So at 9:20 the orientation got started, it was 20 minutes late. I had a sinking feeling. My history with the admission people left me a bad taste in the mouth. I selected Argosy based on its location, reputation, offering of emphasis, and Psy.D. program. I had to overlook both cost and poor management in the admissions process. The joker I was dealing with “Paul” lost paperwork, failed to update my files, and generally was not giving me the service I deserved.
His performance did pick up as time went on. From the point of setting up the actual admittance interview on, and he was on-top of things. It is worth mentioning that I had to chew him a new one along the way, but it seems to have worked. That and talking to his boss!
Well, long story short, I was accepted and had school of psychology orientation yesterday. The late start did make me think “Oh, great, more of the same disorganized crap.”, but the reality was once they got rolling it was very well organized. Other than the start everything was on time and we ended 20 minutes early.
I got to meet many of the people in the starting class. We are a combination of MS and Psy.D. students, mostly Psy.D. The class is mostly women. There are 8 men in the program. I am sure this will make for some interesting situations, but the men’s bathroom will never have a ling [like it ever does], but the woman’s restroom always has a line [hahahahahahahaha]!
I have $700 in books for this semester!
It’s a huge stack!
I am going to try and find as many of them as I can used via the internet. Basically this is an insane amount of texts at an insane price tag. I even had two of the texts and the bookstore was out of two of the texts! All total it is like $900 in books.
I start my actual classes on Thursday. It should be fun. I am able to drop to 32 hours a week as of the 9th – Thank You God! I will use a half-day of vacation on Thursday to cover the time. Hopefully the P3 access is soon to come. Just having the option to work on Saturday/Sunday is so comforting. Its another take-care of Me step.
I picked up a very inexpensive school calendar and am starting to regret the choice. It’s a Mead product and fits in a binder, but the spiral is just a little bit too small to turn the pages and they bunch up and bind. Dumb, Stupid Calendar.
I am also still looking for something to contain all of my texts in. Mom offered to buy me a rolling piece of luggage, but the children were unwilling to make the trip with me to get it, so that opportunity is lost. Dump, Stupid Children!
My wonderful wife suggested that I just use some plastic milk crates. They are cheep and should work. I just like the idea of a nice rolling luggage. Oh, well.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
Flood Update
The insurance adjuster came out to the house and survived the damages. He left insinuating that we did not have coverage for the damages. When we called initially we were told that we did have coverage so we went ahead and started. Hiring a professional salvage company was our insurance companies “instructions”. The guys come out and do the demolitions. Carpet ripped up, bathroom ripped up, drywall samples…
They brought in fans and industrial strength dehumidifiers. They set up a deodorizer and other equipment – all and all they did do a pretty nice job. The house does not stink, hence it is livable.
Then nearly two weeks after the initial damage the adjuster comes out and inspects the property. At the end of the inspection he informs us that he does not think we are covered, but will go and check our policy.
At this point I was not worried as I could not even imagine that this would not be covered. This is exactly what you have insurance for. A big storm comes in and causes damage, well it’s covered, right?
ANSWER: NOPE – big fat round ZERO!!!!!
Here we are with a big bill coming from the restoration company, a giant electric bill for all the equipment that ran for over a week, and no basement living space!
A list of Damages: we lost a full bathroom, my son’s bedroom, and a recreational space.
The gas stove no longer works.
We are reduced to five people to 1 bathroom
The loss of the space is huge!
The area is worse that not finished, it has exposed tac strips and glue residue. Everything is piled up such that the space is nearly unusable.
What the hell good is insurance – they never cover anything!
They brought in fans and industrial strength dehumidifiers. They set up a deodorizer and other equipment – all and all they did do a pretty nice job. The house does not stink, hence it is livable.
Then nearly two weeks after the initial damage the adjuster comes out and inspects the property. At the end of the inspection he informs us that he does not think we are covered, but will go and check our policy.
At this point I was not worried as I could not even imagine that this would not be covered. This is exactly what you have insurance for. A big storm comes in and causes damage, well it’s covered, right?
ANSWER: NOPE – big fat round ZERO!!!!!
Here we are with a big bill coming from the restoration company, a giant electric bill for all the equipment that ran for over a week, and no basement living space!
A list of Damages: we lost a full bathroom, my son’s bedroom, and a recreational space.
The gas stove no longer works.
We are reduced to five people to 1 bathroom
The loss of the space is huge!
The area is worse that not finished, it has exposed tac strips and glue residue. Everything is piled up such that the space is nearly unusable.
What the hell good is insurance – they never cover anything!
I am feeling more than a little inadequate and that is not a very good feeling. My dear wife is totally stressed and I can't help, in fact I am making things worse. School is expensive and I am dropping down in hours. I am going to be nearly absent, thus I can't do it myself. Just can't! - worthless - WORTHLESS.
If I can’t get this fixed by insurance then it’s only right that my house should be re-assessed for taxes and we get a break there! When we finished the basement we got an enormous tax bill – well its no longer finished so where is my refund?
I need someone to choke the living sh!t out of. Any insurance agents out there (American Family would be best)?
Thursday, August 23, 2007
I am getting excited about school. I think that I am going to have to use all of my vacation time to get through the next four weeks, but then I will be down to 32 hours and I should be in better shape.
When everything comes together I will
Be at school all day Monday
Professionalization Group: 9 to noon
Psychopathology 1: 1 to 4
Cognitive assessment: 4:30 to 9
Tuesday working: 8 to 5
Wednesday working: 8 to 5
Thursday working: 7 to noon and then school
Lifespan and Development: 1 to 4
Diverse Populations: 6 to 9
Friday working: 8 to 5
I am waiting to get my financial aid in. I always go out and get something semi-school related and this year it’s a big-one. I am going to get a new alarm clock. It’s a combo iPod dock and alarm clock. Should be nice for my dear wife [too], who does not want to be getting up at 6:15 or even 5:00.
When everything comes together I will
Be at school all day Monday
Professionalization Group: 9 to noon
Psychopathology 1: 1 to 4
Cognitive assessment: 4:30 to 9
Tuesday working: 8 to 5
Wednesday working: 8 to 5
Thursday working: 7 to noon and then school
Lifespan and Development: 1 to 4
Diverse Populations: 6 to 9
Friday working: 8 to 5
I am waiting to get my financial aid in. I always go out and get something semi-school related and this year it’s a big-one. I am going to get a new alarm clock. It’s a combo iPod dock and alarm clock. Should be nice for my dear wife [too], who does not want to be getting up at 6:15 or even 5:00.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Talk Much?!?
I frequently consider the possibility that I may be suffering from a dire and dreadful affliction that’s end resultant is simple and unwavering verbosity, but not the salty overly processed form, rather the buzzing clattering type that pains all that are forced to be subject.
Going Through Life Half-Asleep
Today is an excellent example of why one should not go through life half-asleep. I think I got enough rest, but I was "not quite awake" when I went to shower. Consequently I sprayed my hair with antiperspirant instead of hairspray. I also missed my toothbrush when I applied toothpaste. Taking the later as a huge red flag, I went to get a cup of coffee. I heated and slurped some only to find it had gone rancid [Well in truth it started that way, as it was flavored coffee, but I had forgotten that my beloved wife had cooked up a pot last night]. With a prominent chemical taste in my mouth I settled on a can of Diet Dew, and got on with my morning.
Because I was half-asleep I also forgot the power cord to my computer.
I left the Blockbuster movies in the foyer and failed to check my morning blood sugar.
What a morning.
Then I got a call back from FOCUS who told me that due to an administration error my diploma was being withheld. They lost my high school transcripts and will not release my diploma until they get another copy.
The situation is I have to spend [another] $7 in order to get a document I paid $300 for. I have a letter saying I have graduated, and Argosy is satisfied that I have completed the program, but I can’t get a diploma. They have my University of River Falls transcripts, which does have my high school information (graduation year, GPA, etc.), but they need an official copy for their records to fulfill their accreditation requirements. I think that because they lost them, they should have to be dinged on their accreditation. Why should I be stressed and pressed into action to repair their error?
On top of all that I am getting a huge volume of crazy calls from external clients looking for stuff that is not even started. I am not allowed to tell them the truth [we are understaffed and hugely “log-jammed” and they can’t get their projects for a long time].
INSANITY LEVEL: GREEN but if I get one more stupid request it will be YELLOW
Because I was half-asleep I also forgot the power cord to my computer.
I left the Blockbuster movies in the foyer and failed to check my morning blood sugar.
What a morning.
Then I got a call back from FOCUS who told me that due to an administration error my diploma was being withheld. They lost my high school transcripts and will not release my diploma until they get another copy.
The situation is I have to spend [another] $7 in order to get a document I paid $300 for. I have a letter saying I have graduated, and Argosy is satisfied that I have completed the program, but I can’t get a diploma. They have my University of River Falls transcripts, which does have my high school information (graduation year, GPA, etc.), but they need an official copy for their records to fulfill their accreditation requirements. I think that because they lost them, they should have to be dinged on their accreditation. Why should I be stressed and pressed into action to repair their error?
On top of all that I am getting a huge volume of crazy calls from external clients looking for stuff that is not even started. I am not allowed to tell them the truth [we are understaffed and hugely “log-jammed” and they can’t get their projects for a long time].
INSANITY LEVEL: GREEN but if I get one more stupid request it will be YELLOW
Monday, August 20, 2007
Impossible Projects
WORK:
This story needs a little background to understand. First, our group’s activities are governed by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These are complicated, dry and unpleasant documents, which are intended to describe how our general workflow and regular tasks go. Because the SOPs are complex they have a detailed review process and are subject to [hot] debate. Thus getting a document issued is a very difficult task. One of our core functions if the creation of Risk Assessment for client products and this process has an SOP. The original SOP was published in 2000. At that time the document was already out of date because of constant revisions and bickering over content. Needless to say it was nearly useless. SOPs are intended to be reviewed and revised on a yearly basis, but the Risk Assessment SOP was not able to be revised until this year [because of the nature of the task and great debate]. For all the bickering and constant changes, the document was issued AND it included a major change to the assessment process. In the new SOP a process was implemented that would allow our documents to be audited (for QA). I was saddled with writing the document!
The process of assigning risk to a product is truly professional judgment. Somewhere along the lines a decision was made that the process had to be auditable and to do that the risk assignment needed to be a numerical process.
Thus you end up with a process that is repeatable and easily auditable (numbers v. judgment). The task of creating the metric was mine. It was very difficult and more than once did the requirements change.
I did finish it and it was put into the SOP and made “law.”
The PROBLEM:
Don’t give them what they ask for, give them what they need.
When the process IS professional judgment one should not call it math.
Now that the process is a complete failure the SOP needs to be rewritten. Nobody has been directly condescending but it’s there. It is worth mentioning that over the years various people have been tasked with what I did. None of them ever succeeded.
I did the impossible and people don’t like it.
Flood Update:
The professionals we hired have been doing a good job cleaning up the basement. The house itself smells normal. The garage (where all the rotting carpet is) is so nasty it could gag a maggot. We have to keep the carpet until Friday when the insurance adjuster can come out to smell the nasty stuff. I fear that the stink will reduce to where he wants to try and clean it [when it MUST be burned]. The rest of the house is pretty well recovered, but we are going to be under construction for quite some time to come.
I will be very happy when the basement is back to its former glory. It was a pretty nice space to play on the computer or hang with friends. Plus the kids will have additional space and the tension level will be reduced. They are forced into closer quarters than any of us like.
This story needs a little background to understand. First, our group’s activities are governed by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These are complicated, dry and unpleasant documents, which are intended to describe how our general workflow and regular tasks go. Because the SOPs are complex they have a detailed review process and are subject to [hot] debate. Thus getting a document issued is a very difficult task. One of our core functions if the creation of Risk Assessment for client products and this process has an SOP. The original SOP was published in 2000. At that time the document was already out of date because of constant revisions and bickering over content. Needless to say it was nearly useless. SOPs are intended to be reviewed and revised on a yearly basis, but the Risk Assessment SOP was not able to be revised until this year [because of the nature of the task and great debate]. For all the bickering and constant changes, the document was issued AND it included a major change to the assessment process. In the new SOP a process was implemented that would allow our documents to be audited (for QA). I was saddled with writing the document!
The process of assigning risk to a product is truly professional judgment. Somewhere along the lines a decision was made that the process had to be auditable and to do that the risk assignment needed to be a numerical process.
Thus you end up with a process that is repeatable and easily auditable (numbers v. judgment). The task of creating the metric was mine. It was very difficult and more than once did the requirements change.
I did finish it and it was put into the SOP and made “law.”
The PROBLEM:
Don’t give them what they ask for, give them what they need.
When the process IS professional judgment one should not call it math.
Now that the process is a complete failure the SOP needs to be rewritten. Nobody has been directly condescending but it’s there. It is worth mentioning that over the years various people have been tasked with what I did. None of them ever succeeded.
I did the impossible and people don’t like it.
Flood Update:
The professionals we hired have been doing a good job cleaning up the basement. The house itself smells normal. The garage (where all the rotting carpet is) is so nasty it could gag a maggot. We have to keep the carpet until Friday when the insurance adjuster can come out to smell the nasty stuff. I fear that the stink will reduce to where he wants to try and clean it [when it MUST be burned]. The rest of the house is pretty well recovered, but we are going to be under construction for quite some time to come.
I will be very happy when the basement is back to its former glory. It was a pretty nice space to play on the computer or hang with friends. Plus the kids will have additional space and the tension level will be reduced. They are forced into closer quarters than any of us like.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Flood Update...
One Word: STRESS
The unfinished parts are going to be just fine, but the rest!
It stinks – like cat crap (Poop)
It’s still wet.
We have had to call a professional to try and deal with the problem. The insurance deductible is a $500, another unexpected expense.
I guess the bright side is that I am getting a generator.
My son is contaminating my living space with his sloth (dirty stinky cloths / junk everywhere). I can’ even come home and watch my own TV. Of course I still try (had to stop my movie more than 12 times, which works out to about every 12 minutes).
I am not handling the stress well. I need to do some things for me, and I need to take my wife with me.
GOAL:
Dinner at a comfort food restaurant (Outback, Famous Dave’s, Song Garden)
Movie (even at my home, but without serious interruptions)
Some wine or other adult beverage
A Cigar
REALITY:
I am going to go home, have popcorn for dinner, and try to watch some stupid TV show. Yell at the kids and suffer from a head-ache.
The unfinished parts are going to be just fine, but the rest!
It stinks – like cat crap (Poop)
It’s still wet.
We have had to call a professional to try and deal with the problem. The insurance deductible is a $500, another unexpected expense.
I guess the bright side is that I am getting a generator.
My son is contaminating my living space with his sloth (dirty stinky cloths / junk everywhere). I can’ even come home and watch my own TV. Of course I still try (had to stop my movie more than 12 times, which works out to about every 12 minutes).
I am not handling the stress well. I need to do some things for me, and I need to take my wife with me.
GOAL:
Dinner at a comfort food restaurant (Outback, Famous Dave’s, Song Garden)
Movie (even at my home, but without serious interruptions)
Some wine or other adult beverage
A Cigar
REALITY:
I am going to go home, have popcorn for dinner, and try to watch some stupid TV show. Yell at the kids and suffer from a head-ache.
A Conversation with God
HOLY SPIRIT: St. Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now, but, all I see are these green rectangles.
St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord, the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
HOLY SPIRIT: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
HOLY SPIRIT: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.
HOLY SPIRIT: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
HOLY SPIRIT: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, they pay to throw it away.
HOLY SPIRIT: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow, and, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.
HOLY SPIRIT: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
HOLY SPIRIT: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.
St. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
HOLY SPIRIT: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
HOLY SPIRIT: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
HOLY SPIRIT: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about...
HOLY SPIRIT: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.
St. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord, the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.
HOLY SPIRIT: Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.
HOLY SPIRIT: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.
HOLY SPIRIT: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?
ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.
HOLY SPIRIT: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?
ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, they pay to throw it away.
HOLY SPIRIT: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow, and, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.
HOLY SPIRIT: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
HOLY SPIRIT: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life.
St. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.
HOLY SPIRIT: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.
HOLY SPIRIT: And where do they get this mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.
HOLY SPIRIT: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?
ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about...
HOLY SPIRIT: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Flood!
What can I say. The storm left us with 3+ inches of rain in less than a couple hours AND no power to run the sump-pump!
The water came up out of the sump-basket and soaked everything in the basement (and yes it’s a finished basement).
I took the day off yesterday in an effort to get things cleaned up. I figured that the sooner things could get cleaned and dried the better the chance of coming out of this without much damage.
Well I was able to get the stuff out from the basement and the water cleared from the crawl space, but then I just ran out of steam. The smell, then crawling on hands-and-knees, and the wet mess all took their toll. I had to quit and let my wonderful wife take over.
She worker her a$$ off with bleach and the carpet cleaner. Today she went over everything again.
This is a great opportunity to clear some of the crap out from the basement. A truck load of crap to the dump!
WORK:
It looks like my squeaking is getting some grease. Out HR rep got together the paperwork and I will be able to go to 32 hours some time in September. I was pretty stressed out about trying to work 40 hours a week and still be in the PsyD program.
I have no idea if I will get any access to P3 (for working add hours), but I am still squeaking.
I am going to leave for the day, but I have to wait until my blood sugar comes back up. It was 64 when I tested and I ate a rice crispy bar. Should be good to go in less than 20 minutes.
INSANITY LEVEL: GREEN
I am full of the realization that I have too much work on my plate and it CANNOT get done. There is a certain amount of peace in that framing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STILL LOVE THE iPOD!
The water came up out of the sump-basket and soaked everything in the basement (and yes it’s a finished basement).
I took the day off yesterday in an effort to get things cleaned up. I figured that the sooner things could get cleaned and dried the better the chance of coming out of this without much damage.
Well I was able to get the stuff out from the basement and the water cleared from the crawl space, but then I just ran out of steam. The smell, then crawling on hands-and-knees, and the wet mess all took their toll. I had to quit and let my wonderful wife take over.
She worker her a$$ off with bleach and the carpet cleaner. Today she went over everything again.
This is a great opportunity to clear some of the crap out from the basement. A truck load of crap to the dump!
WORK:
It looks like my squeaking is getting some grease. Out HR rep got together the paperwork and I will be able to go to 32 hours some time in September. I was pretty stressed out about trying to work 40 hours a week and still be in the PsyD program.
I have no idea if I will get any access to P3 (for working add hours), but I am still squeaking.
I am going to leave for the day, but I have to wait until my blood sugar comes back up. It was 64 when I tested and I ate a rice crispy bar. Should be good to go in less than 20 minutes.
INSANITY LEVEL: GREEN
I am full of the realization that I have too much work on my plate and it CANNOT get done. There is a certain amount of peace in that framing.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STILL LOVE THE iPOD!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Insanity Level: Red
Warning the level of insanity has reached RED.
Seek shelter immediately
Run!
Find cover!
Return to your homes and lock your doors. Under no circumstances should you venture forth. If you witness an instance of insanity DO NOT try to correct it.
The insane are VERY contagious.
Simply report the instance to the proper authorities.
Save yourself - the end is near!
Seek shelter immediately
Run!
Find cover!
Return to your homes and lock your doors. Under no circumstances should you venture forth. If you witness an instance of insanity DO NOT try to correct it.
The insane are VERY contagious.
Simply report the instance to the proper authorities.
Save yourself - the end is near!
Oh what a beautiful morning
For those of you who enjoy the show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, I was watching him on a pig farm. This in itself was very entertaining, but the farmer was brilliant in his harvesting of resources that would otherwise be landfilled. Not the point I wanted to make, but never the less brilliant. I was faced with the stark contrast between the thought and effective efforts of the farmer and the absolute lack of intelligence here.
Our technical reviewer, who himself boarders on brilliant, was reviewing an assessment. He had lots of comments. Nothing unusual here, but the comments became so numerous that he felt it better to have a small meeting to discuss the issues, rather than trying to write all of his thoughts down.
He gathered the relevant parties in the cube next to me and began to discuss the assessment. The assessment was wrong at the most basic levels because the SMiLES was wrong. [SMiLES is a method of writing molecular structures in normal test (e.g. ethanol is CCO and phenol is c1(O)ccccc1). When this structure is wrong then all the computer modeled information is based on the wrong structure.] The error in this assessment was significant and yielded an assessment that was pretty much off-base from top to bottom.
If the assessment had been sent to me for review and I discovered the error, I would have simply sent it back to the author with the correct SMiLES and told them to redo the work. This would let the author start the assessment over, but on the correct path. Then I would have simply forgotten about the issue until the new assessment was ready for peer review.
Our beloved technical reviewer did not take these simple steps, but rather he called a meeting to discuss the error. It started simple enough, with him pointing out the error in the SMiLES. From there it crashed through the barriers of decency and common sense and swerved into the realm of insanity. He actually walked through the whole assessment and pointed out how the wrong molecule and the correct one were different. Talk about a complete waste of time. If that wasn’t bad enough, in bloody gory detail he also covered the natural sulfur cycle and nitrogen cycle, and how the fate of each molecule was different. He took a five minute review and turned it into a 90 minute waste of four people’s time.
It was like a train wreck. I could not just put on some music and tune it out. I kept listening and listening. In actuality he changed a five minute review into a waste of 90 minutes of my time too, and that is where I have the issue. I could have spent that time day-dreaming about my wife! – Oh, the humanity.
Further work reflections.
I have been as upfront and open with my decisions and intentions as it pertains to school and my career change. Many of these “disclosures” have been very costly to me personally. I have been straddled with projects that would not have otherwise been assigned to a senior member of the group. All told I have been excluded from a plethora of meetings and cut out of a great deal of projects, in favor of more routine work and drudgery. I have accepted this as a price for being well prepared for the upcoming transitions and being able to have the best possible solutions to the problems.
Here is where I have an issue. The best possible solutions were not implemented. Preparations were not made, and thus I get f@cked. I just found out that no arrangements have been made for my change in hours (from 40 to 32). No arrangements have been made for working at P3 (an alternate site with flexible hours). No forms have been filed. No approvals have been documented, and nobody seems to know anything about it.
This leaves me feeling screwed! I paid for the good intentions and am now going to be paying as if I gave no notice. Thanks PACE!
I have been shorted salary increases.
I have been shorted advancements.
I have been deigned travel opportunities.
I have been buried in sh!t work.
All of these dues paid for nothing. I am still going to get the crap of short notice.
I am going to be stuck without a laptop.
I am going to be unable to work at the alternate facility.
I am going to have to go through the approval process of changing hours.
The lesson here is to lookout for your own. On Pace’s letterhead, website and literature are the six core values. The second core value is “value employees”. This is listed right after “Integrity.”
LIARS!!!!!
Employees are values only in how much profit they can produce.
This makes me very bitter. You can bet that when it comes time to consider interests, I will not choose to serve theirs.
Our technical reviewer, who himself boarders on brilliant, was reviewing an assessment. He had lots of comments. Nothing unusual here, but the comments became so numerous that he felt it better to have a small meeting to discuss the issues, rather than trying to write all of his thoughts down.
He gathered the relevant parties in the cube next to me and began to discuss the assessment. The assessment was wrong at the most basic levels because the SMiLES was wrong. [SMiLES is a method of writing molecular structures in normal test (e.g. ethanol is CCO and phenol is c1(O)ccccc1). When this structure is wrong then all the computer modeled information is based on the wrong structure.] The error in this assessment was significant and yielded an assessment that was pretty much off-base from top to bottom.
If the assessment had been sent to me for review and I discovered the error, I would have simply sent it back to the author with the correct SMiLES and told them to redo the work. This would let the author start the assessment over, but on the correct path. Then I would have simply forgotten about the issue until the new assessment was ready for peer review.
Our beloved technical reviewer did not take these simple steps, but rather he called a meeting to discuss the error. It started simple enough, with him pointing out the error in the SMiLES. From there it crashed through the barriers of decency and common sense and swerved into the realm of insanity. He actually walked through the whole assessment and pointed out how the wrong molecule and the correct one were different. Talk about a complete waste of time. If that wasn’t bad enough, in bloody gory detail he also covered the natural sulfur cycle and nitrogen cycle, and how the fate of each molecule was different. He took a five minute review and turned it into a 90 minute waste of four people’s time.
It was like a train wreck. I could not just put on some music and tune it out. I kept listening and listening. In actuality he changed a five minute review into a waste of 90 minutes of my time too, and that is where I have the issue. I could have spent that time day-dreaming about my wife! – Oh, the humanity.
Further work reflections.
I have been as upfront and open with my decisions and intentions as it pertains to school and my career change. Many of these “disclosures” have been very costly to me personally. I have been straddled with projects that would not have otherwise been assigned to a senior member of the group. All told I have been excluded from a plethora of meetings and cut out of a great deal of projects, in favor of more routine work and drudgery. I have accepted this as a price for being well prepared for the upcoming transitions and being able to have the best possible solutions to the problems.
Here is where I have an issue. The best possible solutions were not implemented. Preparations were not made, and thus I get f@cked. I just found out that no arrangements have been made for my change in hours (from 40 to 32). No arrangements have been made for working at P3 (an alternate site with flexible hours). No forms have been filed. No approvals have been documented, and nobody seems to know anything about it.
This leaves me feeling screwed! I paid for the good intentions and am now going to be paying as if I gave no notice. Thanks PACE!
I have been shorted salary increases.
I have been shorted advancements.
I have been deigned travel opportunities.
I have been buried in sh!t work.
All of these dues paid for nothing. I am still going to get the crap of short notice.
I am going to be stuck without a laptop.
I am going to be unable to work at the alternate facility.
I am going to have to go through the approval process of changing hours.
The lesson here is to lookout for your own. On Pace’s letterhead, website and literature are the six core values. The second core value is “value employees”. This is listed right after “Integrity.”
LIARS!!!!!
Employees are values only in how much profit they can produce.
This makes me very bitter. You can bet that when it comes time to consider interests, I will not choose to serve theirs.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Tragic Event Forces Man To Spend Rest Of Life Confined To Office Chair
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - The life of recent college graduate Ichabod P. Freely was forever changed earlier this month when the once outgoing and carefree student succumbed to a job offer at a local on-site support services firm, an unforeseen and tragic event that will most likely keep him confined to an office chair for the rest of his life.
While many details remain unclear, it is now believed that I. P. Freely lost any and all upward mobility moments after being hired for a data entry position at Pace Analytical on the morning of July 25. According to several eyewitnesses at the scene, the impact of Freely's full-time employment was so sudden and crushing that it has left the former high school track star paralyzed in front of his work computer screen ever since.
"You hear stories about it all the time, but you never think that something like this is going to happen to you," said Freely, who now spends most days trapped inside a windowless cubicle, and only leaves his office chair in order to use the bathroom. "It's funny: One minute you have your entire future ahead of you, and the next thing you know, you practically need someone to drag you out of bed in the morning. "
Due to Freely's condition, simple, everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, walking his dog, or even just cleaning up after himself have become virtually impossible feats. In addition, I. P. Freely admitted that he has been forced to abandon a number of his favorite activities, from jogging in the park to just kicking his feet up and watching daytime television.
Mr. Freely, who claims to have lost "all sense of purpose" due to this harrowing turn of events, is already finding it difficult to remember a time when he "didn't feel completely numb."
"People keep telling me that it's going to get easier, that I won't always be stuck in this position, but right now, every minute of every day is a struggle," Freely said.
In recent weeks, Mr. Freely has also found himself requiring the aid of various stimulants and drugs, such as caffeine, sugar, and even alcohol, just to get through the day. Worse yet, those close to the once lively 22-year-old report that he has become almost entirely dependent on computers to communicate with those around him.
"I realize that what happened to Ichabod is nobody's fault, but still I sometimes wish I could have my old buddy back," said longtime friend Derrick Hodge, who recently visited Ichabod in his cubicle. "At first I tried pretending like nothing had changed, but every time I looked at him all I could see was that ‘that chair’."
News of Freely's debilitating employment has left his loved ones shocked and feeling helpless.
"Ichabod had such a bright future. He could have gone on to do anything he wanted," said Michelle Freely, who claimed that she almost didn't recognize her brother. "To see him like this now, in that button-down dress shirt and those pleated slacks, it's almost too much to bear."
"He didn't deserve this," she added. "Nobody deserves this."
While Freely has often thought about quitting for good, one thing has kept him going through it all.
"Sometimes I imagine what a relief it would be if I just gave up all together, if I never had to deal with another weekday ever again," Freely said. "But then I think about my school loans and my credit card debt, and I know I have no choice but to keep going."
While many details remain unclear, it is now believed that I. P. Freely lost any and all upward mobility moments after being hired for a data entry position at Pace Analytical on the morning of July 25. According to several eyewitnesses at the scene, the impact of Freely's full-time employment was so sudden and crushing that it has left the former high school track star paralyzed in front of his work computer screen ever since.
"You hear stories about it all the time, but you never think that something like this is going to happen to you," said Freely, who now spends most days trapped inside a windowless cubicle, and only leaves his office chair in order to use the bathroom. "It's funny: One minute you have your entire future ahead of you, and the next thing you know, you practically need someone to drag you out of bed in the morning. "
Due to Freely's condition, simple, everyday tasks such as grocery shopping, walking his dog, or even just cleaning up after himself have become virtually impossible feats. In addition, I. P. Freely admitted that he has been forced to abandon a number of his favorite activities, from jogging in the park to just kicking his feet up and watching daytime television.
Mr. Freely, who claims to have lost "all sense of purpose" due to this harrowing turn of events, is already finding it difficult to remember a time when he "didn't feel completely numb."
"People keep telling me that it's going to get easier, that I won't always be stuck in this position, but right now, every minute of every day is a struggle," Freely said.
In recent weeks, Mr. Freely has also found himself requiring the aid of various stimulants and drugs, such as caffeine, sugar, and even alcohol, just to get through the day. Worse yet, those close to the once lively 22-year-old report that he has become almost entirely dependent on computers to communicate with those around him.
"I realize that what happened to Ichabod is nobody's fault, but still I sometimes wish I could have my old buddy back," said longtime friend Derrick Hodge, who recently visited Ichabod in his cubicle. "At first I tried pretending like nothing had changed, but every time I looked at him all I could see was that ‘that chair’."
News of Freely's debilitating employment has left his loved ones shocked and feeling helpless.
"Ichabod had such a bright future. He could have gone on to do anything he wanted," said Michelle Freely, who claimed that she almost didn't recognize her brother. "To see him like this now, in that button-down dress shirt and those pleated slacks, it's almost too much to bear."
"He didn't deserve this," she added. "Nobody deserves this."
While Freely has often thought about quitting for good, one thing has kept him going through it all.
"Sometimes I imagine what a relief it would be if I just gave up all together, if I never had to deal with another weekday ever again," Freely said. "But then I think about my school loans and my credit card debt, and I know I have no choice but to keep going."
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Letter to Teenagers, end
My wife and I are loving and caring people. We want the best for all the children in our home. We desire a bright and promising future for each and every one of you. We work hard to raise good and descent adults, but the problem is we are failing. Our home is recognized as one of the best treatment homes in the state, if not the nations. We are well educated, highly involved, and professional treatment foster parents (or just parents if you are my son). I spend a great deal of time trying to correct the aberrant behaviors you spit like venom. You strike at the heart, every chance you get. Why then do you fight a war of attrition against these efforts? Is it because you are lazy, and spiteful, and nasty, and short-sighted, and ill-conceived, and emotionally ugly people?
Wake-up and smell the f@cking socks rotting on the floor, you need to change your evil ways. Your sloth is intolerable. You laziness is unacceptable. Your vile contemptuous ways must stop.
Here is the way of my house. Because I pay the bills and am responsible, I will set the level of cleanliness that is acceptable. You, as someone living under MY roof, will live and behave at or above that standard. I even know your thoughts at these statements, “No way, you can make me.”
The sad fact is your right. I can’t make you do anything accept die, and because I love each of you I can’t make you do that. What I can do is convince you that you want to live at an acceptable level. SO now you are asking, “How are you going to do that?” Well, I am not sure what will be the motivation that help you help yourself, but I can promise you that I can find that motivation.
Your reality is that I control nearly every aspect of your lives. The power and the authority rests within my wife and myself. So debate it all you will, but I do have it. I have it and, fair warning, I plan to use it.
You have no idea what to do with us when we act “irrationally”. Well tough. I am going to use that as an instrument in my motivational toolbox. I am going to use everything I have to achieve my ends. I am tired of fighting fair. I am sick of being subverted by laziness, sloth, and self-destructive stupidity. I battle each of these things daily, like everybody else. Here is your notice, its time you starting fighting the good fight.
I know you had a hard life. You suffered. You were damaged by parents who were so incompetent that they should be drawn ad quartered. I do acknowledge that your start in life sucked. Here is the deal, it sucked and that’s bad, but it is not a justification for being an a$$hole. Your vile sh!theaded mothers are not an excuse for YOUR bad behavior. They are not raising you. They do not control your life. Above all else, they are not an excuse. Furthermore, the world does not owe you anything. Tragic or plush, you childhood is not any sort of ticket to Easy Street. I have seen first hand, in my son that a bad start is not a death sentence. I have see that poor parenting is not going to get you ahead, and that good parenting, albeit less painful, doesn’t get you ahead either. You must learn to stand on your own two feet and be successful in this world, and it’s my job to teach it to you.
Here is that problem again, what happens when you don’t want to learn? What can be done and what should be done to make you learn life lessons? What should happen if you refuse to learn at any price?
Frankly, I don’t care much if you are mental, pathological, or disadvantaged, these patterns of behavior are vitriolic to you and me, and thus they will change.
This question could be reframed as what are you worth? Know that I have opened my home to you. I accepted a stranger, with known and well documented problems, into my house. I am fully aware that you are not perfect little angels. I am cognoscente of the psychopathology you are burdened with, but my wife and I are skilled healers. You can reject healing, but you can’t inflict sloth upon me, or others I care for.
Wake-up and smell the f@cking socks rotting on the floor, you need to change your evil ways. Your sloth is intolerable. You laziness is unacceptable. Your vile contemptuous ways must stop.
Here is the way of my house. Because I pay the bills and am responsible, I will set the level of cleanliness that is acceptable. You, as someone living under MY roof, will live and behave at or above that standard. I even know your thoughts at these statements, “No way, you can make me.”
The sad fact is your right. I can’t make you do anything accept die, and because I love each of you I can’t make you do that. What I can do is convince you that you want to live at an acceptable level. SO now you are asking, “How are you going to do that?” Well, I am not sure what will be the motivation that help you help yourself, but I can promise you that I can find that motivation.
Your reality is that I control nearly every aspect of your lives. The power and the authority rests within my wife and myself. So debate it all you will, but I do have it. I have it and, fair warning, I plan to use it.
You have no idea what to do with us when we act “irrationally”. Well tough. I am going to use that as an instrument in my motivational toolbox. I am going to use everything I have to achieve my ends. I am tired of fighting fair. I am sick of being subverted by laziness, sloth, and self-destructive stupidity. I battle each of these things daily, like everybody else. Here is your notice, its time you starting fighting the good fight.
I know you had a hard life. You suffered. You were damaged by parents who were so incompetent that they should be drawn ad quartered. I do acknowledge that your start in life sucked. Here is the deal, it sucked and that’s bad, but it is not a justification for being an a$$hole. Your vile sh!theaded mothers are not an excuse for YOUR bad behavior. They are not raising you. They do not control your life. Above all else, they are not an excuse. Furthermore, the world does not owe you anything. Tragic or plush, you childhood is not any sort of ticket to Easy Street. I have seen first hand, in my son that a bad start is not a death sentence. I have see that poor parenting is not going to get you ahead, and that good parenting, albeit less painful, doesn’t get you ahead either. You must learn to stand on your own two feet and be successful in this world, and it’s my job to teach it to you.
Here is that problem again, what happens when you don’t want to learn? What can be done and what should be done to make you learn life lessons? What should happen if you refuse to learn at any price?
Frankly, I don’t care much if you are mental, pathological, or disadvantaged, these patterns of behavior are vitriolic to you and me, and thus they will change.
This question could be reframed as what are you worth? Know that I have opened my home to you. I accepted a stranger, with known and well documented problems, into my house. I am fully aware that you are not perfect little angels. I am cognoscente of the psychopathology you are burdened with, but my wife and I are skilled healers. You can reject healing, but you can’t inflict sloth upon me, or others I care for.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Are Your Cats Old Enough To Learn About Jesus?
People often ask me when they should teach the Good News to their housecats. I have but one answer: "What are you waiting for?"
A pet is a beloved part of your family, and as a Christian, you should do everything you can to guarantee that this valued member of your family receives the glorious eternal reward for which Christ gave His very life. Think of the alternative: your cat mired in darkness for eternity because you put off a 10-minute conversation.
My own cats accepted Jesus into their hearts before they even opened their eyes. The light of salvation has brightened their lives, but perhaps the most noticeable change has been in me. I am filled with warmth knowing their eternal souls have been saved.
Kittens' hearts, at birth, are filled with what theologians call "original mischief." Mischief, if left to grow on its own, can sprout into evil. That's why you must fill their hearts with Jesus instead. If you wait, your cats might find seductive role models among the back-alley strays and rough felines from the wrong side of town. You could also end up with an unwanted pregnancy.
That's why it's so very, very important to tell your cats about the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus as early as possible. The Nicene Creed is a good place to start: Recite it to them when they are about 10 weeks old.
Remember: If you give a cat a fish, it eats for a day. If you teach a cat to fish, it eats for a lifetime. Perhaps that's not such a good proverb to use in this case, since fishing is actually instinctual in cats. But Jesus is not. Your kitties need to know early on that there is a fisher of men and cats alike who can save their souls.
A lot of people say, "Oh, but Whiskers doesn't even answer to his name yet." They raise a good point: Sometimes you have to teach your cat at its own level. If you give your cat a rubber Jesus to play with, it will sense that there's more to this toy. If you give it a scratching cross, it will contemplate Christ's love and ultimate sacrifice while it stretches and sharpens its claws. I myself have put an image of Jesus at the bottom of my cats' food bowls. That way, when they finish their food, the face of He who provided it is revealed unto them.
Teaching your cats the Gospel of Christ isn't just important for their eternal souls, it is also the only way to ensure that they know an eternity of damnation awaits them if they scratch your favorite chair. Before they cough up a hairball on the rug or leave a dead mouse on the doorstep, they'll know*without being scolded*that they had better watch it, as a Final Judgment awaits at the hands of the Lord.
Of course, once your cat has accepted the Lord in its heart, it's ready to be baptized. The righteous cat is one that is born again in the eyes of the Lord. People think that baptism is a rite that requires a fancy baptismal font and a preacher, but that's simply not true. Just fill your bathtub with water, say a little invocation over it, ask your cat if it rejects Satan and all his evil, and then dunk it. Make sure it is fully immersed, in accordance with Scripture.
So now, all you have to do is choose your cat's baptismal name. My cats' birth names were Meowser, Fluff, and Mr. Boots, but their baptismal names are Ezekiel, Caleb, and Mr. Paws.
Remember, a cat may have nine lives, but it only has one eternal soul. We all must one day appear before the Holy Seat Of Judgment, and although my Oliver and Lady Twinkles passed on long ago from this vale of tears, I take solace in the knowledge that, when the time comes for me to receive the ecstasies of Heaven, all of my housecats will be waiting to spend eternity on my lap.
And don't get your cats vaccinated, either. The Lord will provide protection from feline leukemia.
A pet is a beloved part of your family, and as a Christian, you should do everything you can to guarantee that this valued member of your family receives the glorious eternal reward for which Christ gave His very life. Think of the alternative: your cat mired in darkness for eternity because you put off a 10-minute conversation.
My own cats accepted Jesus into their hearts before they even opened their eyes. The light of salvation has brightened their lives, but perhaps the most noticeable change has been in me. I am filled with warmth knowing their eternal souls have been saved.
Kittens' hearts, at birth, are filled with what theologians call "original mischief." Mischief, if left to grow on its own, can sprout into evil. That's why you must fill their hearts with Jesus instead. If you wait, your cats might find seductive role models among the back-alley strays and rough felines from the wrong side of town. You could also end up with an unwanted pregnancy.
That's why it's so very, very important to tell your cats about the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus as early as possible. The Nicene Creed is a good place to start: Recite it to them when they are about 10 weeks old.
Remember: If you give a cat a fish, it eats for a day. If you teach a cat to fish, it eats for a lifetime. Perhaps that's not such a good proverb to use in this case, since fishing is actually instinctual in cats. But Jesus is not. Your kitties need to know early on that there is a fisher of men and cats alike who can save their souls.
A lot of people say, "Oh, but Whiskers doesn't even answer to his name yet." They raise a good point: Sometimes you have to teach your cat at its own level. If you give your cat a rubber Jesus to play with, it will sense that there's more to this toy. If you give it a scratching cross, it will contemplate Christ's love and ultimate sacrifice while it stretches and sharpens its claws. I myself have put an image of Jesus at the bottom of my cats' food bowls. That way, when they finish their food, the face of He who provided it is revealed unto them.
Teaching your cats the Gospel of Christ isn't just important for their eternal souls, it is also the only way to ensure that they know an eternity of damnation awaits them if they scratch your favorite chair. Before they cough up a hairball on the rug or leave a dead mouse on the doorstep, they'll know*without being scolded*that they had better watch it, as a Final Judgment awaits at the hands of the Lord.
Of course, once your cat has accepted the Lord in its heart, it's ready to be baptized. The righteous cat is one that is born again in the eyes of the Lord. People think that baptism is a rite that requires a fancy baptismal font and a preacher, but that's simply not true. Just fill your bathtub with water, say a little invocation over it, ask your cat if it rejects Satan and all his evil, and then dunk it. Make sure it is fully immersed, in accordance with Scripture.
So now, all you have to do is choose your cat's baptismal name. My cats' birth names were Meowser, Fluff, and Mr. Boots, but their baptismal names are Ezekiel, Caleb, and Mr. Paws.
Remember, a cat may have nine lives, but it only has one eternal soul. We all must one day appear before the Holy Seat Of Judgment, and although my Oliver and Lady Twinkles passed on long ago from this vale of tears, I take solace in the knowledge that, when the time comes for me to receive the ecstasies of Heaven, all of my housecats will be waiting to spend eternity on my lap.
And don't get your cats vaccinated, either. The Lord will provide protection from feline leukemia.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Open Letter to teenagers, continued...
Dear Teenagers,
In an effort to make you better humans, or at least someone we can live with, I have been trying to come up with solutions to your aberrant behaviors.
SOLUTIONS:
Take away the cell phones – I could cancel or confiscate the cell phones. Of course then the lesson of bills is subjugated to cleanliness. Plus I don’t think it would motivate you to clean. I know from past privilege removals and punishments that you just don’t care. You would rather live in filth and boredom than help with chores.
Empty the bedrooms – I could clear everything out of your bedroom. You would have little to make a mess with if its all gone. I love this idea. It is a fitting course of action for your ill-mannered and obscenely disrespectful behaviors. The problem is that I have no place to put all of your sh!t (and you have tons). I could put deadbolt locks on your closet doors, but the closet doors are damaged (by teenagers) and may not be sufficient. I could rent a storage shed, but then I am paying for your problem. I could take the rental fee out of your paychecks, but that is like pulling teeth, and the fact is you need to save every last penny you earn (not that you do). I could just let it go, but there are health codes and laws against the way you prefer to live. It just makes me want to beat you with a pipe. If I am going to use this solution I will need to install deadbolts and doors. As I already have the locks, I would only have to deal with the door. I like this option the best of all that I have come up with.
By the way, all of this adds to you’re a$$hole status, and that’s not a good thing.
I am so angry at the way you choose to live and the method you use to do such. You choose to live in total filth and without care for those around you. It is obvious you hate the other children in the house. It is even obvious the degree to which you hate them. Each of you frequently goes to great length to sabotage the others, you are willing to live “without” in order to make the other suffer. This makes you a bad person.
There are many days that I wish I could beat you. Fists, pipe, bat, whip, auto accident…
In an effort to make you better humans, or at least someone we can live with, I have been trying to come up with solutions to your aberrant behaviors.
SOLUTIONS:
Take away the cell phones – I could cancel or confiscate the cell phones. Of course then the lesson of bills is subjugated to cleanliness. Plus I don’t think it would motivate you to clean. I know from past privilege removals and punishments that you just don’t care. You would rather live in filth and boredom than help with chores.
Empty the bedrooms – I could clear everything out of your bedroom. You would have little to make a mess with if its all gone. I love this idea. It is a fitting course of action for your ill-mannered and obscenely disrespectful behaviors. The problem is that I have no place to put all of your sh!t (and you have tons). I could put deadbolt locks on your closet doors, but the closet doors are damaged (by teenagers) and may not be sufficient. I could rent a storage shed, but then I am paying for your problem. I could take the rental fee out of your paychecks, but that is like pulling teeth, and the fact is you need to save every last penny you earn (not that you do). I could just let it go, but there are health codes and laws against the way you prefer to live. It just makes me want to beat you with a pipe. If I am going to use this solution I will need to install deadbolts and doors. As I already have the locks, I would only have to deal with the door. I like this option the best of all that I have come up with.
By the way, all of this adds to you’re a$$hole status, and that’s not a good thing.
I am so angry at the way you choose to live and the method you use to do such. You choose to live in total filth and without care for those around you. It is obvious you hate the other children in the house. It is even obvious the degree to which you hate them. Each of you frequently goes to great length to sabotage the others, you are willing to live “without” in order to make the other suffer. This makes you a bad person.
There are many days that I wish I could beat you. Fists, pipe, bat, whip, auto accident…
Reflections on iPod
Well I now own an iPod shuffle and an iPod 80gig.
iPod Shuffle:
I use this for walks, work-outs, and yard work. This little toy is an excellent music player. I had to spend several hours making playlists for it, but once done it’s very slick. I picked songs that had a strong beat and were paced for work-outs. I charged it fully and have not had to recharge it since. It’s pretty amazing; in fact, it has had many hours of use and still does not need to be charged! For an $80 player this thing is tops.
I know it does not have a display and its is pretty basic, but for working-out and moving around it is the greatest toy. The light, small, durable, long battery life, and cheep advantages far outstrip the disadvantages.
iPod 80gig:
This device was purchased to replace my failed Creative Nomad Jukebox USB2.0 MP3 player. I picked it up based on the popularity of iPod and the impressions I have from the shuffle. Here is where I went wrong. I should have researched the device somewhat more closely. I want to use it to base all of my music in, but it is not intended to do that. It is intended to be a player and not a master file storage system. Of course I failed to realize this until I had invested a bunch of time in getting it set up. Suffice it to say, the iPod does not work like a creative labs product.
Advantages: It has a huge storage capacity. It is a full 20 gigs bigger than the creative labs player (Nomad W). It is smaller and lighter. It has lots of iPod toys available.
Disadvantages: It only plays Apple music format (not WMAs) and video format. It does not function like other PC equipment – a different mind set. Not compatible with downloaded (and protected) music. I have downloaded about $50 in music and the iPod won’t touch this stuff. You can’t load it onto the player. It does not function as a master storage device.
Yesterday as I was trying to figure out if the iPod was worth the price, I did do some reading. Online most of my questions were answered. I found, and downloaded, programs that convert DVDs to MPG4 format. I also decided to just take the required time and convert my music libraries. In keeping the iPod I am loosing all of my downloaded music, so I went ahead and dealt with that (tried to get used CDs where possible and single tracks from iTunes where CDs weren’t available). I ordered up a tone of music last night to deal with the problem. Dollars and cents wise I spent close to $40 (which I humorously left on Da Wife’s nightstand). I will have to spend about that again on downloads, but if I took the iPod back, I would loose $38 to a restocking fee + the Nomad W is $75 more than the iPod (for less space). I will also have to find a half-ways descent program for converting DVDs to iPod format.
I like the idea of skins, cases, chargers, and gizmos for the iPod, so we must figure this has some value. I also did some research into the Nomad W and found that it too uses a special video format and has issues with conversions. Being stuck without a player has been a real pain in the rump. I just love being able to hide behind my music. There is a whole world of vile conversation going on around me and I am immune.
End Note: I am keeping the iPod and I am going to enjoy the bolts out of it. It makes me immune to the surrounding mental drivel.
iPod Shuffle:
I use this for walks, work-outs, and yard work. This little toy is an excellent music player. I had to spend several hours making playlists for it, but once done it’s very slick. I picked songs that had a strong beat and were paced for work-outs. I charged it fully and have not had to recharge it since. It’s pretty amazing; in fact, it has had many hours of use and still does not need to be charged! For an $80 player this thing is tops.
I know it does not have a display and its is pretty basic, but for working-out and moving around it is the greatest toy. The light, small, durable, long battery life, and cheep advantages far outstrip the disadvantages.
iPod 80gig:
This device was purchased to replace my failed Creative Nomad Jukebox USB2.0 MP3 player. I picked it up based on the popularity of iPod and the impressions I have from the shuffle. Here is where I went wrong. I should have researched the device somewhat more closely. I want to use it to base all of my music in, but it is not intended to do that. It is intended to be a player and not a master file storage system. Of course I failed to realize this until I had invested a bunch of time in getting it set up. Suffice it to say, the iPod does not work like a creative labs product.
Advantages: It has a huge storage capacity. It is a full 20 gigs bigger than the creative labs player (Nomad W). It is smaller and lighter. It has lots of iPod toys available.
Disadvantages: It only plays Apple music format (not WMAs) and video format. It does not function like other PC equipment – a different mind set. Not compatible with downloaded (and protected) music. I have downloaded about $50 in music and the iPod won’t touch this stuff. You can’t load it onto the player. It does not function as a master storage device.
Yesterday as I was trying to figure out if the iPod was worth the price, I did do some reading. Online most of my questions were answered. I found, and downloaded, programs that convert DVDs to MPG4 format. I also decided to just take the required time and convert my music libraries. In keeping the iPod I am loosing all of my downloaded music, so I went ahead and dealt with that (tried to get used CDs where possible and single tracks from iTunes where CDs weren’t available). I ordered up a tone of music last night to deal with the problem. Dollars and cents wise I spent close to $40 (which I humorously left on Da Wife’s nightstand). I will have to spend about that again on downloads, but if I took the iPod back, I would loose $38 to a restocking fee + the Nomad W is $75 more than the iPod (for less space). I will also have to find a half-ways descent program for converting DVDs to iPod format.
I like the idea of skins, cases, chargers, and gizmos for the iPod, so we must figure this has some value. I also did some research into the Nomad W and found that it too uses a special video format and has issues with conversions. Being stuck without a player has been a real pain in the rump. I just love being able to hide behind my music. There is a whole world of vile conversation going on around me and I am immune.
End Note: I am keeping the iPod and I am going to enjoy the bolts out of it. It makes me immune to the surrounding mental drivel.
Monday, August 6, 2007
THINGS I DID DO
Watch a few movies
-Live Feed
-300
-B5 A Call to Arms
-The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
-Phenomenon
Got to MoA (but it was for the boys school shopping)
I got in a game of Arkham Horror (AND WE WON!)
-Live Feed
-300
-B5 A Call to Arms
-The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
-Phenomenon
Got to MoA (but it was for the boys school shopping)
I got in a game of Arkham Horror (AND WE WON!)
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
To my teenagers
Dear Teenagers,
First of all, f@ck you. This is harsh, but it is well deserved.
Why is it deserved? When you are asked to unload the load the dish washer, a 20 minutes chore if you are in a full body cast, it takes you an hour (or more). Then the task is done half-a$$ed and the kitchen counters are not wiped down and the garbage is not even in the trash receptacles. Plus all of the chores you do (and I mean all of them) you approach with the same degree of apathy and ill temper. What the hell is wrong with you?
I can do this chore in less than 20 minutes, in the morning, before any coffee, but you can’t accomplish it in 3x the time nor get it right. How is this possible?
I know your abilities and this is not beyond any of you. In fact the most retarded one in the bunch does the best job. This makes you a bunch of f@cking a$$holes.
Yep it’s true, harsh, but true!
Here is what I think it boils down to. In your infinite wisdom, you think that if you do a bad job and make this such a stressful process (on all of us) we will get fed-up with you and stop asking you to do chores. This may be correct, but it makes you an a$$hole.
It is truly Sisyphean to try and make you work, but it is you teenagers who make most of the mess. What can we do to keep the house clean and orderly and not have to spend countless hours cleaning-up after all of you or ALL of our spare time trying to get you to clean up after your-own damb a$$?
As the resident adults we do take on the majority of the responcibilities, but trying to be absent from any house work is just wrong.
Stop with the teen crap and lift a finger (not the middle one)!
OR ELSE!
First of all, f@ck you. This is harsh, but it is well deserved.
Why is it deserved? When you are asked to unload the load the dish washer, a 20 minutes chore if you are in a full body cast, it takes you an hour (or more). Then the task is done half-a$$ed and the kitchen counters are not wiped down and the garbage is not even in the trash receptacles. Plus all of the chores you do (and I mean all of them) you approach with the same degree of apathy and ill temper. What the hell is wrong with you?
I can do this chore in less than 20 minutes, in the morning, before any coffee, but you can’t accomplish it in 3x the time nor get it right. How is this possible?
I know your abilities and this is not beyond any of you. In fact the most retarded one in the bunch does the best job. This makes you a bunch of f@cking a$$holes.
Yep it’s true, harsh, but true!
Here is what I think it boils down to. In your infinite wisdom, you think that if you do a bad job and make this such a stressful process (on all of us) we will get fed-up with you and stop asking you to do chores. This may be correct, but it makes you an a$$hole.
It is truly Sisyphean to try and make you work, but it is you teenagers who make most of the mess. What can we do to keep the house clean and orderly and not have to spend countless hours cleaning-up after all of you or ALL of our spare time trying to get you to clean up after your-own damb a$$?
As the resident adults we do take on the majority of the responcibilities, but trying to be absent from any house work is just wrong.
Stop with the teen crap and lift a finger (not the middle one)!
OR ELSE!
THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO DO
Play Guitar Hero II
A rousing game of Vampire: the Requiem
Selfishly, the last refuge of the poor
Watch a few movies
Be able to get some exercise (in a fun way)
Sleep Late and wake to GREAT coffee (and Bacon)
Get to Church
Eat Lobster, crab and shrimp with Red Lobster biscuits
Go to the mall and get something fun + stupid (a game, some movies, a book, or a stupid toy)
Tie one on/get trashed/ eat some fruit with my good friend Jose Cuervo
Killer Bunnies
Take my Mrs. back to the club
Smoke a couple of GREAT cigars with a peppery shiraz
The insanity level is holding steady at Yellow
I need to get a few more thngs done, but the weeks end is in site.
A rousing game of Vampire: the Requiem
Selfishly, the last refuge of the poor
Watch a few movies
Be able to get some exercise (in a fun way)
Sleep Late and wake to GREAT coffee (and Bacon)
Get to Church
Eat Lobster, crab and shrimp with Red Lobster biscuits
Go to the mall and get something fun + stupid (a game, some movies, a book, or a stupid toy)
Tie one on/get trashed/ eat some fruit with my good friend Jose Cuervo
Killer Bunnies
Take my Mrs. back to the club
Smoke a couple of GREAT cigars with a peppery shiraz
The insanity level is holding steady at Yellow
I need to get a few more thngs done, but the weeks end is in site.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
THINGS THAT SUCK
Oh what a wonderful day – NOT!
Diabetes SUCKS
Disobedient little teenagers also suck
Work meetings suck
Crazy projects from crazy b@sterds suck
IT problems suck, but offer lots of time to type into my blog
Insurance is nothing by legalized crime! and it sucks
Lost wallets suck
Teenagers who smoke suck
Having a day of things that suck, sucks
Diabetes SUCKS
Disobedient little teenagers also suck
Work meetings suck
Crazy projects from crazy b@sterds suck
IT problems suck, but offer lots of time to type into my blog
Insurance is nothing by legalized crime! and it sucks
Lost wallets suck
Teenagers who smoke suck
Having a day of things that suck, sucks
Insanity level Yellow
Yellow
Just got a bunch of dental documents that need assessments and an Indian document with undisclosed benzene
Just got a bunch of dental documents that need assessments and an Indian document with undisclosed benzene
Do elephants really have an unusually long memory?
I don't usually like these heartwarming stories, but this one is truly interesting . . .
In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.
Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day. Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teen-aged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man remembering the encounter in 1987; Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
I don't usually like these heartwarming stories, but this one is truly interesting . . .
In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.
Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day. Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teen-aged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man remembering the encounter in 1987; Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe's legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him.
Probably wasn't the same elephant.
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