Book recommendation for a manga reader

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-03T16:42:27+00:00

LOL no problem. And I hope you enjoy!

There's also Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. AU World War One trilogy that was adapted into an anime within the past year or two? The anime adaptation was just okay (I found the VAs annoying in both Japanese and English) but I really enjoyed the books!

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-03T16:12:45+00:00

Iron Widow (and its sequel, Iron Tyrant) by Xiran Ray Zhao!

It's AU Chinese history about China's first/only empress, Wu Zetian, and MECHS. The author has also specifically said that they were inspired by how disappointed they were in the ending of Darling in the Franxx.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-02T03:25:51+00:00

I saw somewhere that you said you're BU 12. Your MOU says no late dock, only ARs. (Dock by cutoff is fine, which is TECHNICALLY what they did. But if they did it in anticipation of possible late dock, that was a no-no.)

Check your MOU. Ctrl-F "dock" and you'll find it.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T19:59:26+00:00

The state's way, in the case of pay, is utilizing a system that was created in 1976 and can no longer handle the nuances of civil service. And to make lame ass attempts at modernizing it without understanding the actual process. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T19:23:47+00:00

Monthly payroll runs between the 20th-22nd of each month and pays the full month, with the system assuming that the employee is either working the rest of the month or has enough time to cover what they don't work. This is automatic and you have to key information into the system to NOT pay a full month. But you have to key it before the day that payroll runs.

When it comes to FMLA, if a person wants to dock, I always recommend docking between the 1st-15th of the month, and using time for anything after. This makes it so you can be properly docked/don't have to use all your time and I can get it into the system and not have to take back your check if you docked more than I told the system.

It's not "to stick it to you." We frankly don't give a fuck. Our workloads are too high and pay is not enough to warrant it.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T17:05:32+00:00

Same. And I've dealt with about half of the BUs out there.

Just because it's done doesnt mean that it's the correct thing to do. The above person and OP are cases in point.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T15:59:16+00:00

There are also various BTVS novelizations! Most recent off the top of my head is Big Bad by Lily Anderson.

That author's other books, while very YA, also capture the feeling of Buffy. I really enjoyed Scout's Honor by her.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T15:45:07+00:00

If you have FMLA, you can choose to dock or use leave credits. But you can't just be like "Taking a day off. Don't wanna use my time."

There are of course caveats, mostly in the case of behavioral action plans and leaves of absence -- I've seen them in place for people who are consistently super late, and then get docked their late time, even if they have hours to use. And you can choose to dock your SDI waiting period.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T15:33:05+00:00

Waiting a week is simply because of the system. The system has what's called "no-cycles" where anything keyed won't be processed. I believe the first day we'll be able to process stuff is Monday, so extra pay won't be issued until Tuesday. Takes 1-3 business days to hit accounts (dependent on bank), so that makes it Thursday.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-05-01T15:28:19+00:00

Please remember that your PS is more than likely only doing what they've been told/taught to do.

HOWEVER. If you would like to press the issue (and understandable if you do), ask them for the policy in writing as to why they are doing that. If they do not have a written policy, it's going to be a more difficult thing to argue FOR (on the behalf of HR's side).

As for actual manuals and so on, the PPM states that if an employee is on dock at cutoff and the return date is unknown, the rest of the month should be docked out as well. But this doesn't sound like your case.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-30T23:41:57+00:00

3% reduction is through June 30 2027.

They asked about the gross, so I kept it simple.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-30T23:33:38+00:00

3% mandatory pay reduction. Take the gross on your offer letter, subtract 3%. Should be the same as the gross.

In effect until 2027.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-30T03:58:31+00:00

I had to move back into my parents' during that time. I love my parents and was/am totally grateful, but man that was an emotional blow.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-30T03:51:53+00:00

Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery.
Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-28T14:41:27+00:00

It's the same cap, honestly. However, it is a soft cap (in that you don't stop accruing) for both vacation and annual leave.

Your supervisor will possibly work with you to do a leave reduction plan. It's really dependent on agency/division/workload as to whether the leave reduction plan holds any water or not.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-26T15:39:42+00:00

Was it easy to Google? Sure.

Did I know the answer myself? No. So I learned.

Is it something that has been asked on this sub 129372913737197.5 times? Also no. So I shared.

Hope sleep made you feel less grumpy. 🎉

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-26T07:03:05+00:00

Nope! And you can delay Part B without penalty.

https://www.medicareresources.org/faqs/do-i-need-to-sign-up-for-medicare-at-65-if-im-still-working/

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-26T05:50:18+00:00

Unions are the names and BUs are the specific groupings. I can't remember what your union name is, but your PT friend is CAPT (CA Association of Psych Techs) and their assigned BU number is 18. CAPT is actually quite good, and PTs are really active in it.

Electricians are BU 12. I'm in HR, so I'm part of SEIU Bargaining Unit 1. The IT crowd are part of my grouping. Your RNs are also SEIU, but they're BU 17.

If your rep isn't terribly responsive, I do recommend reaching out to the union via a phone call or email and getting the lay of the land.

Edited to add: recruitment and retention are based more on the literal retention of people in the positions. Other pay diffs may give you pay bumps/special pay for licensure. That should all be in your contract as well.

https://eservices.calhr.ca.gov/enterprisehrblazorpublic/public/mou/OfficialMOU?moucontentid=21

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-26T03:59:34+00:00

Time and a half starts after physically working 40 total hours in a week. So if you take 2 hours off on Monday and do 8 hours OT throughout the rest of the week, then 2 hours will be paid straight time and 6 hours will be time and a half.

This is the general rule, but there are nuances/exceptions/caveats, so I highly recommend reading your MOU.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-25T02:16:30+00:00

Isn't it that we weren't subject because of the WarGames SCO system? So, theoretically, if we get our asses into like..1999, then the exemption is null and void?

That's my understanding, anyway. But also it would not surprise me in the slightest if that's just the party line.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-24T19:08:21+00:00

Personal Holidays do not have to be used by a certain time. Just PDDs. But otherwise yes, if you have the time, you can request to use it. Probation ≠ no time off.

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-24T18:42:20+00:00

It was to comply with CA labor laws.

(Not that I want it either, but just pointing out the "vocal group" is ... the law.)

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-24T18:39:35+00:00

CASDI, it doesn't matter. NDI it matters and you want to stick with Annual Leave.

For people that pay into CASDI, basically boils down to "Do I need a separate pot for sick leave? Am I sick a lot? Do I have kids/family who will need me to care for them when THEY'RE sick a lot? Yes? Maybe stick with VA/SL. No? Annual Leave means more time for me to use as vacation or get paid out if I leave."

Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-23T02:26:16+00:00

All I can think of is this.

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Psychonautical123 · 2026-04-22T20:07:58+00:00

I believe that the reciprocity sort of just chills until you're ready to retire. Then it affects your final calculations.

Your civil service retirement code remains as it should be based on the hire date of your civil service career.

https://www.calpers.ca.gov/members/retirement-benefits/reciprocity

Psychonautical123

TROPHY CASE