Laid Off.... Wait, What?

Due to the loss of contracts, layoffs have been impending at my place of work.  It has been a tense, somber couple of weeks at work watching friends and co-workers get picked off one by one.  Many people in the company have been escorted out on the same day, some have a date when their position is eliminated and yet others have been offered lower positions and the lower pay that goes with it.

I had hoped I was safe, but I finally got the call into the office late yesterday.  My position will be eliminated this fall.  The surprise is that I will not be out of work, in fact, I will be getting a raise and a promotion to move to a different, if less desireable, department (pending two tests I have to take that I should pass easily - knock wood).  Well now, I certainly did not expect that!

Actually, I am not very pleased.  Oh, I'm happy that I'm not out the door and have to look for another job, but I was happier in my present department, with the work and the people, than I have been in a long time.  And now things will be different.  I must be doing very well for them to want to keep me, as my wife says, yet it is still upsetting for me.  I'm not just sad for myself losing the great situation that I'm in now, I'm sad for all these people that I know and care about losing their jobs or having to accept demotions.  I will still be with the company at a higher level and with more pay, and after being in the new job for six months I can start applying for other positions that open up that better suit me.  Meanwhile other good, hard working people will have to start all over again and I think that sucks.

PTFO

Get The Body You Always Wanted

1. Wait until at least April, when the ground softens.

2. Dress warmly (think layers), bring a shovel and a lantern on a stick.

3. Listen. Is someone coming?

4. Cover your lantern with a blanket, wait.

5. Continue. If you're not used to hard physical labor, wear weight-lifting gloves to avoid excess chafing.

6. You may need a wheelbarrow. You probably should have brought a wheelbarrow.

7. Come back with a wheelbarrow.

8. Try to have the body you've always wanted back to your house by dawn.

9. Get online, start shopping for outfits!

10. Your friends may treat you differently now, with your new body, but they are probably just jealous.


I thought this was funny enough to share.  Reposted from The Hairpin.

Birthday/Retirement

My wife and I attended my Mom's retirement party today, on my wife's birthday.  The big, ugly and rarely posted thing in the middle is me.  (-Well, what did you think I looked like?)

Happy Birthday, Kate!    Happy Retirement, Mom!

Layoff The Cats

Over a week since the last post?  What the heck have I been up to?  Well, it has been a busy, odd week here.  Ten hour days is my new norm, though there should be less of them per week.  We have had overtime on and off lately, and layoffs have been handed out to some while the rest of us watch and wait.  I should know better where I stand in a week's time, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

The cats seem like they are no longer kitties.  They are 9 months old on Monday, and I'm not sure if they are their full size yet, but they have certainly come a long way.  We weighed them about a month ago, Basil was 10 pounds and Hamish was 7, so I am afraid they may still be growing.  Time will tell...

A Moment With A Hawk

I just stepped outside for a moment just now.  The sky is overcast , the temperature is above freezing and I can hear the snow melting - falling off the trees and dripping everywhere - and I have thoughts of Spring.  Then I realize it is really not even halfway through January.

Just a Google Images photo, for effect. ;]

Just as I was about to come back in I saw some kind of hawk, flying high in this urban sky.  I delayed coming in for a few moments and watched this hawk come lower as it passed beyond to the west, then circled back even lower coming straight at me, and passed almost directly over me about 50 feet up.  Now this hawk obviously knew I was not prey, and yet it took a moment to look at me as I stayed and waited reflectively to look at it.


- - -

Not a lot going on here lately.  I have been working overtime and things have been pretty routine at home.  Work is a bit odd lately as we are changing some of our procedures in our department and face some possible layoffs.  My boss is stretched to her limit I think, but still puts on a brave, pleasant face every day.  But before I go on, this blog is not about work and I will keep it that way.  We can just say that work is still so much more fun for me in this department than my old position and I wouldn't trade it for anything right now.

The Badgers may have lost their third straight Rose Bowl, but at least they have gotten there three straight years which is not too shabby at all.  I am excited about the new head coach and our returning team next year.
The Packers play continues having won their wildcard playoff game last Saturday and will play at San Francisco this Saturday night.  I think we can do it, the Packers can go the distance, but I am almost afraid of the games now.  Lose and it's over - and it's a long time until next season.  I don't want football weekends to ever end!

PTFO

New Year's Eve, The Edited Karaoke Video

Using the YouTube Video Editor for the first time was a learning experience, yet helpful if I ever have a chance or reason to do it again.  Overall, it took too long and I didn't really know what I was doing at first, but on the second try I think I did okay enough.

It was all in good fun and many goofy Karaoke highlights are here.  The mood was loose and fun, all played it up somewhat with the camera a bit but it was Becky that kept the girls going - Go, Aunt Becky!

Happy New Year to Becky, Terry, Mike and Jerome (not in vid) and thanks for going out with Kate and me (also not in vid) on New Year's Eve!

2013: The Morning After

It's Jerome! - Wearing last year's glasses

Becky, Terry and Kate

I guess I can be a real pessimist sometimes because last night turned out much better than I had expected.  After pre-writing the last post I napped for a couple hours and, while I still woke up a bit grumpy, things got better quickly.  Two good friends were unable to show up and, while that wasn't good, it meant we were all able to fit into one car and I didn't have to worry about driving.  And when midnight passed I was not the one who was ready to leave right away.  The bar was full, but not overly so as I remember it in past years, and that made a big difference in my enjoyment.  Karaoke was popular - not by me - and I got several grammy winning performances on video.  This gives me an excuse to try out YouTube's video editor for a future post.

Mike and Jerome

This morning has not been too bad, for me anyway.  My wife is hurting pretty bad in the next room.  The house is not wrecked and the cats don't seem scarred so I think it went pretty well.  Even though we got home at maybe half past midnight my wife and I managed to stay up until almost 5 in the morning somehow.  I'm not sure how that happened, we were drunk and must have been in slow motion.  I hope all our friends had a good time.  I'll probably make a call or two this afternoon to see how wrecked some of them are feeling.  That should be good for a laugh or two.

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday and well wishes all around for the new year!  Now to get it off on the right foot the Badgers could win the Rose Bowl today.  Go Bucky!

PTFO

Happy New Year 2013

A few moments from now - this is a scheduled post - I will probably be bugging people to get the hell out of that loud annoying bar.  I won't be drunk because I am driving and I want to be able to enjoy the day tomorrow and the Rose Bowl tomorrow afternoon.  I am tired and had a long day today but no one cares, everyone wants to go out so go out I must.  Have a safe one, everybody.

Xmas Rewind

Well, I should recall this past holiday on my little blog here as this is my diary of sorts and it has come in handy several times when we have tried to recall past events.  Obviously I'm not overly excited about doing that judging by the time that has elapsed since.  I've made no effort to hide my displeasure about this time of year for reasons that have already been stated several times in the archives, but the show must go on...

Last Sunday we trekked to Iowa to visit my Mom's new home.  It was nice to see them and my Sis and her kids but we missed seeing my brother's family, unfortunately we barely see them ever at all.  (It might be nice to change that, maybe this Summer I can invite them up for a day trip to the zoo or something.)

It was there that we received our only 'real' gift this year, a little GPS unit for the car.  We don't travel much, yet I thought it was a very thoughtful gift, and perhaps expensive.  In fact, we could have used it on our (mis)travels to their new house that morning.  I had it set up the next day and we used it on Christmas day to go see her family even though we didn't need to.  They seem to come up with good gifts and I credit my Mom's new husband, Dan.  Thank you, Dan (sorry Mom)!

I have learned that my wife's side of the family can sometimes be an adventure, so to speak, not that mine is storybook.  I've learned to take things in stride a little better over the years - and I'm certainly not perfect normally, let alone my holiday mood.  After some strife, we went to both of their gatherings and no harm was done.  Jolly good, then.


Now, for the upcoming New Year's Eve party.  Once again we will be having people over before going to a local establishment for the lead-up and ringing in the new year.  I feel I'm getting too old for this.  I am the old man of our group of friends and find myself having to keep up or get left behind sometimes, yet staying home and having a party makes a lot of sense to me.  At the bar you can't hear anyone more than 2 feet from your ear, wait for and pay more for drinks, and have to deal with the crowds of idiots that may feel the same way you do.  Well, maybe not the young ones.  Next year I will be pushing for just a house party with all our friends.

PTFO

Hypocritical Hollywood

I love this.  The first video, below, is a response to all the gun violence today.  The second video is a response to that video.  Now, I am no fan of guns - in fact I have been shot at - but these Hollywood 'stars' are hypocrites.  Their money is made by their gun-glorifying, violent movies.

The original:

X
*Edit 12/29:  The original video has been removed by the user.  Just watch the vid below, the original video is in it and the edits are the reason I posted in the first place.



The response:


I promise an 'Xmas Rewind' post soon, when I have more time and perspective.

Xmas

I really can't find anything nice to say right now so I will say nothing at all.

Blizzard Conditions Coming - Updated

About 8:45 pm last night:  The snow starts.

5:00 am this morning, after the first shovelling.

The dreaded snowstorm arrived last night and I was never able to get my snowblower started.  Still, I was determined to get to work so I got up about twenty after three this morning to do the first round of shovelling - or shoveling, I guess both are correct.  This pic shows the shallow layer of snow that we already had from Tuesday.






The snow was heavy and wet and while I tried to be very careful with my back, I ended up sore.  I didn't feel anything pop or get strained, but it started tightening up right after so I had to take a muscle relaxer right away.











12:30 pm, after the second shovelling.

Eventually, after my back was neatly knotted up and watching the news and seeing everything closed down and the city begging people not to go out on the streets, we called in to work.  At about noon Kate and I went out to do it again.  this time was about half as much as the morning's work but still wet and heavy and I appreciated her helping me.  We are expected to get hit hard again this afternoon with the wind picking up and the temperature dropping before the snow finally ends this evening.

I shall update this later, probably after the third shovelling, and fourth if needed.



Third shovelling, 6:00 Thursday evening.

---
Update 12/21, the next morning.

We went out again about 6:00 last night to do it again.  This time was a little more than last time and, since it was still snowing, I knew it wouldn't be the last.  As you can see, the driveway is white already here, shortly after we finished.

Final shovelling after the big storm, about 4:30 am Friday morning.

This morning I was awoken by the annoying chirp of dying batteries in our carbon monoxide detector.  After replacing those batteries, I noticed that the snow had finished last night and a snow plow had finally come down our road, one pass only, leaving a mountain at the end of the driveway.  Sigh.  So, again at 3 something in the morning I got up (barely) and headed out to do it again.




Each time shovelling I got slower and slower and took more breaks, and when all was said and done I felt lucky that I wasn't more injured.  Still no pop or significant strains in my back, but it is tight and sore as hell and I seem to need my knees bent when I stand so shall be calling in to work again today, Friday.  I see a day of muscle relaxers, ice packs and naps headed my way.  I haven't seen any snow totals yet, but I would guess 5 inches the first time out, then 2+, 3, and 1 for a total of about a foot in just over 24 hours.  (Edit: It was 15.2 inches, so I underestimated a bit.)

I'm getting too old for this stuff.  I plan on calling a mechanic friend to see if he can help me get my snowblower running, and if he can't then I know a mobile service where the guy comes out to your house to work on it.  It's my own fault for waiting to try to get it started until the last minute and I hope I remember this so it doesn't happen again.

PTFO