview with the Unemployment office and Jessica. I don't remember the unemployment ladies name but we will call her Janet. So this is how *that* conversation went.

Janet: Good morning may I speak to Ashli *lastname*
Ashli: This is her.
Janet: Good morning Ashli, this is Janet from the Iowa Unemployment Insurance claims department. We have a scheduled fact-finding interview today with... Jessica *lastname* from "The Bakery", I'm going to call Jessica right now, ok?
Ashli: Alright.
Janet: *pause while dialing "The Bakery's number* Good morning, may I speak to Jessica *lastname*
Jessica: This is her.
Janet: Good morning Jessica, this is Janet from the Iowa Unemployment Insurance claims department. We have a scheduled fact-finding interview with your former employee Ashli *lastname*. So to start this off Jessica, will you please just for the record tell me your full name, your place of business name and the address of said place?
Jessica: Jessica A. *lastname, "The Bakery" in *Bum Fuck Iowa*
Janet: Thank you. Now can you please tell me the hire and fire dates for Ashli *lastname*
Jessica: I'm not sure of either, I don't have her file handy on the moment.
Janet: *pause* Ok... Ashli do you know off hand?
Ashli: I was hired around September 16, and fired on October 1st of this year.
Janet: Ok thank you Ashli. Now, Jessica will you please tell me what happened?
Jessica: Ok well, Ashli was hired as a baker at my bakery to help me fill customer orders for cupcakes, wedding, cakes and to fill orders for "The Cafe" and she was considered part time. She was scheduled to come into work on October 1st at 11:00am on October 1st, and never showed up. I considered it a no-call no-show and that she voluntarily quit her job.
Janet: So, Ashli was supposed to show up and never did?
Jessica: Yes, that's correct. I also had a written warning for her that day, because the employee that I had watch over the bakery the last day she worked for me said that Ashli refused to do the dishes. Which is stated in her job responsibilities when she was hired at the bakery.
Janet: Ok, so she was going to get a written warning if she showed up to work that day?
Jessica: That's correct.
Janet: Ok, Ashli now tell me what happened, or your side of the story.
Ashli: Well Janet, on October first around 10 am I received a call from Cori, Jessica's sister. She said exactly this to me, "This is Cori from "The Bakery & The Cafe" I just wanted to let you know that you've had another customer complaint and we won't be needing you to come in today or in the future." So, I didn't go in to either job that day, because I was fired.
Janet: She said she was from both places of business?
Ashli: Yes she did.
Janet: And why would you consider being fired from the bakery if the owner of the cafe called and said you were fired?
Ashli: Well Janet, when I was being interviewed for both places I was interviewed by both of the sisters, talk to both of them about both places of business, and was told they were interchangeable at both places. So when Cori called and said she was from both "The Bakery" and "The Cafe" I was told I was being fired from both.
Janet: Yes, that does make sense. Ashli, did you ever discuss business with Jessica about the Cafe or Cori about the bakery?
Ashli: Yes, of course.
Janet: Ok thank you, anything else you want to add?
Ashli: Yes, I don't remember ever refusing to do the dishes at "The Bakery" and I would like to know the date that I supposedly did this.
Jessica: She refused to do the dishes that Saturday before she did not show up.
Janet: Ok, thank you. You both will receive a decision in the mail in the next 3 business days. You have until November 2Nd to appeal this decision. Do either of you have any questions?
Ashli: No.
Jessica: Nope.
The call was ended. 2 days later I receive a letter in the mail from the unemployment people saying that I did not voluntarily quit my job at the Bakery, and that I was wrongfully dismissed from my employer and that I would start receiving my unemployment benefits in the near future.
**Fast forward till November 7, 2007**
I get up around noon, take a shower, get ready to go and play pool and in the mail I have a letter. It's from the unemployment people. "Your decision has been appealed by "The Bakery" in Bum Fuck Iowa. Your hearing, which is scheduled on November 20, at 8:00am will be presided over by a judge. This appeal hearing will take place over the phone.
What the fuck! I am fuming now. I am suppose to try and find witnesses and documents and stuff. I don't have any "first hand" witness about either of the places. There is no way to prove about some of the things they lied about in the fact-finding interview. [Some of which I couldn't post, confidentiality and all that, that I signed when I first started working at "The Bakery".] I understand that people have a right to appeal and such, but c'mon! I should of received the notice of appeal the Monday following November 2, not four days later. This is ridiculous. These business aren't even big corporate business or anything like that. They are privately owned, and think that *I* am in the wrong. I helped set up and train the employees at the Cafe, showed everyone how to make all the damn froo-froo coffee drinks, and showed the 16 year old teeny-boppers how to run everything. *sigh* I guess this just goes to show you, people aren't what they seem at all.

Besides that my mom was turned down for disability/ssi yet again. Which has put her in a huge slump/depression. She does really try to do things around the house, and stuff but most of the time she's just really tired and doesn't have the energy. She's talking to a new lawyer about appealing the decision again, I think this makes it like the 6-7 time she has been refused for disability/ssi.

I finally got the answers I needed from T. They helped, him and I are currently talking, and are friends *somewhat*. It's hard to be friends after something like that has happened. Ya know?

The other big news is.... I have decided to go to Job Corps. I am still waiting on the information packet to decide what program to go into, but I am going. Not sure when. I'll let you all know when I figure that out in the future.

Love & Light,
Ashli Lynn aka Phoeny