Homecoming Shenanigans

 At the end of the Youngest's sophomore year, the band director of the school announced that he was leaving. Now this obviously was not the first time the director has changed in the many years of my kids attending this high school, so this kind of change to a new director's type of management, etc, would not be unheard of. The new director started that fall, and not many changes were initiated over the 'tried and true' settings that had been followed by several directors before her. Yes, it is a female, and barely out of college. I don't have a problem with the sex of the director, but I do have a problem.

This year, Youngest's senior year, this director has just changed everything. Band used to be at Zero Hour (before school) but this year, she requires only half the band attend that hour, so the Youngest had to give up one of his electives to be forced to schedule a band hour during the day. He is a percussionist, and that hour has ALL percussion of all levels in one class - Jazz, Advanced, Intermediate, and Beginning band. So how are they to practice? Oh, let's add in the outrageous practices this director has scheduled... Used to be just a Tuesday night, 6-8pm, aside from the mornings. No, now it is Tuesday and Thursday each week. Plus this week, she has called Zero Hour for full band today and tomorrow (like two extra practices are going to make the show come together). There is a whole slew of things that this director has changed that just really irritate me, and even sometimes the Wife. I do like that she sends out a weekly email each Monday, highlighting details of information for the week, and upcoming things, but then she ruins it by color coding the events - with no key to know what color is mandatory, optional, or what. For example, the newletter states there is zero hour practice today for full band (highlighted in blue, so blue is mandatory), but under that is the Homecoming Bonfire at 6pm (highlighted orange - so not mandatory?) but the band typically plays at the bonfire.... Tomorrow, zero hour full band (in blue) HOCO parade and assembly (in orange - during the school day? IS the band not playing the fight song or something at the assembly?) with the Friday night HOCO game in blue (again mandatory).

It is frustrating. Now worse, as I am looking at the newsletter, I missed reading before, but now she is changing the practice schedule again - Mandatory Tues nights 6-8, mandatory zero hour Thursdays and Fridays, Optional Thursday night practice (small group/individual practice). WTH?! IT says "In order to support our students’ time management, stress levels, and mental health; we are changing our Full Ensemble marching band rehearsal schedule for the rest of the season".... I think she is making things worse, not just more for the student to lose sleep and stress over, but parents as well. Who has to get up early to drive them on zero hour days? Who has to waste the time for night practices to drive/pick-up? Just ... she really upsets me.

And now I am all worked up about this crap ... at 3:30 in the morning. Looks like I will be up and taking the Youngest to zero hour today, as I am sure sleep will not be coming whilst I am angry.

So the HOCO dance is Saturday, and I guess we are chauffeuring the Youngest and his date. I don't mind, as I am the one that offered, thinking it would give us a little more time to get to know the young lady. I only had just met her last week at that stupid mandatory school meeting. I guess he wants to do dinner before the dance, so they chose Olive Garden, which I am guessing we will be going with them, since we're driving, and that means I will be paying I am sure. No biggee - more time. Then her mother will drive them home afterwards (she's a teacher at the school and is chaperoning).

Welp, this post is longer than I meant for it to be - I guess I had quite a bit to gripe about. I still have more, but just don't want to think about it right now.

PeacE

I'm A Bit Pissed Tonight

Weekends for my family, come and go like ... hotcakes in front of a hungry teenager. Unless they are my teens, who aren't crazy about hotcakes, but I can't complain, neither am I. Anyways, I guess what I was trying to say is, weekends around here, pretty much aren't weekends. It is just two more days that those of us that are parents, have to squeeze in everything that we weren't able to get done during the week, plus attend 4+ hours of marching competition, help another finish his essay paper, and make sure all of them practice their instruments. Let's add-in the time we need to run to friends' weddings/funerals/extended family visits, etc, etc.

Yeah. We live in real life. Not all that shit gets done.

On "regular" weekends, I make sure of one thing ... either Saturday or Sunday, we go out to eat as a family. Now if the Daughter is up (with or without the SIL) she's invited. And sometimes we invite the MIL (as we did Saturday night). So we had dinner last night, today my Redskins were playing at 10am (my time, even if they did lose ... again). So I was at the pub, had some beers.

Oh hell. I ain't pissed now at nobody but the Wife. She had an MRI today, to help figure out some neuropathy issues she has going on .... but failed to remind me today she was going for an MRI. Yes, she gave me a date, many days ago, but my memory is terrible. It wasn't written on a calendar, or anywhere else. I even spoke with her for 15-20 minutes this morning, but did she remind me? No. So ... when I heard she was getting it done, I was a bit freaked that she had not reminded me.

It ruined the evening.

I am upset my Wife doesn't want to keep me informed (even as bad as my memory is, and she knows this) nor cares if I am there.

I'm a little pissed off. Maybe I should book a flight for our 25th next year, and go without her - say I forgot to remind her that morning our flight leaves ....

Yeah. That would be a cause to waste 25 years ....

So not happy tonight.

Hope you get some ....

PeacE

When It Rains, It Pours

Labor Day weekend has come and gone. With it, my birthday showed up. Saturday night, we did a family dinner out for my bday at one of our favorites, a place called the Black Bear Diner. My birthday, being Sunday, the Wife and boys went to church, and I went up to the pub to hang out for awhile. An hour or so after being there, I found out some movie company was there shooting some scenes for some mafia boss-type movie. No one well-known was going to be there, but supposedly the movie stars Nicholas Cage and Mila Kunis. I guess the scenes they were shooting that day were more about the bad guy and some bar scene. I watched a couple of them. One guy, I'm guessing the one in charge of extras, heard it was my birthday, and if I stayed long enough, he would get me in a scene "close to the action" as an extra, but it didn't work out. I waited for him to get me, but he never did. On their way out he sort of apologized, saying he hadn't realized til some of the regular guys were there, that I was a bit bigger than they, and would appear more intimidating than they were. Great.

Either way I still had a fun time. The Wife and I went to dinner at Black Angus, a little more expensive steak place for those that don't know of them. Good birthday. Monday, Reverend Mother came by with some cookies, leftover home made potato salad and some 'white girl' salsa Sis had made. And some cassette tapes she had at home she thought I could listen to in my truck, since I griped about the radio last time. Then the AC at the house went out.

Tuesday I got AC repair to the house, supposedly fixed it. Some board had some scorch marks on it but covered under warranty (yea!) but when the Wife got home last night, it still isn't working. She and the boys stayed over at the MIL's, I stayed home as I had to rise early and get to work. No idea when we can get the AC repair back here as they want access to the thermostat inside, but with our schedules, we may have to wait until the weekend.

This morning, already frustrated with some work issues from Monday, the AC not working, a night sleeping in warm house (it is 7am, and only 91 now, but was up 98 last night at like 9pm), I got up early and headed to my truck. There is a nice large puddle of coolant underneath. The garage my shop uses is in East Mesa, in other words, across the valley (about 35 miles one way) so no way am I able to drive it there with this issue. The garage doesn't open until 7:30 (it was about 6:20 at this point). I called my boss, gave him the heads up. He has the number for the owner of the garage, and within a few minutes, both of them calling me, we got a tow set up.

Tow company calls. They are based in East Mesa, and with morning rush hour, it will take them 1-2 hours to get here (which is about right - takes me about 50 minutes to go to the garage prior to morning rush when I take it in for maintenance. Then I am to ride with them to the garage to pick up a company loaner van (we keep a couple there for this situation with out tech fleet). That will be at least another hour. Then I can got to work (about 15 mins from the garage). I might make it in by 10:30, when I started the day planning to be there at 7:30. In the meantime, I get to sit here in this warm house, waiting for the tow, prattling on about how frustrated I am with all the problems happening to me right now.

At least I have cookies .... for breakfast.

Lunch on Thursday morning with Preacher Tom ... unless more bad stuff happens.

Thanks for reading my rant.

PeacE

I Repeat ... I Repeat ... I Repeat

I can think of quite a few times in the past years, that while listening to the radio, a new, popular song comes on. Listening along, I like the beat. Words seem pretty cool. I sort of like it. Later on, that song comes on the radio again, and I think, cool - and sort of hum along with it the best I can. Days go by, and the frequency that that radio station plays the song goes higher. By now I have all the words memorized, am able to sing right along with it, in key, and know both the LIVE version and the station version. Another short while goes by, and you realize you start to hate the song. BY the time a couple months have gone on, you never, ever want to hear that song played again. For some of us, since I was a karaoke host at one time for this happening, even after the radio quit playing the song as much, everyone seemed to want to sing it at the bar - off key.

I been feeling this way lately with the media. Mostly the news talk media I listen to on my drive int he afternoon/evening. I mean, I know it is talk radio, and to they talk about major events going on in the US, or related to the US in some way. But I am tired of hearing about the CO theater shooting. We knew a couple weeks ago that he was not going to be executed. Why waste my time going over (every 30 minutes it seemed) about how the he was sentenced to 12 life sentences, plus another 3000 years? The VA shooting of the reporter, her cameraman, and wounding the interviewee (that a word?) ... Yeah, I don't mind hearing about it. I don't mind hearing new info on the case that comes along every few hours. But to spend an hour plus talking about it? Enough already.

Hillary Clinton's emails - Donald Trump and his presidency run - I'm sure there are others I can't think of off the top of my head, but these are things I don't need to be reminded of every 15 minutes. Let me know at the top of the hour if anything NEW has happened. It is supposed to be NEWs.

And why does it always have to be sensationally bad news? A school shooting gets play-time over and over, but that small fluff piece they did for 30 secs? Been and gone. Of course, I really don't care about 99% of the fluff pieces either.

Maybe I should stop listening to the radio - whether it is news talk, or even just music. I have a cassette player int he truck .... but not much on cassette anymore. Hard to find them, too, except at the pawn shop, or a thrift market. Most times that stuff is all Spanish music anyways. I could not play anything, and just think about stuff while driving. Yeah, I don't think that would be such a good idea .... who knows what sort of trouble that could bring me.

PeacE

Government Frustration

You think this post is going to be full of every bitch about politicians and whatnot? No, not really. I mean, I do have many gripes about them. Many citizens do, I am sure. Some of them might even match mine, or make me agree with them on something I haven't even heard of ... but that is more off track than what I was referring to with the post title.

Several, nay, MANY years ago, when I was but a wee lad in high school, The Valley area had many DMV offices. I can remember several locations from those days, as I had thoroughly read the paper pamphlet (the rules of the road) and the listing of locations within, so I could be ready to do my licensing at any place, anytime, and knew what places did the testing, etc. In that blank space of time since my HS days, many of these locations have closed. My guess to some government beaucracy somewhere, funding cuts and the shit riolls downhill, blah blah blah, until ADOT (AZ Dept of Trans.) has to do cuts that close locations.

The Valley is continuing to grow in population. Hence, more monies being paid into the system for licenses/registrations/etc, but does that make a difference? No. What ADOT/DMV have done, is contracted and allowed third party providers offer certain services (registration/plates/temporary plates), many of which, charge additional fees on top of the standard fee from DMV. However, after much research this morning, none of these third parties are allowed to do licenses/permits.

So...
A.) with higher fees, many people don't use these third party places, or they don't even know about them.
B.) DMV locations are fewer in number, thus have to serve larger amounts of people (from Valley growth, plus larger areas with fewer locations).
C.) DMV locations are swamped with longer waiting times to get anything accomplished.

Is there any way to fix this? Sure, if whatever higher-up muckity-mucks got whatever funding they needed to provide more locations, and fatten their paychecks. So no, no way to fix it. Sure, DMV does offer some online services, but not enough people use it. The worst is most are not informed of what they can do online, or through other means except going to the DMV. Which clogs up the waiting process even more.

What brought this griping on today? The Eldest Son had his driving permit expire. Told the Wife, but not me. So now he has to go take the written test again, instead of just a renewal we could have done online. He has to go to a DMV to take the test. Third parties aren't allowed licensing procedures. Tried two different locations today, with terrible results - lines over 50 at one, and well over 100 at the other. At 15 minutes to opening ....

We are going to try one of those locations tomorrow, but arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of opening, so we can maybe be in the top 25 to get in, and be out in a couple hours (I hope).

Let's Wrap Up This Week

This past week hasn't been a bad one overall. Spent sometime with the boys. Saw a movie at the theater. Woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep. Yeah, that is this morning. I don't know if I need to start going to bed later, in order to sleep in past 4-5am, or what. But since I am up early, you get some more of my random thoughts for the day.

Reverend Mother and Preacher Tom got a dog. Not that that is anything weird. If I remember the details right, it is a 9-week old black Lab/Shepherd mix. They named it Marley, or at least I think they named it that. The dog is named Marley, but since they got it from a rescue shelter, it may have already been named. I haven't been formerly sniffed by Marley yet, but am sure it will be sometime soon. I have mixed feelings about RM & PT having a dog. Originally, the idea was based on that RM would have some sort of protection, as she likes to take evening walks around the neighborhood. Not a bad idea, since PT would prefer to not go walking with her - not the company, he is just not a fan of 'just walking'. And I know RM reads here, so I am probably putting my foot in my mouth, but where else am I allowed to say what I want, when I want, and how I want?

RM always wanted a smaller 'lap sized' dog. PT always wants bigger - like shepherd, doberman sized dogs. Marley is 9-weeks old, so I guess RM gets the lap sized (for a short time). My parents are not as young and spry as I am.Well, maybe more spry, but not as young. Are they going to be able to keep up with this pet? Take it with them when they go on weekend getaways, or retreats? Am I the one that is going to be asked to    come over and feed/water/walk the dog when they decide to go out of town? Not that I mind it. I live the closest. But I don't want to have to adjust my schedule to accommodate a dog that needs to be let out at least twice a day (if not more). I don't know. Actually it is not me just being selfish and thinking of how it may affect me.... How long will they be able to care for Marley? I'm guessing, a dog that size probably has an easy lifespan of 15 years (at least) and possibly more. Though my parents are healthy and in good shape, that's a number of years, and I am sure Marley will be wanting to be active.

Not that I have much room to gripe about loving and having pets. The Wife and kids have pretty much always had a dog, or cat, or both, throughout most of our years together. Stuman has a few dogs, and Sis has 3 small dogs, a cat, and a rabbit last time I knew. I will admit (this one time and never again) though Daisy and Rusty (aka Crack Kitty and Spawn of Satan) are a pain in my ass more often than not, I still sort of like them. I can't believe I admitted that. I must be bit off mentally from waking up so early.

Oh well. It's not my dog. I can always say no. Just hate the thought of a year or two down the road, they having to give up Marley as things aren't adjusting to their lifestyle the way they thought it would. Who'd thought I would care about a pet that even isn't mine? I must be off in the head....

PeacE

Some Hot Sauce would be good about now ...

Welcome to Wednesday. I am glad it has finally gotten here, and leaves only half the week left. I am soooo much starting to really hate this job. But it is Hump day, and here is today's Humps - courtesy of Dazd.
At least the tax stuff is all done now. I quickly dropped off the last forms the Wife needed, signed my name, and split last night to go play poker. I should have just stayed home, as I didn't last too long. But at least I got to have a few drinks. I am assuming the Wife didn't have to go to far to get the mail out last night, but I don't know. It was late when I got home, and she was in bed.

That leaves me sitting here, trying to eat my lunch and entertain you. Care for some leftover Porcupine Meatballs? Yeah, I know, some hot sauce would go good with this stuff. But the Wife has to make things bland so the kids will eat it and not complain about it being too spicy.

Welp, enough sitting here and staring at the screen. Y'all have a good one!

PeacE

Friday musings

I found out I am not getting a paycheck like I thought today. Seems the upper management neglected to send the physical checks received into corporate office until after last weekend. So now it goes on next week's payroll. Fucking Bastids!

Smile though - it's Friday.

Valentine's Day is this month. Another damn commercialized holiday for stores to want our money. Just in spam mail I have gotten, I am sick of this holiday. Hell, I am sick of this holiday in its general purpose. Why should I say I love you to my Wife on *ONE* special day? Why flowers/candy/jewelry on one day? I don't understand it, but I am an ass if i don't do anything. And with no paycheck until just before the holiday, that's gonna make it more difficult.

::bangs head against desk::

For some reason, that helps.

The daughter has a possible band trip to Disneyland (California) coming up and they of course want their money by the middle of the month. That's if we let her go. I think the Wife and I still need to dicuss it.

It's February 1st, and it just seems to all be going downhill for the start of the year. Things at work are not as well as should be. Moving, payroll, business in general - it's all just starting to add up I guess.

Alright. I think I am done bitching for now. Enough pity party for me. I need a drink.

PeacE

EDIT: I went out for late lunch and had a salad and a diet coke. I feel a little better. But I still want a drink.

The shit is flowing and I am at the bottom of the hill

It has begun. The boss comes by my desk today and tells me that in my free time (because I have so much of it) I need to spend every moment studying/reading/learning how to do FHA loans. Seems after months of me telling them they need to start doing those FHA loans, now it seems they are paying attention. Oh. And they want me to do the processing for them, and learn what NOT to do when submitting one. Put me in the guinea pig tester. Effers.

So I have spent most of the morning reading FHA and HUD guidelines, not finding any clue as to the actual process and what paperwork is going to be required. I informed the boss of this fact, and he said it has to be there somewhere. I refer him to spend his own time looking up courses for me to take to learn how to do this shit instead. He didn't like that answer.

As you can see my Friday has started out wonderful. Let's top it off some more ... the Wife is pissed at me. I was expecting a check to arrive in office today for a closing I did last week. As of this moment, I haven't gotten it - but I don't know if the boss just hasn't handed it out, or if it even made it today. I have less than a 1/4 tank of gas in the car. I have $2 in my pocket and I am hungry for lunch. I can't believe you are still here listening to my whine and bitch!!

Okay, now some good things. There has to be some to outweigh the bad a bit. Sunday I have a meeting with the trainer at the new gym I will be attending. He wants to get an idea of where I am at and my goals prior to giving me free reign. There is one good thing. Ummmmm ... I have a job at least. There's two. It could be worse I guess.

I need to get a more positive mind set. I have been too negative of late. I have generally always been the pessimist. After all, an optimist is NEVER pleasantly surprised. I need to think of some ideas to get more positive. I think first I will have to take the Wife out to dinner tonight so she won't have to cook. That might get her not so pissed at me. That is if I get that check. Otherwise, I might have to offer to let the daughter cook tonight instead. Hell, I don't know what I am going to do.

Welp, whilst I figure out where to get the info I need for work, and what the hell I am going to do to get the Wife not so pissed at me, y'all have a good rest of the day and into the weekend. I'll be back later, if the Wife let's me live a bit longer.

PeacE

Life has to take a dump sometime

And I thought things were going to end up a great note this year. Of course not! We are talking about Ralphd00d here - Life ain't never that great to him. So what happened you ask? Let me tell you ...

I leave yesterday from the office for lunch, just up the road about a mile to Subway. I enjoy my lunch, have plenty of time to get back to the office, except now my car won't start. No turnover, power to everything. Just like last time about a month or less ago. I checked connections best I could and everything seemed ok. I finally gave up and called the roadside assistance I have for a tow. It took them over 2 hours to get a tow truck to me, plus I missed the afternoon from work.
So the tow driver gets my car to the garage I specify, and I just try to start it one more time. VROOM! Starts right up. Mother F'er. Either way, I left it there with them to run some tests on the battery, starter, alternator, and see if they can find what the problem may be. I am beginning to think it may be the battery bad internally. I just got this battery about 3 months ago - and then the problems started happening.

So today, my FIL was nice enough to loan me his car to get to and from work. Hopefully they will be able to find the problem and fix it on mine today - otherwise I will be without a vehicle until Monday. ::sigh:: I am scared to say what else may go wrong.

It's early today for me to be in at work, but had to in order to pick up the car.Maybe I will be back later with more to post. Right now, I am trying to get everything done on my desk before anyone comes in.

PeacE

Short on time for reflections

It's that time of year again, where everyone starts to reflect on the past year and start making decisions about what was best, what was worst, and what resolutions they are going to stick to next year. Radio stations will do their year's best countdown; bloggers will have lists of greats and bads; their be lists all over the place. Frankly I don't give a damn. And no, I am not doing a list for you either.

Resolutions are nothing more than excuse makers. People make them, then break them just as fast. I will grant though, that some people can actually stick to theirs, but I would say a majority don't. Me? I am simple about it. I don't make them. I can say I am going to quit smoking - then I'll remember I made that resolution as I am halfway through my morning cigarette on the 1st. I just don't waste my time. If I am going to resolve anything, might as well start now rather than next week.

I do sit back and reflect on things that happened this past year. If I don't, I forget things that are important like: the Daughter's 16th birthday and getting her learner's permit. But I also think of some of the bad things that happened: The youngest son & I both having pneumonia, but got better quickly. Of course there are the other general things I think about too: trips to Mexico and San Diego, miscellaneous fun times with the family. Oh well. I will have to sit down and do more of this later....

So with New Years approaching, does anyone have exciting plans? Since I am a professional drinker, I am not driving anywhere. Let the Wife do that. Figure we will hear/read about the amateurs and how many accidents/tickets/arrests were made the previous night. Sheriff Joe is good about posting his numbers, the fat bastard.

Okay, I am out of here. The stomach is rumbling for it's mid day meal. Think I will head to Subway today, instead of salad. The Wife picked up some 'Cajun Tuna' and 'Honey BBQ Salmon' in ready to eat servings for me. I am almost scared to try them. Yeah, a sub today I think. Y'all be back tomorrow for some more drivel.

PeacE

Equations that really piss me off

EDIT: For those of you tagged, see the post before this one... sorry.

Today folks, we are going to do some math as seen by people that live in 'larger cities' or high density population areas.

Let's start off by explaining that today is Friday. Always a busy day.

Another given is it is leading into a 4 day weekend for many, many people.

Shall we add in, that this particular holiday promotes large numbers of purchases from multiple outlets?

And can't forget the number of travelers to and from town.

So, I guess the best way to make this into an equation:

Friday + 4 day weekend + major shopping + extra vehicles on road = Merry fucking Christmas.

I hate having to deal with traffic on a Friday afternoon on a regular week, but today I fear it is going to be bad. I was running about a half hour late to work this morning, as I had to go to the Post Office to pick up a parcel. The drive to work took me even longer than normal due to the traffic. I hope the bosses let us go early.

Maybe I can do a math problem that will make me feel better...

Go hang out with friends, play some games, have some drinks.

Friends + games + Bud and Jack = Happy Ralphd00d

Hey, what do ya know... it works! See y'all later on. In Case you ain't back in time,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

PeacE

Gimpin' along

I still hurt. I am not going to the gym tonight either. I figure one more day of rest for the back will do it wonders. At least the legs don't hurt today, but that lower back - I barely move in a wrong direction and it flares up nicely. Ibuprofen just ain't cutting it. I think I have some Jack at home for after work. I hope it will be enough.

It's December - that wonderful month of retail sale explosions and having last minute rushes to the local corner mart for a last minute present. Sister Susie always wanted a garlic hand press. Dad always like a 5 lb bag of potatoes. Mom really loves the arrangement of Hamburger Helper mixes you picked out! But really, it is a time of parties, of getting together with friends and family, and sometimes mass murders. This year I have been blessed to be invited to a friend's home for a Christmas party, and I always look forward to this one. I guess I have been lucky and it is the only one I have been invited to this year. Maybe last year I had too much eggnog at the other ones - I dunno.

I did notice this is the first year we are not having a company Christmas dinner. Talk about finances being tight!

I was listening tot he talk radio show here in the valley (KTAR) yesterday afternoon, and the talk was about the government getting involved in the mortgage/housing industry. Some thing to the effect it is the largest decline in the industry over the last 20 years. Which is a worthless comment. Sure it is the largest because more homes are out there. But it was mentioned that the Gov't may freeze the interest rate in order for - here is the quote form the radio - "the financially responsible people to assist them in preventing their homes from going into foreclosure". WTF? I consider myself financially responsible and my house is not in Foreclosure. If they are supposed to be responsible people, should they not be in that position in the first place? ::shakes head:: Sometimes it just appals me to hear shit like this. Just what I need is the gov't butting into my line of work and screwing things up. Yeah, yeah, I know - welcome to the real world.

Enough of that off my chest. I am headed out for a smoke break. Y'all have a good one.

PeacE

Third update for the day

Amazingly, I am still employed, and also have not snapped. I just received and gave back an ass-chewing to the owners, though, so who know what will happen in the next couple of hours. Seems they thought I was telling everyone that due to the lender situation, several loans were dead. Loan officers could be thespians they way they have been crawling all over, claiming I killed their loans dead - and that they are impossible to do with another lender. Damn crybabies!

So of course I get accused of telling them that their files are dead. Which as I explained back is not true. I told them that we were still negotiating with the lender and that there would be some files that the lender would not do - not that they couldn't go somewhere else. Frickin A-holes!

God, it feels good to get that off the chest. I know you are bored reading about it though - oh well. Let's see if I last out the day, tomorrow is Friday. And I am not staying late here tonight for nothing.

PeacE

Nerd MEter and an update

Update: So here I sit still doing my normal job, and in walks one of the owners. Seems they have been locked out of the system for this lender, and he doesn't know why. He has ME - instead of his fucking self- send an email to our rep for the company to ask what has happened, and that I cannot access the website for the info I need to go to docs, etc. Why? Probably because he didn't want to look like the idiot it makes me look like.

So I sent it. It will be hours before I hear back - the rep is SOOOO bad about replying to emails and phone calls. The other day I had a question for her - 4 hours to return email, which I sent the same time I called and left a message. Frickin' idiots!

PeacE

With malicious glee I walked in ...

... to the office and started my day as normal. As if any day is normal around here. Needless to say, owners have not shown up yet. Rumors are flying around we just lost dealings with the lender we have 90% of our loans through. Everyone keeps asking me what is going on. Sometimes being 2nd in the seniority sucks.

Maliciously, I reply to them that I have no idea. I don't know where you heard this rumor, but I am proceeding as a normal day until I hear differently.

Their faces pale out more, not knowing if their month's check just got canned. Like little twitches of a mouskies whiskers. Oh, it makes me feel like snickering, right in front of them. Then I tell them, "Go away. I got stuff to do." And off they scurry, to another desk to see if that person knows anything. I have heard 3 times we are closing down, 1 that our lender rejected us and we have to re-do the loans somewhere else, and 2 That we lost the lender, but can finish our loans through them.

I'm waiting for the owners to show up. I know there is going to be a meeting. I would be disappointed if not.

PeacE

How much should a person take?

We've probably all seen those hot dog eating contests, ya know, with the skinny Asian guy stuffs like 45+ down in 5 minutes or whatever. Of course, he is competing against people like William Perry, which by the size of him, would think he could stuff more than that down in that short of time.

Or what about the people you might see at parties/get-togethers-bars where you see some small fry guy drink people 4 times his size under the table, and then appear perfectly sober. By size, you would assume the smaller person would be blitzed out first, but not always so.

How many of you fishermen out there, have caught a fish that weighs more than the strength of your fishing line? I have. At the same time, I have had fish seemingly less weight and had the line snapped. How knows?

Well, I am at the point I wonder when I am going to snap. Too many times have the branch owners been in my office bugging me as only 1 closing (of their 25 needed) has happened. Somehow, it is my fault. But it was their idea to switch lenders in the middle of each of these, and I have to change everything over, etc etc. God, I used to love my job, but lately it has been a worry for me. I am tired of putting in extra hours, that I probably won't get paid on, where it doesn't seem to make any difference to anyone or thing. I have been plagued by headaches, stomach pains, heartburn, and other symptoms that I know are related to the stress at work. I leave it at the door when I leave - best advice for anyone (thx Freddie) and only talk about it after lights out with the Wife. She understands, and unfortunately, has no wonderful advice. So here I am. Working away on what may be impossible. Maybe I can pull a Scotty and make the crystals miraculously work at the last minute.

If not, well, then I am waiting for the snap. Be wary.

PeacE

It is so easy to make someone depressed

Ain't that the truth. My bosses have gotten me all depressed. Yesterday morning, they walk into my office and say "We have to close 25 deals this month. Is it possible?"

What am I to say to that? No, go fuck yourself? I look at my desk (and the number of files on it), look 'em right back in the eye and said "No way. I might be able to do 15-20, but that's pushing it."

They glance at each other, then turn back to me. "Why?"

"Duh! I have 14 deals that have been sent to every fucking lender we know that is still open. Each one takes three weeks to tell us their guidelines have changed, or worse, they closed doors. So then it gets sent somewhere else. Each time we get a basic approval, I have to go and re-order/change names/update and it is time consuming. I have like 2 files that are going to close pretty quick though."

Of course they are only interested in the 2 closing fairly rapidly. Then leave me with the thought if "we" don't close 25, are we closing shop? Will I be out of a job come Oct 1? What about the 15 or so LO's? Is it my fault if we don't reach that goal?

Yeah. I am depressed. Oh, but wait - it gets better.

Today is my birthday. After work (no late hours today no matter what) I am going drinking. A lot of drinking.

PeacE

Reading in Public

I am sure many of you out there are avid readers, as I am, and love to sit down with a good book. That is, when and/or if you find the time to do so, between the kids, errands, work, etc, etc. I mean for some people, I am sure it is better than sexual excitement to be able to get an hour alone with a book ... I don't know for sure, and if you are one of them, I don't want to know - or maybe in a weird perverted way I do want to know. ::shrug::

Back to the topic. So I enjoy reading, and one of the ways I get some quiet time to read is by doing it outside the home. When you have four kids, I am sure you can imagine the yelling/fighting/screaming/he-said-she-said/they-touched-me-first/I-wanna-watch-this/blah-blah-blah/baby-crying-dirty-diaper ... ARGH!!!!! And that's the first 15 minutes when I get home. ::sigh:: So I tend to have a book or two in my car, and I will head down to one of my local hangouts (read 'bars') to relax and do some reading.

For the life of me, it is almost as bad there as it is at home. Old people coming by and interrupting your reading - "You'll ruin your eyes" or "I don't know how you can read in a bar". C'mon! Compared to the alternative think I can't tune out some old fogies that can't read the neon sign without magnifying lenses? Then the other half starts in. These are the ones that are seemingly trying to be unobtrusive. "What are you reading?" or "Is that book good?" or something said aside to someone else "That's funny seeing someone read in this place. I wonder why?" I love to just smack them and say "So I won't have to waste my life making conversation with someone that doesn't understand my desire to read. Now STFU!"

::BIG SIGH::

Okay, that is off my chest now. Is anyone able to give me reverse point of view, I would love to hear it. I mean, if I went to a bar, and there is my buddy sitting there reading a book, I am going to at least stop and say hi. If he is like me, he would say something like "Let me get to a stopping point" or maybe just mark the page and close the book. I do that as well if I want to talk to someone. If he don't want to chat, then he would just say so. No skin off my nose unless we had made arrangements to meet up to talk or something. Just running into a friend ain't no matter.

Yeah, as if you couldn't guess, that is what happened (for the zillionth time it seems) last night. The sad part is it doesn't matter what bar I go to, it is the same old thing - whether they are people I know, or not. At least I got more reading in than I would have if I were at home. Plus the drinks are a bonus ... and the steak dinner.

PeacE