A Tale To Tell: The First Test
I am proud to present part 2 of the ghost written opus. In yesterday’s episode we found my friend…oh screw it, just go back and read it you lazy bastard.
A week later I had a physical fitness test. I went on a big bender the night before, not caring about the dumb test that wouldn’t have any say in what happens. I don’t know if anyone reading this has ever tried to work out while hung over, but it’s not good…not good at all. Let’s just say that I had to step out to the bathroom more than once; needless to say that I didn’t pass (not that I would have anyway). 3 weeks later I’m told that I have a meeting with the Captain. This is pretty normal with a voluntary release. They always try to convince you to change your mind. I cemented myself for this and was taken aback when I discovered the meeting was so that I could be presented with a recommendation for release. Laughing inside to myself, I nodded, did all the “yes sir’s” that I needed to and signed what they wanted me to sign. I asked which release would take precedence, the voluntary or the recommended. He said that it would be the voluntary one. Right after that meeting I looked up what happens when you get one of these recommendations. What happens is that your whole file gets sent to Ottawa for an ‘Administrative Review’. These things can last a few months. I went down to the ships administration office and asked them the difference in benefits between the two types of releases. As it turns out, the recommended release allows me to be eligible for EI, it’s still considered an honorable release, and it allows me to receive severance pay, which for me, is about $10,000. I decided to withdraw my voluntary release and proceed with the recommended release. The only gamble is that I don’t have a definite date to be out, but even still, I planned to attend school in Sept.
Riiiiiiight.
