It's snowing, I called in to work,

[Occulus]

and I'm feeling guilty for it. Oh, hell, my attendance record is spotty at best (clinical depression has that effect), but I'm NOT going to risk my life to get to work.

I work just across town (in SW Michigan), and when I tried to get there today, it took me fifteen minutes to go just over a mile. I would get out of work at 1AM; I saw no salt trucks or evidence of the same, so I know they're not prepared.

I know I'll get my chops busted for it, because I was home sick on Saturday as well, when the weather changed. At least once in the spring and fall, my sinuses plug up and I sneeze pink stuff for about a day (I oughta get that checked).

When my dad died, and I filed an FMLA claim to be with him prior to his death, well, six days after he died, my request got denied "due to insufficient documentation". The docs? Six pages signed by as many doctors (actually 2 docs, 2 oncologists, and 2 specialists).

Oh, I filed FMLA for my depression as well and they told me I had to refile because it took me more than fifteen days for the forms my doc signed to get to them. They also told me I couldn't refile for the same date because they don't approve retroactive requests.

So here I sit, feeling guilty as all hell for having a healthy sense of self-preservation. Perverse? You bet.

I work for USPS.

[Droopy]

1. Sorry to hear about that

Are you being treated for the depression? I've had experiences with that and I know it can be tricky to diagnose and treat. Anti-depressants would not work for me. It turns out in my case that I had a totally different mental illness that was causing the depression and once that was treated the depression disappeared.

[Occulus]

3. I'm in therapy

and on Zoloft, but for some reason I can't seem to take the shit consistently.

[Nikia]

2. Not something I will be doing if I keep my job

I live about two miles away from work. One time I was late because of snow. My car got stuck at a stop sign because they plowed the main road which I was trying to get onto but not the street I was on. I ran home a little over a half mile away and made my husband help me. We got my car out, drove home, and then he drove me to work.
Last year, my tires were bad. I was home alone and noticed that it had snowed heavily when I was ready for work. Just as I was thinking how f***ed I was and how I was going to have to walk, my best friend showed up and gave me a ride to work.
I hope that there won't be too heavy of snow this winter and I do have new tires. I can always walk though if I have to.
I have though about getting another job but I don't like driving too much as it is and don't know if I'd really be able to drive 20 miles in the snow both ways.

[Occulus]

4. could you explain your

subject line for me? I guess I'm just being dense today.

[Nikia]

5. What I meant

I have been wanting to get a different job for some time. I have had my license for two years but I am still not a very confident driver, especially in winter weather. Unfortunately, I live in a rural area so I do not have many choices for companies that are close to where I live. The distance that I live from work now, prevents me from calling in because of weather. I could always walk if I had to. Most other jobs I would take would be twenty or more miles away and then I'd have to worry about the weather like you. Maybe, I'm dense today too. I'm sorry about your situation.

[Occulus]

6. It's not really a 'situation' so much as

a source of anxiety where I just don't need one. BUT- I just realized something.

I would have been ten to fifteen minutes late anyway. In the USPS, that counts against me exactly as much as simply not being there. So I was screwed either way; they make no distinction between neing late and being absent. Both fully count againt us, and equally so, on our attendance record sheets.

[Kahuna]

7. 60 degrees in NJ today. What as beautiful fall we've had.

Unbelievable. :7

[Rowdyboy]

8. "I'm in therapy and on zoloft but can't seem to take the stuff regularly"

Duuuuude, medicine can't help if you don't take it. Zoloft MUST be taken daily to work its magic. An occasional missed dose is no big deal but if you skip every few days, you're just wasting money when you buy the meds.

TAKE YOUR DAMNED PILLS LIKE A MAN! If I have to, you should too.

[Occulus]

9. nono, it's not intentionally

not taking it, I'm just not used to having to take anything at all. This is the first sustained medication I've ever been on.

It's just a matter of making it a habit. That's all.

[geniph]

10. Do you drink coffee?

if so, put the Zoloft bottle by - or on - the coffeepot. Or put it by your toothpaste. Put it where you can't miss it in the morning, then move it to where you can't miss it in the evening until it becomes habitual to take it.

Antidepressants taken sporadically are worse than useless - you get the side effects but none of the benefits. You have to keep the level in your bloodstream consistent.

[Occulus]

11. Yeah, I kinda discovered that...

Zoloft has some rather... unpleasant side effects, on first use. I need to look at the little brochure I got with the sample pack and see if sporadic memory loss is one of those, or if it's just me losing my marbles :)