# I'm waiting for the power to fail **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 6, 2003, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927 "2003-01-06T13:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/21 "2003-01-07T02:55:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Weren’t you moving up north? I thought it was a done deal. Is it still, or did I miss something? I’m still trying. (Some people would say I’m _very_ trying!) Okay, here’s the story… The new department director said he didn’t see any problem with me working out of the Bothel, WA office. Then we got a new V.P. The little Napoleon said, “No. Everyone has to be in the same place.” (Apparently he was unaware of the teleconferencing capability we have in _every meeting room_, and also of such things as Remote LAN Access and the fact that we as a company are _already_ technically telecommuting when you consider out mainframe and UNIX are in Texas.) So after the new V.P. moved on, the director suddenly decided the he “couldn’t make a business case” for working out of a different office. Then in October 2001 we were told that about ten of us would no longer be with the company. We signed contracts that would allow us a “retention bonus” if we didn’t quit until the axe fell. I was told by my co-workers that I was put on the list because everyone knows I want to move, and that this way I can collect the bonus and unemployment benefits; so they were doing me a favour. Two people were let go several months later. The office holiday party was held whilst I was in Washington last month. From what I heard, the “lay-off list” is history and there are no plans to terminate any of us that were on it. So now it seems I may be there indefinitely. When the director gets back I’ll continue to push for a remote office. I’ve been asking for a home office, but I think I’ll start up with the Bothel office again. He’ll either get fed up and lay me off, allow me to telecommute, or do what he’s been doing and say, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get out of here.” I _did_ empty my storage unit down here last month, and I moved its contents up to Bellingham. So _when_ I get out of here, I’m already half-moved. 🙂 I should stay employed long enough to restore my '66 MGB though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/22 "2003-01-07T03:10:18Z")
Oh – I’m still looking for other employment up there, and asking anyone who will listen if they know of any jobs in northern WA. ---
**Author:** ![Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermann_Cheruscan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/23 "2003-01-07T03:11:38Z")
I’m up here near Daggett California and the wind started blowing REAL HARD around 9:00 last night. I mean it was fricking HOWLING! ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/24 "2003-01-07T03:12:41Z")
I love the Santa Anas, but then again I love heat. Thus, I live in SoCal. On the plus side of all the windborne destruction, a particularly strong gust knocked a palm tree over into some power lines near my parents’ place. Nearly every palm tree in the area caught fire off that one. Serves 'em right. Stupid palm trees. I hate those things. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/25 "2003-01-07T03:16:27Z")
**Hermann Cheruscan** : My dad was in the FAA and stationed at the Daggett airport when I was a kid. I used to love going up there and riding my motorcycle. But then, he had a pretty good swamp cooler, the airport quarters had plenty of trees, and there was the Olympic-sized pool. **Dragonblink** : I lived in Lancaster when I was in high school, and for a few years after that. Windy all the time. The heat didn’t bother me much (again, good swamp cooler), but I much prefered winter when the morning temperatures were in the teens! ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/26 "2003-01-07T04:12:08Z")
Ok, **Johnny L.A.** , I’ll trade lives with you. And **Dragonblink** , how dare you malign the noble palm tree? ---
**Author:** ![Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@Hermann\_Cheruscan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermann_Cheruscan)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/27 "2003-01-07T04:24:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Hermann Cheruscan: My dad was in the FAA and stationed at the Daggett airport when I was a kid. I used to love going up there and riding my motorcycle. But then, he had a pretty good swamp cooler, the airport quarters had plenty of trees, and there was the Olympic-sized pool. I know. I’ve swam in that pool, me and my kids. The Army from Ft. Irwin has basicly taken over the Daggett airfield, having built a whole new headquarters for the detachment there. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/28 "2003-01-07T05:15:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cuauhtemoc \* > \*\*And Dragonblink, how dare you malign the noble palm tree? \*\* Have you ever had to scrape palm droppings off your car, or your feet? Blech. And those damn fronds aren’t even good compost. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927/29 "2003-01-07T07:47:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*Oh – I’m still looking for other employment up there, and asking anyone who will listen if they know of any jobs in northern WA. \*\* Starbucks? 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-waiting-for-the-power-to-fail/146927.md?page=1)