First of all, I want to wish all my blogger friends a very safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!!! You are all wonderful people who I have come to care a lot for. Thanks for being such good blog buddies!
Some time ago, my friend Biddie did a "7 Things You Didn't Know About Me" post which I promised I would do "sometime in the future". Well, there's no time like the present, so here goes. If you knew some of these things already, just pretend you didn't, OK? LOL!
1) Friday (the 28th of December) was my 40th birthday! Yep! I'm now in a New Decade! The funny thing is, I don't FEEL 40... lately I've been feeling around 80ish!!! Too much heavy lifting + not enough sleep + constantly changing weather = Phoenix feeling VERY old and creaky! LOL!
2) I am a Science Fiction/Fantasy FANATIC! I love being able to escape reality for a while by reading books, watching movies or playing Role Playing Games on my computer. Sometimes I wish that I could REALLY escape and never come back, but then I'd miss you guys too much!
3) I am a New England Patriots fan. I've been a fan of the Pats since the year they were added to the NFL roster and boy, is it great to be rewarded so often for loyalty! LOL! This year the Patriots played a PERFECT SEASON! NO LOSSES!!!! WHOOO HOOO!!
4) I am a BIG fan of the Canadian Football League as well. The CFL season starts in June and goes to November so I get to enjoy TWO seasons of football every year! In the CFL, my team is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers since I am from Winnipeg by birth. My wife is a Toronto Argonauts fan, which makes for some interesting conversations during Winnipeg/Toronto games in our house! LOL! This year the Bombers went all the way to the Grey Cup (the CFL equivalent of the Super Bowl) but sadly, lost a hotly contested game to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was a great game though, I was on the edge of my seat (aka "The Couch") for the entire second half... a real nail-biter!
5) Related to item #2, I am trying to write a fantasy novel. It's been a lot harder than I thought it would be, mostly because I find writing exhausting work and I haven't had a lot of energy these last few months. I became stuck at a point late last year and hadn't been able to proceed because I felt something was missing but couldn't figure out what it was. I think I have figured it out now, but haven't been able to summon the energy needed to start up again. I'm hoping that I'll be able to break the chains that are binding my imagination and get back into it again soon.
6) Related to item #5, sorta, I have two incredibly talented, imaginative daughters who are constantly creating new characters for their own stories. My oldest, J, has been able to develop as a fairly proficient Manga artist and has sketchbooks full of character sketches complete with bios and everything. My youngest, T, is following in her older sister's footsteps and has her own sketchbook, filled with little comic strips done Japanese style. Right now the stories make little sense, and are fairly childish, but the character development is awesome. I am SOOO jealous! LOL!
7) I am a terrible "Finisher". So many times, I have started projects, only to abandon them mid-stream. I haven't been able to figure out why I lose interest so quickly in everything I do, but it is beginning to really irritate me. My home office is cluttered with unfinished models, projects, etc. which is making it hard to work in here. About the only time I actually finish a project is when I have an outside deadline to meet. If I am doing something for someone else, I almost always meet the deadline, usually because I find myself almost out of time and put in a panic session getting it done! I have tried setting deadlines for myself, but I always seem to realize that it's just me I'm letting down, no one else, so I let myself get completely distracted from the task at hand. I'm trying to be more focused, but so far, not so good.
Well, that's my latest "7". I hope you enjoyed reading them! I'm supposed to tag several people, but I won't. If you feel so inclined to do your own "7", please let me know you have done it so I can read it. I love to read about my friends!
Until next time...
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
It's Catch up Time!
First of all, I want to apologize to all my friends for being absent from this for the past couple of weeks. I just didn't have the energy to post even though I did have some news to pass on. But then again, those of you who know me know that I post very sporadically at best! LOL!
Now to catch up...
In my last post I was hoping to avoid losing a day of work due to the migraine that had hit me that afternoon. Unfortunately, when I woke up Tuesday morning, I was mostly blind in my right eye, and was watching the most wonderful fireworks display INSIDE my head! I was able to see enough to dial my boss' number and leave the obligatory "calling in sick" message. Then I took my "cocktail" of drugs and went back to bed. I slept until 11:30 when Rebel decided to let me know he was tired of dozing at the foot of my bed and jumped up on the bed to "wash my face" again. After cuddling him for a few minutes, I attempted to sit up and was VERY relieved that my head didn't try to explode immediately. I could still see the flickering colours at the edges of my vision, but both eyes were working again and if I didn't move too quickly, the pain was bearable. After having something to eat, I called my doctor and booked an appointment. The earliest I could get in to see him was Friday evening, which was acceptable to me. Other times it's been a few weeks before I could get in to see him.
I went back to work on Wednesday, and managed to turn in some of my most productive days, despite having a constant dull thumping in my head and having to wear my sunglasses indoors! My lead hand, Samantha (Sam) has been extremely supportive and encouraging during this ordeal. Several times each day she would "check in" with me to see how I was feeling and to let me know that if I had to go early, to do so without fear of reprisals. She even told me she had spoken to the Operations Manager (OM) about me and had informed him that he could not afford to lose me! What a gal! She's only about half my age, but she already has the skills of a great manager! Angela, the overall lead (we have two levels of lead hands in our warehouse, Angela is our "overlead" while Sam, Jeremy, Cora, Josh and Scott are the departmental leads - confusing, I know, but that's the way it is!) has also been very supportive as well. It's good to have these two young ladies in my corner as they report directly to my boss, the OM.
Friday evening my wife and I went to see my doctor. I may have mentioned this before, but the last time I spoke to him about my migraines a couple of years ago, he was insistent that "Men do not get migraines! They are a FEMALE problem caused by estrogen. Men get CLUSTER HEADACHES from too much stress. Take some Advil and learn how to relax!" So, for the past couple of years, I've been suffering through these terrible "cluster headaches" with nothing but off-the-shelf remedies like Advil, Aspirin and Tylenol to relieve the pain. Well! Was I in for a surprise THIS time! During these last years, my doctor's son has been diagnosed as a migraine sufferer! Now, MY doctor is the "foremost expert on migraines"!!!! LMAO! He immediately started asking me about my symptoms, and instead of brushing me off like he used to, he actually took notes! He did some rudimentary tests which he said ruled out the likelihood of me having a brain tumour or aneurysm. He told me that the eyes were the first indicator of something like that and that my eyes showed no signs of "foreign objects" in my head. WHEW! That had been something that had worried me over the years. Then he acknowledged that I was suffering migraines and proceeded to give me a lecture on the triggers. I kept interrupting him, just to let him know that I had done my homework too! Tee hee! He did give me samples of two different migraine medications, Axert and Relpax. Next time I have a migraine, I'm to take one, and the next time, take the other and see which one works best with the least amount of side effects. I'm also to document what I ate for up to two days before the migraine as well as anything else I can think of to try to determine my unique triggers. He told me that if we can identify my triggers, and eliminate them from my lifestyle, then we could very well eliminate migraines as well. (Fat chance of that! I already know one of my main triggers, and you can't eliminate the weather!!!) If we can't eliminate the triggers and the frequency gets worse, then he'll put me on a preventative plan which would mean taking pills everyday for the rest of my life. He warned me that the preventative plan has some "serious side effects of it's own" so is hesitant to use it unless absolutely necessary. I was just glad that now I had something stronger to take than Advil, et al if I needed it, and that in itself is a major relief!
One problem with not posting in a while... the "catch-up" posts tend to become long-winded! I'll wind this one down now because I still have a pile of work to do on this year's Christmas Eve programmes! Procrastination never gets anything done, unfortunately!!!
Now to catch up...
In my last post I was hoping to avoid losing a day of work due to the migraine that had hit me that afternoon. Unfortunately, when I woke up Tuesday morning, I was mostly blind in my right eye, and was watching the most wonderful fireworks display INSIDE my head! I was able to see enough to dial my boss' number and leave the obligatory "calling in sick" message. Then I took my "cocktail" of drugs and went back to bed. I slept until 11:30 when Rebel decided to let me know he was tired of dozing at the foot of my bed and jumped up on the bed to "wash my face" again. After cuddling him for a few minutes, I attempted to sit up and was VERY relieved that my head didn't try to explode immediately. I could still see the flickering colours at the edges of my vision, but both eyes were working again and if I didn't move too quickly, the pain was bearable. After having something to eat, I called my doctor and booked an appointment. The earliest I could get in to see him was Friday evening, which was acceptable to me. Other times it's been a few weeks before I could get in to see him.
I went back to work on Wednesday, and managed to turn in some of my most productive days, despite having a constant dull thumping in my head and having to wear my sunglasses indoors! My lead hand, Samantha (Sam) has been extremely supportive and encouraging during this ordeal. Several times each day she would "check in" with me to see how I was feeling and to let me know that if I had to go early, to do so without fear of reprisals. She even told me she had spoken to the Operations Manager (OM) about me and had informed him that he could not afford to lose me! What a gal! She's only about half my age, but she already has the skills of a great manager! Angela, the overall lead (we have two levels of lead hands in our warehouse, Angela is our "overlead" while Sam, Jeremy, Cora, Josh and Scott are the departmental leads - confusing, I know, but that's the way it is!) has also been very supportive as well. It's good to have these two young ladies in my corner as they report directly to my boss, the OM.
Friday evening my wife and I went to see my doctor. I may have mentioned this before, but the last time I spoke to him about my migraines a couple of years ago, he was insistent that "Men do not get migraines! They are a FEMALE problem caused by estrogen. Men get CLUSTER HEADACHES from too much stress. Take some Advil and learn how to relax!" So, for the past couple of years, I've been suffering through these terrible "cluster headaches" with nothing but off-the-shelf remedies like Advil, Aspirin and Tylenol to relieve the pain. Well! Was I in for a surprise THIS time! During these last years, my doctor's son has been diagnosed as a migraine sufferer! Now, MY doctor is the "foremost expert on migraines"!!!! LMAO! He immediately started asking me about my symptoms, and instead of brushing me off like he used to, he actually took notes! He did some rudimentary tests which he said ruled out the likelihood of me having a brain tumour or aneurysm. He told me that the eyes were the first indicator of something like that and that my eyes showed no signs of "foreign objects" in my head. WHEW! That had been something that had worried me over the years. Then he acknowledged that I was suffering migraines and proceeded to give me a lecture on the triggers. I kept interrupting him, just to let him know that I had done my homework too! Tee hee! He did give me samples of two different migraine medications, Axert and Relpax. Next time I have a migraine, I'm to take one, and the next time, take the other and see which one works best with the least amount of side effects. I'm also to document what I ate for up to two days before the migraine as well as anything else I can think of to try to determine my unique triggers. He told me that if we can identify my triggers, and eliminate them from my lifestyle, then we could very well eliminate migraines as well. (Fat chance of that! I already know one of my main triggers, and you can't eliminate the weather!!!) If we can't eliminate the triggers and the frequency gets worse, then he'll put me on a preventative plan which would mean taking pills everyday for the rest of my life. He warned me that the preventative plan has some "serious side effects of it's own" so is hesitant to use it unless absolutely necessary. I was just glad that now I had something stronger to take than Advil, et al if I needed it, and that in itself is a major relief!
One problem with not posting in a while... the "catch-up" posts tend to become long-winded! I'll wind this one down now because I still have a pile of work to do on this year's Christmas Eve programmes! Procrastination never gets anything done, unfortunately!!!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Company Christmas Parties and Pretty Flashing Colours
Nope, the two subjects in my title today are in NO WAY related! Just wanted to get that out there right off the bat.
Saturday evening was my company Holiday Party, since we in Canada have to be soooo politically correct! (Sheesh!) I was looking forward to it as this is the first social event that I have had the opportunity to attend with this new company and, I must admit, I was VERY curious to see how my co-workers "cleaned up"! Tee hee! As most of you know by now, I work in a warehouse which supplies some of Canada's largest home electronics stores as well as handling a lot of online orders for most of our suppliers. The warehouse is a dusty place, so most of my fellow grunts wear old clothes to work. It was a lot of fun trying to recognize some of the guys and gals I work with as they showed up in their party finery! LOL!
Dinner was fantastic with a choice of Caesar or garden salad (I chose the Caesar, Ave!) and Penne in tomato sauce, Prime Rib, Turkey with stuffing, Roast potatoes and buttered vegetables. Unfortunately, the wine they served was awful, but since I don't drink alcohol as a rule, I wasn't too disappointed. Each attendee received two complimentary drink tickets, but since I only drank Coke, which was free, I ended up giving ours away. I figured I'd give them to my direct supervisor, doesn't hurt to "suck up" sometimes! LOL! My dessert was a chocolate mousse on a cheesecake base which was absolutely heavenly! Mrs. Phoenix had a raspberry/vanilla mousse cake which was also quite good. Yes, we each had a bite of the other's cake! LOL!
After dinner they started giving out the door prizes. Remember that this company deals with home electronics? The door prize table was groaning under the weight of stereos, printers, digital cameras, iPod docking stations, and all kinds of stuff generously "donated" by our supplier companies. My number was called after a few minutes and I walked away with a Panasonic portable CD/Tape player/Radio! Way cool! I already have a couple of printers, and I don't own an iPod, so I'm glad I got something I can actually use! LOL! This "boombox" even comes with a remote, so the joke at our table was, "I'll 're-gift' this to my kids, but I'M keeping the remote!!!"
We all had a lot of laughs at our table and had a good time in general. After the first set of door-prizes was given out, the live band started playing. After about a half hour of having my ears assaulted by some of the worst singing since the Rolling Stones, we bailed and went home. I heard after that one of my supervisors fell off her chair she was so drunk, and that two of the office girls got into a fight over a t-shirt that the band threw into the crowd of dancers. Then their dates got into it, and the police had to break it up! Oh well, I'm actually glad I wasn't there to see that part! LOL!
The only down part to the whole evening was those silly Cokes I had after dinner. When I got home, I was so wired on caffeine and adrenaline (excessively loud music has been proven in many studies to actually overstimulate the adrenal glands in the human body), I couldn't even sit still, let alone lie down! LOL! I ended up playing a computer game until 4 in the morning and then went to bed. I still ended up tossing and turning until 6 am, before I finally fell asleep. Because I forgot to check the alarm clock before I fell into bed, I didn't realize that Mrs. Phoenix had also forgotten to set the alarm when she went to bed MUCH earlier, and we ended up missing church! Whoops! I woke up right at 9:30, which is the time the first service starts, and then proceeded to fall back asleep until I was woken up around 11:30 by a very affectionate little Sheltie who had decided my face needed washing! What fun that is! LOL!
I did make it to my Christmas Eve service practise Sunday afternoon and then had a nice relaxing evening with the family.
Then we get to today, and the second subject in my title. While at work this afternoon, I was standing near the desk where I pick up my orders sorting through them when out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever, I thought that someone had hit me on the side of the head. I felt the pain, and saw the stars, but there was no impact! I had been lifting quite a bit of heavier product during the morning and early afternoon and I guess the muscles in my shoulders and neck had had enough. One of my good friends at work, Al, who is also the Health and Safety Employee Rep, saw me holding my hand over my right eye, and noticed that I had gone very pale (according to him). He immediately came over to see if I was okay, and I asked him if he could see all the pretty flashing colours too. (My sense of humour was still intact!) Since he also has suffered from migraines, he knew instantly what I was going through and tried to get me to go home early. I only had about an hour and a half left to my shift, so I determined to struggle through it as best I could. It was an interesting experience trying to read my orders, find the product and navigate through the warehouse with all those coloured flashes of light in my vision! This was the first "Classic Migraine" I have had in months, and it was no fun, I can tell you! When I did finally get home (Mrs. Phoenix picks me up after work so, no, I wasn't driving and I also wasn't driving the forklift today either) the first thing I did was take a "cocktail" of 2 ASA tablets and 1 Excedrin tablet (Acetaminophen + caffeine) with Gatorade, then I took a very hot shower and afterwards had Mrs. Phoenix massage some A-535 into my neck, shoulders and back. That seemed to reduce the pain to a bearable level and turned off the coloured flashes in my vision!
Unfortunately, while typing this post, with the position I am holding my head putting strain on my neck and the fact that the drugs wore off a few hours ago, I'm starting to see the pretty colours again. So, I'm gonna end it right now and go take some more drugs and go to bed! Let's keep our fingers crossed I can go to work tomorrow! I can't afford anymore time off!
Saturday evening was my company Holiday Party, since we in Canada have to be soooo politically correct! (Sheesh!) I was looking forward to it as this is the first social event that I have had the opportunity to attend with this new company and, I must admit, I was VERY curious to see how my co-workers "cleaned up"! Tee hee! As most of you know by now, I work in a warehouse which supplies some of Canada's largest home electronics stores as well as handling a lot of online orders for most of our suppliers. The warehouse is a dusty place, so most of my fellow grunts wear old clothes to work. It was a lot of fun trying to recognize some of the guys and gals I work with as they showed up in their party finery! LOL!
Dinner was fantastic with a choice of Caesar or garden salad (I chose the Caesar, Ave!) and Penne in tomato sauce, Prime Rib, Turkey with stuffing, Roast potatoes and buttered vegetables. Unfortunately, the wine they served was awful, but since I don't drink alcohol as a rule, I wasn't too disappointed. Each attendee received two complimentary drink tickets, but since I only drank Coke, which was free, I ended up giving ours away. I figured I'd give them to my direct supervisor, doesn't hurt to "suck up" sometimes! LOL! My dessert was a chocolate mousse on a cheesecake base which was absolutely heavenly! Mrs. Phoenix had a raspberry/vanilla mousse cake which was also quite good. Yes, we each had a bite of the other's cake! LOL!
After dinner they started giving out the door prizes. Remember that this company deals with home electronics? The door prize table was groaning under the weight of stereos, printers, digital cameras, iPod docking stations, and all kinds of stuff generously "donated" by our supplier companies. My number was called after a few minutes and I walked away with a Panasonic portable CD/Tape player/Radio! Way cool! I already have a couple of printers, and I don't own an iPod, so I'm glad I got something I can actually use! LOL! This "boombox" even comes with a remote, so the joke at our table was, "I'll 're-gift' this to my kids, but I'M keeping the remote!!!"
We all had a lot of laughs at our table and had a good time in general. After the first set of door-prizes was given out, the live band started playing. After about a half hour of having my ears assaulted by some of the worst singing since the Rolling Stones, we bailed and went home. I heard after that one of my supervisors fell off her chair she was so drunk, and that two of the office girls got into a fight over a t-shirt that the band threw into the crowd of dancers. Then their dates got into it, and the police had to break it up! Oh well, I'm actually glad I wasn't there to see that part! LOL!
The only down part to the whole evening was those silly Cokes I had after dinner. When I got home, I was so wired on caffeine and adrenaline (excessively loud music has been proven in many studies to actually overstimulate the adrenal glands in the human body), I couldn't even sit still, let alone lie down! LOL! I ended up playing a computer game until 4 in the morning and then went to bed. I still ended up tossing and turning until 6 am, before I finally fell asleep. Because I forgot to check the alarm clock before I fell into bed, I didn't realize that Mrs. Phoenix had also forgotten to set the alarm when she went to bed MUCH earlier, and we ended up missing church! Whoops! I woke up right at 9:30, which is the time the first service starts, and then proceeded to fall back asleep until I was woken up around 11:30 by a very affectionate little Sheltie who had decided my face needed washing! What fun that is! LOL!
I did make it to my Christmas Eve service practise Sunday afternoon and then had a nice relaxing evening with the family.
Then we get to today, and the second subject in my title. While at work this afternoon, I was standing near the desk where I pick up my orders sorting through them when out of the blue, with no warning whatsoever, I thought that someone had hit me on the side of the head. I felt the pain, and saw the stars, but there was no impact! I had been lifting quite a bit of heavier product during the morning and early afternoon and I guess the muscles in my shoulders and neck had had enough. One of my good friends at work, Al, who is also the Health and Safety Employee Rep, saw me holding my hand over my right eye, and noticed that I had gone very pale (according to him). He immediately came over to see if I was okay, and I asked him if he could see all the pretty flashing colours too. (My sense of humour was still intact!) Since he also has suffered from migraines, he knew instantly what I was going through and tried to get me to go home early. I only had about an hour and a half left to my shift, so I determined to struggle through it as best I could. It was an interesting experience trying to read my orders, find the product and navigate through the warehouse with all those coloured flashes of light in my vision! This was the first "Classic Migraine" I have had in months, and it was no fun, I can tell you! When I did finally get home (Mrs. Phoenix picks me up after work so, no, I wasn't driving and I also wasn't driving the forklift today either) the first thing I did was take a "cocktail" of 2 ASA tablets and 1 Excedrin tablet (Acetaminophen + caffeine) with Gatorade, then I took a very hot shower and afterwards had Mrs. Phoenix massage some A-535 into my neck, shoulders and back. That seemed to reduce the pain to a bearable level and turned off the coloured flashes in my vision!
Unfortunately, while typing this post, with the position I am holding my head putting strain on my neck and the fact that the drugs wore off a few hours ago, I'm starting to see the pretty colours again. So, I'm gonna end it right now and go take some more drugs and go to bed! Let's keep our fingers crossed I can go to work tomorrow! I can't afford anymore time off!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Global Warming? And Other Random Rants
Warning, this post may be depressing and boring, but I just have to vent some of this frustration!
What is up with this so-called "Global Warming"? I thought that "warming" meant getting less cold, but that's not what I'm seeing! (Or FEELING, for that matter!) Here in my corner of Southern Ontario, we might get a snow flurry or two, but it never stays. At least, that's the way it's been for the last decade or so. The last few years we've been very lucky if we had a white Christmas! This year? We've already had one major winter storm, and all the snow from that storm LAST WEEK is STILL HERE! And we've had some serious snow squalls these last few days, dumping even more snow on us! Maybe I'm just getting old, but having to stand outside for 5 - 10 minutes waiting for the bus in sub-zero temperatures, with a bitter cold wind whipping around me is just not my favourite way of starting my day. Sub-zero, by the way, is Canuckian for below 32 degrees American. LOL! I much prefer milder temperatures!
A few posts ago, I talked about all the people who were fired from my employer for lying on their applications. Now I'm wondering about what kind of penalty my employer should receive for lying to ME during my interview! When I was being interviewed, I was asked if I had my forklift license. I, being the honest person I am said "No, but I'd like to get it!" The interviewer then told me that if I did get it, it would mean more money for me. So, I did get it at the first opportunity. Now I hear today, from the manager in charge of the forklift certification, that there is NO extra money for forklift drivers! What's up with that? Now I have to find the time to go to Human Resources and find out why they lied to me during my interview. I'm beginning to see why so many of my co-workers are so upset and have such bad attitudes towards the company. Some of the lower level managers are just a**-holes! I absolutely HATE confrontations, so I am not looking forward to this fight. Am I wrong to hope and assume that a company would do what is best for their employees? Am I naive to think that there should be more pay for more responsibility? I would hope not, but I'm being proven wrong over and over lately! I am so sick and tired of being screwed over by the people I bust my buns for everyday! Enough on this subject... for now...
What, may I ask, is the point of having a "competition" only to allow the public to overrule the judge's decisions? I have been watching "Dancing With the Stars" this season and am amazed that Marie Osmond is still in the running! She is not a very good ballroom dancer which is what the show is all about. Yet the fans keep voting her back. Granted, she IS a wonderful entertainer, and it is fun to watch her "dis" the judges, but if the show is a "dance competition", then let the judges JUDGE it! If it is not a "dance competition", then lose the judges, and give America more of the mindless fluff it seems to want anyway. I apologize to my American friends. I'm not directing my criticisms at you personally, but your countrymen are doing a wonderful job at proving all your critics right! So many times I've watched a "phone vote" show and find myself asking "What are they THINKING??????" Which brings me to my next rant...
If you are going to host a show that is broadcast OUTSIDE your borders, let EVERYONE who can watch it participate! My daughters wanted me to vote for "America's Got Talent" and I couldn't, because I am "not a resident of the United States". Again, same result when I tried to vote during "Dancing With the Stars". Hello, America! The world does NOT end at your borders!!! (Again, I KNOW my American friends don't think this way, but it seems that those that make the rules do!) Same with online contests and offers. It's called the WORLD WIDE WEB, people! Not the U.S. Residents Only Web! That REALLY gets my juices flowing!
Hey... what happened to all the text editing choices? There used to be buttons to let you change font and colours and such, but all I have are Bold and Italic! What's up with that???
Ok... I've blown off enough steam for one post. If you have made it this far, please accept my profoundest thanks for sticking with me and my sincerest apologies for dumping on you! My blog buddies are the BESTEST!
What is up with this so-called "Global Warming"? I thought that "warming" meant getting less cold, but that's not what I'm seeing! (Or FEELING, for that matter!) Here in my corner of Southern Ontario, we might get a snow flurry or two, but it never stays. At least, that's the way it's been for the last decade or so. The last few years we've been very lucky if we had a white Christmas! This year? We've already had one major winter storm, and all the snow from that storm LAST WEEK is STILL HERE! And we've had some serious snow squalls these last few days, dumping even more snow on us! Maybe I'm just getting old, but having to stand outside for 5 - 10 minutes waiting for the bus in sub-zero temperatures, with a bitter cold wind whipping around me is just not my favourite way of starting my day. Sub-zero, by the way, is Canuckian for below 32 degrees American. LOL! I much prefer milder temperatures!
A few posts ago, I talked about all the people who were fired from my employer for lying on their applications. Now I'm wondering about what kind of penalty my employer should receive for lying to ME during my interview! When I was being interviewed, I was asked if I had my forklift license. I, being the honest person I am said "No, but I'd like to get it!" The interviewer then told me that if I did get it, it would mean more money for me. So, I did get it at the first opportunity. Now I hear today, from the manager in charge of the forklift certification, that there is NO extra money for forklift drivers! What's up with that? Now I have to find the time to go to Human Resources and find out why they lied to me during my interview. I'm beginning to see why so many of my co-workers are so upset and have such bad attitudes towards the company. Some of the lower level managers are just a**-holes! I absolutely HATE confrontations, so I am not looking forward to this fight. Am I wrong to hope and assume that a company would do what is best for their employees? Am I naive to think that there should be more pay for more responsibility? I would hope not, but I'm being proven wrong over and over lately! I am so sick and tired of being screwed over by the people I bust my buns for everyday! Enough on this subject... for now...
What, may I ask, is the point of having a "competition" only to allow the public to overrule the judge's decisions? I have been watching "Dancing With the Stars" this season and am amazed that Marie Osmond is still in the running! She is not a very good ballroom dancer which is what the show is all about. Yet the fans keep voting her back. Granted, she IS a wonderful entertainer, and it is fun to watch her "dis" the judges, but if the show is a "dance competition", then let the judges JUDGE it! If it is not a "dance competition", then lose the judges, and give America more of the mindless fluff it seems to want anyway. I apologize to my American friends. I'm not directing my criticisms at you personally, but your countrymen are doing a wonderful job at proving all your critics right! So many times I've watched a "phone vote" show and find myself asking "What are they THINKING??????" Which brings me to my next rant...
If you are going to host a show that is broadcast OUTSIDE your borders, let EVERYONE who can watch it participate! My daughters wanted me to vote for "America's Got Talent" and I couldn't, because I am "not a resident of the United States". Again, same result when I tried to vote during "Dancing With the Stars". Hello, America! The world does NOT end at your borders!!! (Again, I KNOW my American friends don't think this way, but it seems that those that make the rules do!) Same with online contests and offers. It's called the WORLD WIDE WEB, people! Not the U.S. Residents Only Web! That REALLY gets my juices flowing!
Hey... what happened to all the text editing choices? There used to be buttons to let you change font and colours and such, but all I have are Bold and Italic! What's up with that???
Ok... I've blown off enough steam for one post. If you have made it this far, please accept my profoundest thanks for sticking with me and my sincerest apologies for dumping on you! My blog buddies are the BESTEST!
Friday, November 09, 2007
What Planet are YOU From?
I saw this on Burfica's blog and thought it would be fun to do for myself. Try it if you haven't already!
This actually is fairly accurate for me, surprisingly, considering the questions they asked... LOL!
P.S. I'm not sure why the link isn't working... it works in the preview, but not in the published post... I really need to take that HTML course I've been meaning to...
| You Are From Saturn |
 |
This actually is fairly accurate for me, surprisingly, considering the questions they asked... LOL!
P.S. I'm not sure why the link isn't working... it works in the preview, but not in the published post... I really need to take that HTML course I've been meaning to...
Friday Chuckles
I got this from a friend of mine and I just had to share it... especially for Flake and her Gnome... (evil grin)
Little David was in his 5th grade class when the teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up -- fireman, policeman, salesman,etc. David was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked him about his father.
"My father's an exotic dancer in a gay bar and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he'll go out to the alley with some guy and make love with him for money."
The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some math, and took little David aside to ask him, "Is that really true about your father?"
"No," said David, "He plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids."
Tee hee... Flake, I can almost hear the screams all the way from your place! Sorry, but I just couldn't resist!
Happy weekend everyone!
Little David was in his 5th grade class when the teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers came up -- fireman, policeman, salesman,etc. David was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the teacher asked him about his father.
"My father's an exotic dancer in a gay bar and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he'll go out to the alley with some guy and make love with him for money."
The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some math, and took little David aside to ask him, "Is that really true about your father?"
"No," said David, "He plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids."
Tee hee... Flake, I can almost hear the screams all the way from your place! Sorry, but I just couldn't resist!
Happy weekend everyone!
Sunday, November 04, 2007
So Sick and Tired!
I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired! All the time! It's ridiculous! No matter what I do, no matter how much sleep I get, nothing changes! This is the third weekend in a row that I have been feeling sick and I'm royally sick of it! I haven't been able to collect a full two week's paycheque since my second week on the new job, and I know that this can't continue to be overlooked at work. With over 125 people terminated in the past month, it's only a matter of time that my less than perfect attendance record will come under scrutiny. I know I have the doctor's note on file for the first illness, but I refuse to pay $20 every time I have an upset stomach! Our provincial medical insurance plan is already under enough strain as it is because too many people are going to the doctor for silly reasons without me going every time my stomach feels queasy!
Both my oldest daughter, J, and I have been sick for the past few weeks. I got it first a couple of weeks ago, but at the time I thought it was a mild case of food poisoning. Then, about 6 days later (last Sunday evening), J starts complaining of severe cramps in the lower abdomen. My wife thought they were menstrual cramps at first, but soon J started running to the bathroom. She ended up spending Sunday night and Monday morning sleeping on the bathroom floor, the runs were so frequent, so we kept her home on Monday. Tuesday, she is still having to run to the bathroom every couple of hours, and T, my youngest started complaining about headaches and stomach aches. So, we kept them both home on Tuesday, and I stayed home too, just in case they needed extra help. By Tuesday afternoon, when I was hoping I might be able to go to work since my wife was home from her shift, I began feeling less than completely "with it". I stayed home and rested for the rest of the day, hoping I didn't have what J had. Both J and T went to school on Wednesday, and I went to work, felling less than 100% but still able to work. By Friday, I was feeling very run down, and had my first forklift accident that morning, due to the fact I was just not "all there". I was very lucky in that no one was hurt (except my pride, of course) and no product was damaged, but I very quickly learned that forklifts can get away from you if you aren't paying complete attention!
In my particular incident, I was travelling down an aisle unloaded and in reverse when I just "zoned out" for a split second. I shook my head and realized I was moving way too fast and was about to miss the intersection I needed to take. I "plugged" the truck into forward, which is supposed to slow me down quickly and began turning the steering handle to make the right turn. Because I was in reverse, I turned the handle the wrong way and began quickly moving to the left. I also noticed I wasn't slowing down at all! I spun the handle the other way, but by that time had already plowed into a double stack of computer monitors! Fortunately, I had turned the handle enough that I side-swiped the stack, rather than drove right into them. Had I driven in to them, they probably would have fallen over and ruined about 70 or so monitors. Instead, the stacks just shifted and I was able to use the parking brake to get the truck stopped. I'm not sure exactly why the truck didn't slow down when I reversed the directional joystick, but it sure woke me up in a hurry! I'm wondering if in my haste to "plug" the truck, I actually pushed DOWN on the joystick rather than FORWARD which would have translated into the truck lowering the forks (which it couldn't do because they were already fully lowered) instead of reversing current to the motor. Anyway, I was a very cautious driver for the rest of the day as you can well imagine!
Yesterday I felt tired, but then, my job is a very physically demanding one, and I am not in the best physical shape! So, I guess it would be natural to feel tired after several days of intense physical activity. So I rested for the day. I had planned to go out and get some yard work done in preparation for winter, but instead I watched J play "The Legend of Dragoon" on the PS2.
Today, I woke up to J vomiting again, and then around 9:00 am, I got the runs... AGAIN! J has been running an intermittent fever and I've been feeling like someone punched me in the gut several times during the night! And to make matters worse, now I'm getting one of my famous headaches! ARRRRGH! My wife is getting frustrated with me, and I'M getting frustrated with me! I'm taking my vitamins and eating more healthy meals. I'm trying to go to bed earlier, and last night, took full advantage of the end of Daylight Saving Time by going to bed at my regular time and setting the clock back just before bed. So I did get that extra hour's sleep! Usually I end up staying up an hour later then setting the clock back to my regular time!
What more do I need to do? I can't afford some of the supplements my mom and grandma claim will "cure all that ails you" right now. My mom claims she hasn't been sick with a cold or the flu in two years since she started taking this stuff. My Grandma has been taking it for 3 years, and says she has never had a virus take her down since. My aunt even goes so far as to claim it partially reversed her diabetes, so the stuff obviously has some healing properties, but I can't afford the $95 a month wholesale price yet! I have too many bills still piled up from my year of unemployment!
Hmmm... sorry to just explode like that! I guess my frustration is deeper and stronger than I thought! If you've made it this far, I thank you. It's therapeutic to know that people out there in blogland care!
Oh, I can't believe I forgot to post about this back in September when it happened! In fact, I just went through my posts for the summer, and realized I didn't even mention it at all! Wow!
Anyway, during the summer, the online writer's group I belong to decided to hold a short story contest to try to rekindle "the spark" in the group as we were all kind of deflated and all in nasty writing slumps. Back when I began this blog I mentioned I was trying my hand at writing a fantasy novel and after an initial surge, have been completely stumped with it. In the group I belong to, most of us were suffering the same fate, to differing degrees. So, the administrators thought that a short story contest, with the winners getting bragging rights, might snap us out of our collective doldrums. The contest was set to open the beginning of August and we had a month to write a minimum 2,000 word story based on the contest theme. The theme for this contest was "They really should put labels on all of the jars!" I was totally stumped for ideas when the contest was first announced, and even the day it opened, I had no idea what to write about. Then... it happened.
The second day of the contest, I woke up around 5:00 am from a very vivid dream, which I cannot remember. What I do remember is, I lay there for about a half hour, remembering an event from my early childhood. I realized, that with a little embellishment, I could turn this into a short story for the contest. I got so excited, I immediately got up, and by 7:00 am, had finished off the first draft and posted it on the group's forum site. One thing I forgot to mention about this group. It is a very supportive group, and even in a contest, our work was to be posted on a secure site which other members could read and critique, helping each other do the best we could. Not too many contests allow that, now, do they? Anyway, after a month of agonizing over edits, reading and re-reading critiques, I finally polished up the story and posted it to the "Final Submission" thread in the forum. Once all the entries were posted, we all voted on them anonymously and then the votes were tallied. Once all the votes were counted, I ended up in a very close third place! The winner had 101 points, 2nd place had 99 and I had 98 points! Not bad for an idea "dreamt" up at 5:00 am, don't you think? What makes this all the more exciting is, one of our members is forming her own business as a press/publishing company. She has volunteered to publish a small book of the contest entries as her first "edition" which means, that once she is done, I can call myself a "PUBLISHED WRITER"!!!! WHOO HOOOOOO!
Why I forgot to post about this is just beyond me, as this, to me, is even more exciting than getting that new job! Soon I'll be able to hold an actual book in my hand and see my work in print! Now I just need to unjam that logjam in my head and get back to work on my novel.
Wish me luck! (Or whatever it is writers say to each other in place of luck! LOL!)
Both my oldest daughter, J, and I have been sick for the past few weeks. I got it first a couple of weeks ago, but at the time I thought it was a mild case of food poisoning. Then, about 6 days later (last Sunday evening), J starts complaining of severe cramps in the lower abdomen. My wife thought they were menstrual cramps at first, but soon J started running to the bathroom. She ended up spending Sunday night and Monday morning sleeping on the bathroom floor, the runs were so frequent, so we kept her home on Monday. Tuesday, she is still having to run to the bathroom every couple of hours, and T, my youngest started complaining about headaches and stomach aches. So, we kept them both home on Tuesday, and I stayed home too, just in case they needed extra help. By Tuesday afternoon, when I was hoping I might be able to go to work since my wife was home from her shift, I began feeling less than completely "with it". I stayed home and rested for the rest of the day, hoping I didn't have what J had. Both J and T went to school on Wednesday, and I went to work, felling less than 100% but still able to work. By Friday, I was feeling very run down, and had my first forklift accident that morning, due to the fact I was just not "all there". I was very lucky in that no one was hurt (except my pride, of course) and no product was damaged, but I very quickly learned that forklifts can get away from you if you aren't paying complete attention!
In my particular incident, I was travelling down an aisle unloaded and in reverse when I just "zoned out" for a split second. I shook my head and realized I was moving way too fast and was about to miss the intersection I needed to take. I "plugged" the truck into forward, which is supposed to slow me down quickly and began turning the steering handle to make the right turn. Because I was in reverse, I turned the handle the wrong way and began quickly moving to the left. I also noticed I wasn't slowing down at all! I spun the handle the other way, but by that time had already plowed into a double stack of computer monitors! Fortunately, I had turned the handle enough that I side-swiped the stack, rather than drove right into them. Had I driven in to them, they probably would have fallen over and ruined about 70 or so monitors. Instead, the stacks just shifted and I was able to use the parking brake to get the truck stopped. I'm not sure exactly why the truck didn't slow down when I reversed the directional joystick, but it sure woke me up in a hurry! I'm wondering if in my haste to "plug" the truck, I actually pushed DOWN on the joystick rather than FORWARD which would have translated into the truck lowering the forks (which it couldn't do because they were already fully lowered) instead of reversing current to the motor. Anyway, I was a very cautious driver for the rest of the day as you can well imagine!
Yesterday I felt tired, but then, my job is a very physically demanding one, and I am not in the best physical shape! So, I guess it would be natural to feel tired after several days of intense physical activity. So I rested for the day. I had planned to go out and get some yard work done in preparation for winter, but instead I watched J play "The Legend of Dragoon" on the PS2.
Today, I woke up to J vomiting again, and then around 9:00 am, I got the runs... AGAIN! J has been running an intermittent fever and I've been feeling like someone punched me in the gut several times during the night! And to make matters worse, now I'm getting one of my famous headaches! ARRRRGH! My wife is getting frustrated with me, and I'M getting frustrated with me! I'm taking my vitamins and eating more healthy meals. I'm trying to go to bed earlier, and last night, took full advantage of the end of Daylight Saving Time by going to bed at my regular time and setting the clock back just before bed. So I did get that extra hour's sleep! Usually I end up staying up an hour later then setting the clock back to my regular time!
What more do I need to do? I can't afford some of the supplements my mom and grandma claim will "cure all that ails you" right now. My mom claims she hasn't been sick with a cold or the flu in two years since she started taking this stuff. My Grandma has been taking it for 3 years, and says she has never had a virus take her down since. My aunt even goes so far as to claim it partially reversed her diabetes, so the stuff obviously has some healing properties, but I can't afford the $95 a month wholesale price yet! I have too many bills still piled up from my year of unemployment!
Hmmm... sorry to just explode like that! I guess my frustration is deeper and stronger than I thought! If you've made it this far, I thank you. It's therapeutic to know that people out there in blogland care!
Oh, I can't believe I forgot to post about this back in September when it happened! In fact, I just went through my posts for the summer, and realized I didn't even mention it at all! Wow!
Anyway, during the summer, the online writer's group I belong to decided to hold a short story contest to try to rekindle "the spark" in the group as we were all kind of deflated and all in nasty writing slumps. Back when I began this blog I mentioned I was trying my hand at writing a fantasy novel and after an initial surge, have been completely stumped with it. In the group I belong to, most of us were suffering the same fate, to differing degrees. So, the administrators thought that a short story contest, with the winners getting bragging rights, might snap us out of our collective doldrums. The contest was set to open the beginning of August and we had a month to write a minimum 2,000 word story based on the contest theme. The theme for this contest was "They really should put labels on all of the jars!" I was totally stumped for ideas when the contest was first announced, and even the day it opened, I had no idea what to write about. Then... it happened.
The second day of the contest, I woke up around 5:00 am from a very vivid dream, which I cannot remember. What I do remember is, I lay there for about a half hour, remembering an event from my early childhood. I realized, that with a little embellishment, I could turn this into a short story for the contest. I got so excited, I immediately got up, and by 7:00 am, had finished off the first draft and posted it on the group's forum site. One thing I forgot to mention about this group. It is a very supportive group, and even in a contest, our work was to be posted on a secure site which other members could read and critique, helping each other do the best we could. Not too many contests allow that, now, do they? Anyway, after a month of agonizing over edits, reading and re-reading critiques, I finally polished up the story and posted it to the "Final Submission" thread in the forum. Once all the entries were posted, we all voted on them anonymously and then the votes were tallied. Once all the votes were counted, I ended up in a very close third place! The winner had 101 points, 2nd place had 99 and I had 98 points! Not bad for an idea "dreamt" up at 5:00 am, don't you think? What makes this all the more exciting is, one of our members is forming her own business as a press/publishing company. She has volunteered to publish a small book of the contest entries as her first "edition" which means, that once she is done, I can call myself a "PUBLISHED WRITER"!!!! WHOO HOOOOOO!
Why I forgot to post about this is just beyond me, as this, to me, is even more exciting than getting that new job! Soon I'll be able to hold an actual book in my hand and see my work in print! Now I just need to unjam that logjam in my head and get back to work on my novel.
Wish me luck! (Or whatever it is writers say to each other in place of luck! LOL!)
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
My Family
This is a cute little thing I got from my good friend Biddie who got it from her friend Her Indoors.
Funny how my moustache is so much darker than my hair in this! LOL!
To create your own stick family, here is the link: http://www.ourstickfamily.com/family-stickers/
Have fun!
I'm BAAAAAAaaaack!
Sorry for the long delay between posts, but I've been extremely busy and extremely tired every day these last two weeks. I do have some great news to report, so I thought I'd better get some sort of post out there before you all think I've kicked the proverbial can!
As of my last post, I was recounting how the VP of Operations had tried to set the record straight about all the terminations that had occurred and that I felt quite relieved that my job was not in jeopardy. If I recall correctly, that post was on Wednesday, October 10. A quick hop to the Friday of that week and that is where I'll start this post.
That Friday, October 12, I was feeling very tired as I had been working for 4 full days after being off sick for a week with that lousy lung infection. I had an order that had a product which was proving very difficult to find, not to mention being full of very heavy items as well! I ended up not getting to take my lunch (we are not allowed to leave unfinished orders "lying about" when we go on our breaks) until about 1:30 pm. Being hypoglycemic, I was feeling very faint and woozy by the time I got into the lunch room. I had just finished eating my lunch when I heard my name over the PA system asking me to report to the order desk. My first thought was "Oh crap! What did I do wrong?" I rushed to put away my lunch bag and then raced through the warehouse to the order desk, expecting to be told I had screwed up royally on that problem order and given my walking papers. Instead, the Shipping Lead Hand, Jeremy, asked me what I was doing Saturday morning at 9:00 am, then before I could respond said, "Oh that's right! You'll be here at 9:00 tomorrow!" He had this funny grin on his face and I know my face fell as I had been eagerly anticipating a nice long Saturday morning sleep-in! Then he laughed and told me I had been selected for lift-truck training! Whoo hoo! Of course I quickly replied that I was ok with that! LOL!
When I first was interviewed for this job, I was asked if I would be interested in fork-lift training and I had said that I was. After I said that, the interviewer told me that lift-truck operators get about $2.00/hour more money than regular employees. Earlier that week I had put my name down on a list indicating I was still interested in getting the training. I was about 30th or lower on the list, but I was one of four selected from the "order pickers" to receive the training! Fortunately, I was still able to get a small sleep-in, as the start time was two hours later than my normal start-time.
To make a long story shorter, I aced the theory part of the training, getting 100% on my theory exam, and received an 83% on the lift-truck practical exam and 94% on the pallet-truck practical exam! I haven't actually received my certificate, but the trainer told me I was now a certified lift-truck operator! YEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAH!
Due to the shortage of lift-trucks in our plant, currently, I wasn't able to get back onto a truck until Monday of this week. I had one small order that needed to be taken off a high shelf, and the other lead hand, Samantha, wanted me to get some practice on the truck, so instructed me to "only get the order myself with a 'borrowed' truck." After I got the order, I was asked how it went, and I responded with, "Well, no one had to call 9-1-1, so I'd say it went pretty good!" I got a good laugh from the order desk employees and a big thumbs up from Jeremy. Tuesday, Samantha ordered me to get a truck for the day, and pick orders all day with another one of the "trainees" that had trained with me, Ryan. Ryan and I had a fun day bombing around the warehouse moving quite a few skids of product and both felt afterwards that we were feeling much more comfortable operating with other employees around. I spoke to one of the HR girls yesterday and confirmed that, once they get confirmation of my certification, my pay rate will go up, retro-active to my certification date!
Today, I was having random dizzy spells, thanks to some sinus congestion, so voluntarily took myself off the operator's list for the day. We are all hoping that the company will re-increase the lift truck inventory soon, so that all of us operators can have a truck if and when we need one. Last week we found out that the company had sent 11 rental trucks back to the rental company leaving 6 trucks for about 12 operators! Needless to say, if you don't get to work real early, forget about getting one of the popular trucks! I was lucky that the truck I used yesterday was available at all! I think that no one really likes the truck because of it's limited reach height, but I loved it. of all the trucks in our warehouse, it has the best controls, in my opinion! The handling on this little truck is simply "silky" to put it a single word.
I'm hoping to get a little more practise in this week, then I REALLY want a long Saturday morning sleep-in this weekend! I've been too busy these past two weeks! I need a rest!
Last Saturday I had a Leader's Conference for the Bible Club my kids are in, and that I volunteer as a Leader for. After that conference, I came home, and by 7:30 pm, was so tired I went to bed for a "hour's nap". I woke up at 12:45 am, and was up for as long as it took to wake up my wife from where she had fallen asleep on the couch (with all the lights on and the TV blaring) and get her into bed. I woke up again at 5:00 am long enough to keep the dog from going crazy when she left for work, then slept again until 8:30 am when my kids woke me up to tell me our ride to church had arrived! I told them to go and I went back to sleep until 11:15!!! That's 16 hours with only minimal interruptions! And yet I still felt tired all afternoon Sunday, and STILL feel tired! I need a vacation! LOL!
That's it for this post! Happy Hump Day everyone!
As of my last post, I was recounting how the VP of Operations had tried to set the record straight about all the terminations that had occurred and that I felt quite relieved that my job was not in jeopardy. If I recall correctly, that post was on Wednesday, October 10. A quick hop to the Friday of that week and that is where I'll start this post.
That Friday, October 12, I was feeling very tired as I had been working for 4 full days after being off sick for a week with that lousy lung infection. I had an order that had a product which was proving very difficult to find, not to mention being full of very heavy items as well! I ended up not getting to take my lunch (we are not allowed to leave unfinished orders "lying about" when we go on our breaks) until about 1:30 pm. Being hypoglycemic, I was feeling very faint and woozy by the time I got into the lunch room. I had just finished eating my lunch when I heard my name over the PA system asking me to report to the order desk. My first thought was "Oh crap! What did I do wrong?" I rushed to put away my lunch bag and then raced through the warehouse to the order desk, expecting to be told I had screwed up royally on that problem order and given my walking papers. Instead, the Shipping Lead Hand, Jeremy, asked me what I was doing Saturday morning at 9:00 am, then before I could respond said, "Oh that's right! You'll be here at 9:00 tomorrow!" He had this funny grin on his face and I know my face fell as I had been eagerly anticipating a nice long Saturday morning sleep-in! Then he laughed and told me I had been selected for lift-truck training! Whoo hoo! Of course I quickly replied that I was ok with that! LOL!
When I first was interviewed for this job, I was asked if I would be interested in fork-lift training and I had said that I was. After I said that, the interviewer told me that lift-truck operators get about $2.00/hour more money than regular employees. Earlier that week I had put my name down on a list indicating I was still interested in getting the training. I was about 30th or lower on the list, but I was one of four selected from the "order pickers" to receive the training! Fortunately, I was still able to get a small sleep-in, as the start time was two hours later than my normal start-time.
To make a long story shorter, I aced the theory part of the training, getting 100% on my theory exam, and received an 83% on the lift-truck practical exam and 94% on the pallet-truck practical exam! I haven't actually received my certificate, but the trainer told me I was now a certified lift-truck operator! YEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAH!
Due to the shortage of lift-trucks in our plant, currently, I wasn't able to get back onto a truck until Monday of this week. I had one small order that needed to be taken off a high shelf, and the other lead hand, Samantha, wanted me to get some practice on the truck, so instructed me to "only get the order myself with a 'borrowed' truck." After I got the order, I was asked how it went, and I responded with, "Well, no one had to call 9-1-1, so I'd say it went pretty good!" I got a good laugh from the order desk employees and a big thumbs up from Jeremy. Tuesday, Samantha ordered me to get a truck for the day, and pick orders all day with another one of the "trainees" that had trained with me, Ryan. Ryan and I had a fun day bombing around the warehouse moving quite a few skids of product and both felt afterwards that we were feeling much more comfortable operating with other employees around. I spoke to one of the HR girls yesterday and confirmed that, once they get confirmation of my certification, my pay rate will go up, retro-active to my certification date!
Today, I was having random dizzy spells, thanks to some sinus congestion, so voluntarily took myself off the operator's list for the day. We are all hoping that the company will re-increase the lift truck inventory soon, so that all of us operators can have a truck if and when we need one. Last week we found out that the company had sent 11 rental trucks back to the rental company leaving 6 trucks for about 12 operators! Needless to say, if you don't get to work real early, forget about getting one of the popular trucks! I was lucky that the truck I used yesterday was available at all! I think that no one really likes the truck because of it's limited reach height, but I loved it. of all the trucks in our warehouse, it has the best controls, in my opinion! The handling on this little truck is simply "silky" to put it a single word.
I'm hoping to get a little more practise in this week, then I REALLY want a long Saturday morning sleep-in this weekend! I've been too busy these past two weeks! I need a rest!
Last Saturday I had a Leader's Conference for the Bible Club my kids are in, and that I volunteer as a Leader for. After that conference, I came home, and by 7:30 pm, was so tired I went to bed for a "hour's nap". I woke up at 12:45 am, and was up for as long as it took to wake up my wife from where she had fallen asleep on the couch (with all the lights on and the TV blaring) and get her into bed. I woke up again at 5:00 am long enough to keep the dog from going crazy when she left for work, then slept again until 8:30 am when my kids woke me up to tell me our ride to church had arrived! I told them to go and I went back to sleep until 11:15!!! That's 16 hours with only minimal interruptions! And yet I still felt tired all afternoon Sunday, and STILL feel tired! I need a vacation! LOL!
That's it for this post! Happy Hump Day everyone!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Setting the Record Straight
Wow! What a day it was today! I don't normally post on a daily basis, but I wanted to update you all on the situation at my job.
We had an employee meeting this morning and the VP of Operations spoke to us for about an hour about what has been going on in the warehouse. He told us that he had heard that there was a lot of rumours floating around the warehouse, and that a lot of people were worried and as he put it, he "wanted to set the record straight". Hence the title of this post.
He told us that between Friday and Tuesday (remember that Monday was a holiday for us Canucks) he had "terminated" 75 people. He told us that there were three basic reasons for the firings.
1) Lying on your application, which was found out when the background checks came back - a number of people were fired for that,
2) "Misbehaviour" - I hadn't heard about this, but it appears there were several physical assaults committed last week. One of them escalated into a "faction fight" in the parking lot after the evening shift finished. From what the VP told us, it seems there were people from "rival factions" (read gangs) working in the warehouse on the afternoon shift, and when an argument or disagreement occurred during the shift, each "faction" called in members of their respective group and we had a mini gang war in the parking lot after midnight! All those involved were among those terminated. Also included in "misbehaving" were a few people, who, after their paycheques got shortchanged due to errors in the way they were punching in, "flipped out" in HR and verbally assaulted the girls working there. These people were also terminated. The VP said he would not tolerate people in his company being treated rudely, or in a disrespectful manner. Kudos to him!
And lastly,
3) Consistently poor performance. We were told that after an allowance for the learning curve, employees who didn't meet the company's performance standard would be approached by their supervisor, informed of the issue, and given tips on how to improve. Those who had received the warning, and didn't improve, were "let go".
He also mentioned that theft was at an all-time high since they moved to the new building, and since the move, the company had $1.6 million of unaccounted for product. He told us that last night alone, 4 thefts were reported and some of the perpetrators were caught and instantly fired. Later after the meeting, I heard that some people were smuggling iPods out in their steel-toed shoes, which would mask the metal detectors detecting the product. One person, I heard, actually taped the product, whatever it was, to his scrotum! His belt buckle then masked the detection of it. I just can't believe what some people will do! We were told that if the thefts didn't decrease dramatically in the next few weeks, the VP would have no choice but have each and every employee remove all metal from their person before exiting the warehouse, whether for break, lunch, going to the washroom, or going home. That would include all shoes (we are required to wear steel-toe safety boots or shoes), belts and ALL jewelry, and that would really have an impact as there are a lot of people with many multiple body piercings. I overheard one girl commenting later that no matter what the policy, she was not going to remove her clit ring! I just about choked on my granola bar! LMAO! A lot of employees were very upset by this announcement, but the VP was unsympathetic. He told us we are all police in the warehouse and if we see theft, we are obligated to report it. The reporting is confidential, and we are protected by a whistle-blower policy, so we should not be afraid to report it. He went on to explain that people who are stealing from the company, are not just stealing from a faceless corporation, like they think, but are stealing from their fellow employees. The company I work for has a very generous profit sharing plan, and theft eats into the profits, which reduces what we could be earning. I'm glad he explained that, because I'm sure a lot of the people involved in theft probably had never thought of it that way. He also said that it's a very small minority of people who do actually steal, but the quantity and cost of what they steal adds up to a very large amount. Just imagine, 1.6 million dollars lost from the profit-sharing plan this year alone. Unbelievable!
I heard a lot of grumbling after the meeting, but I had absolutely no issue with anything the VP said. I know my application was truthful, and I know that the references I gave would speak highly of me. Some of my fellow employees have already commented to me about how "overly polite" I am, and I'll continue that, as it is part of my personality. I treat everyone with the utmost respect, unless they do something to destroy my respect. Then I will still be polite, but not overly friendly. I don't need to make friends with rude, arrogant, or criminally minded individuals, but I will always be professional while at work. Unfortunately, I can't say that about the majority of my fellow employees. Professionalism is a scarce commodity where I work! As for my performance, well, I know it is nowhere near standard, but I am doing my best. I have already asked for tips from some of the more senior staff on how to improve. Some were quite surprised that I would be so concerned about it so soon. Most did give me some pointers and I've tried to incorporate them into my daily routine. I expect that soon I'll be getting a visit from my supervisor, and at that time, I'll bring up the lack of training we received when we started, and ask for more. Hopefully that will allow me to keep my job as they will see that I want to improve and am willing to do what it takes to do so.
One last event today, the sign-up list for forklift training was posted today, and I added my name to the list. I hope that by doing so, I have also indicated that I am willing to increase my skill set to be of further use to the company. Every little bit helps!
I am no longer worried that I won't "make the cut" this week, but I do know that I still have a lot of improving to do. Fortunately, the company realizes that there is a fairly steep learning curve involved, and is making allowances for that. I am a very fast learner, so I should be in good shape, in the long run.
So, the "black clouds" have been lifted from over our heads and I finished off my day feeling pretty good about my job. I'm still very tired and feeling somewhat weak and droopy from my illness of last week. I'm still coughing quite a bit, but today was able to get through the day without having to take an additional Tylenol Cold pill at lunchtime. I probably would have coughed a lot less if I had remembered to take the cough drops with me this morning! Silly me!
That's it for this post! If you have reached this far, you have my gratitude! I appreciate all the kind words and encouragement being sent my way! Have a great week... what's left of it!
We had an employee meeting this morning and the VP of Operations spoke to us for about an hour about what has been going on in the warehouse. He told us that he had heard that there was a lot of rumours floating around the warehouse, and that a lot of people were worried and as he put it, he "wanted to set the record straight". Hence the title of this post.
He told us that between Friday and Tuesday (remember that Monday was a holiday for us Canucks) he had "terminated" 75 people. He told us that there were three basic reasons for the firings.
1) Lying on your application, which was found out when the background checks came back - a number of people were fired for that,
2) "Misbehaviour" - I hadn't heard about this, but it appears there were several physical assaults committed last week. One of them escalated into a "faction fight" in the parking lot after the evening shift finished. From what the VP told us, it seems there were people from "rival factions" (read gangs) working in the warehouse on the afternoon shift, and when an argument or disagreement occurred during the shift, each "faction" called in members of their respective group and we had a mini gang war in the parking lot after midnight! All those involved were among those terminated. Also included in "misbehaving" were a few people, who, after their paycheques got shortchanged due to errors in the way they were punching in, "flipped out" in HR and verbally assaulted the girls working there. These people were also terminated. The VP said he would not tolerate people in his company being treated rudely, or in a disrespectful manner. Kudos to him!
And lastly,
3) Consistently poor performance. We were told that after an allowance for the learning curve, employees who didn't meet the company's performance standard would be approached by their supervisor, informed of the issue, and given tips on how to improve. Those who had received the warning, and didn't improve, were "let go".
He also mentioned that theft was at an all-time high since they moved to the new building, and since the move, the company had $1.6 million of unaccounted for product. He told us that last night alone, 4 thefts were reported and some of the perpetrators were caught and instantly fired. Later after the meeting, I heard that some people were smuggling iPods out in their steel-toed shoes, which would mask the metal detectors detecting the product. One person, I heard, actually taped the product, whatever it was, to his scrotum! His belt buckle then masked the detection of it. I just can't believe what some people will do! We were told that if the thefts didn't decrease dramatically in the next few weeks, the VP would have no choice but have each and every employee remove all metal from their person before exiting the warehouse, whether for break, lunch, going to the washroom, or going home. That would include all shoes (we are required to wear steel-toe safety boots or shoes), belts and ALL jewelry, and that would really have an impact as there are a lot of people with many multiple body piercings. I overheard one girl commenting later that no matter what the policy, she was not going to remove her clit ring! I just about choked on my granola bar! LMAO! A lot of employees were very upset by this announcement, but the VP was unsympathetic. He told us we are all police in the warehouse and if we see theft, we are obligated to report it. The reporting is confidential, and we are protected by a whistle-blower policy, so we should not be afraid to report it. He went on to explain that people who are stealing from the company, are not just stealing from a faceless corporation, like they think, but are stealing from their fellow employees. The company I work for has a very generous profit sharing plan, and theft eats into the profits, which reduces what we could be earning. I'm glad he explained that, because I'm sure a lot of the people involved in theft probably had never thought of it that way. He also said that it's a very small minority of people who do actually steal, but the quantity and cost of what they steal adds up to a very large amount. Just imagine, 1.6 million dollars lost from the profit-sharing plan this year alone. Unbelievable!
I heard a lot of grumbling after the meeting, but I had absolutely no issue with anything the VP said. I know my application was truthful, and I know that the references I gave would speak highly of me. Some of my fellow employees have already commented to me about how "overly polite" I am, and I'll continue that, as it is part of my personality. I treat everyone with the utmost respect, unless they do something to destroy my respect. Then I will still be polite, but not overly friendly. I don't need to make friends with rude, arrogant, or criminally minded individuals, but I will always be professional while at work. Unfortunately, I can't say that about the majority of my fellow employees. Professionalism is a scarce commodity where I work! As for my performance, well, I know it is nowhere near standard, but I am doing my best. I have already asked for tips from some of the more senior staff on how to improve. Some were quite surprised that I would be so concerned about it so soon. Most did give me some pointers and I've tried to incorporate them into my daily routine. I expect that soon I'll be getting a visit from my supervisor, and at that time, I'll bring up the lack of training we received when we started, and ask for more. Hopefully that will allow me to keep my job as they will see that I want to improve and am willing to do what it takes to do so.
One last event today, the sign-up list for forklift training was posted today, and I added my name to the list. I hope that by doing so, I have also indicated that I am willing to increase my skill set to be of further use to the company. Every little bit helps!
I am no longer worried that I won't "make the cut" this week, but I do know that I still have a lot of improving to do. Fortunately, the company realizes that there is a fairly steep learning curve involved, and is making allowances for that. I am a very fast learner, so I should be in good shape, in the long run.
So, the "black clouds" have been lifted from over our heads and I finished off my day feeling pretty good about my job. I'm still very tired and feeling somewhat weak and droopy from my illness of last week. I'm still coughing quite a bit, but today was able to get through the day without having to take an additional Tylenol Cold pill at lunchtime. I probably would have coughed a lot less if I had remembered to take the cough drops with me this morning! Silly me!
That's it for this post! If you have reached this far, you have my gratitude! I appreciate all the kind words and encouragement being sent my way! Have a great week... what's left of it!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Still Employed...
Well... I went back to work today, and the first thing I did was look at the schedule posted on the bulletin board. I was very relieved to see my name still on it, but I noticed that the list seemed a lot shorter than when I had last seen it. Sure enough, as I was moving about the warehouse, I heard rumours that 45 people had been "let go" last week. I was somewhat surprised I was not one of them.
The warehouse was dead this morning, and I heard it was very slow last week. We didn't have any orders to fill until after 10:00 this morning. That meant three hours of wandering around with a garbage bag in hand, trying to find garbage to pick up. Easy work, but very boring, and the morning just seemed to drag on and on. As the morning progressed, talk about the 45 people let go last week changed to rumours that 50 more were being let go today. You could almost see the black clouds hanging over all the new people's heads. We were all wondering, "Would we make the cut?"
Rumours continued to float around about a meeting at 3:00 pm, at which the 50 would be given the news, but the meeting never happened. Just before my shift ended, one of the lift truck drivers who started with me told me his supervisor had said that the people being let go were ones who's background checks didn't pass muster. Whether it was a past criminal offense, or just bad references from a previous employer, they didn't "make the grade". My friend also told me that he saw a bunch being escorted out by security during his afternoon break.
So, it looks like I have made the second cut, but the thought does still remain, for how long? I hate working under these conditions, but I have decided to make the best of it and continue to do my best, hoping that it will be noticed and that I'll get to keep my job there. I really don't want to start looking for work again.
As for my health, I am steadily improving, but at a VERY slow rate, it seems! I am still coughing quite a bit, sometimes deep racking coughs that leave me completely breathless. I was extremely tired after work and my wife graciously allowed me to nap for two hours which, I wish I could say made me feel better! LOL! Instead, I feel like I'm moving around in a fog, everything seems distant and hazy. I think I'll be heading for bed quite early tonight, and taking a nighttime cold pill just in case.
Thanksgiving Day was good yesterday and we had a great time down at my parent's home in Oakville. My grandmother was visiting from Winnipeg and we had a great time playing dominoes. After a disastrous start, I was able to come from behind and pull off a win! Whoo hoo! Dinner was awesome, as usual, and we had a great time visiting, talking and laughing. I hope all my Canadian readers had a good Thanksgiving as well. My American friends will just have to wait their turn! LOL!
Well, I've run out of steam on this post, so, have a great week everyone!
The warehouse was dead this morning, and I heard it was very slow last week. We didn't have any orders to fill until after 10:00 this morning. That meant three hours of wandering around with a garbage bag in hand, trying to find garbage to pick up. Easy work, but very boring, and the morning just seemed to drag on and on. As the morning progressed, talk about the 45 people let go last week changed to rumours that 50 more were being let go today. You could almost see the black clouds hanging over all the new people's heads. We were all wondering, "Would we make the cut?"
Rumours continued to float around about a meeting at 3:00 pm, at which the 50 would be given the news, but the meeting never happened. Just before my shift ended, one of the lift truck drivers who started with me told me his supervisor had said that the people being let go were ones who's background checks didn't pass muster. Whether it was a past criminal offense, or just bad references from a previous employer, they didn't "make the grade". My friend also told me that he saw a bunch being escorted out by security during his afternoon break.
So, it looks like I have made the second cut, but the thought does still remain, for how long? I hate working under these conditions, but I have decided to make the best of it and continue to do my best, hoping that it will be noticed and that I'll get to keep my job there. I really don't want to start looking for work again.
As for my health, I am steadily improving, but at a VERY slow rate, it seems! I am still coughing quite a bit, sometimes deep racking coughs that leave me completely breathless. I was extremely tired after work and my wife graciously allowed me to nap for two hours which, I wish I could say made me feel better! LOL! Instead, I feel like I'm moving around in a fog, everything seems distant and hazy. I think I'll be heading for bed quite early tonight, and taking a nighttime cold pill just in case.
Thanksgiving Day was good yesterday and we had a great time down at my parent's home in Oakville. My grandmother was visiting from Winnipeg and we had a great time playing dominoes. After a disastrous start, I was able to come from behind and pull off a win! Whoo hoo! Dinner was awesome, as usual, and we had a great time visiting, talking and laughing. I hope all my Canadian readers had a good Thanksgiving as well. My American friends will just have to wait their turn! LOL!
Well, I've run out of steam on this post, so, have a great week everyone!
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Tale of the Lost Week
Wow! When I get sick, I really get sick! Last week I posted about how poorly I was feeling while at work. Saturday night, things got worse. The nasal congestion I was feeling got steadily worse and I could barely breathe when I went to bed that night. Sunday, I began coughing, and that's when it all went to pieces. By midnight Sunday, I was coughing so hard, and so continuously that I began to vomit. What fun... NOT!
Monday morning I woke up feeling like there was a molten ball of lead in my lower chest. I could barely stand and felt as weak as a newborn kitten. I called in sick that morning, hoping I would be feeling better by Tuesday. It was not to be, Tuesday, I felt even worse. So, I called in sick again on Tuesday. I was so weak, that I could barely stand up, and was sleeping for hours on end, when I wasn't trying to cough up my lungs, that is. I was really hoping I could get back to work on Wednesday, as I was beginning to worry about losing my job. During the 6 month probation period, the company reserves the right to terminate any employee without warning or "cause" if they deem necessary. And this job, is one I want to hold onto at least until 2009.
Unfortunately, Wednesday morning I was still coughing up a storm, still had that burning weight in my chest and still feeling very weak. So, I called in sick for the 3rd day and told them I was going to the doctor to get a doctor's note, as I had exceeded the time allowed for sick days without one. I went to the doctor that morning, and within a few minutes, he told me I had the beginnings of a lung infection, which, if left untreated, would develop into pneumonia. Lovely! This would be the third year in a row that I've had to battle it. The doctor told me I was fortunate to have caught it as early as I had. Most times, I would wait the 14 days that a normal cold lasts before going to see a doctor, which, in the last two years, meant that I had full-blown "walking pneumonia" which despite the "walking" part of the name, left me in bed for a couple of weeks. I got a prescription for a very powerful antibiotic called "Biaxin" and the doctor told me to rest for the remainder of the week. As soon as I got home I called my manager, but was unable to reach him directly, so I left a voicemail describing the situation and asking him to call me if there were any problems. I deliberately asked if I had placed my job in jeopardy, but he never called me back. By Friday the burning weight feeling in my lungs had faded almost entirely. Gotta love antibiotics... except the nasty side-effects, which for me, mean some major gastro-intestinal issues of which I won't go into detail here.
During all this time, I had some panels from my previous job waiting to be completed, and I found out they were needed for today. I had 4 panels left to build and had received the final sets of drawings last week. So, I struggled to build these panels despite my weakness but by Friday, I still had two to build. They take about 5 hours each to build, so that meant I had about 10 hours of work ahead of me Friday morning. I finished the last one late last night, and went to bed. I woke up this morning, back to feeling like I was on Wednesday! I guess I overdid it.I delivered the panels this morning, and now can relax. I plan on getting as much sleep as I can today, tomorrow and Monday, which is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada. We're going to my parent's place in Oakville Monday evening for dinner, but I told my mom we would be leaving fairly early, so plan dinner early! LOL! My doctor's note only covers me to Friday, so I have to go back to work on Tuesday. I really hope I have a job to go back to, and that I am physically able to handle the demands of the job.
That's how my week has been! Fun, eh?
To all my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving! And to my American friends, have a great weekend!
Monday morning I woke up feeling like there was a molten ball of lead in my lower chest. I could barely stand and felt as weak as a newborn kitten. I called in sick that morning, hoping I would be feeling better by Tuesday. It was not to be, Tuesday, I felt even worse. So, I called in sick again on Tuesday. I was so weak, that I could barely stand up, and was sleeping for hours on end, when I wasn't trying to cough up my lungs, that is. I was really hoping I could get back to work on Wednesday, as I was beginning to worry about losing my job. During the 6 month probation period, the company reserves the right to terminate any employee without warning or "cause" if they deem necessary. And this job, is one I want to hold onto at least until 2009.
Unfortunately, Wednesday morning I was still coughing up a storm, still had that burning weight in my chest and still feeling very weak. So, I called in sick for the 3rd day and told them I was going to the doctor to get a doctor's note, as I had exceeded the time allowed for sick days without one. I went to the doctor that morning, and within a few minutes, he told me I had the beginnings of a lung infection, which, if left untreated, would develop into pneumonia. Lovely! This would be the third year in a row that I've had to battle it. The doctor told me I was fortunate to have caught it as early as I had. Most times, I would wait the 14 days that a normal cold lasts before going to see a doctor, which, in the last two years, meant that I had full-blown "walking pneumonia" which despite the "walking" part of the name, left me in bed for a couple of weeks. I got a prescription for a very powerful antibiotic called "Biaxin" and the doctor told me to rest for the remainder of the week. As soon as I got home I called my manager, but was unable to reach him directly, so I left a voicemail describing the situation and asking him to call me if there were any problems. I deliberately asked if I had placed my job in jeopardy, but he never called me back. By Friday the burning weight feeling in my lungs had faded almost entirely. Gotta love antibiotics... except the nasty side-effects, which for me, mean some major gastro-intestinal issues of which I won't go into detail here.
During all this time, I had some panels from my previous job waiting to be completed, and I found out they were needed for today. I had 4 panels left to build and had received the final sets of drawings last week. So, I struggled to build these panels despite my weakness but by Friday, I still had two to build. They take about 5 hours each to build, so that meant I had about 10 hours of work ahead of me Friday morning. I finished the last one late last night, and went to bed. I woke up this morning, back to feeling like I was on Wednesday! I guess I overdid it.I delivered the panels this morning, and now can relax. I plan on getting as much sleep as I can today, tomorrow and Monday, which is Thanksgiving Day here in Canada. We're going to my parent's place in Oakville Monday evening for dinner, but I told my mom we would be leaving fairly early, so plan dinner early! LOL! My doctor's note only covers me to Friday, so I have to go back to work on Tuesday. I really hope I have a job to go back to, and that I am physically able to handle the demands of the job.
That's how my week has been! Fun, eh?
To all my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving! And to my American friends, have a great weekend!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Job Update
My good friend Flake has told me she's been waiting for an update on my new job. So, in order to keep her happy, and to avoid having to answer the same questions over an over again, here is a short update.
I've now finished two weeks at my new job as a Material Handler at Synnex Canada. I'm officially an Order Pick Clerk, which means I get to fill orders from the vast warehouse. It's not a "glamorous" job, but it is fairly easy and not too physically challenging. Before I started at this job I was wondering if my injured shoulder would be able to handle the demands placed on it, and I'm happy to say I've had no trouble with my shoulder whatsoever. My feet, on the other hand, are always sore now. I've finally broken down and bought yet another pair of Dr. Scholl's Workboot insoles, hoping that the new technology of gel and memory foam will give my feet some relief from the constant pounding they get. I'm guesstimating that I walk approximately 15 kilometers (about 9 - 10 miles) each day around the over 650,000 square feet of warehouse. Considering that for the most part of the previous year, I just sat on my butt playing at my computer every day, you can see why my feet are not quite used to this! LOL! I think I've also lost about 5 pounds already with all this walking, and I know I've lost an inch off my waist! I had to tighten my belt a notch on Thursday, which is a very good sign!
One other thing to report, I have already established myself at work as someone who learns quickly and have been asked to help mentor a new person already. Every day 5 - 6 new people start at this place, and their trainers aren't always available to help them. I don't mind helping new people out, as long as they are learning and not trying to do as little as possible.
There are a LOT of people working in this warehouse and I think most of them fall into the class of people I would call "Losers". I am amazed at the sheer laziness of some of my co-workers and the total lack of personal standards that so many of them exhibit. I just am floored by the number of times I come across an empty box left on a shelf, or empty plastic wrappers left lying on the floor as I make my rounds. Most of our carts have garbage bags attached to them, and it doesn't take any effort to toss an empty wrapper into the bag, or put an empty box on the cart. I pick up every empty box I can find so I can use them to fill orders of smaller items. I guess I am in the minority of warehouse workers. I care about my job, my efforts and my performance. I try not to let all this get me down while I am working, but some days I find myself getting very frustrated. Maybe I care too much?
I'm beginning to make some friends at work, but most of my co-workers are very young and I find myself not knowing what to say to them. Their taste in music, movies and other pop culture usually is so far from my own, we have no common ground on which to chat. I find myself spending my breaks alone most of the time, which, isn't really a bad thing. The only problem is, sometimes breaks can seem like they take forever when you're alone. I've always been somewhat of a loner, so it's not a big issue for me.
I hope I've given those of you who are interested an adequate overview of my job. The main thing is, I'm not hating it...yet! LOL!
Now I'm gonna go and re-dose myself with decongestants and try to get over this darn cold faster! Take care and have a great week, everyone!
I've now finished two weeks at my new job as a Material Handler at Synnex Canada. I'm officially an Order Pick Clerk, which means I get to fill orders from the vast warehouse. It's not a "glamorous" job, but it is fairly easy and not too physically challenging. Before I started at this job I was wondering if my injured shoulder would be able to handle the demands placed on it, and I'm happy to say I've had no trouble with my shoulder whatsoever. My feet, on the other hand, are always sore now. I've finally broken down and bought yet another pair of Dr. Scholl's Workboot insoles, hoping that the new technology of gel and memory foam will give my feet some relief from the constant pounding they get. I'm guesstimating that I walk approximately 15 kilometers (about 9 - 10 miles) each day around the over 650,000 square feet of warehouse. Considering that for the most part of the previous year, I just sat on my butt playing at my computer every day, you can see why my feet are not quite used to this! LOL! I think I've also lost about 5 pounds already with all this walking, and I know I've lost an inch off my waist! I had to tighten my belt a notch on Thursday, which is a very good sign!
One other thing to report, I have already established myself at work as someone who learns quickly and have been asked to help mentor a new person already. Every day 5 - 6 new people start at this place, and their trainers aren't always available to help them. I don't mind helping new people out, as long as they are learning and not trying to do as little as possible.
There are a LOT of people working in this warehouse and I think most of them fall into the class of people I would call "Losers". I am amazed at the sheer laziness of some of my co-workers and the total lack of personal standards that so many of them exhibit. I just am floored by the number of times I come across an empty box left on a shelf, or empty plastic wrappers left lying on the floor as I make my rounds. Most of our carts have garbage bags attached to them, and it doesn't take any effort to toss an empty wrapper into the bag, or put an empty box on the cart. I pick up every empty box I can find so I can use them to fill orders of smaller items. I guess I am in the minority of warehouse workers. I care about my job, my efforts and my performance. I try not to let all this get me down while I am working, but some days I find myself getting very frustrated. Maybe I care too much?
I'm beginning to make some friends at work, but most of my co-workers are very young and I find myself not knowing what to say to them. Their taste in music, movies and other pop culture usually is so far from my own, we have no common ground on which to chat. I find myself spending my breaks alone most of the time, which, isn't really a bad thing. The only problem is, sometimes breaks can seem like they take forever when you're alone. I've always been somewhat of a loner, so it's not a big issue for me.
I hope I've given those of you who are interested an adequate overview of my job. The main thing is, I'm not hating it...yet! LOL!
Now I'm gonna go and re-dose myself with decongestants and try to get over this darn cold faster! Take care and have a great week, everyone!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Ugh!
"Do you feel stuffy and puffy and thick in the head? Do you long for your jammies and wish for your bed?"
Anyone remember that corporate slogan? I can't remember if it was Sudafed or Sinutab back in the early nineties, but I liked it and haven't forgotten it. My reason for quoting it today is... I have a horrible head cold. I began to feel really poorly Thursday afternoon at work. That same day, over 5 people went home early due to illness, and several I talked to were seriously considering not coming in on Friday. I decided that I couldn't afford to take Friday off, but boy, do I wish I had! I don't remember much of the day, everything was kinda foggy, but I do remember the incredible pain in my left sinus cavities! I'm taking today and tomorrow to relax and try to get as much rest as I can. I fully plan on being back at work on Monday. Until I've worked 6 months there, I don't get paid sick days, so I plan on working as much as I can, even if I'm not feeling the greatest.
My daughters are off to a friend's birthday party at the local "Glow-in-the-Dark" mini-golf centre, and despite my cold, I've been delegated the chauffeur for the day. Should be fun with my less-than-perfect reflexes!
Hope you have a great weekend, everyone!
Anyone remember that corporate slogan? I can't remember if it was Sudafed or Sinutab back in the early nineties, but I liked it and haven't forgotten it. My reason for quoting it today is... I have a horrible head cold. I began to feel really poorly Thursday afternoon at work. That same day, over 5 people went home early due to illness, and several I talked to were seriously considering not coming in on Friday. I decided that I couldn't afford to take Friday off, but boy, do I wish I had! I don't remember much of the day, everything was kinda foggy, but I do remember the incredible pain in my left sinus cavities! I'm taking today and tomorrow to relax and try to get as much rest as I can. I fully plan on being back at work on Monday. Until I've worked 6 months there, I don't get paid sick days, so I plan on working as much as I can, even if I'm not feeling the greatest.
My daughters are off to a friend's birthday party at the local "Glow-in-the-Dark" mini-golf centre, and despite my cold, I've been delegated the chauffeur for the day. Should be fun with my less-than-perfect reflexes!
Hope you have a great weekend, everyone!
Monday, September 17, 2007
First Day at the New Job!
Wow, am I ever tired... and sore! Hmm... haven't I sung this tune before? LOL! Had my first day at the new job today and I'm pleased to report it went quite well! I am SO happy to be gainfully employed once again! I have to admit I was fairly nervous about this job as my previous attempts at finding employment over the past few years haven't gone so well, as anyone who "regularly" reads this sporadic blurt already knows. In fact, I was so nervous, I couldn't sleep very well last night. I went to bed early (for me) at around 11:45 pm but didn't get to sleep until well after 12:30 am. Then I proceeded to wake up several times until around 2:30 am when I think I finally fell into a deep sleep. Needless to say, the alarm going off at 4:30 am was not welcomed at all! I dozed for about 20 more minutes then dragged myself out of bed and began to get ready for work.
My wife was working days at the nursing home today, which meant that she had to be a half hour south of our city for 7:00 am, the same time I was supposed to be reporting for work in the north end. We only have one vehicle right now, so that meant that I was the lucky one who got to take the bus to work. The way my city has set up their transit system leaves one wondering "Why?". In order for me to be at work on time, I had to catch a bus from our downtown at 6:15 am. Now there is a bus that goes right by the end of my street and then heads downtown. The problem was, according to the posted schedules, I would have one minute to get from the first bus to the other bus once we got downtown, IF the buses were running on time. Our buses are notoriously 5 - 10 minutes late at any given time so that would be cutting it VERY close, if at all. So... I asked my wife if she would drive me downtown and drop me off. She graciously agreed, then said she had to be heading out of town by 6:05 am. So, to make a long story a little less long, at 6:02 this morning, I was standing, all alone, in the dark, very chilly morning at the bus "terminal" downtown waiting for my bus. Not fun! The bus ride itself was uneventful, and I arrived at the plant at 6:36. Then I got to wait until shortly after 7:00 for the training to begin.
There was about 25 people starting this morning, so things were a little chaotic until they got us all signed into lockers and registered on the palm reader system. Let me tell you about the security in this company. Every employee has a security card with their photo on it, which is used to get through 3 sets of locked doors to get into the building. Then, once you've left all your personal belongings in your locker, you go upstairs to the warehouse where you pass another security check then scan your hand into the palm reader. If you need to go out of the warehouse for a break, lunch or end of day, you have to scan your hand again, then walk through an airport style metal detector and then have a security guard wave one of those metal detecting wands over you, front and back, since the airport style one beeps every time thanks to our steel toe shoes, and if you have a wallet on you, they have to check that too. Then you need to use your security card to go through those 3 locked doors again if you need to go out of the building! I pity the smokers... well... actually I don't, but I'm sure that more than a few people have contemplated giving up the habit because of all that hassle! I've never seen such security anywhere else I've worked, even the ( government run at the time I worked there) Canada Post Head Office buildings in Ottawa!
Once that was done, we started training, which lasted about 2 hours, then I was handed a RF (radio-frequency) Bar-code Scanner, and a bunch of order pick lists and told, "Go to it!". Yep... within 4 hours of starting a brand new job, I was flying solo! The warehouse is absolutely HUGE (over 650,000 square feet, I think I heard) and I got to walk most of it my first day! Sink or Swim! I floundered along ok... I think.. at least I didn't foul up completely!
The company is pretty lenient with regards to break times, which is a pleasant relief from the other places I've worked with those loud obnoxious buzzers telling you when to go on break, and when to get back to work! Here you take a break when you think you need one, just keeping in mind that you have one 15 minute break, followed by a 30 minute lunch, then one more 15 minute break per 8 hour workday, and you have to scan your hand out and in for each one, so your times are recorded. They have a very nice cafeteria, and once again we were told about all the bonuses we could earn if we play by the rules and do our jobs well.
I think I'm going to like it there. Most of the people I met today were very friendly, and willing to help if we "noobs" got stuck with anything.
Well... I am fast running out of energy after that short night and very busy day! I'll be heading off to bed soon, hopefully to sleep better than last night, so I'll wrap this up.
Have a great week everybody!
My wife was working days at the nursing home today, which meant that she had to be a half hour south of our city for 7:00 am, the same time I was supposed to be reporting for work in the north end. We only have one vehicle right now, so that meant that I was the lucky one who got to take the bus to work. The way my city has set up their transit system leaves one wondering "Why?". In order for me to be at work on time, I had to catch a bus from our downtown at 6:15 am. Now there is a bus that goes right by the end of my street and then heads downtown. The problem was, according to the posted schedules, I would have one minute to get from the first bus to the other bus once we got downtown, IF the buses were running on time. Our buses are notoriously 5 - 10 minutes late at any given time so that would be cutting it VERY close, if at all. So... I asked my wife if she would drive me downtown and drop me off. She graciously agreed, then said she had to be heading out of town by 6:05 am. So, to make a long story a little less long, at 6:02 this morning, I was standing, all alone, in the dark, very chilly morning at the bus "terminal" downtown waiting for my bus. Not fun! The bus ride itself was uneventful, and I arrived at the plant at 6:36. Then I got to wait until shortly after 7:00 for the training to begin.
There was about 25 people starting this morning, so things were a little chaotic until they got us all signed into lockers and registered on the palm reader system. Let me tell you about the security in this company. Every employee has a security card with their photo on it, which is used to get through 3 sets of locked doors to get into the building. Then, once you've left all your personal belongings in your locker, you go upstairs to the warehouse where you pass another security check then scan your hand into the palm reader. If you need to go out of the warehouse for a break, lunch or end of day, you have to scan your hand again, then walk through an airport style metal detector and then have a security guard wave one of those metal detecting wands over you, front and back, since the airport style one beeps every time thanks to our steel toe shoes, and if you have a wallet on you, they have to check that too. Then you need to use your security card to go through those 3 locked doors again if you need to go out of the building! I pity the smokers... well... actually I don't, but I'm sure that more than a few people have contemplated giving up the habit because of all that hassle! I've never seen such security anywhere else I've worked, even the ( government run at the time I worked there) Canada Post Head Office buildings in Ottawa!
Once that was done, we started training, which lasted about 2 hours, then I was handed a RF (radio-frequency) Bar-code Scanner, and a bunch of order pick lists and told, "Go to it!". Yep... within 4 hours of starting a brand new job, I was flying solo! The warehouse is absolutely HUGE (over 650,000 square feet, I think I heard) and I got to walk most of it my first day! Sink or Swim! I floundered along ok... I think.. at least I didn't foul up completely!
The company is pretty lenient with regards to break times, which is a pleasant relief from the other places I've worked with those loud obnoxious buzzers telling you when to go on break, and when to get back to work! Here you take a break when you think you need one, just keeping in mind that you have one 15 minute break, followed by a 30 minute lunch, then one more 15 minute break per 8 hour workday, and you have to scan your hand out and in for each one, so your times are recorded. They have a very nice cafeteria, and once again we were told about all the bonuses we could earn if we play by the rules and do our jobs well.
I think I'm going to like it there. Most of the people I met today were very friendly, and willing to help if we "noobs" got stuck with anything.
Well... I am fast running out of energy after that short night and very busy day! I'll be heading off to bed soon, hopefully to sleep better than last night, so I'll wrap this up.
Have a great week everybody!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Feelin' Icky
OK, what gives? First my friend Burfica comes down with a nasty sinus infection that knocks her flat for a week, then Flake gets a cold, now I'M getting a cold!!! Burf, did you infect your computer with your virus? LOL! I can't for the life of me figure out where I got this cold from. No one I know personally around me is sick, so where did I get it from?
On a funny note, my sleep last night was not quite what I had hoped it would be. My wife, a former RPN who know works as a PSW/HCA in a nursing home in a nearby village had to work the day shift today. This means she has to be at work by 7:00 am. She has a half-hour drive to get there and being the diligent, hard-working gal she is, likes to get there a half-hour early to be able to go over the reports in a relaxed manner and have a coffee before starting her shift. So, that means, she leaves for work one hour early. Last night she set the alarm clock for 5:00 am, promising me to let me sleep as long as possible. Our dog, Rebel, has severe separation anxiety, so I had to get up before she left to keep him from going berserk. So, at 5:45 am she wakes me up telling me she was getting ready to go. I got up, feeling very sleepy, and stumbled downstairs to keep Rebel preoccupied while she finished getting ready. Shortly after I get down there, she comes into the living room with a very funny look on her face. Somehow, and I can't for the life of me figure out how she does it (this wasn't the first time), she had also changed the CLOCK when she changed the alarm time and it was actually 4:45 am! She had a full hour to wait before she had to leave! I flaked out on the couch hoping to nap for that hour, but she kept getting bored and wanted to talk. Finally, she left and I went back to bed. Rebel, on the other hand, was wide awake, and knowing that someone was missing from the house, would bark at every car that drove by our house! Sometimes, for a smart dog, he can be really dumb! Then, just as I was starting to drift off to sleep, I thought about my daughter's alarm clock and remembered that she sometimes forgets to turn on the alarm. So, up I get again to check... sure enough, she had forgotten again! I flicked the switch over to the alarm setting then wearily climbed back into bed. This would have been about 6:20 am. At 6:45, my oldest daughter J knocks on my door asking if she could take money for pizza to school. I told her yes, and also told her to tell her younger sister, T, she could do the same. Nevertheless, 10 minutes later, T knocks on my door asking for pizza money. GRRRR! I had set my alarm for 8:00 so I could get up and make sure the girls got off to school ok. They'd forget their heads if they weren't attached! After they left for school, I went back to bed once again, setting my alarm for 10:00 am. I don't remember much after that. The alarm went off at 10:00 and I hit the snooze button a few times, then dragged myself out of bed. By this time I was feeling absolutely horrible and basically went from the bed to the couch, where I dozed on and off until 3:00 PM. Realizing my kids and my wife would soon be home, I hauled myself into the shower, then, like the computer addict I am, came right to the computer to write this post!
Now I have to take my girls and myself to the chiropractor, and so some grocery shopping... happy, happy, joy, joy!
On a funny note, my sleep last night was not quite what I had hoped it would be. My wife, a former RPN who know works as a PSW/HCA in a nursing home in a nearby village had to work the day shift today. This means she has to be at work by 7:00 am. She has a half-hour drive to get there and being the diligent, hard-working gal she is, likes to get there a half-hour early to be able to go over the reports in a relaxed manner and have a coffee before starting her shift. So, that means, she leaves for work one hour early. Last night she set the alarm clock for 5:00 am, promising me to let me sleep as long as possible. Our dog, Rebel, has severe separation anxiety, so I had to get up before she left to keep him from going berserk. So, at 5:45 am she wakes me up telling me she was getting ready to go. I got up, feeling very sleepy, and stumbled downstairs to keep Rebel preoccupied while she finished getting ready. Shortly after I get down there, she comes into the living room with a very funny look on her face. Somehow, and I can't for the life of me figure out how she does it (this wasn't the first time), she had also changed the CLOCK when she changed the alarm time and it was actually 4:45 am! She had a full hour to wait before she had to leave! I flaked out on the couch hoping to nap for that hour, but she kept getting bored and wanted to talk. Finally, she left and I went back to bed. Rebel, on the other hand, was wide awake, and knowing that someone was missing from the house, would bark at every car that drove by our house! Sometimes, for a smart dog, he can be really dumb! Then, just as I was starting to drift off to sleep, I thought about my daughter's alarm clock and remembered that she sometimes forgets to turn on the alarm. So, up I get again to check... sure enough, she had forgotten again! I flicked the switch over to the alarm setting then wearily climbed back into bed. This would have been about 6:20 am. At 6:45, my oldest daughter J knocks on my door asking if she could take money for pizza to school. I told her yes, and also told her to tell her younger sister, T, she could do the same. Nevertheless, 10 minutes later, T knocks on my door asking for pizza money. GRRRR! I had set my alarm for 8:00 so I could get up and make sure the girls got off to school ok. They'd forget their heads if they weren't attached! After they left for school, I went back to bed once again, setting my alarm for 10:00 am. I don't remember much after that. The alarm went off at 10:00 and I hit the snooze button a few times, then dragged myself out of bed. By this time I was feeling absolutely horrible and basically went from the bed to the couch, where I dozed on and off until 3:00 PM. Realizing my kids and my wife would soon be home, I hauled myself into the shower, then, like the computer addict I am, came right to the computer to write this post!
Now I have to take my girls and myself to the chiropractor, and so some grocery shopping... happy, happy, joy, joy!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
WHOO HOOOO! Employed once again!
Well, I got it! I got the job I was interviewed for today! WHOO HOO! So, barring any unforeseen issues with my background check, I start work on Monday, September 17 at 7:00 am. My job title is "Material Handler" and I'll be working in the warehouse. The interviewer asked me again today if I would be interested in getting my forklift certification and I very promptly said, "Oh, yeah!" My enthusiasm for getting certified seemed to go over very well with the interviewer and she promised me it wouldn't be long before I would be offered the training. Getting that certification would increase my pay about $1.75/hour which is a great incentive in itself, but getting my forklift license has been one of my goals for some time now. I just never could get things to line up for me to get it. If I had the money, I didn't have the time, and when I had the time, I didn't have the money! Now, I'll get the training paid for, plus get paid for taking it! Bonus!
The company seems to be a good one to work for. From what I've read so far in the half-inch thick Employees Handbook, the company seems to value its employees very highly. They have a great benefit package, a profit sharing plan, generous (by Canadian standards, at least) vacation time and an number of other "side benefits". As much as I'm apprehensive of how my recently injured shoulder will stand up to the demands of the job, I'm hoping that I can at least last a year there, to take advantage of all the perks! I still want to be a truck driver someday, but at least this will be steady income, which will be a pleasant change from the last 4 years of my working life!
Thanks to all of my friends in blogland for your good wishes and support! You are all wonderful friends!
The company seems to be a good one to work for. From what I've read so far in the half-inch thick Employees Handbook, the company seems to value its employees very highly. They have a great benefit package, a profit sharing plan, generous (by Canadian standards, at least) vacation time and an number of other "side benefits". As much as I'm apprehensive of how my recently injured shoulder will stand up to the demands of the job, I'm hoping that I can at least last a year there, to take advantage of all the perks! I still want to be a truck driver someday, but at least this will be steady income, which will be a pleasant change from the last 4 years of my working life!
Thanks to all of my friends in blogland for your good wishes and support! You are all wonderful friends!
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Just a Quick Post
This is just a quick post to let you know that , yes, I am still alive! LOL! I haven't posted in a while because there just hasn't been anything happen to me worth posting about! Until today, that is!
I received a phone call this afternoon from the company whose job fair I went to a couple of weeks ago. They would like me to come in for an interview on Tuesday, not for the Customer Service position I initially applied for, but for some warehouse work. For some reason the only offers I've gotten lately have been for physical work. Can't figure that out at all. It seems all my education and intelligence don't count for much anymore. Anyway, I'm going for the interview at 9:30 am on Tuesday. I'll just have to see if things work out.
I'll let you know how things go afterwards.
Enjoy your weekend!
I received a phone call this afternoon from the company whose job fair I went to a couple of weeks ago. They would like me to come in for an interview on Tuesday, not for the Customer Service position I initially applied for, but for some warehouse work. For some reason the only offers I've gotten lately have been for physical work. Can't figure that out at all. It seems all my education and intelligence don't count for much anymore. Anyway, I'm going for the interview at 9:30 am on Tuesday. I'll just have to see if things work out.
I'll let you know how things go afterwards.
Enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
This is Too Funny!
Here's a joke that was e-mailed to me today. I nearly bust a gut laughing and thought I'd share it with you!
Enjoy!
For several years, a man was having an affair with an Italian woman. One night, she confided in him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, He paid her a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to secretly have the child. If she stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born. To keep it discrete, he told her to simply mail him a post card, and write "Spaghetti" on the back. He would then arrange for the child support payments to begin.
One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife.
"Honey,"she said, "you received a very strange post card today."
"Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it later," he said.
The wife obeyed and watched as her husband read the card, turned white,and fainted. On the card was written:
"Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Three with meatballs, two without. Send extra sauce."
Enjoy!
For several years, a man was having an affair with an Italian woman. One night, she confided in him that she was pregnant. Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, He paid her a large sum of money if she would go to Italy to secretly have the child. If she stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would also provide child support until the child turned 18. She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born. To keep it discrete, he told her to simply mail him a post card, and write "Spaghetti" on the back. He would then arrange for the child support payments to begin.
One day, about 9 months later, he came home to his confused wife.
"Honey,"she said, "you received a very strange post card today."
"Oh, just give it to me and I'll explain it later," he said.
The wife obeyed and watched as her husband read the card, turned white,and fainted. On the card was written:
"Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Three with meatballs, two without. Send extra sauce."
Monday, August 20, 2007
Eccentric Aristocratic British Titles and a Fortune Cookie
I've been tagged again! LOL! Thanks Flake!
This one is fun. Click on the links provided to get your own "Peculiar Aristocratic British Title". These are mine:
Title #1
Title #2
Also in the same site is a fortune cookie application. It seems the fortunes are meant to be more humorous than prescient!
I just hope the extraction process doesn't include eating my brains! LOL!
Now I'm supposed to tag somebodies, so, like usual, I tag you, you and YOU!
Have fun!
This one is fun. Click on the links provided to get your own "Peculiar Aristocratic British Title". These are mine:
Title #1
 | My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Count-Palatine Stephen the Flavoursome of Melbury Bumpton Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title |
Title #2
| My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: His Grace Lord Steve the Potential of Greater Sodbury Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title |
Also in the same site is a fortune cookie application. It seems the fortunes are meant to be more humorous than prescient!
 | My Fortune Cookie told me: Basking sharks are plotting to extract your thoughts. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune |
I just hope the extraction process doesn't include eating my brains! LOL!
Now I'm supposed to tag somebodies, so, like usual, I tag you, you and YOU!
Have fun!
Wish Me Luck!
I would value all positive vibes, thoughts, or whatever you call them sent my way on Wednesday. A local computer reseller has recently bought a larger building in my city and is hosting a job fair this Wednesday afternoon. I plan on attending this job fair to see if I can get employment there as a Customer Service Representative. It's a big step down for me, career-wise, but it would be steady employment! The company has a great benefit package plus a profit-sharing plan that sounds pretty decent. I don't plan on making this job, if I get it, my career, but at least it will allow me to earn an income while I work towards another possible career.
I still want to become a professional truck driver, but due to the credit issues mentioned in my last post, I'm having to shelve that idea for now. I'm hoping that by this time next year, I will have been able to save enough to pay for the course and get my license and start driving for a living. The call of the open road is very loud in my head right now, and I want to get started while the hiring boom in the trucking industry is still strong. I have a history of "just missing the boat" on a number of career choices, so this time I want to be on the boat when it sets sail!
Hopefully I'll have good news after Wednesday! Have a great week everybody!
I still want to become a professional truck driver, but due to the credit issues mentioned in my last post, I'm having to shelve that idea for now. I'm hoping that by this time next year, I will have been able to save enough to pay for the course and get my license and start driving for a living. The call of the open road is very loud in my head right now, and I want to get started while the hiring boom in the trucking industry is still strong. I have a history of "just missing the boat" on a number of career choices, so this time I want to be on the boat when it sets sail!
Hopefully I'll have good news after Wednesday! Have a great week everybody!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
One of My Pet Peeves - Incompetence
WARNING! MAJOR RANT AHEAD!
I could just scream right about now! One of my pet peeves is incompetence. My wife gets on my case sometimes because I have so little tolerance for people who can't do things right. She thinks I should have more tolerance I guess. Maybe I should, but what REALLY bugs me is people (or companies) who just won't do their jobs right. I feel there is absolutely no room in this world for people or companies who can't, or won't get their information right, or do what they say they are going to do.
This is the reason for my venting today...
I went to my bank to apply for a Student Line of Credit which would allow me to pay for my AZ license (CDL in the US) so I could start my new career as a truck driver. The idea of the Student Line of Credit is that for the 1st year of the "loan" I would only have to pay the interest, then, once I start working, then I could pay it back, all at a low interest rate. That's the theory, anyway.
Well... while at the bank, the banker does a credit check on me, and two red flags pop up. When she told me about them, I just about exploded. Yes, about 5 years ago, I had some credit issues, but they were cleared up... or so I thought. One of my old credit card companies, one that I paid off YEARS ago, is STILL reporting that I have an outstanding balance past due! I've tried calling said credit card company several times now, only to be lost while on hold! The other problem is from a store credit card which got sent to a collection agency. It too was paid off fairly quickly and I even got a letter from the collection agency telling me the debt was "fully discharged". Now, about 3 years ago, when we were re-financing our home, it had popped up as a problem and my lawyer AND my bank manager had contacted the credit company and had, supposedly gotten that cleared off my record. So WHY IS IT BACK ON? Again, I can't get a hold of the offending companies because of "greater than expected call volumes" and after about a half hour on hold, my line goes dead! I am SOOO PISSED OFF right now!
Why can't people do their jobs right? Why, when instructed by someone with authority, such as a lawyer, does a company say they are going to fix something, only to be caught a couple of years later, with that exact problem, unfixed? Why does it take call after call after call to get mistakes corrected? Why do companies never have enough agents on duty to handle all the calls they receive everyday? Why, why, why,why WHY?
Ok, I'm done ranting... for now...
Sorry to have bothered any of you with my troubles, but I needed to give voice to my anger before it tore me apart from the inside. If you got this far, thanks for "listening"! I hope to have better news soon.
I could just scream right about now! One of my pet peeves is incompetence. My wife gets on my case sometimes because I have so little tolerance for people who can't do things right. She thinks I should have more tolerance I guess. Maybe I should, but what REALLY bugs me is people (or companies) who just won't do their jobs right. I feel there is absolutely no room in this world for people or companies who can't, or won't get their information right, or do what they say they are going to do.
This is the reason for my venting today...
I went to my bank to apply for a Student Line of Credit which would allow me to pay for my AZ license (CDL in the US) so I could start my new career as a truck driver. The idea of the Student Line of Credit is that for the 1st year of the "loan" I would only have to pay the interest, then, once I start working, then I could pay it back, all at a low interest rate. That's the theory, anyway.
Well... while at the bank, the banker does a credit check on me, and two red flags pop up. When she told me about them, I just about exploded. Yes, about 5 years ago, I had some credit issues, but they were cleared up... or so I thought. One of my old credit card companies, one that I paid off YEARS ago, is STILL reporting that I have an outstanding balance past due! I've tried calling said credit card company several times now, only to be lost while on hold! The other problem is from a store credit card which got sent to a collection agency. It too was paid off fairly quickly and I even got a letter from the collection agency telling me the debt was "fully discharged". Now, about 3 years ago, when we were re-financing our home, it had popped up as a problem and my lawyer AND my bank manager had contacted the credit company and had, supposedly gotten that cleared off my record. So WHY IS IT BACK ON? Again, I can't get a hold of the offending companies because of "greater than expected call volumes" and after about a half hour on hold, my line goes dead! I am SOOO PISSED OFF right now!
Why can't people do their jobs right? Why, when instructed by someone with authority, such as a lawyer, does a company say they are going to fix something, only to be caught a couple of years later, with that exact problem, unfixed? Why does it take call after call after call to get mistakes corrected? Why do companies never have enough agents on duty to handle all the calls they receive everyday? Why, why, why,why WHY?
Ok, I'm done ranting... for now...
Sorry to have bothered any of you with my troubles, but I needed to give voice to my anger before it tore me apart from the inside. If you got this far, thanks for "listening"! I hope to have better news soon.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Another Tag
Yay! I've been tagged again by my good friend Canadian Flake (Does it count that I had to stand right in front of her waving my arms yelling "Pick me! Pick me!" LOL! Well.. it wasn't quite like that, but, I still had to ASK to be tagged! LOL!)
This MEME (whatever that means... I haven't yet found an answer in all the blogs I've read) is about middle names. The rules are as follows:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. If you have more than one middle name, try to do all of them. Hehe.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Ok... here goes...
W - Warped. My sense of humour is decidedly warped, and I quite often find humour in things, situations and circumstances that most others wouldn't. Usually to the point where people look at me with that puzzled look on their face thinking to themselves "What planet is THIS guy from?"
A - Avoids Conflict. I really hate conflict between myself and others and sometimes will take a whole lot of crap before I let loose. I'm not the type to make a fuss in a restaurant or store if something isn't to my liking. I'm the silent type who walks away and never returns. When I am forced to confront somebody, I find myself shaking and sweating profusely, but, IF I am forced into confrontation, once I get started, I will completely devastate my opponent with cutting words and cold-blooded logic. I may be quiet, but that does not mean I'm complacent.
Y - Young at heart. I'm slowly coming to grips with the fact that I will be 40 years old this December. Yet, despite what my body keeps trying to tell me, in my mind I still think I'm in my early 20s! I still enjoy a lot of things I really liked in my teens & twenties. I find that I sometimes relate much better with younger people than people my own age, although a lot of the people my own age I know seem to be holding onto their youth as tenaciously as I am. As they say, "growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional"... and I optioned out of growing up!
N - Negativity. This is something I have been fighting with since I was old enough to understand it. For some reason, I tend to look at the negative side of life. If I am not careful, I find myself dwelling on the worst-case-scenarios whenever faced with a major decision. For the past few years I have been struggling very hard to focus on the positive aspects to all the crap I've been dealing with, and I think I'm making some headway, but I still have a looooong way to go.
E - Eclectic. I think, if someone were to try to "file" me into a personality category, they would have a hard time in doing so. While I do know for certain what my personality profile is, my behaviour in public sometimes conflicts with it. I constantly surprise people with something I might say, or do. My interests are all over the map and don't follow any "societal norms". Take my music interests for example. I was brought up with, and still love Classical music, but at the same time, I hate some of it. I am a huge fan of Classic Rock, but, just because I like a certain band, doesn't mean I like all of their songs. Most people who like Classic Rock can't stand Pop, Dance or Electronic, but I love songs in all of those genres.
When I was in high school, the student population was sharply divided into 5 "cliques". Punks, Preps, Metal Heads, TractorGeeks (AKA Vocational students bused in from the country - (the word "geek" hadn't yet evolved into it's current meaning)) and Jocks. Each group dressed a certain way. The Punks in black, ripped leather, spiky hair and army boots. The Preps wore Argyle sweaters or vests, white or "Madras" button up shirts, dress pants and dress shoes (The preppy girls wore skirts or dressy slacks). The Metal Heads wore concert t-shirts and blue jeans, usually ripped at the knees and long hair, usually greasy. The female MHs wore those skintight jeans, long dangly earrings, HUGE hair and their boyfriend's jean jackets, usually with some Heavy Metal artwork on the back. The TractorGeeks were easily recognized in their puffy vests, plaid "shirt-jackets" and John Deere (or other tractor brand) ball caps, again, usually greasy. The Jocks? They wore their "letter" jackets and in summer, their team uniforms. I was one of the few who didn't fit into any of those groups, yet I could talk to, and hang out with people from all of them. I liked certain punk songs (Iggy Pop, Billy Idol), I was an academic student (my grades never showed it, but I was blessed with a much higher than average IQ), I liked a lot of heavy metal songs (Ozzy, Iron Maiden) and I was a fairly decent athlete (Track & Field, Football). I even had some friends among the TractorGeeks, some of whom I still keep in touch with to this day... occasionally.
Well, I hope that sheds a little more light on who I am. As for tagging others, I tag... you, you, you, you, and..... you! If you feel so inclined to take on this little exercise, please feel free... and please let me know so I can come and see yours!
Here's hoping everyone has a great weekend!
This MEME (whatever that means... I haven't yet found an answer in all the blogs I've read) is about middle names. The rules are as follows:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. If you have more than one middle name, try to do all of them. Hehe.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Ok... here goes...
W - Warped. My sense of humour is decidedly warped, and I quite often find humour in things, situations and circumstances that most others wouldn't. Usually to the point where people look at me with that puzzled look on their face thinking to themselves "What planet is THIS guy from?"
A - Avoids Conflict. I really hate conflict between myself and others and sometimes will take a whole lot of crap before I let loose. I'm not the type to make a fuss in a restaurant or store if something isn't to my liking. I'm the silent type who walks away and never returns. When I am forced to confront somebody, I find myself shaking and sweating profusely, but, IF I am forced into confrontation, once I get started, I will completely devastate my opponent with cutting words and cold-blooded logic. I may be quiet, but that does not mean I'm complacent.
Y - Young at heart. I'm slowly coming to grips with the fact that I will be 40 years old this December. Yet, despite what my body keeps trying to tell me, in my mind I still think I'm in my early 20s! I still enjoy a lot of things I really liked in my teens & twenties. I find that I sometimes relate much better with younger people than people my own age, although a lot of the people my own age I know seem to be holding onto their youth as tenaciously as I am. As they say, "growing older is mandatory, growing up is optional"... and I optioned out of growing up!
N - Negativity. This is something I have been fighting with since I was old enough to understand it. For some reason, I tend to look at the negative side of life. If I am not careful, I find myself dwelling on the worst-case-scenarios whenever faced with a major decision. For the past few years I have been struggling very hard to focus on the positive aspects to all the crap I've been dealing with, and I think I'm making some headway, but I still have a looooong way to go.
E - Eclectic. I think, if someone were to try to "file" me into a personality category, they would have a hard time in doing so. While I do know for certain what my personality profile is, my behaviour in public sometimes conflicts with it. I constantly surprise people with something I might say, or do. My interests are all over the map and don't follow any "societal norms". Take my music interests for example. I was brought up with, and still love Classical music, but at the same time, I hate some of it. I am a huge fan of Classic Rock, but, just because I like a certain band, doesn't mean I like all of their songs. Most people who like Classic Rock can't stand Pop, Dance or Electronic, but I love songs in all of those genres.
When I was in high school, the student population was sharply divided into 5 "cliques". Punks, Preps, Metal Heads, TractorGeeks (AKA Vocational students bused in from the country - (the word "geek" hadn't yet evolved into it's current meaning)) and Jocks. Each group dressed a certain way. The Punks in black, ripped leather, spiky hair and army boots. The Preps wore Argyle sweaters or vests, white or "Madras" button up shirts, dress pants and dress shoes (The preppy girls wore skirts or dressy slacks). The Metal Heads wore concert t-shirts and blue jeans, usually ripped at the knees and long hair, usually greasy. The female MHs wore those skintight jeans, long dangly earrings, HUGE hair and their boyfriend's jean jackets, usually with some Heavy Metal artwork on the back. The TractorGeeks were easily recognized in their puffy vests, plaid "shirt-jackets" and John Deere (or other tractor brand) ball caps, again, usually greasy. The Jocks? They wore their "letter" jackets and in summer, their team uniforms. I was one of the few who didn't fit into any of those groups, yet I could talk to, and hang out with people from all of them. I liked certain punk songs (Iggy Pop, Billy Idol), I was an academic student (my grades never showed it, but I was blessed with a much higher than average IQ), I liked a lot of heavy metal songs (Ozzy, Iron Maiden) and I was a fairly decent athlete (Track & Field, Football). I even had some friends among the TractorGeeks, some of whom I still keep in touch with to this day... occasionally.
Well, I hope that sheds a little more light on who I am. As for tagging others, I tag... you, you, you, you, and..... you! If you feel so inclined to take on this little exercise, please feel free... and please let me know so I can come and see yours!
Here's hoping everyone has a great weekend!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Here We Go Again!
Yep! It happened yet again! I'm once again unemployed! Here's how it went down this time.
Friday morning I went in to work at the plant I have been working at for the past few weeks. This is the noisy, dirty, hot, smelly, slippery place I've been at and wishing I could get out of! Of course, I was wishing I could get back to building the rest of the panels I have in my garage which is so much nicer and easier than clambering over sticky, oily machines in that plant. Soon after I arrived, my co-worker, Harry, a licensed electrician also hired by my friend, told me that the day before (I had been off with yet another major migraine, one of the worst in recent months), he had been approached by the automation engineer we were working with, who asked him if he wanted a full-time job in the plant! Harry told me that this engineer AND the plant manager had noticed what a good job we were doing and were hoping we would join them! We talked about this for a few minutes, then we went back to our respective jobs for that morning. About an hour later, the engineer, Tibor, by name, came up to me and asked me if I was a full-time employee of my friend's company. I told him the truth, that I was actually a part-time employee, and then he asked me if I had my own business. Again, I truthfully replied in the affirmative. Then he says, "So, if we get another job like this one, we could hire you directly? You would get more money that way!" Now, I may be too honest for my own good, but I replied that I wouldn't want to hurt my friend, who gave me this job in the first place. He just nodded and said no more on the subject. I began to think about the possibilities, and my mood lifted quite considerably as I realized that, since this company is a division of one of the largest car parts manufacturers in Ontario, that I might have an "in" to all of them through this one! The morning sped by after that as my mind was taken up with what I would have to do to secure this line of work. Now, before you get all happy for me, remember two things: 1) I really disliked the environment of this plant, and I had been told all the other plants were similar, and 2) this is all in my head so far!
Fast forward to after lunch. I was talking to Tibor about what needed to be done next when he dropped the bomb on me. He'd just been informed by the plant manager that he, the engineer, is finishing off the rest of the job by himself! Just like that, the the company changed their mind and cancelled the rest of my friend's contract. Then it hit me. This is the exact same situation I kept running into at my last major contract at Grantek! We'd be working our tails off on a project, only to have it cut out from under us about halfway through, and I'd be out of work with next to no notice. Every year I was at Grantek, this had happened. Only once, was I able to finish off a project there, and that was the first year I worked for them. I actually came in on the tail end of the job when they were under extreme pressure to meet the customer's deadline. Every other project I worked on at Grantek was either cancelled, or indefinitely postponed! I guess it's an industry wide symptom. I had just thought it was Grantek not planning far enough ahead! Now I see firsthand, how fast the winds can change within the manufacturing industry, and now I think I'm convinced that I want no part of it any more.
The silver lining in this cloud is; at least I now know that working as a supplier to the manufacturing industry is not what I want to do. I get to scratch one possible career path off my list and focus more on the rest. Now if I could just figure out what it is that I DO want to do... LOL!
Speaking of possible career paths... This coming weekend is the annual TruckFest in Fergus, a small town north of Guelph, where I live. Trucking companies from all over North America come to this small town to celebrate the trucking industry and a lot of truck owners come to show off their custom trucks. We (my wife and I) went last year for the truck and tractor pulling event and had a blast! I really want to go again this year, once again for the pulling events, which we love, and secondly, to talk to the trucking company recruiters who will be there in force. I've decided that before I make the decision to take the truck driving path, I want as much information as I can get about the actual possibilities available. I'm not about to go further into debt to get my AZ license only to find out I can't get a job working for the companies I'd like because they only want experienced drivers. I will not drive for some of the "fly-by-night", "corner-cutting" smaller trucking companies that are so prolific in Ontario. Too many innocent people have been killed by poorly maintained rigs in this province for me to want to take that risk. If I can't get a job right away with a reputable company, then this career path is not the right one for me. I know, I'm being picky, but I only have about 25 (max.) working years left in my life and I want them to be good, well-paid, and fulfilling years, to make up for the past 20 unfulfilling, poorly paid, extremely stressful ones. I have my family to think of, and now, looming ever closer, retirement as well. Quality of life is a huge issue for me, and since my health isn't the strongest at the best of times, keeping the stress to a minimum is paramount with me now. I've wasted too many years being stressed out, depressed, sick, tired, and frustrated to continue along that path.
So, with that in mind, this coming week I am planning on contacting some more temp agencies, looking for CLEAN, light work for the next few weeks, as well as getting some stuff done around the house. My girls are leaving this evening for a week with my parents, so this will be the prime opportunity to finish painting their furniture and getting that ceiling fan mounted in their room. Then I'll have to see about getting the garage cleaned up once again, and also my office. An ambitious plan for a guy who seems to spend most of his "off hours" in bed under the influence of powerful pain killers! At least the weather forecast for the week is calling for sunny, warm days for the next 5 days! Hopefully, this means my headaches will be mild to moderate instead of the severe to extreme they are with unsettled weather. I just hope the showers forecasted for next Saturday happen earlier (or later, but earlier means my gardens won't dry out as much), and that Saturday is dry, mild and sunny for TruckFest!
Have a great week everybody!
Friday morning I went in to work at the plant I have been working at for the past few weeks. This is the noisy, dirty, hot, smelly, slippery place I've been at and wishing I could get out of! Of course, I was wishing I could get back to building the rest of the panels I have in my garage which is so much nicer and easier than clambering over sticky, oily machines in that plant. Soon after I arrived, my co-worker, Harry, a licensed electrician also hired by my friend, told me that the day before (I had been off with yet another major migraine, one of the worst in recent months), he had been approached by the automation engineer we were working with, who asked him if he wanted a full-time job in the plant! Harry told me that this engineer AND the plant manager had noticed what a good job we were doing and were hoping we would join them! We talked about this for a few minutes, then we went back to our respective jobs for that morning. About an hour later, the engineer, Tibor, by name, came up to me and asked me if I was a full-time employee of my friend's company. I told him the truth, that I was actually a part-time employee, and then he asked me if I had my own business. Again, I truthfully replied in the affirmative. Then he says, "So, if we get another job like this one, we could hire you directly? You would get more money that way!" Now, I may be too honest for my own good, but I replied that I wouldn't want to hurt my friend, who gave me this job in the first place. He just nodded and said no more on the subject. I began to think about the possibilities, and my mood lifted quite considerably as I realized that, since this company is a division of one of the largest car parts manufacturers in Ontario, that I might have an "in" to all of them through this one! The morning sped by after that as my mind was taken up with what I would have to do to secure this line of work. Now, before you get all happy for me, remember two things: 1) I really disliked the environment of this plant, and I had been told all the other plants were similar, and 2) this is all in my head so far!
Fast forward to after lunch. I was talking to Tibor about what needed to be done next when he dropped the bomb on me. He'd just been informed by the plant manager that he, the engineer, is finishing off the rest of the job by himself! Just like that, the the company changed their mind and cancelled the rest of my friend's contract. Then it hit me. This is the exact same situation I kept running into at my last major contract at Grantek! We'd be working our tails off on a project, only to have it cut out from under us about halfway through, and I'd be out of work with next to no notice. Every year I was at Grantek, this had happened. Only once, was I able to finish off a project there, and that was the first year I worked for them. I actually came in on the tail end of the job when they were under extreme pressure to meet the customer's deadline. Every other project I worked on at Grantek was either cancelled, or indefinitely postponed! I guess it's an industry wide symptom. I had just thought it was Grantek not planning far enough ahead! Now I see firsthand, how fast the winds can change within the manufacturing industry, and now I think I'm convinced that I want no part of it any more.
The silver lining in this cloud is; at least I now know that working as a supplier to the manufacturing industry is not what I want to do. I get to scratch one possible career path off my list and focus more on the rest. Now if I could just figure out what it is that I DO want to do... LOL!
Speaking of possible career paths... This coming weekend is the annual TruckFest in Fergus, a small town north of Guelph, where I live. Trucking companies from all over North America come to this small town to celebrate the trucking industry and a lot of truck owners come to show off their custom trucks. We (my wife and I) went last year for the truck and tractor pulling event and had a blast! I really want to go again this year, once again for the pulling events, which we love, and secondly, to talk to the trucking company recruiters who will be there in force. I've decided that before I make the decision to take the truck driving path, I want as much information as I can get about the actual possibilities available. I'm not about to go further into debt to get my AZ license only to find out I can't get a job working for the companies I'd like because they only want experienced drivers. I will not drive for some of the "fly-by-night", "corner-cutting" smaller trucking companies that are so prolific in Ontario. Too many innocent people have been killed by poorly maintained rigs in this province for me to want to take that risk. If I can't get a job right away with a reputable company, then this career path is not the right one for me. I know, I'm being picky, but I only have about 25 (max.) working years left in my life and I want them to be good, well-paid, and fulfilling years, to make up for the past 20 unfulfilling, poorly paid, extremely stressful ones. I have my family to think of, and now, looming ever closer, retirement as well. Quality of life is a huge issue for me, and since my health isn't the strongest at the best of times, keeping the stress to a minimum is paramount with me now. I've wasted too many years being stressed out, depressed, sick, tired, and frustrated to continue along that path.
So, with that in mind, this coming week I am planning on contacting some more temp agencies, looking for CLEAN, light work for the next few weeks, as well as getting some stuff done around the house. My girls are leaving this evening for a week with my parents, so this will be the prime opportunity to finish painting their furniture and getting that ceiling fan mounted in their room. Then I'll have to see about getting the garage cleaned up once again, and also my office. An ambitious plan for a guy who seems to spend most of his "off hours" in bed under the influence of powerful pain killers! At least the weather forecast for the week is calling for sunny, warm days for the next 5 days! Hopefully, this means my headaches will be mild to moderate instead of the severe to extreme they are with unsettled weather. I just hope the showers forecasted for next Saturday happen earlier (or later, but earlier means my gardens won't dry out as much), and that Saturday is dry, mild and sunny for TruckFest!
Have a great week everybody!
Monday, July 16, 2007
A Wasted Weekend and Monkey House Training
Well... as weekends go, this past weekend was a total bust! No, I wasn't drunk, blitzed, sloshed, or however else one could put it! LOL! I call the weekend "wasted" because I spent 75% of it in bed! And NOT doing what I wish I could have been doing, either! Instead, I spent almost all of Saturday, and over half of Sunday lying in bed with a hand over my eyes trying to avoid any movement, light, sound, etc... my head hurt so bad! I went to my chiropractor this afternoon and he said there was so much tension in my shoulder and neck, it's no wonder I was having so much trouble. I left work at noon today because of the pain. I'm just not used to all this physical labour!
Today I felt like I was auditioning for a job in the monkey house at the zoo! I was HOPING to just go in and install the two panels I built at the end of last week and get out before anyone really noticed I was there, but no such luck! The project leader AND my boss both saw me and told me I had to help the project leader wire up some new door switches on some machines that were installed last week. "OK" I said, thinking it wouldn't take too long. Boy, was I WRONG! I ended up clambering back and forth OVER the machines in question, running cable, then wiring those cables to the door switches. On one of the safety gates that I was wiring, the gate lock and accompanying push-button switch hadn't even been installed yet! So I had to take apart the lock, take out the damaged old cable and replace it with new cable, then mount the lock in place and then the push-button box in a place where the operators can get to it if they need to gain access to the robot working area. Wiring the lock was the easy part. The mounting of the two items was the hard part! Both parts were to be mounted on the safety cage surrounding the robot work area and both areas were 10 feet off the floor! I had to climb up a greasy ladder, swing through a 4 foot high door which was 2 feet higher than the top of that greasy ladder and somehow manage to accomplish this with a bulky tool belt around my waist, my feet not sticking to anything, and the only handholds located OUTSIDE the cage! The fact that I didn't slip and fall is a miracle in itself! I was so glad when the noon buzzer went off! I had told my boss that due to my headache, and the fact that my wife needed to get to work for 3, I was leaving at 12 today. He wasn't happy, but what could he do? I'm basically doing him a huge favour by being there, anyway!
One bit of good news, my chiropractor agreed with me that the job demands are causing most of my neck and shoulder problems, so I can go back to my boss tomorrow and tell him that 5 hours a day is my maximum for this week. After this week, the plant goes back into production mode, so we won't be able to install any more panels during the weekdays. The project leader hinted at doing the installs over the next several weekends, but I'm NOT going to be giving up my weekends! I just hope that he gets the schematics for the last 9 panels done soon, so I can get back to working from home, building them. Once those are all done, it's back to the job hunt for the Phoenix! I just wish I could figure out what it is I'm supposed to be doing!
On the subject of job hunts, my brother-in-law told me yesterday he had just gotten his DZ license and loaned me his air-brake book because I had indicated I might try for my AZ license. An AZ license would allow me to drive a tractor-trailer rig and I've heard that it pays pretty well. It would mean that I would be away from home a lot, but since my girls have reached their teens (one has, the other will next year) maybe it won't be such a problem. I used to be away from home a lot when I worked as a professional photographer, but my youngest was just a newborn and I didn't want to miss that. I'd go back to that photog job if it paid better! Long hours and dealing with bratty kids for $300 a week (plus commission... if you're lucky) just isn't what I call a good deal! I'd love to be able to afford to purchase a good digital SLR camera and some studio lights and open up my own studio. I'd like to focus on commercial product photography, but do some portrait and "fashion" stuff on the side. Dreams... that's all I have these days!
Well... I've done enough whining for one post! Hopefully my next one will have some lighter stuff in it!
Have a good week everyone!
Today I felt like I was auditioning for a job in the monkey house at the zoo! I was HOPING to just go in and install the two panels I built at the end of last week and get out before anyone really noticed I was there, but no such luck! The project leader AND my boss both saw me and told me I had to help the project leader wire up some new door switches on some machines that were installed last week. "OK" I said, thinking it wouldn't take too long. Boy, was I WRONG! I ended up clambering back and forth OVER the machines in question, running cable, then wiring those cables to the door switches. On one of the safety gates that I was wiring, the gate lock and accompanying push-button switch hadn't even been installed yet! So I had to take apart the lock, take out the damaged old cable and replace it with new cable, then mount the lock in place and then the push-button box in a place where the operators can get to it if they need to gain access to the robot working area. Wiring the lock was the easy part. The mounting of the two items was the hard part! Both parts were to be mounted on the safety cage surrounding the robot work area and both areas were 10 feet off the floor! I had to climb up a greasy ladder, swing through a 4 foot high door which was 2 feet higher than the top of that greasy ladder and somehow manage to accomplish this with a bulky tool belt around my waist, my feet not sticking to anything, and the only handholds located OUTSIDE the cage! The fact that I didn't slip and fall is a miracle in itself! I was so glad when the noon buzzer went off! I had told my boss that due to my headache, and the fact that my wife needed to get to work for 3, I was leaving at 12 today. He wasn't happy, but what could he do? I'm basically doing him a huge favour by being there, anyway!
One bit of good news, my chiropractor agreed with me that the job demands are causing most of my neck and shoulder problems, so I can go back to my boss tomorrow and tell him that 5 hours a day is my maximum for this week. After this week, the plant goes back into production mode, so we won't be able to install any more panels during the weekdays. The project leader hinted at doing the installs over the next several weekends, but I'm NOT going to be giving up my weekends! I just hope that he gets the schematics for the last 9 panels done soon, so I can get back to working from home, building them. Once those are all done, it's back to the job hunt for the Phoenix! I just wish I could figure out what it is I'm supposed to be doing!
On the subject of job hunts, my brother-in-law told me yesterday he had just gotten his DZ license and loaned me his air-brake book because I had indicated I might try for my AZ license. An AZ license would allow me to drive a tractor-trailer rig and I've heard that it pays pretty well. It would mean that I would be away from home a lot, but since my girls have reached their teens (one has, the other will next year) maybe it won't be such a problem. I used to be away from home a lot when I worked as a professional photographer, but my youngest was just a newborn and I didn't want to miss that. I'd go back to that photog job if it paid better! Long hours and dealing with bratty kids for $300 a week (plus commission... if you're lucky) just isn't what I call a good deal! I'd love to be able to afford to purchase a good digital SLR camera and some studio lights and open up my own studio. I'd like to focus on commercial product photography, but do some portrait and "fashion" stuff on the side. Dreams... that's all I have these days!
Well... I've done enough whining for one post! Hopefully my next one will have some lighter stuff in it!
Have a good week everyone!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
My 10 Rs
Well! FINALLY! Blogger forgot I existed for a week and wouldn't let me sign in to post! I hate it when that happens, which is about once every other month, ever since Google took over! Why is it, when some company buys out another who has a good, working product, that the once good product just falls apart under the new ownership???
Ok, enough ranting... my good friend Canadian Flake tagged me with the letter "R" to write my 10 favourites about, so, in no particular order, here goes... (Warning! Long post ahead!)
1) Relaxation - I love to relax, either alone, or with my family and close friends. My life is very stressful, (at least I think it is) so being able to kick back, laugh, or otherwise enjoy myself is very important to me.
2) Reading - Reading is one of my favourite ways to relax. I can lose myself in a good book, and completely forget that the world exists around me. I love to read fantasy novels and always find myself IN the world I'm reading about and am always disappointed to have to return to the "real" world I actually live in!
3) Rebel - my Sheltie. Well, OUR Sheltie, my family is attached to him as much as I am! We adopted Rebel this past February, and he has become part of our family! He is so affectionate, cute and SOFT! He is 7 years old, but sometimes acts like he is still a puppy. He loves to run and play, but when I'm in relaxation mode, he finds a spot close by and curls up on the floor, content in the knowledge that I am close by. If I move to a different room, he'll follow me, tail wagging gently, looking at me expectantly. I usually have to stop, bend down and give him a good scratch behind the ears, or along his back, to which he pants, wriggles and "grunts" with pleasure. Then he'll lie down, give a big sigh, and go back to whatever doggy dream he was having before I moved. He is one special little dog!
4) Railroads - Ever since I was a kid, I have had this fascination with trains. I used to be a Model Railroader, which means I built model trains, but I haven't done anything with that for a few years now. Too many other things to do, but I have a few of my models on my desk above my monitor, and look at them daily, dreaming about the model train layout I want to build in my basement someday. I still do love to watch trains roll by, and if I am approaching a railroad crossing while driving, I always slow down to check to see if a train is coming. If I see one, I try to be the first to stop at the crossing so I can watch it thunder by right in front of me. Something about the throb of the diesels, the trembling of the ground and the sheer size of the train captivates me.
5) (Half way there) Renaissance Music - I actually enjoy music from all eras, from the Dark Ages to modern electronic trance, but for some reason I am particularly drawn to the music of the Renaissance period of history. Especially church music of that time frame. Composers like Palestrina, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and others wrote such gorgeous music for the Roman Catholic Church choirs. I am not a Catholic myself, but their music touches something deep within me. Hearing music written in 8, 16, even 48 parts (meaning up to 48 different musical lines, all being sung simultaneously in layers - very hard to describe, actually) gives me goosebumps, and usually brings tears to my eyes. I had the wonderful experience of singing a 6-part Renaissance piece while in high school, and, even though we were, by musical standards, a mediocre choir at best, hearing 40 some teenagers, singing together in harmony was a very moving experience! I really wish that someone hadn't kicked the plug of my tape recorder out of the wall that night, and that I could plug in the tape and listen to it again.
6) Recognition - Now this may sound vain at first, but hear me out. I like to be recognized for the work I do. I firmly believe that all people need to be recognized for what good things they do. This is something that I find sorely lacking in today's society, especially in the workforce. For some reason, we, as a society, tend to focus on the negative, and neglect the positive. Case in point: I used to work for a company that wanted to improve production quality. I was the lead tester for this company so I was directly involved in this process. The new production manager brought out a huge whiteboard one day, which had a graph on it, labeled "Production Errors in Parts per Million". Every Friday, I would receive an Error Report, which I then had to plot on the graph, showing how many errors were made by the 5 ladies who assembled the circuit boards I tested. Within 2 months, all 5 ladies were depressed, discouraged and feeling very unappreciated as only errors were reported. If one or two of the ladies had an error free week, it wasn't noted, just the fact that the "team" had so many errors that week. I, anonymously, of course, put in a suggestion that a lack of errors should be reported as well, but that was shot down, quite rudely, I may add, by my manager as "coddling employees" and ineffectual. I was shocked by that attitude, and quietly, on my own time, designed a small certificate which I gave to each of the assemblers if they had an error free week. Even I was amazed at how fast morale turned around and at how production quality AND quantity increased, but it was short lived. After a few weeks, my manager noticed the certificates and tore them all up and put me on report for issuing them. Morale took a swift dive after that, and eventually, I was fired for being a "trouble maker". A few years later, I heard that the manager had been fired for "systematically destroying the entire production department" but unfortunately, the damage was done. I don't relate this story to brag about what I did, but to illustrate how positive recognition can have a powerful effect on those who receive it, and even on those who see it given to others. Why North American manufacturers can't see this is completely beyond me!
7) Realism - I admit it! I am a REALIST! I have no patience with these "Eternal Optimists", or "Consistent Pessimists"! LOL! My dad has a saying which, the first time I heard him say it, I had to stop and think about it, then I started laughing. I use it myself sometimes, if I can remember it at the time. When someone asked my dad how he was doing, he would always reply, "Not so good, I couldn't be better, and not so bad I couldn't be worse!" Some think it's a long-winded way to convey the typical Canadian "Not bad!" response to the question, "How are you?" People tell me I should say "Great!" every time someone asks me how I am. My response is, "That would be a lie, most of the time!" LOL! I believe in speaking the truth, and if that means I have to be negative sometimes, so be it! People who are constantly optimistic end up being disappointed all the time. Life isn't a bed of roses, and if you think it is, well, roses have those pointy things on them, called thorns! LOL! But at the same time, life isn't a bowl of cherry pits either. People say, "Life is what you make it" and to some degree that is true. But, I have found during my almost 40 years of living, that sometimes people, circumstances, situations, events, etc... can wreak total havoc on one's life which is completely out of the control of the person being affected. Having others come up to me when this happens and say "Every cloud has a silver lining!" makes me want to scream! At the same time, hearing people predict doom and gloom all the time also gets on my nerves. Life happens! Get used to it! Realism also means that when making predictions, forecasts, etc., you don't paint everything rosy, or bleak, depending on which side of the fence you are on. I have had many people, especially in business, constantly forecast wonderful results, then wonder what happened when those unrealistic results don't materialize. They don't seem to realize that reality is just that, REAL! I have no control over what other people think, say or do with the information I present. I can only present it as best I can, then leave them to make their own decisions. For some strange reason, that doesn't compute with most sales managers! LOL! Hint, that's why I'm not in sales, and why my few businesses haven't done so well... I need a good BSer who can sell my products or services and leave me to provide them! ;-) 'Nough said!
8) Role Playing Games - Yes, I am a gamer... of sorts! Ever since middle school, when I discovered the WWII version of Dungeons and Dragons, I've been fascinated by role-playing games. I particularly like the games which I can play on my own, and don't require to have a bunch of people around to play. I've enjoyed playing RPGs on my PC, but have found that, for ease of playing, the Playstation 2 platform is my favourite. One of my favourite PS2 games is called Champions of Norrath, and it's sequel, Return to Arms. I have played the game solo several times as different characters, and also with my daughters. I can literally spend days playing that game. I also really enjoyed playing games on the PS1 before the PS2 made it obsolete. One was called The Legend of Dragoon, which was a very complex single player game, so complex, I couldn't finish it! Final Fantasy 7 was another game I spent entire days playing, and never completed. I'm not a hardcore gamer, in that I absolutely HAVE to finish every game I try. I play for enjoyment, to relax. If I find myself getting too stressed, I quit the game and do something else... like read! On the PC I have just discovered an online game called RuneScape, which, while designed for teens, is still a lot of fun for us adults to play... IF you can ignore all the snot-nosed kids running around insulting everyone they meet... LOL! If you like RPGs and want to meet up with me in RuneScape (it's free!), my character's name is Kalerian, and I am usually found around Lumbridge, killing goblins for sport! LOL! Oh yeah, be sure to identify yourself if you meet me, I don't usually participate in chats while playing that game, due to all the kiddies roaming around!
9) (Almost done...whew!) Rainstorms - LOL! I had to find a way to get thunderstorms in here... since we're experiencing one right now as I type this! I love a good thunderstorm, so long as there are no twisty winds involved! I have also begun to actually enjoy the rain part, as it has been so dry here this summer, I have been having trouble keeping my flower gardens alive! Each time it rains you'll usually hear a hearty "Whoo Hooo!" from me! I'm happy because it means my plants will get watered without me having to pay for it! LOL! Rainwater is also much better for plants as the water that comes out of my faucet has all those nasty chemicals added to it to prevent bacterial growth. Problem is, they also hinder plant growth too! (Side note: my dog, Rebel, hates t-storms and is, at this moment, running up and down the hallway growling and barking at each flash of lightning and rumble of thunder! Too funny!)
10) Recreational Sex... DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD? LOL! Just kidding, although I'm sure I would enjoy it if given the chance! LOL!
Hmmm... I am stumped on number 10!
.............................................................................
Oh! I know! Road Trips! I love to travel and driving is one of my favourite ways to get somewhere! It actually ranks ahead of flying and taking the train, although, if I need to get to my destination in a hurry (or if said destination is overseas) then flying is the way to go. I love being able to see the countryside I am travelling through and often plan to stop and see some extra special scenery while enroute. Something you can't do while flying or riding the train! When we go on a driving holiday, I usually drive the whole way, which is fine with my wife, since she's not the most confident of drivers, and the long hours behind the wheel don't bother me at all. So far, I have driven through 4 Canadian Provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.) and 17 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida). Someday, I'd like to drive all 50 States and 10 Provinces in Canada. I'm hoping that our next road trip will be to the Maritime Provinces in Canada as I love the ocean and the quality of life in the coastal areas.
WOW! That took me several hours to pull together! What a challenge! I sure hope it didn't take you as long to read it as it took me to write it! Thanks for the challenge, Flake! Can't wait for the next one!
Have a great week everyone!
Ok, enough ranting... my good friend Canadian Flake tagged me with the letter "R" to write my 10 favourites about, so, in no particular order, here goes... (Warning! Long post ahead!)
1) Relaxation - I love to relax, either alone, or with my family and close friends. My life is very stressful, (at least I think it is) so being able to kick back, laugh, or otherwise enjoy myself is very important to me.
2) Reading - Reading is one of my favourite ways to relax. I can lose myself in a good book, and completely forget that the world exists around me. I love to read fantasy novels and always find myself IN the world I'm reading about and am always disappointed to have to return to the "real" world I actually live in!
3) Rebel - my Sheltie. Well, OUR Sheltie, my family is attached to him as much as I am! We adopted Rebel this past February, and he has become part of our family! He is so affectionate, cute and SOFT! He is 7 years old, but sometimes acts like he is still a puppy. He loves to run and play, but when I'm in relaxation mode, he finds a spot close by and curls up on the floor, content in the knowledge that I am close by. If I move to a different room, he'll follow me, tail wagging gently, looking at me expectantly. I usually have to stop, bend down and give him a good scratch behind the ears, or along his back, to which he pants, wriggles and "grunts" with pleasure. Then he'll lie down, give a big sigh, and go back to whatever doggy dream he was having before I moved. He is one special little dog!
4) Railroads - Ever since I was a kid, I have had this fascination with trains. I used to be a Model Railroader, which means I built model trains, but I haven't done anything with that for a few years now. Too many other things to do, but I have a few of my models on my desk above my monitor, and look at them daily, dreaming about the model train layout I want to build in my basement someday. I still do love to watch trains roll by, and if I am approaching a railroad crossing while driving, I always slow down to check to see if a train is coming. If I see one, I try to be the first to stop at the crossing so I can watch it thunder by right in front of me. Something about the throb of the diesels, the trembling of the ground and the sheer size of the train captivates me.
5) (Half way there) Renaissance Music - I actually enjoy music from all eras, from the Dark Ages to modern electronic trance, but for some reason I am particularly drawn to the music of the Renaissance period of history. Especially church music of that time frame. Composers like Palestrina, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and others wrote such gorgeous music for the Roman Catholic Church choirs. I am not a Catholic myself, but their music touches something deep within me. Hearing music written in 8, 16, even 48 parts (meaning up to 48 different musical lines, all being sung simultaneously in layers - very hard to describe, actually) gives me goosebumps, and usually brings tears to my eyes. I had the wonderful experience of singing a 6-part Renaissance piece while in high school, and, even though we were, by musical standards, a mediocre choir at best, hearing 40 some teenagers, singing together in harmony was a very moving experience! I really wish that someone hadn't kicked the plug of my tape recorder out of the wall that night, and that I could plug in the tape and listen to it again.
6) Recognition - Now this may sound vain at first, but hear me out. I like to be recognized for the work I do. I firmly believe that all people need to be recognized for what good things they do. This is something that I find sorely lacking in today's society, especially in the workforce. For some reason, we, as a society, tend to focus on the negative, and neglect the positive. Case in point: I used to work for a company that wanted to improve production quality. I was the lead tester for this company so I was directly involved in this process. The new production manager brought out a huge whiteboard one day, which had a graph on it, labeled "Production Errors in Parts per Million". Every Friday, I would receive an Error Report, which I then had to plot on the graph, showing how many errors were made by the 5 ladies who assembled the circuit boards I tested. Within 2 months, all 5 ladies were depressed, discouraged and feeling very unappreciated as only errors were reported. If one or two of the ladies had an error free week, it wasn't noted, just the fact that the "team" had so many errors that week. I, anonymously, of course, put in a suggestion that a lack of errors should be reported as well, but that was shot down, quite rudely, I may add, by my manager as "coddling employees" and ineffectual. I was shocked by that attitude, and quietly, on my own time, designed a small certificate which I gave to each of the assemblers if they had an error free week. Even I was amazed at how fast morale turned around and at how production quality AND quantity increased, but it was short lived. After a few weeks, my manager noticed the certificates and tore them all up and put me on report for issuing them. Morale took a swift dive after that, and eventually, I was fired for being a "trouble maker". A few years later, I heard that the manager had been fired for "systematically destroying the entire production department" but unfortunately, the damage was done. I don't relate this story to brag about what I did, but to illustrate how positive recognition can have a powerful effect on those who receive it, and even on those who see it given to others. Why North American manufacturers can't see this is completely beyond me!
7) Realism - I admit it! I am a REALIST! I have no patience with these "Eternal Optimists", or "Consistent Pessimists"! LOL! My dad has a saying which, the first time I heard him say it, I had to stop and think about it, then I started laughing. I use it myself sometimes, if I can remember it at the time. When someone asked my dad how he was doing, he would always reply, "Not so good, I couldn't be better, and not so bad I couldn't be worse!" Some think it's a long-winded way to convey the typical Canadian "Not bad!" response to the question, "How are you?" People tell me I should say "Great!" every time someone asks me how I am. My response is, "That would be a lie, most of the time!" LOL! I believe in speaking the truth, and if that means I have to be negative sometimes, so be it! People who are constantly optimistic end up being disappointed all the time. Life isn't a bed of roses, and if you think it is, well, roses have those pointy things on them, called thorns! LOL! But at the same time, life isn't a bowl of cherry pits either. People say, "Life is what you make it" and to some degree that is true. But, I have found during my almost 40 years of living, that sometimes people, circumstances, situations, events, etc... can wreak total havoc on one's life which is completely out of the control of the person being affected. Having others come up to me when this happens and say "Every cloud has a silver lining!" makes me want to scream! At the same time, hearing people predict doom and gloom all the time also gets on my nerves. Life happens! Get used to it! Realism also means that when making predictions, forecasts, etc., you don't paint everything rosy, or bleak, depending on which side of the fence you are on. I have had many people, especially in business, constantly forecast wonderful results, then wonder what happened when those unrealistic results don't materialize. They don't seem to realize that reality is just that, REAL! I have no control over what other people think, say or do with the information I present. I can only present it as best I can, then leave them to make their own decisions. For some strange reason, that doesn't compute with most sales managers! LOL! Hint, that's why I'm not in sales, and why my few businesses haven't done so well... I need a good BSer who can sell my products or services and leave me to provide them! ;-) 'Nough said!
8) Role Playing Games - Yes, I am a gamer... of sorts! Ever since middle school, when I discovered the WWII version of Dungeons and Dragons, I've been fascinated by role-playing games. I particularly like the games which I can play on my own, and don't require to have a bunch of people around to play. I've enjoyed playing RPGs on my PC, but have found that, for ease of playing, the Playstation 2 platform is my favourite. One of my favourite PS2 games is called Champions of Norrath, and it's sequel, Return to Arms. I have played the game solo several times as different characters, and also with my daughters. I can literally spend days playing that game. I also really enjoyed playing games on the PS1 before the PS2 made it obsolete. One was called The Legend of Dragoon, which was a very complex single player game, so complex, I couldn't finish it! Final Fantasy 7 was another game I spent entire days playing, and never completed. I'm not a hardcore gamer, in that I absolutely HAVE to finish every game I try. I play for enjoyment, to relax. If I find myself getting too stressed, I quit the game and do something else... like read! On the PC I have just discovered an online game called RuneScape, which, while designed for teens, is still a lot of fun for us adults to play... IF you can ignore all the snot-nosed kids running around insulting everyone they meet... LOL! If you like RPGs and want to meet up with me in RuneScape (it's free!), my character's name is Kalerian, and I am usually found around Lumbridge, killing goblins for sport! LOL! Oh yeah, be sure to identify yourself if you meet me, I don't usually participate in chats while playing that game, due to all the kiddies roaming around!
9) (Almost done...whew!) Rainstorms - LOL! I had to find a way to get thunderstorms in here... since we're experiencing one right now as I type this! I love a good thunderstorm, so long as there are no twisty winds involved! I have also begun to actually enjoy the rain part, as it has been so dry here this summer, I have been having trouble keeping my flower gardens alive! Each time it rains you'll usually hear a hearty "Whoo Hooo!" from me! I'm happy because it means my plants will get watered without me having to pay for it! LOL! Rainwater is also much better for plants as the water that comes out of my faucet has all those nasty chemicals added to it to prevent bacterial growth. Problem is, they also hinder plant growth too! (Side note: my dog, Rebel, hates t-storms and is, at this moment, running up and down the hallway growling and barking at each flash of lightning and rumble of thunder! Too funny!)
10) Recreational Sex... DID I JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD? LOL! Just kidding, although I'm sure I would enjoy it if given the chance! LOL!
Hmmm... I am stumped on number 10!
.............................................................................
Oh! I know! Road Trips! I love to travel and driving is one of my favourite ways to get somewhere! It actually ranks ahead of flying and taking the train, although, if I need to get to my destination in a hurry (or if said destination is overseas) then flying is the way to go. I love being able to see the countryside I am travelling through and often plan to stop and see some extra special scenery while enroute. Something you can't do while flying or riding the train! When we go on a driving holiday, I usually drive the whole way, which is fine with my wife, since she's not the most confident of drivers, and the long hours behind the wheel don't bother me at all. So far, I have driven through 4 Canadian Provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.) and 17 states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida). Someday, I'd like to drive all 50 States and 10 Provinces in Canada. I'm hoping that our next road trip will be to the Maritime Provinces in Canada as I love the ocean and the quality of life in the coastal areas.
WOW! That took me several hours to pull together! What a challenge! I sure hope it didn't take you as long to read it as it took me to write it! Thanks for the challenge, Flake! Can't wait for the next one!
Have a great week everyone!
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