The Lost & Found MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Yep, it’s 3am Monday and I just got home from work. What a week. I go back on duty in 11 hours.

The microwave dish saga took a fascinating turn, and it got me to thinking: what are the things in your life that you have lost, or thought were lost, then found, and how did that change you?

In the moment I can tell the world that at 12:30am I found the missing microwave dish on the the shoulder of Rt 50 aka New York Ave near the Washington Times building, for those who know or care. That means it departed my truck around 10:40am as I drove in to work and was not attached to the truck when I left with reporter Ken at 1pm when I could have sworn it was still there.

I spotted the dish as we were driving back from an 11pm live hit from a staging area for out of town utility trucks that were arriving to start rebuilding the savaged electrical grid in the greater metropolitan area. At the time we were in the middle of a fairly heavy debate as to why the press information officer of the Montgomery County, MD police department might have an issue with me.

That question in itself has many permutations. I know why he would be pissed at me today as I got into it with one of his officers which resulted in my management getting into it with the department. That story, short version, had to do with not being allowed to park in a safer location near where some Pepco folks were doing line work at Bradley Blvd & River Rd in Bethesda to do my live shot at 6:30, so I parked my truck where I was told I must park. (Side note this was right next to the Congressional Country Club where Tiger Woods was playing the AT&T Golf Tournament, so it was a ready made clusterfuck)

Then officer #2 came and yelled at me for parking in that spot officer #1 told me to park in because it was dangerous. Well no shit buddy. So officer #2 felt it was his job to lecture me on my attitude problem (which I will readily admit I had a big fucking attitude, but I didn’t view it as a problem.)

My problem was I had already suggested safer alternatives, they were denied, so I was rushing to get my job done and I had no time to have an argument. In fact my choices were simple - leave me the fuck alone and let me do my job or tell me to leave and I would pack it up (and miss my live shot) and go away no arguments. But to stop me from my tight deadline (I literally had 5 minutes to set up my truck & shot) to lecture me… yeah, I’m gonna be real receptive to that.

And seriously - if they said go away I could live with that. It was the ‘I have a badge & gun and I’m going to teach you some manners’ crap that totally set me off. I know I can’t win that argument, no matter how right I am. I didn’t have time for it. But my reality meant nothing to these folks, and that is why I have an attitude problem.

But going back to the bigger picture, after an evening of emails, phone calls and apparently a tweet where my boss called out Mont Co PD (for this incident and another, separate run in another crew had) the PIO asked my reporter to call and give his side of the story. Now this too pisses me off, because I notice nowhere as a principle player in this did the PIO ask to speak to me. So after our 11pm live hit Ken spent about 20 minutes on the phone with said PIO discussing the day’s events.

Later, as we drove home, he related that officer PIO asked ‘which photog was he’ meaning me, and Ken gave a description of me. At that point the PIO appeared to have a negative reaction relative to a shooting standoff incident from about 2 months ago… and for the life of me I don’t know why. At that incident I very much remember working with the PIO, listening to and honoring his requests (some of which were not reasonable but I followed them anyway), and generally not having any problem with him at all. So what the hell?

So in the big picture, when did I lose the respect of this PIO, why did I lose it, and does it ultimately matter? Now that I found this out, what good may come of it? Really probably not much - I am real pissed off and I want to fire off a hot email or 10 but I know that is not wise. I know I need to have some discussions with management and those always worry me. I need to have a chat with Ken about apologizing for me and/or making excuses to the cops during these moments. I know he was trying to be helpful, but in the big picture it isn’t. There’s a lot to lose here.

Back to the microwave dish - I’m glad I found it where I found it. It means I didn’t leave it in a low hanging tree or wire, it just fell off driving down the road. It had come loose about 4 years ago and we epoxied it back on. It looks like the epoxy gave way. Instead of negligence I can prove age based deterioration. So that’s all good.

Well it’s pretty late / early. Time for bed.

Good Night / Morning.

2

One of these days, I’ll finally get to post the MMP that I’ve been trying to post for 3 or 4 weeks now… :stuck_out_tongue: I coulda slept in!!! And since **FCD **is on his way to Johnstown, I think I’ll go back to bed after posting this.

Tugig, I’m guessing the PIO hates you because he’s jealous 'cause you’re so cool and all… :wink: Or maybe you hijacked the MMP he was planning to start. :stuck_out_tongue: Glad you found your dish - obviously the issue was too much epoxy and not enough duct tape!

My best lost-and-found story was what someone else lost and we found. This happened 20 or so years back when we still owned our small trailered sailboat. That particular summer, we’d hauled the boat from Jacksonville to Baltimore - spousal unit and I were going to go cruising for a week or so while our daughter hung with her grandparents. We launched in Middle River one sunny and breezy day and were heading out to the Chesapeake Bay under power, planning to raise the sails once we were in open water.

Near the mouth of the river, we saw something unusual bobbing in the waves (it was a bit choppy that day.) As we approached, we saw that it was a blue cooler, and when we got right up to it, we further saw (because it didn’t have its lid) that it was still full of ice and diet coke and beer! :eek: :cool: Being responsible boaters, we had to remove that hazard to navigation from the water, so we hauled it aboard. And a few minutes later, we saw and rescued the lid.

We kept a lookout for any boat that seemed to be searching for its lost cooler, but eventually, we’d sailed out of the area and decided that “finders keepers” applied. Our daughter still has that cooler, since we eventually upgraded to a model with wheels.

Also one time we were sailing in the Potomac just south of DC, we saw a wooden picnic table floating by. There had been a major rain storm the night before and we figure it had washed out of a riverside park or something. Anyway, we called the Coast Guard, and a little while later, we saw them corral the table and tow it out of the channel.

Today is stairwell-painting day, or it will be after I wake up again. For now, I’m going back to bed. Happy Monday!

3

Good morning! Interesting OP, 2gig, I suspect the PIO is just jealous as Mooom suggests. He is probably trying to work out why you’re so cool and he’s not - and it’s all because he’s not a Mumper.

I don’t have any great lost-and-found stories, pretty much everything I lose stays resolutely lost. There are one or two household items that I quite clearly remember seeing in the house but cannot find, I expect they are part of the great glory-hole portal and will eventually reappear when something else gets sucked into the black hole.

Quiet week at irk, please.

4

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffienatin’. YAWN ‘Tis a mild 73 Amurrkin out with a predicted high of only 99. Well, BRRRRRRR! After the past three days temps this is positively frigid. :smiley: I was awakened by a hellacious tstorm about eleven o’clock last night. BIIIIIIG Lightnin’. Also a fair amount of rain which cooled things down a bit. Apparently there are some still in the area as we have a watch out until ten this mornin’. The weather map shows dark green with some red stuff to the west of here.

gigity I don’t blame you for bein’ poed. Also glad you found the dish. Most of my lost and found stories involve me sayin’, "Where the %#@!* did I leave my cellphone this time. So now, I have a case that clips on belt loops and most of the time I even remember to put the dang thing back in the case when I finish usin’ it.

Now I must find more caffiene and feed rumbly tummy. Then, alas and alack, irk purtification must commence. It’s a short week at least as Wednesday is a holiday and TPTB have given us Thursday and Firday off with pay as an “Employee Appreciation” perq. However, I will probably end up irkin’ some from home both days. At least I can do it in tshirt and shorts.

Happy Monday Y’all!

5

Morning y’all!

6

So much for going back to sleep. :mad: As soon as I finish my leftover pizza breakfast, I’m going to get the paint and assorted painting tools, finish emptying the stairwell, and start with the ceiling. Good times to ensue. :rolleyes:

7

Morning. I’m up, caffeinated, off to irk.

8

Good morning, all! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m in Dallas, and today, I start the first day of my brand spanking new full-time with benefits (starting in 30 days) job. :smiley:

I lucked out. I had a two week contract with a medical billing firm that turned into three weeks, then three and a half, and at the end of the third week, my supervisor asked for my hand. I mean, for me, to keep me as a full time employee. There was finagling with the temp agency, and I was asked for my salary requirements. I put in a number I thought I couldn’t get, and I got it. Very startling and gratifying.

Now the plan is to save up for two months to get a place of my own and start buying The Stuff necessary for it. I am both excited and scared. It’s been a long, long while since I lived on my own.

As for Lost and Found, we have a history of that in my family. My mom once found a $700 opal ring at an arcade during a birthday party. She had it for 20 years before she lost it again.

Currently, I have lost one of my few college keepsakes - my incorrect ruler. I bought it my first week at school, and it was something of a splurge - an 18" aluminum ruler with cork backing. I knew I’d need it for my design classes, but I could have waited. Instead, I got it early and used it on everything. Then, when I took my first advertising design class, I kept getting counted off on small pieces for not meeting the dimensions exactly. I was always a quarter of an inch off. It wasn’t until after the end of the semester that I was daydreaming at my desk and looked at my ruler and realized why: my ruler had two mistakes.

The first inch was only three-quarters of an inch. The fifth inch was five quarters of an inch. So, anything over six inches was correct. Anything under six inches was off by a quarter of an inch. Damn ruler cost me an A in my class. I kept it for the longest time because it still made a good straight edge and an excellent conversation piece. Then I thought I would frame it and put it in my classroom. After that, I thought maybe I could sell it on eBay or something. And finally, I wanted to make a Demotivational poster with a picture of it and the tagline “Question Authority”.

Unfortunately, when I finally got into my college portfolios, which is where I thought I’d stored it, it wasn’t there. It’s possibly in a box back in California, but it’ll be months before I know. sigh I had such plans.

9

Hi Harvey. Good to see you. Yay for the fresh start. Be sure you get our approval on any decorating you do - it’s tradition. :wink:

2gig - Are you sure there wasn’t a spoon in the road somewhere with whom the dish was hoping to run away? :wink:
I third the jealousy angle

I’ve “lost” several things I am still waiting to find. They’re in the house somewhere. I’ll probably find them as I pack.
I’ve also lost several things I have no hope of ever finding again: my youth, money, things like that.
Some things I’ve lost and I’m glad, like weight, a very lopsided relationship, and my naïvety.

Today I am having a “rebellious insides” day which is keeping me tethered to the loo. #^&#%%@# and other expletives.
At least the weather is decent.

10

roo YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! We anxiously await the chance to help you decorate. I see orange shag carpet, avacado green appliances and wallpaper with little appliqued daisies in your future. :smiley:

I had a chawklit cupcake. It was good.

11

I rarely lose stuff (except my patience) and when I lose something, I never find it. A ring disappeared off my desk (left it there when I washed my hands) and even though I have taken everything off my desk and looked through the drawers and under the desk and moved all the crap, it’s still missing. I think someone else is wearing it.

It’s f’in hot here and I hate the heat. I think I just have to give in and not fight. Looks like it will be (like in the 90s) for the next month.

I wish I had a chawklit cuffcake. Actually, I’d like yellow cake with chawklit frosting.

12

Whew - I’m dripping like I just ran a marathon, and all I’ve done is painted a 4’ X 14’ ceiling. I also just got rid of a bunch of old electric wires that **FCD **wanted gone. The guy who took it plans to strip all the wires and recycle the copper. So good for him and good for me.

Just a little more lemonade, then it’s time to start painting the walls. More sweat. With luck I’ll be done by noon and then I can shower and chill.

**Kanga **- huzzah for your own place! And a little hint - **swampy **may be gay and faaaaaaaabulous, but suspect he may be missing that stereotypical decorating DNA. Just sayin’… :wink:

OK, back to my paintbrush.

13

Don’t listen to MOOOOOOM. We’re goin’ retro! It’s hip! It’s happenin’! It’s groovy bay-bee! It will be f-aaaaaa-bu-lous!

14

Since I know you’re all dying to see what I’m up to today, check out the last 3 pics here. And on that note, I’m going back to my paintbrush.

15

See, if you had just stayed up until Midnight… but I am Not One to Lecture My Betters.

>>sniff<<

16

Well, I lost my mind years ago…! :smiley:

Maybe I’ll find it someday. Or maybe it’s backed up on tape, someplace…

2gig – yeah, he’s just jealous.

Phouka!!! :smiley: Long time no [del]see[/del] read! And YAY!!! on the new job.

17

…backed up on tape? gee, you’re old. :wink: :stuck_out_tongue: :cool:

18

Midnight? And lose my beauty sleep?? It is to laugh!! :stuck_out_tongue:

Lunch break. First coat of white is on the walls, except for 2 spots where the spackle hasn’t dried yet. You can see the pics at the link I posted a few posts back. I’m hoping I can get the second coat on this afternoon. We’ll see how that goes.

19

Ah! somebody got it! :wink:

20

My mind is backed up on clay tablets. :smiley:

I had a “country style” rib and some corn sallit for N.O.L. It was good. I am considerin’ another chawklit cupcake.

Our national offices to where all things irk related must be sent are located in Northern Virginny. They have no power. Thus, nuttin’ can be uploaded cause they can’t get it. Thus a whole lotta goofin’ off is goin’ on around heah. Rah.