How do you feel today? v. 3.0

[StevieG]

Here you go - all photos I took myself - which will either tempt you or divert you, or both!

I saw this the other day in the field - Copperhead snake. It wasn't that big, but very poisonous!



This is from my house:



This is outside my house: we get lots of these every night.



And this is near my house

[Sorus]

I like the sunrise (sunset?). Don't have strong feelings about snakes, but don't have much experience with venomous ones. Did work someplace that had venomous spiders; they liked to hang out under my desk. A dropped pen was basically considered lost forever.

[Avatar]

Nice pics.

But come to Africa instead...less wildlife. (In urban and suburban areas anyway. )

Cheaper too.

--A

[Sorus]

Cheaper would be nice. I've been asking myself lately what I'm doing trying to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I grew up here. This used to be a nice city. Maybe it still is. Not this neighborhood though. I'm probably due for another existential crisis. I hate change, I don't have any idea where I would go because I've never lived anywhere else, but I'm getting to the point in my life where I have to realistically ask myself how much longer this way of life is going to be viable. I don't change unless I'm forced into it, but I want to have a plan before I'm forced into it. Argh.

[Avatar]

Go invade LuciMay.

Ah, Thursday. So much to do, so little inclination to do anything.

--A

[aTOMiC]

Though I don't have a lot of enthusiasm for my own work day I hope everyone else has a nice and easy Thursday.

[Cagliostro]

Cheaper would be nice. I've been asking myself lately what I'm doing trying to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world. I grew up here. This used to be a nice city. Maybe it still is. Not this neighborhood though. I'm probably due for another existential crisis. I hate change, I don't have any idea where I would go because I've never lived anywhere else, but I'm getting to the point in my life where I have to realistically ask myself how much longer this way of life is going to be viable. I don't change unless I'm forced into it, but I want to have a plan before I'm forced into it. Argh.

I completely understand, and felt a LOT of anxiety about moving from my home city when I moved 3 hours away. I felt pretty lost for a while, but came to adore where I moved. I was kind of forced into it - well, if I wanted to keep dating who I was dating, that is. But then we moved a hour away from that city to a city I hated, and then we moved many states away. That was especially hard and I had a lot of sadness, partly because I didn't have a job for the longest time, but I came to really like that place before moving again within a state of my home state. Kinda good, kinda bad. I do want to move again now, but have no idea where to go and no real direction, and I'm starting to go through the crisis a bit that you are describing. Living in Colorado where I'm at is getting hard, and they don't pay enough to cover the high cost of everything here. I suspect it is pretty much that way everywhere these days, but the wife is talking about the possibility of leaving the country, and....yeah...I don't know.
I, too, hate change. I don't have as much anxiety on moving away and cutting the ties that bind. In fact, I think it has done me a LOT of good. And you don't really need much of a plan, to be honest. You'll either find a job or struggle for a while until you have to make a new decision, but I've been lucky enough to eventually find something. And yes, it is frightening, but I've found all of the best decisions I've ever made in my life were frightening. Life is meant to be lived, and taking those occasional blind leaps of faith are what make you realize you are alive.

[Sorus]

I can't imagine making a drastic move without having a job lined up. I have never been unemployed. The idea is terrifying. When I was laid off in 2008 I took the first thing that came my way, even though it included a 6+ hour daily commute. That was not a smart idea, but I would probably do it again.

Ran into my landlord on my way home from work and told him about the issue, which I reallly didn't want to do, but I got flooded again last night (who does laundry at 1 am?), and since this is the third time in ten days, I figured I'd given them enough time to handle the problem on their own. Never even met this neighbor, but apparently she came from the sort of family that has servants, and she has no idea how to do anything when it comes to cooking and cleaning and whatnot. I hope she isn't upset that I told him, as the last thing I want is Neighbor Drama, but really, she should have told him or called a plumber after the first time it happened.

[Avatar]

At least it's Friday. But I have a headache...sinus and not enough sleep.

--A

[Sorus]

Hope you're feeling better. I've been a bit down, probably due to the week-long flood from the unit above (now fixed), and general work stuff. I got my review last week, which was unexpected. (It was due last August.) It wasn't bad (probably getting a raise), but I got the usual speech about 'needing to lower my standards'. And a new speech about how I should treat my coworkers like children. Better idea - why doesn't he hire some adults? Why should I lose points on my review because I expect coworkers to carry their weight? I'm aware of my own flaws - I know I'm not a member of the clique and I never will be, and I know politics count for more than productivity, even though that should not be true. I know my standards are high, but I also don't really think they want me to lower them. So I'm expected to maintain my level of productivity, clean up after everyone else, and be their BFF. Is that reasonable?

[Avatar]

No, but no one ever said they would be reasonable.

I feel pretty good...tomorrow (Tuesday) is a public holiday, (Human Rights Day) and on Friday they announced at the office that we could all have Monday off, to make it a long weekend.

So I'm at home. Still, awake early (damned cats), but at least at home.

--A

[aTOMiC]

At home on a monday? I really wish I had thought of that.

Have fun Av!

[Sorus]

I feel pretty good...tomorrow (Tuesday) is a public holiday, (Human Rights Day) and on Friday they announced at the office that we could all have Monday off, to make it a long weekend.

Are they hiring? I've forgotten what it feels like to have a holiday, but I think I could pick it up again fairly easily.

I'm still irked over the whole review thing. I know I need to get over it. It wasn't a bad review. But I still have my claws out over getting dinged for 'not being a team player' when there is no bloody team. I can train people, I can delegate, I can be a damn good team player. But they'd rather gossip and play with their phones, and I get cast as the bad guy for trying to make them do actual work, and it's easier to just do it myself.

Same with the whole mess upstairs. I waited a week, knowing they knew there was a problem - I'd heard them sweeping water out their back door. Stupid me, I figured they'd tell the landlord or call a plumber. But the neighbor didn't know what to do, so she called her mother, who didn't know what to do, and they decided to just ignore the fact that their kitchen floor was turning into a lake.

Humanity is doomed, and sometimes there's nothing you can do but break out the popcorn and watch the show.

[DrPaul]

Nice pics from Hobart, StevieG.

[Avatar]

Are they hiring?

I keep telling you to move to Africa...we can make a plan...

Back at work now, but on the plus side, short week.

--A

[Shuram Gudatetris]

Cool pics Stevie. Jealous!

I've been pretty run down the last two weeks, but today is the best I've felt in a while. Friday before last I got hit with a sore throat. Then my symptoms escalated daily for several days in a row. Sore throat, congestion, coughing, fever. Coughing and sore throat, congestion and sore throat: those are pretty shitty combos. But most of it finally passed a few days ago, although I still have a painful lingering cough.

In my misery, I finally thought of something I'd be interested in doing for a living: working at a movie theater. It wouldn't pay much, but I could see all the movies I want for free. I can wrap my head around that. If nothing else, maybe I can use it as a stepping stone to get myself active again.

(who does laundry at 1 am?)

Who keeps doing laundry when their washer is dumping the water all over the floor? (...and in an apartment building with other people's homes below yours???)

[Sorus]

(who does laundry at 1 am?)

Who keeps doing laundry when their washer is dumping the water all over the floor? (...and in an apartment building with other people's homes below yours???)

That was my question, but my landlord explained some stuff in his own venting of annoyances at the whole situation. The tenant upstairs is a little princess who was raised with servants to do all the cooking and cleaning, and she doesn't know how to do any of that stuff. I doubt it even occurred to her to wonder where the water was going.

I can't really wrap my mind around what her life must be like - she's never had a job, drives a Porsche, spends most of her time shopping. I don't envy her. Not for a moment. Sure, it would be nice to have money, but when the zombie apocalypse happens, I know which one of us is gonna survive.

In my misery, I finally thought of something I'd be interested in doing for a living: working at a movie theater. It wouldn't pay much, but I could see all the movies I want for free. I can wrap my head around that. If nothing else, maybe I can use it as a stepping stone to get myself active again.

Good luck. I've always said it's better to have any job than none, and it's a big bonus if you enjoy the work.

[Avatar]

Yeah, good idea, especially as a starting point. Hell, Quentin Tarantino started off as a video store clerk...

I think the important thing is just to get started doing something.

As for all the rest, well, at least it's Friday.

--A

[StevieG]

YES! It's Friday, finally!

[aTOMiC]

Friday indeed. The joy won't kick in until about half an hour before I get off work. I don't hate my job but I'd rather be home.