You haven’t changed a bit – a post-reunion MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
281

[QUOTE=Spatial Rift 47]
I have to agree with FCM that a performance-based salary is the way to go if you want people to do their jobs well - in theory. In practice, such a system is bound to run into problems. It can be very, very difficult to quantify how well someone is doing their job compared to someone else. The private sector seems to have sorted it out though, for the most part.
[/QUOTE]
That’s kinda the way I look at it. My spousal unit has, up until 2 years ago, always been in the private sector. He’s had profit sharing, he’s put in obscene hours and gotten phone calls in the middle of the night when things went wrong, he’s gotten bonuses, and he’s also been told that he’s at the top of his pay band, too bad so sad.

But for the most part, when he worked hard, he was duly rewarded. Even as a gov’t contractor now, that holds true. In less than 2 years he’s gotten bonuses 4 different times, as well as a huge promotion and raise last fall. He enjoys his job most of the time (except that NASA *loves * having meetings) and he’s generally very surprised when he gets a bonus check - he figures he’s doing what he’s been hired to do.

As for me, knowing that I need to show that I’m worth what I’m being paid is definitely a motivator - especially now when my high-3 is pending. That is, what I gross in the next 3 years will set the basis for my retirement, assuming I don’t get demoted in the interim. So in addition to wanting to do a good job and produce something that matters, I gotta take care of myself. And I know all about the politics of gov’t jobs - criminy, I’ve held one since 1973! Even in industry, ass-kissers move up, but I think ultimately they’re found out and shown the door. Or they’re hired as CEO of Home Depot… :stuck_out_tongue:

282

Soup is ready. Bread will be done in about half an hour. It smells really good in here.

FCD came home early. We’ve got an evening of nothing ahead, and I’m hoping to feel well enough this weekend to do some painting and some claying. I may even try some medicinal wine before bed tonight.

283

Okay, I am used to getting automated phone calls reminding me of doctor’s appointments. But an automated call from a hospital reminding me of my major surgery? I was supposed to call this afternoon to get the time of my surgery, but the automated recording called me to let me know first! The world is becoming a really strange place, isn’t it? And even stranger, the insurance company called me yesterday to make sure I understood how long I was going to be in the hospital, make sure that I had someone to be there with me 24/7 at first, etc. – an insurance company actually doing more than just giving me grief about paperwork? What has the world come to??

But, bummer, I’m not scheduled for surgery till midafternoon Monday. Which means I need to spend a far too long time caffeine-less before I go in and they drug me out of my gourd and I don’t care any more. :slight_smile: I plan on bitching and whining plenty, and lucky you will probably be the recipients!

Even better, Papa Tigs’ tiger team has just escalated to the point where he’s probably not even going to be able to be there for my surgery. :eek: Yeah, priorities sometimes suck/n I’m just glad I’ve got Palebunny here, who’s experienced enough with hospital stuff that she will be a most excellent substitute. But it still sucks that Papa Tigs will be sitting in meetings, even though he’s kind of annoying around hospitals because he doesn’t get nervous and doesn’t really understand people who do. After the time when I was going in for hand surgery and was, truly, scared half to death, but when it was time to go and actually start surgical prep he was nowhere to be found – till I found him outside on his cell phone making business calls, while I was shaking like a leaf and about to throw up on the spot! – he learned that he’s not allowed to be that blasé when I’m going into a hospital any more! That was a day when he definitely needed killin’. :slight_smile:

Gotta go check on laundry. My life is just such a thrill, I can hardly stand it.

284

Drive-by just to say: home early, gotta go to the library, go find stuff to bind booklets with and then come home and finish editing before going to Kinko’s to make copies and cut them in half.

Big fun.

Cool on the “job tip,” swampy. It’s nearly always a good sign when someone’s telling you to apply for a job. Hope it’s a job that you’re really interested in… Yay!

GT

285

hazelnut --hmmph. I’m on to you, young lady, she said, sniffily.

I need cool song lyrics that deal with teen identity. Any suggestions? I need them by Sunday! Augh! (I have to make a flyer for my book talk, and I want to start out with a quote. My topic is identity…see? sounds easy enough, no? but all my music is old, old, old…)

286

Rigs I would be of no help. Heh… first songs that popped into my mind were, At Seventeen by Janis Ian and My Generation by The Who. I suppose those are <ahem> somewhat oudated <ahem>?

Pizza is being brought to me for supper tonight. Ol’ y’all know who is stoppin’ for it on his way out. I offered to cook but was told it would be pizza night. I love it when he gets all butch and forceful. :smiley: I made up some burgers to grill for lunch tomorrow and tomorrow night we’ve been invited to a dinner party. Well, we’ll wear jeans but remember to use a napkin instead of our sleeves so it will be all sophisticated and grown up like. You know, the kinda thing where you say excuse me after a belch and stuff like that.

287

Once again, I made some goooooooood soup, and with freshly made bread, that was one yummerrific supper! Tomorrow, when the soup is cooled, I’ll freeze some for a future meal, and portion a couple containers for lunch next week. That’s the good thing about soup - you can’t make a little bit. Really. It’s a law or something.

The rest of tonight will be lazy. Which is pretty typical of the rest of my day. Which is the best way to get better, right?

Winter storm warnings for Sunday, so tomorrow, we have to take our trash to the convenience center. Which means we have to take the doors out of the van and bring them inside. Oh yeah, fun times again.

288

[QUOTE=eleanorigby]
I need cool song lyrics that deal with teen identity. Any suggestions? I need them by Sunday! Augh! (I have to make a flyer for my book talk, and I want to start out with a quote. My topic is identity…see? sounds easy enough, no? but all my music is old, old, old…)
[/QUOTE]

You should use the lyrics from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Those lyrics are SO cool, no one knows what they are. Not even Nirvana. :cool:

(Serious suggestion: Nellie McKay’s “Inner Peace.”)

289

[QUOTE=swampbear]
Rigs I would be of no help. Heh… first songs that popped into my mind were, At Seventeen by Janis Ian and My Generation by The Who. I suppose those are <ahem> somewhat oudated <ahem>?

[/QUOTE]

I know. All I can think of is The Who’s…“who the F are you?” Not something I can use…
My 15 y/o just stared at me for a long time. And then he said, “why?” like, why do you exist, mom?

Maybe I’ll do something else…

:wink:

:cool: (reaffirmation)

290

Thanks again all of you for commiserating with me regarding the dumb blond V. I do believe that J has gone to ground to lick his wounds, I’m just concerned.

When #3 gets home I’ll ask her about teen identification type lyrics. She’s very much into songs with meaning.

Also, when I got up and removed the dressing from my cat scratches it was stuck, and all green and ooky. I have an appointment to see the doc at 4:00. Actually I’ll be seeing his P.A., but he only tolerates the best, so I’m okay with that. Also his regular nurse is there, and she’s been a friend of the family forever, so that’s all good. I just really don’t want to get a shot in the hiney!

More later…maybe I’ll try to take a photo of my wounds…

291

Ooh, a photo of green and ooky gunk from your cat scratches? Sounds like a must-see!

Yeah, I’m kinda weird. :smiley:

So help me, if we have another ice storm Sunday that messes up my surgery Monday after all this preparation, I will be giving Mother Nature a piece of my mind, let me tell you! Grr…it had better not mess up all our plans!

Papa Tigs just finally made it home – only a 14-hour day at work, lucky him – so it’s definitely pizza delivery tonight.

292

Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out what we’re gonna have for chop-chop tonight. I need to stop at the store and I’m not feeling the urge to cook something that requires more than minimal effort.

We had pizza last night, so can’t do that again.

Rigsy, my daughter would probably know some songs. It seems like some of the songs from My Chemical Romance are all angsty like, but maybe that’s just me. I kind of like their music, actually.

Staind has some good songs too. Look at the lyrics for Schizophrenic Conversations. I really like the song.

My tummy is rumbly, dangit. Also, it’s snowing outside! I told you eastern and midwest folks to keep your dang snow. Take it back!

It’s not sticking or anything, thank goodness. Just enough to be a nuisance.

Work was slightly more tolerable today. Only because I was avoiding talking to the boss so he couldn’t slam me with yet another project. I made some very slight progress on a couple of backed up things I had going.

293

Back from my search for the appropriate ribbon for binding the booklets I’m making tonight. That was the only item I needed to obtain before a specific time. Tried to stay close to home, but I still lost an hour or so looking for just the right ribbon. Finally found some at World Market.

Now I just have to do some editing and everything should be jake. Well, and go to Kinko’s for the annual production, but as long as the printing works, I should be fine.

Forgot to share yesterday’s trauma, which was compounded by one this morning. Best Work Friend’s mother had surgery yesterday. They were supposed to take out her gallbladder, but when the surgeon went in, he saw some abnormalities on her liver. Turns out she has ovarian cancer which has metastasized to her liver and possibly stomach. :frowning: They sewed her right back up and won’t do anything about the gallbladder or anything else until she’s seen an oncologist. :frowning:

And, as if that weren’t enough, when I got in to work this morning, I found out that Other Best Work Friend was in the hospital with chest pains. Almost turned around and came home again. Fortunately, they didn’t find anything. Still could be something serious, but at least it wasn’t an immediate life-threatening issue.

Despite the crappiness, I managed to have a pretty decent work day.

Off to finish editing.

GT

294

Drive by post. We have snow on the mountains too. I’m very, very tired. Today was fun, but I think I need to go to bed after I eat dinner. I’m not used to sitting in a classroom all day any more.

295

There was a muffled boom, and then a dull streak of red through the windows, briefly illuminating the curtains and computer desk. My first thought was that there was another accident at the intersection of McMurchy and Charolais. That intersection has always been a death trap, what with Charolais meeting McMurchy from the west at the crest of a moderately steep incline, effectively creating a blind hill 'til about 40 feet from the lights.

Although my eyes started at the intersection – no accident there – they were quickly drawn to the fire and flaming debris outside of the parking garage of the building across from mine. It was relatively small – in all likelihood the result of a pipe bomb tossed into an aluminum garbage can – but it was bright. Four kids, dressed all in black hoodies, were fleeing from it, hauling ass across the building’s outdoor parking lot and leaping over the waist-high cement wall that encircled it. They gathered out on McMurchy and then head to the intersection at Charolais, where they seemed to gather amongst themselves to discuss the events of the past few minutes. I tried calling security, but then realized I didn’t have their number on my phone – I only had the office number, which was closed. Well, I thought, maybe I can use this as an excuse for a coffee run. I got my coat and shoes on, then checked the window to see if the kids were still there. They were gone. Just the same I went outside to find security. Fire engine sirens could be heard in the distance, and a lone security guard was spotted walking along the path to my building (the result of bad information on the location of the fire, it turns out). The cops eventually showed up. I found security and told them what little I knew, but they didn’t catch the idiots. They took my basic information just the same. I got the security phone number for next time.

Dumbass juvie tards. The evil mini-me half wishes it had blown up prematurely in their faces.

I’m now back with coffee and a headache thanks to wandering around in the frigid cold.

296

I’m back from the doc’s office and yup, I’m all infected. No more wrapping it, I’m to soak and scrub it with antibacterial soap, apply liberal amounts of betadine, and swallow antibiotics. Apparently I am lucky that we don’t use a litterbox. She (the P.A.) also gave me a few tramadol, because for something which ought to be minor is actually rather painful. I’m still running a fever, what a simply groovy end to a craptastic week. If you wanna see pics of my injuries, here
you
go! Right now I think I will put my jammies back on and crawl back into bed!

rigs my friend, I explained to my daughter (15 years old) about your need, and she is madly copying lyrics for you! I’ll get them to you either late tonight or sometime tomorrow, and I hope it helps you with your assignment.

My and my orange, weepy arm are saying bye for now.

(Sorry for the weird coding, but, well, it’s been a long week.)

297

Hey everybody! I missed the fish fry, I fell asleep. :smack: Oh well, there are a few more planned. Work went, no nasty suprises. I am baking some whiting(The first and only time I fried fish, I burned the snot out of my arm).

FCM, hope ypu get better soon.

Mamatigs, of course it’s weird. you have you fingers stuffed up your nose, putting goo back in.

bobbio, we could have used you in Raleigh yesterday.

SCL, I sent you a package.

gt, I am sorry about your friends. I hope the docs can help.

kai, nice wound. That’s why I am glad one of Lucretia’s living owners had her delawed in the front.

298

[QUOTE=swampbear]
Well, that was interesting… see, I got a call about a job that I spent an hour filling out an application on line, printing it off, doin’ up a cover letter and putting in the mail. It was from somebody who knows about the job, who knows somebody who is reviewing applications, who encouraged the callee to call me and clue me in to apply for the job. Just. Weird. Perhaps Providentially so, who knows. I took the dang thing to the post office rather than mail it from my house cause I was going to the store, so decided I might as well just go mail it rather than wait for the mail lady to come today, which she did while I was gone. I got the phone call just after I walked back in the door. Hey, when somebody tells somebody to clue ya in about applying for a job, that’s gotta mean sump’n right?

So, how’s everybody else’s day goin’? All you sickies feelin’ better?
[/QUOTE]

The way I got the best job I’ve ever had:

I’d been part of a 6-mo project (which turned into 9mo); during this project I’d been rejected for an internal promotion due to office politics (and to management not having the foggiest how selection firms work); the internal consultants for the project knew I was dreading the moment when I’d have to work for Mr. Macho again (the foreman whose first action had been to call the college student and the college graduate and inform us that “nobody pays you to think”).
Easter vacation for the factory where I worked starts on Easter Thursday and takes over the week after. I had not been supposed to work during that period (weekend shift covered that second week), so I was taking Mom to the grandparents Th-S. The boss said I had to work. Night shift. After a visit to Barcelona! Barcelona is cool; my grandparents are one of my personal crosses, explicitly one I’d love turning into woodchips.
I came back with gastrenteritis; after a horrible first night I went straight to the Health Center and got me the baja (doctor’s orders to miss work). Doc said “if I give you the baja it’s for real, I don’t want you working on Friday”. “Doc, this last night, when I wasn’t throwing up I was cleaning the floor, and in between folded into my chair in pain. If you say don’t go till Wednesday, I’ll be perfectly happy to stick this baja on my boss’s face until Wednesday.” He sniggered, “you may want to consider using nails, holds better than glue and hurts more.” “I wouldn’t want to be charged with assault, Doc.” “Oh, true. I know that idiot, I happen to be their doctor…”
When I came back the following Wednesday, I decided to catch up on work before looking at internal ads. So I open my email and the first thing I have is a letter from one of the internal consultants saying “we’re hiring, it’s this and this code in the US HR webpage, go go go!”
Go to the US HR webpage. Ohmygod, it’s the last day. So I apply and…

two minutes after hitting “send”, the power at the factory went down (it happens about once a year on very hot days, not my fault!)

The hiring manager wasn’t too sold on the idea of hiring a “furriner”, but “I asked the team about you and was told if I don’t hire you they’ll kick my butt. The manager for the external consultants said if I don’t hire you, he will. So I guess I better hire you.” He looked at me like he wasn’t sure what was this specimen that had crawled from under his bed, but heck, he did hire me :smiley:

299

Hi all
The treatment went well, except that one of the nurses (not the one who was treating me) had called in sick and it took a while before they could scare up a replacement, so my nurse was running around like a headless chicken until about 11:00 am.
But I got out of there by 5:45 and made it to my hair appointment only 3 minutes late.
Then off to Chinese New Year dinner. The food was excellent and the comapny enjoyable and the Lion Dance loads of fun. Afterwhich (about 10pm) we went to a diner for coffee and dessert (fruit isn’t dessert, it’s a pallette cleanser) and more talking and laughing.
I also collected everyone’s fortunes:

**You are contemplating some action which will bring credit upon you.

You are strong and brave. Use these qualities to pull through.

You will be pleasantly surprised soon.

You are more likely to give than to given in.

Think highly of yourself, for the world takes you at your own estimate.

You can’t steal second base and keep one foot on first.

When you don’t care who gets the credit, there is no limit to how high you can climb.**

Let the <snerk>ing begin!

300

Kaiwik, my lovely, ifen you had asked me I coulda told ya - with your medical conditions, you go to the doc as soon as you show signs of redness. Did you hear that? Do I need to call your darlin skiffman (the hunk) and tell him to drag you?

I didn’t think so. Just learn your lesson from this, young lady. You and I do not tolerate intrusions into our earthly envelopes from our feline overlords. Many, nay most of the time we can fight it off - but if it even begins to feel warm to the touch you must hie thyself to the local witch doctor/nurse practioner/dispenser of antibiotics. Cat infections are nasty - bless their little hearts.

Very nasty night for me - sitting at the computer listening to the Snakes get their butts whooped by the Fire Ants (I’m sooooooooo glad I’m a Snake - can you imagine AntsCatLady?) when my lovely 'im indoors ( I LOVE that) asked me to go to the store to get him cigs. He’d had a beer or three while cooking the lasagna for the Jacksonville team tomorrow night, and the Snakes were losing the game, so I got an adult beverage or two for me while I was out.

While I was out Magic (a/k/a Crackcat) dumped the sode I had stupidly left on my desk onto my keyboard and the floor. So Mr. SCL (who must love me very, very, much) had to climb into the attic to get me an unsaturated keyboard.

Anyone want a purebred Cornish Rex? He’s a lover…
DogButler - did you get my package? I meant to slip in some pics of when I was young and beautiful (I was! I just didn’t believe it then!) but I forgot.