I'm seething.
Truly, my work has sunk to a new level of lowness.
This last week, my HR director gave out the awards to people who have been with the company for a few years.
In this company, we give out special awards for those who have been here 2 years, and then more awards at 5, 10, 15, etc..
Well, we had about 12 folks who hit the 5 year mark this year, and were all given their gifts and certificates. We applauded for them, and were happy to see that they have been such assets to the longevity of the workplace.
The next day?
My HR manager walked out TWO of the folks who recieved 5 year awards.
The reason? The lack of meeting productivity goals.
Really??
These folks have done the same job the same way for the last 5 years, and you've not seen fit to complain about it until after you acknowledge their ability to stay with the company?
I mean, you give them a small gift as a "thank you" for their spending their time and effort at your company, and then right afterwards, you kick them in the crotch, and leave them in the gutter??
I seriously hope that our HR manager gets some kind of karmic retribution for the crap that she's pulling here. I really and honestly do.
Hope you have a great week, I'm going to see about sharpening some of my letter openers for now!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
You know it's the government when:
I got this little tidbit of information off my desk calendar at work..
In 2002, the Department of Homeland Security asked for, and was given funding for these national monuments that they thought were likely targets for terrorist action:
The World's Largest Ball of Paint in Alexandria, Indiana ($12 million)
Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum in Alamo Heights, Texas ($10 million)
The Museum of Bad Art in Dedham, Massachusetts ($31 million)
Carhenge (Stonehenge replica made completely of junked cars) in Alliance, Nebraska ($25 million)
And finally, The Giant Lava Lamp in Soap Lake, Washington ($143 million)
I often wonder just how much it would cost to REALLY get a security company, and charge each place this much to patrol their area..
I think I'd be able to retire nice and comfortably after a couple years of doing nothing.. Don't you?
In 2002, the Department of Homeland Security asked for, and was given funding for these national monuments that they thought were likely targets for terrorist action:
The World's Largest Ball of Paint in Alexandria, Indiana ($12 million)
Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum in Alamo Heights, Texas ($10 million)
The Museum of Bad Art in Dedham, Massachusetts ($31 million)
Carhenge (Stonehenge replica made completely of junked cars) in Alliance, Nebraska ($25 million)
And finally, The Giant Lava Lamp in Soap Lake, Washington ($143 million)
I often wonder just how much it would cost to REALLY get a security company, and charge each place this much to patrol their area..
I think I'd be able to retire nice and comfortably after a couple years of doing nothing.. Don't you?
Quick blurb:
How sad is it that I got a good long chuckle yesterday at this small fact:
At 3:45, my odometer read 54321..
Am I needing to see a shrink, or what??
More later.
At 3:45, my odometer read 54321..
Am I needing to see a shrink, or what??
More later.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Physician, heal thyself!
Yeah, I've got a serious problem with doctors today.
My kids were at their mom's house this weekend. The day that we go to bring them home, it's amazing, but my oldest suddenly comes down with really nasty abdominal pains.
I don't know how she manages it, but they seem to be just fine when they stay at her place, and then come down with the worst colds, pains, and injuries just hours before coming back home....
It kind of boggles the mind, really.
But, I digress.
We took my oldest home, gave him some Aleve for his pain, and decided to see how it was going to be that following morning.
It didn't get any better.
So, he stayed home from school, we called the doctor, and made an appointment for him to be seen.
Little did I know that this single decision and action was going to basically write off the rest of my day.
His appointment was made for 11am. We got there in plenty of time, got to sit and wait for about 20 minutes, then were ushered back to an exam room. Nurse took his vitals, the works, then left. Doc came in 10 minutes later, asked about 5 questions, then sent us off to their lab to get some samples.
We walked down to the lab area, checked in, then waited another 45 minutes for a lab tech to call us back. Blood was drawn, urine was given for a sample, then we headed back down to the doctor's office to wait.
Back in the exam room, we were able to sit for another hour before the doctor came in and asked me to take my son back down for a CT scan. This was going to be done that day, in order to rule out appendicitis. The doctor told me that if it WAS appendicitis, then they'd get him into surgery that day, and take care of the problem, but they needed the CT scan to be sure.
We walked down to the imaging lab, sat for 45 minutes, then got called up to the desk. It was there that we found out that this lab doesn't DO CT scans, and that the lab they've got a contract with doesn't give them the authority to schedule same-day or STAT appointments, so we had to head back down to the doctor's office, and have them set up the appointment.
This had to have been our lucky day, since when we got back into the doctor's office, nearly everyone had gone to lunch, and there were only three receptionist-types there to answer phones.
Luckily, one of the ladies knew enough to contact the imaging lab, and found that I was going to have to take my son to the hospital instead to get his CT scan done.
I took my son to the hospital, and they assumed that we'd been fully prepped for this operation.
Let me fill you in:
For the type of CT scan my son needed, we had to have him drink a water-soluable Barium Sulfate solution, plus he was needing to push about a quart of water. Add to this that he couldn't have any solid foods for at least 4 hours before the scan, and you've got an irritable teenager on your hands.
So, no, we didn't have him prepped, the lab we'd come from had given us the wrong type of barium solution, and he'd eaten before we'd left home at around 10:30 that morning.
The technician was actually quite helpful at this point. He took the wrong solution, and threw it in the garbage. He gave us the correct solution, and then asked us to come back in two hours so that they could get the optimal picture.
I nodded, had my son drink the entire thing. (It wasn't hard. He was hungry, and since he couldn't eat anything, he was willing to drink whatever was put in front of him!)
We went home for a short time, then back down to the hospital to wait yet some more.
Then we found that they hadn't registered us, so I got to sit in an office for 30 minutes writing down details about my insurance, and disclaimers, and agreements for the doctors to treat my son.
Finally, we went back to get the CT done. Because of the nature of the CT, they also put in an IV line, in order to get a contrast for the imaging.
Let's just say that they finished with the CT scan about an hour after they called us back.
I was told to check in about 30 minutes later, and they'd have results for me.
I nodded, and did what I was told.
They left the IV in my son's arm, just in case we had to take him to surgery. After all, why put a new line in if there was one already started??
So, 30 minutes go by, and I check up at the desk.
No news.
The receptionist calls back, reminds the technician, and asks me to go wait again.
30 more minutes pass by. I check back in yet again.
This time, the tech was working on the image, but still didn't have anything to go on. I needed to wait.
15 minutes later, the receptionist comes back letting me know that my son and I can go home.
That's it.
Really?
What about the IV in my son's arm?
Oh yeah.. I'll send someone to come take it out.
Yup. 15 minutes later, the nurse comes back to bring us back to the exam room, and take out the IV.
During this time, I'm still wondering what's going on. Was there something? Did they not find ANYTHING? Did they think that there was something else wrong, and it just needed to be treated different?
I'll never find out.
The tech and nurse can't disclose those facts to me, and I need to talk with my physician.
Really?
You mean that I can't talk face-to-face with the radiologist, and get answers?
I have to sit and wait for my doctor to get back into his office THE NEXT DAY in order to find out what's really wrong with my son?
First, I get a nice little panic attack from thinking that my oldest son is going to have to go in for surgery, and that I'm going to be spending a night in a waiting room for a report.
Then, I get to waste a total of 6 hours for imaging that could potentially let us know if he needs this surgery.
Finally, after getting the images taken, we get NO answers besides a "go home" answer.
I don't know about you, but that REALLY bothers and pisses me off.
I really wish doctors would get the same kind of shitty treatment when they're sick, just to let them know how crappy this heathcare system's getting...
My kids were at their mom's house this weekend. The day that we go to bring them home, it's amazing, but my oldest suddenly comes down with really nasty abdominal pains.
I don't know how she manages it, but they seem to be just fine when they stay at her place, and then come down with the worst colds, pains, and injuries just hours before coming back home....
It kind of boggles the mind, really.
But, I digress.
We took my oldest home, gave him some Aleve for his pain, and decided to see how it was going to be that following morning.
It didn't get any better.
So, he stayed home from school, we called the doctor, and made an appointment for him to be seen.
Little did I know that this single decision and action was going to basically write off the rest of my day.
His appointment was made for 11am. We got there in plenty of time, got to sit and wait for about 20 minutes, then were ushered back to an exam room. Nurse took his vitals, the works, then left. Doc came in 10 minutes later, asked about 5 questions, then sent us off to their lab to get some samples.
We walked down to the lab area, checked in, then waited another 45 minutes for a lab tech to call us back. Blood was drawn, urine was given for a sample, then we headed back down to the doctor's office to wait.
Back in the exam room, we were able to sit for another hour before the doctor came in and asked me to take my son back down for a CT scan. This was going to be done that day, in order to rule out appendicitis. The doctor told me that if it WAS appendicitis, then they'd get him into surgery that day, and take care of the problem, but they needed the CT scan to be sure.
We walked down to the imaging lab, sat for 45 minutes, then got called up to the desk. It was there that we found out that this lab doesn't DO CT scans, and that the lab they've got a contract with doesn't give them the authority to schedule same-day or STAT appointments, so we had to head back down to the doctor's office, and have them set up the appointment.
This had to have been our lucky day, since when we got back into the doctor's office, nearly everyone had gone to lunch, and there were only three receptionist-types there to answer phones.
Luckily, one of the ladies knew enough to contact the imaging lab, and found that I was going to have to take my son to the hospital instead to get his CT scan done.
I took my son to the hospital, and they assumed that we'd been fully prepped for this operation.
Let me fill you in:
For the type of CT scan my son needed, we had to have him drink a water-soluable Barium Sulfate solution, plus he was needing to push about a quart of water. Add to this that he couldn't have any solid foods for at least 4 hours before the scan, and you've got an irritable teenager on your hands.
So, no, we didn't have him prepped, the lab we'd come from had given us the wrong type of barium solution, and he'd eaten before we'd left home at around 10:30 that morning.
The technician was actually quite helpful at this point. He took the wrong solution, and threw it in the garbage. He gave us the correct solution, and then asked us to come back in two hours so that they could get the optimal picture.
I nodded, had my son drink the entire thing. (It wasn't hard. He was hungry, and since he couldn't eat anything, he was willing to drink whatever was put in front of him!)
We went home for a short time, then back down to the hospital to wait yet some more.
Then we found that they hadn't registered us, so I got to sit in an office for 30 minutes writing down details about my insurance, and disclaimers, and agreements for the doctors to treat my son.
Finally, we went back to get the CT done. Because of the nature of the CT, they also put in an IV line, in order to get a contrast for the imaging.
Let's just say that they finished with the CT scan about an hour after they called us back.
I was told to check in about 30 minutes later, and they'd have results for me.
I nodded, and did what I was told.
They left the IV in my son's arm, just in case we had to take him to surgery. After all, why put a new line in if there was one already started??
So, 30 minutes go by, and I check up at the desk.
No news.
The receptionist calls back, reminds the technician, and asks me to go wait again.
30 more minutes pass by. I check back in yet again.
This time, the tech was working on the image, but still didn't have anything to go on. I needed to wait.
15 minutes later, the receptionist comes back letting me know that my son and I can go home.
That's it.
Really?
What about the IV in my son's arm?
Oh yeah.. I'll send someone to come take it out.
Yup. 15 minutes later, the nurse comes back to bring us back to the exam room, and take out the IV.
During this time, I'm still wondering what's going on. Was there something? Did they not find ANYTHING? Did they think that there was something else wrong, and it just needed to be treated different?
I'll never find out.
The tech and nurse can't disclose those facts to me, and I need to talk with my physician.
Really?
You mean that I can't talk face-to-face with the radiologist, and get answers?
I have to sit and wait for my doctor to get back into his office THE NEXT DAY in order to find out what's really wrong with my son?
First, I get a nice little panic attack from thinking that my oldest son is going to have to go in for surgery, and that I'm going to be spending a night in a waiting room for a report.
Then, I get to waste a total of 6 hours for imaging that could potentially let us know if he needs this surgery.
Finally, after getting the images taken, we get NO answers besides a "go home" answer.
I don't know about you, but that REALLY bothers and pisses me off.
I really wish doctors would get the same kind of shitty treatment when they're sick, just to let them know how crappy this heathcare system's getting...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Caution: Bitch warning!
Yeah.. I'm HEATED.
I take my job seriously, and I honestly love the work, but if you start to mess with my job, and make it so that I can't get my work done, I become a rather pissy, bitchy and complete asswipe to work with.
Yeah. That's how I'm feeling today.
In my job, we have to do random quality checks before stuff gets shipped to the stores, to ensure that not only do the stores get the items required, but that the employees are doing their job correctly.
Normally, this process takes around 1-3 hours, depending on the size of the store, and the amount of pallets and cartons to tear down and check out.
Today? It was over DOUBLE that.
First off, we have to do AT LEAST 700 cartons per store, so we try to keep it as close to taht number as possible, except for today. Yeah, we doubled that. That got me all excited and jumping at the bit to get started.
Then, we get the slowest person on the loading dock to stack the product. I kid you not, this person can load, and I can put cartons on the roller, then sit back and watch moss grow on the sides of the trailer while he looks for just the right place to stack each and every box.
Then, you add to this the situation of the dock manager wandering past our loading door every 30 minutes asking how much more we've got to do. If he really gave a crap, he could turn around and see for himself just how much is left, but all he really wants to do is annoy the shit out of me.
So, there I am, working to try and keep my temper while we're doing the stupid audit, and listening half-heartedly to the jerk manager ask every 30 minutes how much longer we've got to do...
I got to deal with this from 5:30am until noon. Yup.. NOON.
SEVEN HOURS stuck in a door that should have only taken us AT MOST 4 hours! I'm so pissed still that I'm seeing red.
Then add to this joy the pleasure of getting into my office, only to be able to read nasty emails from corporate folks about me needing to answer emails in a quick and timely fashion...
How exactly am I supposed to answer an email when I'm not in the office to get it? Imagine that someone's emailing me, run in, check the computer, then run back??
I don't think so.
So not only did this job waste over 3/4 of my workday today, it also got me in hot water with my corporate advisors.
So yeah.. I'm fit to be tied. I could chew a pound of nails, just to make a couple of bullets to spit at a certain manager..
Good thing I'm busy trying to get some computer complilations done, or I could be in some serious trouble today.....
See you all later!
I take my job seriously, and I honestly love the work, but if you start to mess with my job, and make it so that I can't get my work done, I become a rather pissy, bitchy and complete asswipe to work with.
Yeah. That's how I'm feeling today.
In my job, we have to do random quality checks before stuff gets shipped to the stores, to ensure that not only do the stores get the items required, but that the employees are doing their job correctly.
Normally, this process takes around 1-3 hours, depending on the size of the store, and the amount of pallets and cartons to tear down and check out.
Today? It was over DOUBLE that.
First off, we have to do AT LEAST 700 cartons per store, so we try to keep it as close to taht number as possible, except for today. Yeah, we doubled that. That got me all excited and jumping at the bit to get started.
Then, we get the slowest person on the loading dock to stack the product. I kid you not, this person can load, and I can put cartons on the roller, then sit back and watch moss grow on the sides of the trailer while he looks for just the right place to stack each and every box.
Then, you add to this the situation of the dock manager wandering past our loading door every 30 minutes asking how much more we've got to do. If he really gave a crap, he could turn around and see for himself just how much is left, but all he really wants to do is annoy the shit out of me.
So, there I am, working to try and keep my temper while we're doing the stupid audit, and listening half-heartedly to the jerk manager ask every 30 minutes how much longer we've got to do...
I got to deal with this from 5:30am until noon. Yup.. NOON.
SEVEN HOURS stuck in a door that should have only taken us AT MOST 4 hours! I'm so pissed still that I'm seeing red.
Then add to this joy the pleasure of getting into my office, only to be able to read nasty emails from corporate folks about me needing to answer emails in a quick and timely fashion...
How exactly am I supposed to answer an email when I'm not in the office to get it? Imagine that someone's emailing me, run in, check the computer, then run back??
I don't think so.
So not only did this job waste over 3/4 of my workday today, it also got me in hot water with my corporate advisors.
So yeah.. I'm fit to be tied. I could chew a pound of nails, just to make a couple of bullets to spit at a certain manager..
Good thing I'm busy trying to get some computer complilations done, or I could be in some serious trouble today.....
See you all later!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
I'm confuzzed.
Yup.
I don't know how I got here, but I don't like it.
Have you ever had one of those times when you have a misunderstanding, and it goes totally out of control?
Yeah.
Me too.
How do you go about fixing it?
If you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to listen, since I have NO idea how to get over this one..
I'll be posting more later this week.. Probably more about how sore I am from the exercise I'll be doing today and tomorrow!
See you then!
I don't know how I got here, but I don't like it.
Have you ever had one of those times when you have a misunderstanding, and it goes totally out of control?
Yeah.
Me too.
How do you go about fixing it?
If you have any suggestions, I'd be glad to listen, since I have NO idea how to get over this one..
I'll be posting more later this week.. Probably more about how sore I am from the exercise I'll be doing today and tomorrow!
See you then!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Um... Ouch!
Yeah. I'm in pain.
Why? You might ask?
I'm exercising.
Yes, this late 30's male with extra weight and no body tone is trying to exercise more.
How am I going about this?
I'm playing sports again.
I used to LOVE playing volleyball competatively when I was younger. I was actually pretty good, too!
Now?
Not so much.
I mean, the skills are still there, and I know what I need to do, what I should do in a given situation.
However, the physical responses just aren't there. Reflexes that would have helped me dive for a ball in my younger days just don't cut it now. Those reflexes helped move a body that was 140 pounds lighter than it is now! The joints don't want to move as much. The muscles ache from a lack of training and use..
But I refuse to give up.
I'm sore, and I ache in places I'd forgotten I had.
But that just lets me know that I'm on the right track!
I mean, how much weight and exercise can I get from work? Most of my day is spent watching a computer screen, or spent on the phone trying to get a technical issue resolved. I spend some time moving and tossing boxes, and quite a bit of time walking around this giant warehouse... But for the most part my job is a sedentary one.
Add to that my habit of coming home, and camping out in front of the TV or the home computer, and you've got a recipe for laziness and an ever-spreading butt and flabby gut.
So I'm going to try to get my lazy ass out there and do some serious exercise to wake me up, and get me moving again.
Sure, I'm going to be hating life for a while until my body re-adjusts to doing a physical workout, but I'm willing to deal with it!
Wish me luck, and make sure to take out stock in Aleve or Tylenol, since I'm going to be going through those like candy for a while!
Why? You might ask?
I'm exercising.
Yes, this late 30's male with extra weight and no body tone is trying to exercise more.
How am I going about this?
I'm playing sports again.
I used to LOVE playing volleyball competatively when I was younger. I was actually pretty good, too!
Now?
Not so much.
I mean, the skills are still there, and I know what I need to do, what I should do in a given situation.
However, the physical responses just aren't there. Reflexes that would have helped me dive for a ball in my younger days just don't cut it now. Those reflexes helped move a body that was 140 pounds lighter than it is now! The joints don't want to move as much. The muscles ache from a lack of training and use..
But I refuse to give up.
I'm sore, and I ache in places I'd forgotten I had.
But that just lets me know that I'm on the right track!
I mean, how much weight and exercise can I get from work? Most of my day is spent watching a computer screen, or spent on the phone trying to get a technical issue resolved. I spend some time moving and tossing boxes, and quite a bit of time walking around this giant warehouse... But for the most part my job is a sedentary one.
Add to that my habit of coming home, and camping out in front of the TV or the home computer, and you've got a recipe for laziness and an ever-spreading butt and flabby gut.
So I'm going to try to get my lazy ass out there and do some serious exercise to wake me up, and get me moving again.
Sure, I'm going to be hating life for a while until my body re-adjusts to doing a physical workout, but I'm willing to deal with it!
Wish me luck, and make sure to take out stock in Aleve or Tylenol, since I'm going to be going through those like candy for a while!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
General Ranting
I hate it when folks can't make up their minds.
Or is it that they can make decisions, but they just can't decide which decision to stick with?
Whatever the cause, it's running amok with my schedule yet again.
I was asked to switch over to 5 8-hour shifts because I was needed each day that this warehouse is open.
Yet just yesterday I was called in to be informed that I need to switch back to 4 10-hour shifts starting next week.
OK.
Quit yanking my chain, and let me know..
Is it going to be one, or the other?
My guess is that in six months, I'll be asked to switch back again..
Any takers??
Or is it that they can make decisions, but they just can't decide which decision to stick with?
Whatever the cause, it's running amok with my schedule yet again.
I was asked to switch over to 5 8-hour shifts because I was needed each day that this warehouse is open.
Yet just yesterday I was called in to be informed that I need to switch back to 4 10-hour shifts starting next week.
OK.
Quit yanking my chain, and let me know..
Is it going to be one, or the other?
My guess is that in six months, I'll be asked to switch back again..
Any takers??
Friday, October 2, 2009
Yet ANOTHER close shave!
Well, not really.
Yesterday I had my annual evaluation done by my corporate "support", and passed with flying colors.
At least for all of that headache I was able to get lunch out of the visit!
So now I'm good until March sometime when my OTHER corporate advisor comes into town to asses my ability to do my job.
So many candidates, and so few bodybags left.. What is a semi-respectable IT guy to do??
Speaking of IT and bodybags:
I LOVE this reader that I'm able to get here at work and read.
The name of the runny read is BOFH: the Bastard Operator from Hell.
Yes, the author is British. Well, New Zealander, really, but still QUITE funny to me and my "techie" ways.
I find it in at The Register.com.
Full Address is: http://www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/
I honestly have read this only the last year or so, but I went and found archives and read it from the beginning to the current issue. It puts into words EXACTLY what I feel like doing to some (l)users who happen to bother me while I'm trying to get a database done, or finish an inspection, or any other number of jobs..
Read it for yourself, and see if you can't find something funny in the reading.
The only requirement is that you know something about computers, and a bit about older functions, and a bit of "true" English to be able to not lose something in translation.
I'll talk with you all next week, and hope that you have a great weekend!
Yesterday I had my annual evaluation done by my corporate "support", and passed with flying colors.
At least for all of that headache I was able to get lunch out of the visit!
So now I'm good until March sometime when my OTHER corporate advisor comes into town to asses my ability to do my job.
So many candidates, and so few bodybags left.. What is a semi-respectable IT guy to do??
Speaking of IT and bodybags:
I LOVE this reader that I'm able to get here at work and read.
The name of the runny read is BOFH: the Bastard Operator from Hell.
Yes, the author is British. Well, New Zealander, really, but still QUITE funny to me and my "techie" ways.
I find it in at The Register.com.
Full Address is: http://www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/
I honestly have read this only the last year or so, but I went and found archives and read it from the beginning to the current issue. It puts into words EXACTLY what I feel like doing to some (l)users who happen to bother me while I'm trying to get a database done, or finish an inspection, or any other number of jobs..
Read it for yourself, and see if you can't find something funny in the reading.
The only requirement is that you know something about computers, and a bit about older functions, and a bit of "true" English to be able to not lose something in translation.
I'll talk with you all next week, and hope that you have a great weekend!
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