Kevin's Watch

The travel thing is a big no no in my experience. It detracts from your quality of life big-time if your journey is horrid twice a day. And loose your weekends. No Sorus - the cakes not worth the candle [or something ]. Better manouver yourself into a mind-place where the shit aspects of your current job pass you by like 'the idle wind which you regardeth not'. You can do it. Just look at each day as no more than the amount of money it puts into your bank and forget the rest.

Avatar wrote:The problem with refraining from speaking is that nobody ever knows you've done so. Anyway...context is everything.

Oh.. yeah... in internet conversations, the other participant never knows whether you're not talking cause of the content, or because you were distracted by a bumblebee, or whether you got overwhelmed by life for three days. (unless you tell them.)
One of the weirdnesses of the internet.

Av wrote:I feel good. Starting my leave today. (Well, technically tomorrow, today is a public holiday.) Only go back to work on the 5th April.

Sorus wrote:Temp boss said today that he wants to take me with him when he leaves. I told him we should talk about that.

Oh boy!
Here's hoping he's seen someone who's diligent and conscientious, and he's thinking, "you can train all the other stuff. I want someone like this on my team."
But you never know what he's thinking. :-/

But that would be a really nervous-making conversation to look ahead to, I think..

Sorus wrote:Not sure how serious I am - it'd be a lateral move that would add a minimum of two hours to my daily commute (on an icky bus), and my schedule would probably change. Definitely going to take some time to weigh all the pros and cons, but my current short commute and having weekends off are about the only pros my current job has. Is spending 500+ hours a year on the icky bus and losing weekends worth it for a boss who doesn't treat me like an ancillary? Especially considering the turnover rate - he could be replaced by someone worse tomorrow, and then what? I've never been good at taking risks where employment is concerned. Then again, that's probably why I've had so many crap jobs.

Losing weekends? Some of 'em, or all of 'em?
Does it have any prospect of being more engaging work?

Sorus wrote:What I really should do is go to trade school or something, which I've been saying for years and keep talking myself out of because if you want to be a locksmith or electrician or whatever, you need a truck to carry around all your tools and parts and whatnot, and I can't drive. But there has to be a better option. I'm getting too old for this.

Right.... and the school is a good bit of an investment even without the driving bit.
Argh.

Learning to drive as an adult is rough. :-/ (As a teen I was scared of being flakey, "zoning out" and, like.. hitting someone, so I did not want to learn to drive.) Also, the part where you need to ask someone to ride with you when you've just got the learner's permit...

On the "pros" side, doing honest work... fixing people's stuff.. working with individual clients... yeah, I think you could thrive in that.
I'm pretty grateful for the handyman who works at our apartment complex... whenever we have a good one, that is.
(haha. when we don't have a good one - which has been most of the time - someone would come fix one thing and break another. so we wouldn't call anyone to fix stuff for months. or even years.)

Sorus wrote:I don't expect anyone to actually read all that - sometimes just writing it out helps me think.

Whoops, I read it all. <3
I wonder if I wasn't supposed to or something...

Now... how do I feel today?
Life keeps happenin' at a pace somewhere between "steady" and "frenzied."
I am going to see three good friends who I don't often spend time with (God willing and if all my hopes and plans work out) ...one today, one tomorrow, and one over the weekend.
I am sorta extroverted and thrilled at this prospect!

Sorus wrote:I don't expect anyone to actually read all that

It could've done with a bit more about tricks we can play on your cats.

Sorus wrote:I would say that two of the most important lessons I've learned in life thus far are knowing when to keep my mouth shut and knowing how to say NO. But yes, context is everything.

Temp boss said today that he wants to take me with him when he leaves. I told him we should talk about that. Not sure how serious I am - it'd be a lateral move that would add a minimum of two hours to my daily commute (on an icky bus), and my schedule would probably change. Definitely going to take some time to weigh all the pros and cons, but my current short commute and having weekends off are about the only pros my current job has. Is spending 500+ hours a year on the icky bus and losing weekends worth it for a boss who doesn't treat me like an ancillary? Especially considering the turnover rate - he could be replaced by someone worse tomorrow, and then what? I've never been good at taking risks where employment is concerned. Then again, that's probably why I've had so many crap jobs. What I really should do is go to trade school or something, which I've been saying for years and keep talking myself out of because if you want to be a locksmith or electrician or whatever, you need a truck to carry around all your tools and parts and whatnot, and I can't drive. But there has to be a better option. I'm getting too old for this.

I don't expect anyone to actually read all that - sometimes just writing it out helps me think.

I actually read it all. If you have good eyesight and a steady hand, painting is not a bad job. I did that and wallpapering for years. I heard about paperhangers who put all their gear together including a 4-foot stepladder and hauled it on subways in NYC for years. Wallpaper is rather out of fashion now, though, but a good painter (especially one who can cut in trim neatly) can make a decent living. If you are neat and clean and show up on time and smell good you have an edge over the other 80% of painters who tend to be screwups who can't do anything else.

Anyway, I say don't take the job with the 2 hour commute, unless you are in love with riding the bus.

rdhopeca wrote:

wayfriend wrote:

rdhopeca wrote:I am back, albeit in an observer mode right now, and approaching a cross roads in my life.

You can run, you can run
Tell my friend boy Willie Brown

Indeed.
https://youtu.be/LqebNWz9Zn4?t=4m47s

OMG, you're gonna quit engineering to tour with your CRB band, aren't you.

peter wrote:The travel thing is a big no no in my experience. It detracts from your quality of life big-time if your journey is horrid twice a day. And loose your weekends. No Sorus - the cakes not worth the candle [or something ].

Yeah, that's the conclusion I've come to, for better or worse.

deer of the dawn wrote: I actually read it all. If you have good eyesight and a steady hand, painting is not a bad job. I did that and wallpapering for years. I heard about paperhangers who put all their gear together including a 4-foot stepladder and hauled it on subways in NYC for years. Wallpaper is rather out of fashion now, though, but a good painter (especially one who can cut in trim neatly) can make a decent living. If you are neat and clean and show up on time and smell good you have an edge over the other 80% of painters who tend to be screwups who can't do anything else.

That has some appeal, but I think I'm too used to a regular paycheck - I don't have the mentality that's good at handling dry spells.

And why I'm not eager to jump on a lateral move - my current job is the sort of dead end that's usually populated by screwups. I'm lucky with my current minion, but before him I had drunk minion, other drunk minion, violent drunk minion, and minions who quit within a week because the work was 'too hard'. Which is why the job doesn't command much in pay or respect. I know I haven't been at my best since at least December, which is when I hit the level of burn-out/depression that makes me feel like I'm doing my job waist-deep in quicksand. The quality of my work hasn't suffered, but there are days when I'm just dragging. Either I'm really good at hiding it, or it's like being the best DPS in LFR. (The non-WoW folks can translate that as something along the lines of 'it's easy to look good when the other people aren't even trying'.)

So yeah. No lateral move. I think the most valuable takeaway from the conversation is that I'm still a hire-able, desirable employee and I need to find a new job. Easier said than done, even with motivation.

Yeah, I like getting a steady pay cheque. Still, you should tell temp boss that although you'd love to get something better, you can't do the lateral move because of these reasons. You never know, maybe something else will crop up and he'll think of you.

--A

In all honesty, I'd like to get far away from this company and never look back. But it never hurts to have good references.

And to network, sad as it is.

--A

Avatar wrote:...Still, you should tell temp boss that although you'd love to get something better, you can't do the lateral move because of these reasons. You never know, maybe something else will crop up and he'll think of you.

I was thinking something like this... my scenario was less likely than yours, though, Av.

sorus wrote:In all honesty, I'd like to get far away from this company and never look back.

can't imagine why not...

sorus wrote:I'm lucky with my current minion, but before him I had drunk minion, other drunk minion, violent drunk minion, and minions who quit within a week because the work was 'too hard'.

oh, wait.. that's (probably part of) why not...

Today I'm feeling... frustrated because a friend is mad at me, (and some other people) and that might make it impossible for me to get to see her.

Other stuff in my day has some bright spots so far this morning, though.

Edit: Oh yeah... added stuff about how I'm feeling today.

I am 20 minutes from this prison. so commute is not much of a problem.

our trip is now 21 states in 17 days and will happen next spring/summer. we are planning the diversions now. finding cool stuff, like that we can go to Doc Holliday's grave. and Lincoln. and Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. details as we get them.

Busy day yesterday, much running about. Also put up 3 new bookshelves in my study...taking up the last available wall space.

Had to take down the few pics I had hanging on that wall, and shelf hanging always leaves me with a pain in my neck, but hopefully this will get most of the books up off the floor again.

--A

Baffled!

Been trying to dismantle a Stagg 16W Acoustic Amplifier. The sound is garbled and maybe a bridge diode or a decoupling capacitor is down, so I need to put test leads on some of the pins to locate a fault.
Easier said than done!



The amp casing just wont slide free of the cabinet.
After removing all the screws, the back panel just wouldn't budge. It appears to be partially glued and hammering the jam would eventually cause irrepairable damage to the cab - bummer!

Removing the front speaker-panel (which was anything but straightforward), didn't help either. Although it did allow access to the p-clip clamping the mains cable to the cabinet, releasing the clamp only let the case slide partially free. A further cable grommet on the base of the casing prevents it from sliding all the way out.

If there's one thing I hate more than anything in this world, it's grommets. Removing them with pliers is a nightmare, and unless there's such a thing as a GrommetUnfasteningTool ...

It can be very satisfying fixing something broken. But not today.
Need a rethink, methinks!

Rune, a call to a friendly repair person might help you find out what you are dealing with.

Had a majorly relaxing weekend at a retreat. Just enough games and socializing, and singing round the campfire type stuff, and hours and hours of reading and vegetating. Perfect. Even Stag of the dawn, who is generally relentlessly bored and restless, got into it and is consuming a thick Baldacci novel.

Christ is risen!!!

Sound advice, deer. Thanks

I have a lovely new monitor, so clear, and no more sore eyes! Perhaps I shall visit more often now.

Big decision, have decided to retire as publications manager for the family history society. It's a lot of work and time to drop some of the heavy stuff. I shall carry on with my big project, and perhaps find time to do some of my own family history! I haven't done any since September.

rune - i am guessing magic is involved. consulting fee being forwarded. you are welcome.

Rune wrote:Sound advice, deer.

Pun intended?

deer wrote:Had a majorly relaxing weekend at a retreat. Just enough games and socializing, and singing round the campfire type stuff, and hours and hours of reading and vegetating. Perfect...

Easter Sunday on retreat, or you came back home?

Io wrote:I have a lovely new monitor, so clear, and no more sore eyes! Perhaps I shall visit more often now.

And for myself... I got to play the board game "Hugger-Mugger" last night!
It is a hysterical game for word nerds... and can run kinda long.
My most emphatic line was like, "You DON'T know what a pirogue is? You've been listening to the wrong music!"
And then I demonstrated how terrible that absence was by busting out in "..A jambalaye and a craw-fish pie and a fee-lay gumbo! ...gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou!"

Though there were even better moments of heckling than that throughout the game...


[Edit: fixed which person was quoted on one of these, other little details.]

Running out of leave...this time next week I shall already be back at work. *sigh*

--A

D'oh, I don't think I usually think like that..
Done anything fun yet?

We're having spring break over here... right now I'm feeling excited and full of purpose today.

Hope it lasts. it's so easy to fritter away time on Facebook and then be like, "uhhhh... I gained -nothing- from that. and nobody gained anything."