I just fought an awesome fire, doodah, doodah
I just fought an awesome fire, all the doodah night.
THAT is why I do this.
Call came out as a structure, further was that the house next door to ____ was on fire. Always an indicator of a real fire - called in by the neighbor. I went POV and got there right after the engine. You could see it from a mile away. Charlie and a guy (who turned out to be Jeff, who was a the station studying) were attacking from the east side. I parked on the neighbors lawn (sorry) and geared up. I surveyed from the east and pulled a second crosslay off the truck, with Brandon's help, thank goodness. Charlie put me in the doorway as a fire break between the front of the trailer, which was fully engulfed, and the kitchen window they were shooting through. Charlie was funny taking the door out - trailer doors always open outward, but this was burning, so he hit it inward and it buckled. He hit it a second time and then had to shake the door off his axe. One of those scenes that you freeze in your mind to laugh at later. We had the kitchen dark and I was pushing the fire back out the front...when we ran out of water.
Roanoke hooked up to us, but Brandon had left our lines charged, and when the water hit the pump, their 80 psi and our original 120 psi knocked Jeff and I both on our butts. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't hold my line, (I didn't realize that the same thing had happened to Jeff) and it spun me and was shoving me back down the stairs and I was fighting it to hang on and shut it down...I got it off just as a Double Oak guy tried to come to my rescue. Being a big macho man, he walked up the steps and turned it on full bore - and got knocked on his butt, whereupon he fell through the porch. I suppose I could have helped him up, but catching the hose seemed more important at the time. And I felt extremely justified, although still a little pissed off. :) The fire had got it's hold back by then, but we jacked it back down and actually saved half of the trailer.
I fought a good fight, was on nozzle with no back the entire time except when I gave the nozzle to Roanoke who were going in (Idiotic - there are no floors left in trailer fires.) They didn't even get in there when Jon came and yanked their butts back out. Jeff's Double Oak team had already pulled out. I shot it through the kitchen window while Jeff had the window on the southern room. I don't know who taught Double Oak how to withdraw, but they ran like scared kittens and Jeff and I had to pull his hose back out through the window. After the worst of it was out, I went for an axe and pulled the crap out of the walls to get at the insulation (from the outside, I'm not dumb.) I was proud of my stamina, only once did I feel like I was going to have to give up my nozzle, but I kept it. I think I may have a bruise from letting the handle push back against my shoulder, but I did good.
Charlie came and told Jeff and I we stopped that fire, and he was proud of us. We went on knees after we suppressed it, and Jeromy brought us in water. I said we loved him, and he bonked my helmet. Probably the most positive interaction we have ever had. Brandon gave me fists and said good job. When we were overhauling Charlie was knocking the heck out of a kitchen cupboard, and Guy and I had the line (He was backing me, and it was awesome! You forget how great it is to have a good backer until you work without one for a while!) Anyways, Charlie was spewing some crap and we were getting sprayed, but I thought it was water, then Guy goes..."Aunt Jemina!" Happy homeowner apparently had syrup in the cabinet Charlie was demolishing, and it was all over us. The funny part? Some wierd sticky goo from a burning building sprayed all over us...and Guy *tasted* it! He was hilarious. Later, he said - "Geez, what if that had been caustic?" Duh, now you think of that! I got some burning goo on my face from the AC unit earler and it freaked me out, I wet gloved it real quick and it didn't even leave a mark. I am reinstalling my shield on my helmet, those goggles *suck*.
Anyways, it is 1:34 am, and I cannot go to bed this stinky, so I am off to the shower. But...
I fought an awsome fight today, doodah, doodah
I fought an awesome fight today, and won in every way!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
I am definitely a genius
A genius is one who can do anything except make a living. - Joey Adams
There was never a genius without a tincture of madness. - Aristotle
Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. - Isaac Asimov
Men of genius are the worst possible role models for men of talent. - Murray D. Edwards
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein
The world is always ready to receive talent with open arms. Very often it does not know what to do with genius. - Oliver Wendell Holmes
There was never a genius without a tincture of madness. - Aristotle
Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. - Isaac Asimov
Men of genius are the worst possible role models for men of talent. - Murray D. Edwards
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. - Albert Einstein
The world is always ready to receive talent with open arms. Very often it does not know what to do with genius. - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Silly thing about life
found this list of things on Chris Jenkin’s Blog… “… the idea is to highlight the things you've done. I don't know if it serves the purpose of showing how crazy or wayward I've been or that i need to get out more. who knows?
this little experiment is supposed to be fun.
i think…”
Here goes (i've done everything in bold):
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins (do stingrays count?)
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula YES! Finally, one I did! I didn’t want to, Ashley sort of dropped it in my hand when we were at the butterfly gardens and I was trying to be brave… but I was scared and half laughing and tears were falling out of my eyes…the guy gave both of us stickers that said “I held Edna” or whatever that thing’s name was. I was kind of proud of that sticker.
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone This is a good memory.
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree I even had a favorite tree when I was growing up…I carved my name in it, with some boy’s initials that I would change periodically. You know.
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris – I am so going to take Mom one day.
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea With all my time in the Bahamas, probably, but I don’t really remember anything except getting cold and wet in the boat.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise Yup, never for the romantic reason this sounds like, though, more like working all night at Tim Horton’s.
14. Seen the Northern Lights Being from Canada, this was a given. I remember Mom pointing them out as we were leaving Beaver Harbour.
15. Gone to a huge sports game – the Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens. I prefer the hockey.
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables – Absolutely! I still try to grow tomatoes, but the heat and my neglect of watering makes it tough…
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars - Many times, I think.
20. Changed a baby’s diapers - rarely. Not my job. I’d be happy to, though.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower – Yes, laying on the sand at Old Orchard beach waxing poetic…
23. Gotten drunk on champagne – probably, since a glass would get me drunk
24. Given more than you can afford to charity – I wish I could say yes
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment YES!
27. Had a food fight – more than one, in fact.
28. Bet on a winning horse – Yup, I think I won $4
29. Asked out a stranger - oh heck no
30. Had a snowball fight YES! Many!
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can Yup, and I just did it again for good measure, the cats are quite worried.
32. Held a lamb – I don’t think so. Pete raised some but I don’t recall touching them.
33. Seen a total eclipse - Not that I recall, you’re not supposed to look, right?
34. Ridden a roller coaster – yeah, the Texas Star, awful wooden clanky thing that made my back hurt, and then the Superman Tower of Power and BatMan’ s Ice thing or something – they make me wanna hurl
35. Hit a home run – Not in this lifetime
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking - Probably when I was drunk in university
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day Maybe not the whole day, grin
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment YES! But not at the moment.
39. Had two hard drives for your computer – Do Zip drives count?
40. Visited all 50 states – I think so. California was my last one, I think.
41. Taken care of someone who was heavily inebriated – see the earlier college dancing answer
42. Had an amazing friend (and lost her) – Whatever happened to Sonja?
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country – In the Bahamas
44. Watched wild whales Off Vancouver Island, when we were in atiny boat fishing. A little scary, but cool.
45. Stolen a sign - Sorry, Mom.
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip – Oh so many – but very few just for the joy of a road trip… I think I need to do that, and soon!
48. Gone rock climbing – At the gym
49. Midnight walk on the beach - At Old Orchard, In Florida on Spring Break, and in the Bahamas
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love – I can’t make a call on this one. Or, I won’t.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow – I am sure I did, not regularly, though.
56. Alphabetized your CDs - Well, I only have eight, so probably not.
57. Pretended to be a superhero – Every Day, Baby.
58. Sung karaoke – Badly, I might add.
59. Lounged around in bed all day – Sometimes because that was all I could do.
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving And I loved it
62. Kissed in the rain - I would love to, though…
63. Played in the mud – YES! Made mudcakes often.
64. Played in the rain – Of course, loved it, still do
65. Gone to a drive-in theater - We saw the cats cartoon and the Apple Dumpling Gang with Mom and Dad, I fell asleep at the Apple Dumpling Gang. John took Char and I to see Mad Max, Beyond the Thunder Dome.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business Gotta say yes.
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married – a couple times so far.
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
76. Gone without food for 5 days - I wish
77. Made cookies from scratch – Yup, thanks Mom.
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason for myself.
84. Performed on stage Many times as a youngster, loved it
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music – Does Here Comes Peter Cottontail on CBC TV when I was a kid count?
87. Eaten shark Ugh, yes.
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand Again, Sorry Mom.
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house – Yes, a blessing and a curse
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents – Daddy, and I miss him
94. Been on a cruise ship – Yup, took Mom on one. It was a little wild for me.
95. Spoken more than one language fluently – Oui.
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children – For a short time
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over – Hello? A couple times.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - Yes, last summer…then I drove back from California in a company vehicle.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking – All the time, it’s my car, dimmit!
103. Had plastic surgery - Twice
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived - Driving under that truck
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds If you count them five at a time, I have lost thousands
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray YUP! Before the Steve Irwin experience
110. Broken someone’s heart – probably. I hate that.
111. Ridden a bike – Yup, definitely. I was Daisy Duke.
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - I love my FNC1A1
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild118. Ridden a horse – twice that I remember, once in Georgia and once at Texas Lil’s Dude Ranch.
119. Had surgery – three times
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours I am certain!
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states – Some day
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days – Wilderness Survival in my teens
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi nasty crap
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about loving me
130. Gone back to school – 19 years in a row
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes - Of course!
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey – made me sleepy so I gave up
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read – the Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, but I didn't finish it
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I tried, I really did
137. Skipped all your school reunions - Me, me, me!
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language – unless you consider smiling a language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 145. Had a booth at a street fair 146. Dyed your hair - One BAD experience
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life - I don’t think so. I’ve been there for it, though.
I don't think I can assess whether or not I have lived my life based on that list.
this little experiment is supposed to be fun.
i think…”
Here goes (i've done everything in bold):
1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins (do stingrays count?)
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula YES! Finally, one I did! I didn’t want to, Ashley sort of dropped it in my hand when we were at the butterfly gardens and I was trying to be brave… but I was scared and half laughing and tears were falling out of my eyes…the guy gave both of us stickers that said “I held Edna” or whatever that thing’s name was. I was kind of proud of that sticker.
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone This is a good memory.
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree I even had a favorite tree when I was growing up…I carved my name in it, with some boy’s initials that I would change periodically. You know.
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris – I am so going to take Mom one day.
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea With all my time in the Bahamas, probably, but I don’t really remember anything except getting cold and wet in the boat.
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise Yup, never for the romantic reason this sounds like, though, more like working all night at Tim Horton’s.
14. Seen the Northern Lights Being from Canada, this was a given. I remember Mom pointing them out as we were leaving Beaver Harbour.
15. Gone to a huge sports game – the Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens. I prefer the hockey.
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables – Absolutely! I still try to grow tomatoes, but the heat and my neglect of watering makes it tough…
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars - Many times, I think.
20. Changed a baby’s diapers - rarely. Not my job. I’d be happy to, though.
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower – Yes, laying on the sand at Old Orchard beach waxing poetic…
23. Gotten drunk on champagne – probably, since a glass would get me drunk
24. Given more than you can afford to charity – I wish I could say yes
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment YES!
27. Had a food fight – more than one, in fact.
28. Bet on a winning horse – Yup, I think I won $4
29. Asked out a stranger - oh heck no
30. Had a snowball fight YES! Many!
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can Yup, and I just did it again for good measure, the cats are quite worried.
32. Held a lamb – I don’t think so. Pete raised some but I don’t recall touching them.
33. Seen a total eclipse - Not that I recall, you’re not supposed to look, right?
34. Ridden a roller coaster – yeah, the Texas Star, awful wooden clanky thing that made my back hurt, and then the Superman Tower of Power and BatMan’ s Ice thing or something – they make me wanna hurl
35. Hit a home run – Not in this lifetime
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking - Probably when I was drunk in university
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day Maybe not the whole day, grin
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment YES! But not at the moment.
39. Had two hard drives for your computer – Do Zip drives count?
40. Visited all 50 states – I think so. California was my last one, I think.
41. Taken care of someone who was heavily inebriated – see the earlier college dancing answer
42. Had an amazing friend (and lost her) – Whatever happened to Sonja?
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country – In the Bahamas
44. Watched wild whales Off Vancouver Island, when we were in atiny boat fishing. A little scary, but cool.
45. Stolen a sign - Sorry, Mom.
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip – Oh so many – but very few just for the joy of a road trip… I think I need to do that, and soon!
48. Gone rock climbing – At the gym
49. Midnight walk on the beach - At Old Orchard, In Florida on Spring Break, and in the Bahamas
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love – I can’t make a call on this one. Or, I won’t.
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow – I am sure I did, not regularly, though.
56. Alphabetized your CDs - Well, I only have eight, so probably not.
57. Pretended to be a superhero – Every Day, Baby.
58. Sung karaoke – Badly, I might add.
59. Lounged around in bed all day – Sometimes because that was all I could do.
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving And I loved it
62. Kissed in the rain - I would love to, though…
63. Played in the mud – YES! Made mudcakes often.
64. Played in the rain – Of course, loved it, still do
65. Gone to a drive-in theater - We saw the cats cartoon and the Apple Dumpling Gang with Mom and Dad, I fell asleep at the Apple Dumpling Gang. John took Char and I to see Mad Max, Beyond the Thunder Dome.
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business Gotta say yes.
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married – a couple times so far.
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
76. Gone without food for 5 days - I wish
77. Made cookies from scratch – Yup, thanks Mom.
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason for myself.
84. Performed on stage Many times as a youngster, loved it
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music – Does Here Comes Peter Cottontail on CBC TV when I was a kid count?
87. Eaten shark Ugh, yes.
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand Again, Sorry Mom.
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house – Yes, a blessing and a curse
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents – Daddy, and I miss him
94. Been on a cruise ship – Yup, took Mom on one. It was a little wild for me.
95. Spoken more than one language fluently – Oui.
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children – For a short time
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over – Hello? A couple times.
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - Yes, last summer…then I drove back from California in a company vehicle.
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking – All the time, it’s my car, dimmit!
103. Had plastic surgery - Twice
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived - Driving under that truck
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds If you count them five at a time, I have lost thousands
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray YUP! Before the Steve Irwin experience
110. Broken someone’s heart – probably. I hate that.
111. Ridden a bike – Yup, definitely. I was Daisy Duke.
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - I love my FNC1A1
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild118. Ridden a horse – twice that I remember, once in Georgia and once at Texas Lil’s Dude Ranch.
119. Had surgery – three times
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours I am certain!
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states – Some day
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days – Wilderness Survival in my teens
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi nasty crap
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about loving me
130. Gone back to school – 19 years in a row
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes - Of course!
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey – made me sleepy so I gave up
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read – the Scarlet letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, but I didn't finish it
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I tried, I really did
137. Skipped all your school reunions - Me, me, me!
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language – unless you consider smiling a language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you 145. Had a booth at a street fair 146. Dyed your hair - One BAD experience
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life - I don’t think so. I’ve been there for it, though.
I don't think I can assess whether or not I have lived my life based on that list.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
It's Saturday night and I ain't got nobody....
Actually, it's Saturday afternoon, and the cats and I are supposed to be housecleaning. Those buggers are off sleeping somewhere, so I have been pea'ing and playing with my blogger. I have a bunch of stuff to take out to the barn (I am banishing all the tools and flowerpots back to their rightful places in the barn again) and it is actually warm enough to make the trek back and forth, so I can't use that as an excuse. But all I want to do is play in my scrapbook room!
And it has to be cleaned. UGH. If my family didn't visit once or twice a year I would probably never straighten up, so for this I am grateful. I need to get my carpets stretched, but I really don't want to pay the $200. It just galls me to have to pay that kind of $$ for something so simple...but I just don't want to do it. I have until tomorrow night to get it done, ot I am going to call the guy. SO THERE! :) I guess I told me.
OK, I promise I'll go do something soon, just one more can of diet coke first...
:)
a
And it has to be cleaned. UGH. If my family didn't visit once or twice a year I would probably never straighten up, so for this I am grateful. I need to get my carpets stretched, but I really don't want to pay the $200. It just galls me to have to pay that kind of $$ for something so simple...but I just don't want to do it. I have until tomorrow night to get it done, ot I am going to call the guy. SO THERE! :) I guess I told me.
OK, I promise I'll go do something soon, just one more can of diet coke first...
:)
a
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Yahoo! Mail - moshera@yahoo.com
This is a set of layouts I did for a circle journal, It was entitled "Amazing Hero".
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Can women get along at work?
This has always been a huge thing for me, as a woman in construction. Women in my field tend to be tough, no-nonsense people who are used to getting things their own way, they have fought to get where they are and they'll fight you if you cross them. But, I guess I am that way also!
My troubles with women at work have always been with women in supporting roles, it is normal for more than one project manager (me) to share a project coordinator (all women in my experiences). Just today one of my PC's was telling me that she spends nine hours a day on "Tom", another PM, and one hour a day on me. I have walked into her cube when she was doing stuff for him that I would never dream of asking her to do, from financials to warranty calls. Does that bother me? A little. But, I am the only female PM at this firm, and I am also the only one in a cubicle like the PC's instead of an office. That bothers me more!
The Director's assistant does all of the "guys" expense reports - and yet when I asked her to download my AMEX bill (when she was doing another PM's) she told me she'd be happy to show me how. It is almost like I am more capable in their minds so they expect me to do my own. That's good in a way - but I have oodles of other things I need to be doing that I can't delegate.
But I digress. I worked with a woman at one firm who is still an awesome friend to this day, she is also a PM, but she has an accounting degree. While I am functional in accounting, I am an engineer, and I excel at negotiating scopes with no gaps. She has less experince with that, so we would trade off tasks - I would review her scopes and negotiate her contracts, and she would process my invoices. It was a dream team. I'll admit I was scared of her at first, though. She left the firm to go to a larger developer, since there were some pretty major management issues at our firm, and I left not long after.
She is a shining example of a good PM and a good woman. I think people are who they are, and that comes out in their work. If you stand back and listen to the personal stories in the lunchroom, the same people with the huge family dramas have the huge work dramas. One of the ladies at work has not spoken to another one of the ladies at work for two weeks, because lady A bought at $179 labelmaker and lady B thought it ws too expensive but the boss approved it. What's up with that? I refer to them in my mind now as "Supply Cabinet Nazi" and "Labelgirl". :P When one person complains about another person in front of me, I usually just look at them intently and say "Where's the love?" I don't know if it makes them think, but they tend not to include me in much of that anymore, Thank goodness.
I think work is the hardest thing I have ever had to do...and I don't mean the job description part of it. Knowing how to manage others (Below and above me) takes a lot of study, and a lot of work. One thing Maite was talking about with the "I worked 80 hours a week so you should have to" - that attitude is very prevalent in my work. There are people who let their physical and mental health and their families fall apart. I say, if you can't do it in 40 hours (ok, sometimes 50!), you are doing something wrong. I thank God for the women that worked 80 hour weeks and proved themself in the industry, and now I am taking it a step further for the next generation. We need to work smarter, and give our employer our best - and then go home! Save a little of the best for tomorrow, too! It is easy to confuse long hours with productivity, and I try not to fall into that trap.
Life balance is more important, and when push comes to shove, ain't none of those people gonna be standing over my casket spilling any tears. God, Me, Family, Work. If I don't take care of things in that order, I won't be able to take care of anything. And if you made it all the way to the end of this long and boring post, you deserve a RAK. :)
Ande
My troubles with women at work have always been with women in supporting roles, it is normal for more than one project manager (me) to share a project coordinator (all women in my experiences). Just today one of my PC's was telling me that she spends nine hours a day on "Tom", another PM, and one hour a day on me. I have walked into her cube when she was doing stuff for him that I would never dream of asking her to do, from financials to warranty calls. Does that bother me? A little. But, I am the only female PM at this firm, and I am also the only one in a cubicle like the PC's instead of an office. That bothers me more!
The Director's assistant does all of the "guys" expense reports - and yet when I asked her to download my AMEX bill (when she was doing another PM's) she told me she'd be happy to show me how. It is almost like I am more capable in their minds so they expect me to do my own. That's good in a way - but I have oodles of other things I need to be doing that I can't delegate.
But I digress. I worked with a woman at one firm who is still an awesome friend to this day, she is also a PM, but she has an accounting degree. While I am functional in accounting, I am an engineer, and I excel at negotiating scopes with no gaps. She has less experince with that, so we would trade off tasks - I would review her scopes and negotiate her contracts, and she would process my invoices. It was a dream team. I'll admit I was scared of her at first, though. She left the firm to go to a larger developer, since there were some pretty major management issues at our firm, and I left not long after.
She is a shining example of a good PM and a good woman. I think people are who they are, and that comes out in their work. If you stand back and listen to the personal stories in the lunchroom, the same people with the huge family dramas have the huge work dramas. One of the ladies at work has not spoken to another one of the ladies at work for two weeks, because lady A bought at $179 labelmaker and lady B thought it ws too expensive but the boss approved it. What's up with that? I refer to them in my mind now as "Supply Cabinet Nazi" and "Labelgirl". :P When one person complains about another person in front of me, I usually just look at them intently and say "Where's the love?" I don't know if it makes them think, but they tend not to include me in much of that anymore, Thank goodness.
I think work is the hardest thing I have ever had to do...and I don't mean the job description part of it. Knowing how to manage others (Below and above me) takes a lot of study, and a lot of work. One thing Maite was talking about with the "I worked 80 hours a week so you should have to" - that attitude is very prevalent in my work. There are people who let their physical and mental health and their families fall apart. I say, if you can't do it in 40 hours (ok, sometimes 50!), you are doing something wrong. I thank God for the women that worked 80 hour weeks and proved themself in the industry, and now I am taking it a step further for the next generation. We need to work smarter, and give our employer our best - and then go home! Save a little of the best for tomorrow, too! It is easy to confuse long hours with productivity, and I try not to fall into that trap.
Life balance is more important, and when push comes to shove, ain't none of those people gonna be standing over my casket spilling any tears. God, Me, Family, Work. If I don't take care of things in that order, I won't be able to take care of anything. And if you made it all the way to the end of this long and boring post, you deserve a RAK. :)
Ande
Saturday, February 03, 2007
mo' as in motivation
Let's talk motivation. Of which I tend to have none.
Wikipedia says "...In psychology, motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of behavior (Geen, 1995). Motivation is a temporal and dynamic state that should not be confused with personality or emotion. Motivation is having the desire and willingness to do something..."
Desire and willingness. Well, I have those, right? But then it goes on to talk about self contril, and organization. Oh well, it was worth a shot. I think I'll just get up off my butt and see what I can get done by wandering around aimlessly! LOL
Have a fun day today, I am going to!
a
Wikipedia says "...In psychology, motivation refers to the initiation, direction, intensity and persistence of behavior (Geen, 1995). Motivation is a temporal and dynamic state that should not be confused with personality or emotion. Motivation is having the desire and willingness to do something..."
Desire and willingness. Well, I have those, right? But then it goes on to talk about self contril, and organization. Oh well, it was worth a shot. I think I'll just get up off my butt and see what I can get done by wandering around aimlessly! LOL
Have a fun day today, I am going to!
a
Sunday, January 28, 2007
I am so proud of ME
This is where I throw out the stupid comment that I made and forgive myself, move on. Just move on!
I did good today! I got home and started by unloading and reloading the dishwasher, sweeping up the pile of crap on the floor, picking up all the stuff in the house and vacuuming, picking up all the laundry (last load is IN!) washing sheets, doing the cat litter (ugh - can they just pee once a week from now on?), emptying all the garbage in the house, taking it out and throwing away the ESD signs from November6th (yes, I said Nov 6th!), picking the diet coke cans out of the flower beds, and then cleaning off all of my most used surfaces - the side tables in the living room, my bedside stand and my couch basket. Then I went to dinner, and came home and made the bed and rebooted laundry. And, now, I am sitting here, in a little funk, and trying to remind myself of all the good things I did. I believe in myself.
I believe in my ability to be a little better everyday. To take care of myself and my home and my world, and to give love. My Mom loves me. My sisters and brothers love me. Mac loves me. Life is good, I just need to focus on the good parts. I am strong, and capable, and I can do this. This life thing.
I did good today! I got home and started by unloading and reloading the dishwasher, sweeping up the pile of crap on the floor, picking up all the stuff in the house and vacuuming, picking up all the laundry (last load is IN!) washing sheets, doing the cat litter (ugh - can they just pee once a week from now on?), emptying all the garbage in the house, taking it out and throwing away the ESD signs from November6th (yes, I said Nov 6th!), picking the diet coke cans out of the flower beds, and then cleaning off all of my most used surfaces - the side tables in the living room, my bedside stand and my couch basket. Then I went to dinner, and came home and made the bed and rebooted laundry. And, now, I am sitting here, in a little funk, and trying to remind myself of all the good things I did. I believe in myself.
I believe in my ability to be a little better everyday. To take care of myself and my home and my world, and to give love. My Mom loves me. My sisters and brothers love me. Mac loves me. Life is good, I just need to focus on the good parts. I am strong, and capable, and I can do this. This life thing.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
An Evenong with Me
I have spent a relaxing evening listening to DIY, doing a little scrapbooking and watching the cats run by. Got a call for a grass fire, it was suppressed by the brush truck guys by the time I got there. M is working on the Elrod's, so he has been gone all day, wierd day at the station without him. Driver operator class was as expected, a little disorganized, a lot boring. It was a good day with the boys, though, everyone was in fine spirits and goofing.
I did an excellent LO for HOF! I used the shark tank picture, that phenomenal one with the shark turning and the slide in the background. I intend to work on a few more this weekend, hopefully we'll get out early tomorrow and M will understand that I just want to scrap. (Yeah, right.) Let's see, I have one layout done, one partly done, one planned and one that needs some serious putting together. That is 4 out of ten. Ugh. I still have to do my monochromatic LO and my journaling and something
....sidebar - listening to the radio while drinking hot chocolate can be nasty - "subject has vomited and is having diarrhea" is not what you want to hear when looking into the murky depths of the cocoa cup....
anyways, and something with that gorgeous picture of Katie, something stunning. I want to hook up my printer so I can get ready for a couple of shots done with varied colors, like those ones of Mom with the colors that clash, redo them in gray-blue shades or something. My scanner is hooped, but I think I already have them digital. Still can't find the card with Mom and I's vacation on it. I need to back up my hard drive, by the way! I would hate to lose these pictures. Must get on that.
What day is February 10th? Let's see...if the 5th is Monday, the 10th must be Friday? No, I know it is Satuday because Tracy will be missing Driver-Operator class for Denton's test, and we only have D-O on weekends. That means I have all next weekend to scrap! WOOOOHOOOO! I can finish over the week and weekend and then send it out Monday or Tuesday, priority mail. YAH! There is still hope! No pressure, though. If I don't make it I don't make it. No big deal. The journey is part of the destination, right? Or whatever. No pressure. :)
Ok, I am feeling a little bit of pressure. I need to do a development schedule and a floorplan for the station by Wednesday night for the FD. Yugh. Too many cooks are spoiling that broth. Although, I probably won't have to go to El Paso this week now that Scott is there - thank goodness. But, I will have to work my asterisk off to get Beaumont done by Friday. I believe in me, I know I can do it. Life is ike this sometimes.
Anyways, I went in to turn on my binky and I guess I left it on all day. It is nice and warm already. Ooops. I must get to bed so I can get up in the morning.
I did an excellent LO for HOF! I used the shark tank picture, that phenomenal one with the shark turning and the slide in the background. I intend to work on a few more this weekend, hopefully we'll get out early tomorrow and M will understand that I just want to scrap. (Yeah, right.) Let's see, I have one layout done, one partly done, one planned and one that needs some serious putting together. That is 4 out of ten. Ugh. I still have to do my monochromatic LO and my journaling and something
....sidebar - listening to the radio while drinking hot chocolate can be nasty - "subject has vomited and is having diarrhea" is not what you want to hear when looking into the murky depths of the cocoa cup....
anyways, and something with that gorgeous picture of Katie, something stunning. I want to hook up my printer so I can get ready for a couple of shots done with varied colors, like those ones of Mom with the colors that clash, redo them in gray-blue shades or something. My scanner is hooped, but I think I already have them digital. Still can't find the card with Mom and I's vacation on it. I need to back up my hard drive, by the way! I would hate to lose these pictures. Must get on that.
What day is February 10th? Let's see...if the 5th is Monday, the 10th must be Friday? No, I know it is Satuday because Tracy will be missing Driver-Operator class for Denton's test, and we only have D-O on weekends. That means I have all next weekend to scrap! WOOOOHOOOO! I can finish over the week and weekend and then send it out Monday or Tuesday, priority mail. YAH! There is still hope! No pressure, though. If I don't make it I don't make it. No big deal. The journey is part of the destination, right? Or whatever. No pressure. :)
Ok, I am feeling a little bit of pressure. I need to do a development schedule and a floorplan for the station by Wednesday night for the FD. Yugh. Too many cooks are spoiling that broth. Although, I probably won't have to go to El Paso this week now that Scott is there - thank goodness. But, I will have to work my asterisk off to get Beaumont done by Friday. I believe in me, I know I can do it. Life is ike this sometimes.
Anyways, I went in to turn on my binky and I guess I left it on all day. It is nice and warm already. Ooops. I must get to bed so I can get up in the morning.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The cats are Mad!
So, a family of squirrels has moved into the attic. The pear tree, which has not yet given me a pear to eat, is now towering over the house. It's branches (along with the Cottonwoods (or garbagewoods, as the boys call them) allow the squirrels free rein to the roof. I have always looked on with benign neglect, which I will continue to do, since actually doing something about it would take too much effort. :) In the meantime, the cats hear all the noises in the attic and run around the house looking for a way up there. You know what? I may change my neglect theory and take some nuts out to the backyard and spread them around. They may as well be happy little home invaders. Maybe they won't eat my Romex if there is a good supply of peanuts for them.
I am getting ready to pack up for some cropping action this evening, looking forward to a little HOF work. Seems like I get more done when I am away from home, but the packing up is a pain. To be expected, I guess. Off to get at it!
I am getting ready to pack up for some cropping action this evening, looking forward to a little HOF work. Seems like I get more done when I am away from home, but the packing up is a pain. To be expected, I guess. Off to get at it!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Excitement
I cropped tonight, finished 3 LO in Patrick's book, and put together one of the Prima Wood vase projects I was working on. My cropadile did not let me punch a hole in a bottlecap - the bottlecap wouldn't fit under it. :( I will have to think it through and come up with a plan B.
Big plans - I went to WalMart for cat food and litter, I am now going to clean up a little and focus on my Vases before I go to bed. Maybe start a load of darks and get some clean jeans going one in my world. M said JD invited him for a spaghetti dinner tomorrow night, and said I should expect an invite. I have been missing a lot of calls lately, I must start gettin' up for the late nighters. I bought an electric blanket at WalMart - $20. It is only twin sized, but I couldn't resist. If it is an icy day tomorrow I will snuggle in and have a good relaxing day. Why is it that I go to Wal-Mart to spend $30 and always leave having spent $100+? Yikes!
ML asked me to do a book for him today - he had emailed me and asked me where I had gotten the book and I sent him a link to the HSN kit. He said he had noticed a little difference between what I showed him onlne and what I made Patrick! Uh, yeah. :) He offered me $5. I told him I would make him one, but he had to wait a little while because I also had to do Mac's and mine. I may as just well start making multiple LO of the common stuff and do one for Phole, Gerry and JD as well. All my boys will ask for one sooner or later, if I know them. I think i will get them all to do their own 8 x 10 and 5 x 7's of their faves, that'll help me personalize it for them as well as scrap cheaper! SO much love to give, so little time.
a
Big plans - I went to WalMart for cat food and litter, I am now going to clean up a little and focus on my Vases before I go to bed. Maybe start a load of darks and get some clean jeans going one in my world. M said JD invited him for a spaghetti dinner tomorrow night, and said I should expect an invite. I have been missing a lot of calls lately, I must start gettin' up for the late nighters. I bought an electric blanket at WalMart - $20. It is only twin sized, but I couldn't resist. If it is an icy day tomorrow I will snuggle in and have a good relaxing day. Why is it that I go to Wal-Mart to spend $30 and always leave having spent $100+? Yikes!
ML asked me to do a book for him today - he had emailed me and asked me where I had gotten the book and I sent him a link to the HSN kit. He said he had noticed a little difference between what I showed him onlne and what I made Patrick! Uh, yeah. :) He offered me $5. I told him I would make him one, but he had to wait a little while because I also had to do Mac's and mine. I may as just well start making multiple LO of the common stuff and do one for Phole, Gerry and JD as well. All my boys will ask for one sooner or later, if I know them. I think i will get them all to do their own 8 x 10 and 5 x 7's of their faves, that'll help me personalize it for them as well as scrap cheaper! SO much love to give, so little time.
a
Thursday, January 11, 2007
So 35 is not looking good so far...
APPARENTLY....
- You can wake up late and decide to make it a good day despite missing your flight, but that does not mean you will get on the next flight.
- You can get on said flight with an expired license, since your birthday was three days ago, and noone , including yourself, is the wiser.
- You can have a rental car reservation and there still may be no rental cars in the City you have flown to.
- You can wait three hours for a car to show up, but the expired license certainly does *only then* make it impossible to get a car.
- You can sit on a chair to decide what to do...for an hour - all the while worrying that you are for-sure going to be fired for this one.
- You can be given the advice by the car girl that you could just go to the DMV and get a new license.
- You can spend $50 on cab fare just to find out you need a social security card to get a new license at the DMV.
- You can get back to the airport and rebook your flight to go home two days early, but that doesn't mean they will let you on the plane - they ask for an unexpired social security card to go with your expired license.
- You can get on the plane, after going back through the airline's long queue for a "Special" boarding pass that gives you the added experience of a "Special" TSA fondling search.
- You can be seated in the middle on the airplane beside a stinky perfumed woman who keeps reaching over you to contact the man by the window, and passes her jewelry to him for inspection no less than six times, invading your personal space and subjecting you to a running dialogue across the front of your magazine with her Merlot breath of how "Indian made" jewelry means made in Pakistan and the indians on the 'res' are broke and penniless...and when you ask the steward to reseat you, his hearing impairment means you have to yell that you wish to be reseated because the lady beside you is rude, making you seem like the rude one.
- You can head home from the airport and miss the exit on the freeway, leaving you 20 minutes south on the highway before you notice that you are on 121 not 114.
- You can get to the corner of 407 and 377 and see firetrucks headed for your house....
and believe it or not...
It was not on fire yet! Just the grass.
Wow, what a great day.
A day in the life of the Ande.
- You can wake up late and decide to make it a good day despite missing your flight, but that does not mean you will get on the next flight.
- You can get on said flight with an expired license, since your birthday was three days ago, and noone , including yourself, is the wiser.
- You can have a rental car reservation and there still may be no rental cars in the City you have flown to.
- You can wait three hours for a car to show up, but the expired license certainly does *only then* make it impossible to get a car.
- You can sit on a chair to decide what to do...for an hour - all the while worrying that you are for-sure going to be fired for this one.
- You can be given the advice by the car girl that you could just go to the DMV and get a new license.
- You can spend $50 on cab fare just to find out you need a social security card to get a new license at the DMV.
- You can get back to the airport and rebook your flight to go home two days early, but that doesn't mean they will let you on the plane - they ask for an unexpired social security card to go with your expired license.
- You can get on the plane, after going back through the airline's long queue for a "Special" boarding pass that gives you the added experience of a "Special" TSA fondling search.
- You can be seated in the middle on the airplane beside a stinky perfumed woman who keeps reaching over you to contact the man by the window, and passes her jewelry to him for inspection no less than six times, invading your personal space and subjecting you to a running dialogue across the front of your magazine with her Merlot breath of how "Indian made" jewelry means made in Pakistan and the indians on the 'res' are broke and penniless...and when you ask the steward to reseat you, his hearing impairment means you have to yell that you wish to be reseated because the lady beside you is rude, making you seem like the rude one.
- You can head home from the airport and miss the exit on the freeway, leaving you 20 minutes south on the highway before you notice that you are on 121 not 114.
- You can get to the corner of 407 and 377 and see firetrucks headed for your house....
and believe it or not...
It was not on fire yet! Just the grass.
Wow, what a great day.
A day in the life of the Ande.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
M took me to Macaroni Grill for my birthday dinner and then we watched "The Break Up" on Pay per View. It was cute, but he talked through the entire thing. He has headed home, so I thought I would check in here before heading to bed. Tomorrow is the big day, so I have been contemplating what I will do.
Last year I went to the Kimball, but I may just stay home and save myself the drive. I am going to go out for ice cream cake, that is one thing for sure. And I will definitely mess around in my scrapbook room. I am working on some fun crafts right now, I have been making Christmas ornaments since November and I see no need to stop. LOL. I also have an shopping mall estimate I need to finish for a 26 acre property in California, so I will have to put in a few hours of quality time on that. (ugh.) I have a project in El Paso that is without a superintendent so I will be spending most of my week there, which cuts down on my desk time and makes it hard to do my normal work at work. Oh well, that's what they pay me for! Besides, when I went to the El Paso City Hall last week I noticed an Art Museum, so I may sneak away for a long lunch one day and check it out.
Not much new here, the natives have been remarkably well and there haven't been many fire/EMS calls, although we did get a funny one tonight. It was toned out as a structure fire, which is an "All-hands-on-deck, drop-what-you're-doing-and-speed-to-the-station" call, and the dispatcher's additional information was that the "Woman states her husband was at the neighbor's house, poured gasoline on it and lit it on fire". To which the natural response is "Is PD (Police Department) en route?" But of course, when all was said and done it was the neighbor's BBQ grill that said husband had lit on fire, not the house. People say the darnndest things.
I'll try to check in tomorrow and update my day.
me
Last year I went to the Kimball, but I may just stay home and save myself the drive. I am going to go out for ice cream cake, that is one thing for sure. And I will definitely mess around in my scrapbook room. I am working on some fun crafts right now, I have been making Christmas ornaments since November and I see no need to stop. LOL. I also have an shopping mall estimate I need to finish for a 26 acre property in California, so I will have to put in a few hours of quality time on that. (ugh.) I have a project in El Paso that is without a superintendent so I will be spending most of my week there, which cuts down on my desk time and makes it hard to do my normal work at work. Oh well, that's what they pay me for! Besides, when I went to the El Paso City Hall last week I noticed an Art Museum, so I may sneak away for a long lunch one day and check it out.
Not much new here, the natives have been remarkably well and there haven't been many fire/EMS calls, although we did get a funny one tonight. It was toned out as a structure fire, which is an "All-hands-on-deck, drop-what-you're-doing-and-speed-to-the-station" call, and the dispatcher's additional information was that the "Woman states her husband was at the neighbor's house, poured gasoline on it and lit it on fire". To which the natural response is "Is PD (Police Department) en route?" But of course, when all was said and done it was the neighbor's BBQ grill that said husband had lit on fire, not the house. People say the darnndest things.
I'll try to check in tomorrow and update my day.
me
Friday, January 05, 2007
Two days until my 35th birthday!
And someone is getting antsy. Nope, not me, but you know whom! He is so worried about it! Lack of planning on his part has made him make a few last ditch attempts this week - Want to go to Shreveport overnight? Arkansas? Let's go look at houses?
I love him just the way he is. Besides, how could he ever top last year's gift? The electric rechargeable toothbrush? LOL! I know, I know, but I love the toothbrush, and I love that man.
I love him just the way he is. Besides, how could he ever top last year's gift? The electric rechargeable toothbrush? LOL! I know, I know, but I love the toothbrush, and I love that man.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Scrap Goals for the New Year
1. Scrap 104 layouts (2 a week), one inspired by Elsie's 52 weekly challenges which I had to have and now can't find on the floor of my scraproom. Develop my personal style.
2. Set up a "to-go" bag with a couple planned layouts to carry in my truck in case the urge strikes me on the way home (I drive by the LSS with the free open cropping time every day!)
3. Stop trying to completely organize my scraproom before I can "start" scrapping - this method has been proven NOT to work for me. Instead, I'll spend fifteen minutes a day (a la Flylady) and just jump in where I am.
4. Instead of stressing to make a calendar for this year, I will make 2008's calendar out of my 2007 kit - the pages aren't numbered!
5. Make a new, fun address "book" on a stand. And send people a card when I finish their pages.
I think this is do-able!
2. Set up a "to-go" bag with a couple planned layouts to carry in my truck in case the urge strikes me on the way home (I drive by the LSS with the free open cropping time every day!)
3. Stop trying to completely organize my scraproom before I can "start" scrapping - this method has been proven NOT to work for me. Instead, I'll spend fifteen minutes a day (a la Flylady) and just jump in where I am.
4. Instead of stressing to make a calendar for this year, I will make 2008's calendar out of my 2007 kit - the pages aren't numbered!
5. Make a new, fun address "book" on a stand. And send people a card when I finish their pages.
I think this is do-able!
Monday, December 25, 2006
Meeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!
Look how my little light shines! A little too low to be a heart, but at least I am reflective.
Deck the halls with boughs of holly....or, maybe a plastic tree with a tiny pig, monkey, and a stuffed dog. At least it has lights, and the menagerie has santa hats.
It is pouring like a sonofa*****, not a term I usually use, but it fits well. Hope Santa doesn't look up, one could drown. Good thing for Rudolph. I forgot my jacket at home - pray for no calls or I will be in bunker gear for them.
Missed the Nutcracker - got lost on the way to Will Rogers Auditorium and missed curtain, and just didn't want to go if I couldn't be in there until halftime, which of course is not the proper term for a ballet. I just wanted it to be perfect. Drove a million miles to Recollections!!! and then met dbf instead for potstickers and diet coke.
Missed church - no real reason, but my partner wasn't interested in going and that makes it a bigger ordeal. Pastor Kory dropped by on his way home and wished us merry, though.
Miss my family. Miss my dbf, who is home with his kids. Miss snow (just for tonight though!). Miss my baby girl.
Made turkey dinner, had pralines (OK, I had almost a dozen, but we won't go there), made myself uncomfortably full, and lazed around. Haven't napped since before lunch! We had one call, a rollover, and J jumped it. More power to them I guess, seems a little rude to me but it is no big deal to the Chief so it is nunnamybizness. Besides, we sat in our warm cozy ambulance while they got wet in the rain and picked up bloody guy. Bloody guy just had a wounded paw, no big deal. Well, I am sure it was to him, but nothing that required a helicopter or those tense anxious moments when you wonder what the heck you decided to do this for!
33.5 hours left on this shift. Working on Patrick's scrapbook, nothing amazing there, just a basic, functional book with a couple minimal embellishments per page. Solid. (OK, I am bored of it already!) Next project - maybe the address book?
Monday, November 13, 2006
OOOh oooh ooooh!
Can't you just see me waving my hand wildly in the air?Ok, I think I know the answer. I'm just not sure I like it!
It's cold today. My truck is *still* in the shop. The manager and I are discussing how much it would cost me to "get into" a new one. I think he believes I am from a wierd planet somewhere, especially after I told him I had intended to keep my '05 for seven (Oh yes, I said 7) years. But, everyone gets new vehicles every two years! And, everyone is in debt.... And as for me, I don't want to be paying $546 a month for the rest of my days for the privelege of driving to work. I sat down and figured out the percentages - it looks like almost 30 percent of my salary is used just to keep me making my salary! So, if I made 75% of what I make now, but drove an old beater around town, I would still be the same amount ahead. *Sigh*. This is what I get for being good at math. President Bush made some statements about how all Americans should be working from home and conserving fuel...how come my boss doesn't listen?
Just a simple minded Canadian here, but I got my Social Security notice today. Let's just put aside, for a moment, that I pay 6.4% of my salary into a program to provide benefits that I am not legally eligible for. And let's look at the little comment on the side... "If you were disabled today, your benefits would be 1023.32 per month." (Yeeeeeehaw! hehehe) And then in the little teeny tiny print... "This amount is subject to change as laws change. Changes have been made that affect your earnings. In the year 2040, without changes to the system, the system will only be able to pay 74% of the amount estimated to be paid." Well, aint that a kick in the pants! Sorry guys, old Uncle Sam done been eating out at KFC too much, and the bills got a little too high. Yes, I understand that in the current social climate with health care costs rising and prescription drug costs at an all time high, most of this money will go to pay for the white bread couch potato diseases we created when we made all these people into workaholics that ignored everything their whole lives for "the company" which promptly threw them out on their butts when they hit 65. And as they look around bewildered at the change in rules that made them no longer productive members of society, and start singing about the cat in the cradle and the silver spoon, I just want to scream...See! I told you so!
Careful what you wish for. Wow, I am a joyous fountain of light today. Why do I always fel like the world is unfair and it is my job to fix it? Oh well, people will always know where I have been swimming as long as I keep making waves.
It's cold today. My truck is *still* in the shop. The manager and I are discussing how much it would cost me to "get into" a new one. I think he believes I am from a wierd planet somewhere, especially after I told him I had intended to keep my '05 for seven (Oh yes, I said 7) years. But, everyone gets new vehicles every two years! And, everyone is in debt.... And as for me, I don't want to be paying $546 a month for the rest of my days for the privelege of driving to work. I sat down and figured out the percentages - it looks like almost 30 percent of my salary is used just to keep me making my salary! So, if I made 75% of what I make now, but drove an old beater around town, I would still be the same amount ahead. *Sigh*. This is what I get for being good at math. President Bush made some statements about how all Americans should be working from home and conserving fuel...how come my boss doesn't listen?
Just a simple minded Canadian here, but I got my Social Security notice today. Let's just put aside, for a moment, that I pay 6.4% of my salary into a program to provide benefits that I am not legally eligible for. And let's look at the little comment on the side... "If you were disabled today, your benefits would be 1023.32 per month." (Yeeeeeehaw! hehehe) And then in the little teeny tiny print... "This amount is subject to change as laws change. Changes have been made that affect your earnings. In the year 2040, without changes to the system, the system will only be able to pay 74% of the amount estimated to be paid." Well, aint that a kick in the pants! Sorry guys, old Uncle Sam done been eating out at KFC too much, and the bills got a little too high. Yes, I understand that in the current social climate with health care costs rising and prescription drug costs at an all time high, most of this money will go to pay for the white bread couch potato diseases we created when we made all these people into workaholics that ignored everything their whole lives for "the company" which promptly threw them out on their butts when they hit 65. And as they look around bewildered at the change in rules that made them no longer productive members of society, and start singing about the cat in the cradle and the silver spoon, I just want to scream...See! I told you so!
Careful what you wish for. Wow, I am a joyous fountain of light today. Why do I always fel like the world is unfair and it is my job to fix it? Oh well, people will always know where I have been swimming as long as I keep making waves.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
First Post!
This is My New Blog. This is my First Post. This is my First Post to My New Blog.
I really miss grade 2. :) What a fun time that was...
I really miss grade 2. :) What a fun time that was...
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