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crazy-busy
November 16, 2017, 8:39 P.M.
I've been too crazy-busy to catch up my posts till now, but without further ado--
Saturday was Veteran's Day, which, oddly enough, is a big mattress sale
holiday. (You have to wait for Washington's birthday for new sheets,
though-LOL.)
And since we have been bed-shopping for Spouse, we decided to see what
his honorable discharge could get us in the way of a bargain. And it turned
out to be a lot: Veteran's Day savings = 25% off a new bed for Spouse.
Which means we capitalized on it and bought the best bed we could get.
No headboard, but the best frame, mattress and box spring, plus a $90
(YES! $90!) matress cover to protect the investment and keep the warranty
good (a stain is all it takes to void the warranty. Can you believe that?!)
Mattress Firm is due to deliver and assemble on Saturday. We will get a new
headboard for it eventually, but really, that's the cheapest part. We can
probably find a decent one at Total or Value City for under $150.00.
Spouse's job--schedule is 4 10-hour days per week, always 4 on, three off.
Currently there is bidding going on for shifts, which are assigned by
seniority.
Possible likely shifts:
1.) Sun-Wed, 11 am to 9 pm, which would suck from my point of view, since he would be getting home just in time to wake me out of a sound sleep three nights a week when I have to get up for work the next morning, and Sundays would no longer be viable for doing anything together.
2.) Fri-Mon, 8 am to 6 pm, which would suck because he would be working all weekend and we could never do anything together anymore, plus he would be home in the evenings to bother me and be grouchy and tired and go to bed early.
Oh, well. He's working, he likes it, and it is what it is, I guess. The way jobs are changing these days, you can't hope for better. It's the nature of business at this point to take civilization, culture, and human rights advances down, brick by brick.
But at least this company has an excuse, having to maintain a 24/7/365 schedule. Put yourself in the other guy's shoes, right? How would I feel if my flight was cancelled because the plane couldn't get fixed, because nobody wants to work nights or weekends?
For this week and next, he has Sun-Wed, 8-6 because he's got "onboarding"
which is not a word and I hate that HR departments use it as if it is. This is
bizarre, because of company policy being one-size-fits-all for it. Yesterday,
he had to drive from Kenosha to Milwaukee, get a rental car, drive to
Chicago, and check into a hotel overnight so he can attend his orientation
seminar this morning, from eight till noon. And once that is finished, he
will have to drive back to Milwaukee, turn in his rental car, and get in his own car and drive back to Kenosha
Another thing--although he's off for Thanksgiving next week,
I still don't know how holidays will work going forward. I mean, the reason
their shifts are all overlapping is because they are 24/7/365, so how do they
decide who works holidays? If it falls on your shift, you work? Off by
seniority? Overtime, by seniority or volunteering?
Beats the fuck outa me. And he won't ask these questions to save his
frigging life. For cripe's sake, they aren't going to think less of you for asking
a damned question, when it comes to making sure your schedule is set up
correctly! (It isn't any wonder he's had so many jobs--he's really bad at being
employed.)
One thing I have going for me--he really seems to like it he even handled
the week he spent on third shift fairly well. And while I appreciate the perks
like flight benefits, I would really just like him to find a job he can stick to,
and fucking stick to it!
One more thing--we've all ready seen one fringe benefit. He got a voucher
in the mail yesterday from the company, good for up to $12 off a ham,
turkey, or fresh fruits and vegetables.
Ah, yes. The turkey coupon. I remember the good old days, when my
company gave out things like that. Alas, those days are long gone.
Tough times, these days. And frankly, the diminishing perks are nothing,
compared to the ever-increasing disorganization, an up-n-down workload...
And the dismissal of one of my good friends. For what I consider to be
trumped-up reasons. After she gave them 38 fucking years of dedicated
service.
Also--just between you & me: The nerdbergers in the bay next door are
working my last nerve. For one thing, they are all frigging milennials, with all
that entails: vocal fry, uptalking, never going to the doctor when they're
sick, etc. For another--they are actuaries. Actuaries are the kind of nerd
other nerds want to punch. (There. I said it. Sorry--Not Sorry.)
Particularly annoying is the head nerd, who cultivates stereotypical
nerdiness in his appearance. High-water pants, buttoned up plaid shirts,
"Mom cuts my hair" hairstyle, those grandpa horn-rims, a hunched and
awkward walk, and I swear I've even seen him sporting a plastic pocket
protector once or twice.
It has to be on purpose--no one can look
so completely like Robert Carradine in Revenge of the Nerds by
accident.
Since I need to burn vacation or lose it, I scheduled some time off for
next week. I can carry over a week's worth , but I have more than that on
the table. By rolling my three extra days into the holiday weekend, I could
get a full week off!
Except not.
I have to come in on Monday morning for a few hours, because there is no
coverage otherwise, and we can't have that! My boss does this a lot--intead
of thinking things out beforehand, she gives you permission, then has
second thoughts.
So I will be working three whole hours, but I can live with that because it
enables me to do some further tweaking and score a random Friday off
before the end of the year. Plus I'll get up, come in early, have a good
workout, do a few odds and ends, and then take off and not comeback for
a week.
So what do I have planned for my time off, you ask?
NEED you ask?
IT'S BAKING SEASON!!
I've been laying in supplies for a while, and now I'm ramping up to a few
days of intense baking, to jumpstart the holiday output. Starting, of course,
with the fruitcakes.
Said supplies are being stowed in the downstairs fridge currently, although
most don't need refrigeration. Why? Because the recent cold snap brought
in the freaking MICE.
So before I get my bake on, it looks like I will be exterminating and cleaning
like crazy.
Ah, well. It;s good exercise, right? And I am trying to stay up on my
exercise. I've been faithfully walking, indoors and out, and I bought a set of
resistance bands to work on strength and upper body development. My
health is holding up, for the most part. My most recent thyroid numbers
were quite good. I say "for the most part, because I am dealing with some
of the old reliables: stomach bothering me, anxiety, sleep issues.
But I am in better shape than Spouse, with his severe vitamin deficiencies.
Or our Nephew. Turns out he's got a congenital heart issue--SVT. He was
in for a procedure to correct it last week, but it didn't go well. It is more
involved than they originally anticipated, and they are doing a different one
tomorrow, with general anesthesia instead of local + light sedation.
Poor kid! two in two weeks, and they go in through the groin, so...ugh.
Random other stuff--I sent my Auntie a nice note in a Thanksgiving card, and I remembered to call my dad on Sunday morning, so I am a good kid.
Reading: Just as I got done reading books 2-4 of the Peggy Lane Theater Stories by Virginia Hughes--somebody uploaded book ONE. So now I'm reading "Peggy Finds the Theater" (1962). Jacket Blurb: : As far back as she can remember, Peggy Lane—young, pretty, and talented—has wanted to become an actress. Ambitious but realistic, Peggy knows her name isn’t going to be in lights immediately but finally persuades her cautious parents to let her spend a year in New York to try to gain a foothold in the fabled world of the theater.
Peggy’s first big test is an audition at the New York Dramatic Academy,
whose eccentric director will decide whether she shows sufficient
promise to be accepted for professional training. Meanwhile, Peggy
becomes friends with Randy Brewster, a young playwright, and Mal Seton,
who will direct Randy’s experimental play if and when they can find an
off-Broadway theater in which to produce it. Peggy eagerly volunteers to
help in their desperate search and, exploring the byways of the city for
a forgotten theater, unwittingly stumbles into a mysterious and
dangerous situation.
The launching of Peggy’s career, her struggle to make her dreams become
a reality, is a delightful and heart-warming story.
Listening: Jane's Addiction, Alice Merton, Talking Heads, Lord
Huron, Deep Purple, and Cage the Elephant. How's that for an eclectic
assortment?
Inked Up: One change this week: Bexley 10th Anniversary with
custom italic nib, Iroshizuku Kon Peki, Conklin Duragraph fine nib, Pelikan
4001 Brilliant Brown, and swapped out the Pilot Metropolitan (Retro-Pop,
Aqua, fine nib) for the Monetverde Artista crystal inked with Iroshizuku
Yama-Budo.
And I debated getting my nails done last week, but instead I treated myself
to an assortment of ink samples from Goulet: Diamine "Blue Lightning"
and "Brandy Dazzle", Robert Oster Blue Water Ice, Noodler's Apache
Sunset. Rohrer & Klingner Fernambuk, Pilot Iroshizuku Momiji (Autumn
Leaves), and Graf von Faber-Castell Stone Grey. They arrived today.
All the colors are new to me except Apache Sunset (I like that one, but not
enough to buy a full bottle.) There are a couple of new brands in there,
too--I've never tried Robert Oster and Graf von Faber-Castell before. And
the two Diamines are a departure for me, as well; they're "Shimmertastic"
inks. I've had a couple of different Diamine ink samples before, and they
were fine; nothing too special. We'll see how the shimmer inks work out.
Needless to say, I'll be loading up the Bexley with those. They will need a nice, italic-nibbed firehose to do them justice. (UPDATE: BRANDY DAZZLE IS SPECTACULAR.)
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