I was off work yesterday and was suppose to be off today, but I got a phone call at 8:00 AM "requesting" my presents to cover the afternoon shift. I counter offered to split the shift (1-5) with the night guy which was accepted...except, could I come in at 11 AM because the foreman had to meet with someone off site.
Normally I don't mind a little OT, but one of the Operators is on vacation so to cover his shift I will be working 12 hour shifts (starting tomorrow) for the next 7 days. That means no Christmas Eve, no Christmas for me.
Work is getting better, we got a new injection well going this week, and it can actually take all the water we can throw at it. The problem now is getting producing wells that have been idle for around a year to work, so in a couple of days, we went from to much water to not enough. The more wells we have going, the easier it is to run the site, so here's hoping they got the three wells down due to electrical problems running yesterday.
I don't ask about these things when I'm off because I don't want to know until I drive through the gates. There's nothing I can do about it till I get there, and why start worrying before I have to deal with it. Some guys call before shift, hoping for an easy day, only to be disappointed. Why set yourself up to be in a bad mood before you need to? I prefer to let the bad mood creep on as the day progresses. At least I have a few hours of optimism to start the week.
If my posts start to get a little strange(er), it will most likely be fatigue setting in.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Why Johnny Can't Read
The wonderful LAUSD (Los Angeles School District)decided they needed a new computer system to issue payroll. The initial cost for this was 95 million dollars. Now see if this surprises anyone...the damn thing doesn't work!
The projected cost to fix it, 210 million dollars and they're not sure it will work then. So what does the district have to say?
From the L.A. Times Opinion:
Of course being they are going slightly over budget in a district that is scrounging for money to teach our children, they hire a PR firm for a couple of hundred thou to try to put a palatable spin on this debacle.
This comes right on the heels of the fraud they uncovered by administrators in procurement card purchases:
The necessary items to instruct the kids:
I don't live "in" L.A., so it's not my property taxes paying for this FUBAR entity, but as long as I live on SoCal, I'm going to have to deal with whatever they manage to spit out after high school.
My animosity towards LAUSD goes back to when I did live and work in downtown L.A.
When I first started working in the "Old Los Angeles Oil Field", I was single and not making much. I rented a house from one of our customers in the middle of the barrio. About two blocks away (I could sit in my kitchen and the football games) was Belmont High School. This was a school built in 1923 for 500 students, today the student population is 5200. Think things might have been a little tight there?
To alleviate the overcrowding, the LAUSD bought out a shitload of houses, torn 'em down and started construction on the Belmont Learning Center. When about 60% complete, someone noticed the oil wells in the area (this would include the four the LAUSD owned plus another well they had to buy and re-drill to relocate). The project ground to a stop.
It wasn't safe for the chiilldreen!!
This was BS for many reasons. One being that they had put a vapor barrier and venting system under the school...and half the kids that would attend lived right there in the middle of the fracking oil field in houses that were built in the '30's and '40's. Doubt they considered any oil field gases back then. The kids would have been safer in school than in their own home.
As far as that newly discovered earthquake fault that runs under it, if you're right over it or 1/2 mile away...
Oh yeah, they've started work on the Learning Center again, it's just been 10 wasted years.
One major disappointment during the Belmont Learning Center fiasco was that I kept being called in by the state for my "expert" opinion on the status of the oil filed and the activist that was bitching about the whole thing was, you guessed already I bet, a Hollywierd celebratty. She could take what I said and twist it just a bit so that it sounded like I had said the complete opposite. When I'd insist that wasn't what I said, she'd insist that, yes, that's what I meant.
Ahh, well. She did play a Dr. on T.V.
The projected cost to fix it, 210 million dollars and they're not sure it will work then. So what does the district have to say?
From the L.A. Times Opinion:
LAUSD's unending payroll problem
The district's chief operating officer hopes, but can't promise, that it's fixed.
November 14, 2007
Confronted recently about L.A. Unified's exasperating payroll scandal, the district's chief operating officer acknowledged that, after nearly a year, he still can't promise that the problem is solved. "We have," he said, as if this would reassure, "a higher degree of confidence than ever before that we are accurate." That's an answer unworthy of a student, much less a leader. So, Supt. Brewer, yes, we expect more. But you have our sympathies as well.
Of course being they are going slightly over budget in a district that is scrounging for money to teach our children, they hire a PR firm for a couple of hundred thou to try to put a palatable spin on this debacle.
This comes right on the heels of the fraud they uncovered by administrators in procurement card purchases:
Follow-Up: LAUSD Credit Card Paper Trail
by David Goldstein
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― This report is a follow-up to David Goldstein's riveting report from last week in which he exposed a myriad of abuses of procurement cards being used by LAUSD officials...including a $500 coffee maker.
"Did you have any idea they were spending upwards of $5 million a month on procurement cards?"
No, no!
Teachers Union President A.J. Duffy had no idea.
The necessary items to instruct the kids:
$995 for a mattress. Another $995 for a company that produces video games. $995 for flowers. We found charges for fishing tackle...stuffed animals...purchases at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Smart & Final and Trader Joes...Linens and Things. Millions and millions of dollars in charges.
I don't live "in" L.A., so it's not my property taxes paying for this FUBAR entity, but as long as I live on SoCal, I'm going to have to deal with whatever they manage to spit out after high school.
My animosity towards LAUSD goes back to when I did live and work in downtown L.A.
When I first started working in the "Old Los Angeles Oil Field", I was single and not making much. I rented a house from one of our customers in the middle of the barrio. About two blocks away (I could sit in my kitchen and the football games) was Belmont High School. This was a school built in 1923 for 500 students, today the student population is 5200. Think things might have been a little tight there?
To alleviate the overcrowding, the LAUSD bought out a shitload of houses, torn 'em down and started construction on the Belmont Learning Center. When about 60% complete, someone noticed the oil wells in the area (this would include the four the LAUSD owned plus another well they had to buy and re-drill to relocate). The project ground to a stop.
It wasn't safe for the chiilldreen!!
This was BS for many reasons. One being that they had put a vapor barrier and venting system under the school...and half the kids that would attend lived right there in the middle of the fracking oil field in houses that were built in the '30's and '40's. Doubt they considered any oil field gases back then. The kids would have been safer in school than in their own home.
As far as that newly discovered earthquake fault that runs under it, if you're right over it or 1/2 mile away...
Oh yeah, they've started work on the Learning Center again, it's just been 10 wasted years.
One major disappointment during the Belmont Learning Center fiasco was that I kept being called in by the state for my "expert" opinion on the status of the oil filed and the activist that was bitching about the whole thing was, you guessed already I bet, a Hollywierd celebratty. She could take what I said and twist it just a bit so that it sounded like I had said the complete opposite. When I'd insist that wasn't what I said, she'd insist that, yes, that's what I meant.
Ahh, well. She did play a Dr. on T.V.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Now That's Funny, I Don't Care Who You Are
I had "Red Eye" running in the background and happened to catch a story that just cracked me up.
A girl in Britain, in a show of life long devotion to her boyfriend, had his name tattooed on her belly in Chinese character. As luck would have it the romance didn't last, they broke up, and she decided to have the tattoo altered to say something else. When she went to have it altered, she found out the characters said "SUPERMARKET".
Outside of the fact that I believe there are very few people who will hold a belief, outside of "MOM" for their entire life, the idea of having some "Tattoo Artist" indelibly etch something into my skin in a foreign language without making sure it says what I thought it did...well stupid comes close.
Friday, December 14, 2007
In The Sprit Of The Season
I'm not very Merry Christmasy this year, but I do enjoy the season and the genuine good will that people adopt towards each other for these few weeks at the end of a year.
I can be a cheap, sarcastic, ill-tempered (the adjectives could go on) SOB most of the year, however, there is just something about Christmas and the New Year that softens my attitude...a little.
I ran into this video over at Hot Air and I it was the first thing to break me out of my normal foul mood and get me into remembering that most people have the capacity to be nice. These guys are good and I don't know how they could keep it all straight.
Enjoy. Merry Christmas, and a belated Happy Hanukkah to all my friends out there.
I can be a cheap, sarcastic, ill-tempered (the adjectives could go on) SOB most of the year, however, there is just something about Christmas and the New Year that softens my attitude...a little.
I ran into this video over at Hot Air and I it was the first thing to break me out of my normal foul mood and get me into remembering that most people have the capacity to be nice. These guys are good and I don't know how they could keep it all straight.
Enjoy. Merry Christmas, and a belated Happy Hanukkah to all my friends out there.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
I Just Couldn't Connect
Ack!! The damn intertubey thing wouldn't work all yesterday. To bad for all my readers because, man, did I have some cutting, insightful opinions just screaming to be unleashed. I had the answers to immigration, the presidential race, and why, "when you decide"...after trying every variation of a product, this is the one I love and will use for the rest of my life, no matter the cost...they discontinue it.
My good mood passed, so now ya'll will have to wait for these answers until my disposition swings back that way. Let's see, I was in a good mood yesterday...so the next one should hit about November 2010.
Well November 2010, or when my RAIDERS win another Super Bowl, so I'd keep my hopes on 2010.
I didn't see it covered in the news, but I'm sure my being cut off from blogging was due to the severe cold snap currently hitting the area. Would you believe it was down to 45 degrees last night? Yeah, it's true forty-five degrees. I put on a jacket to step outside the front door and read the thermometer, so I know it's true. I'd heard it could get that cold, my parents told me it had been that cold before, but I was very young so I really don't remember. I think this childhood memory may be the reason for my deep-seated aversion to walking through the frozen food section of a supermarket (brrrr).
It's funny, but while I write this I find that I'm still in a good mood. I just don't think I'm gonna ruin the feeling by delving into deep subjects right now. Keep checking back, maybe if I hit one of those only half pissed off moods I'll give you the answers you seek.
Monday, December 10, 2007
“America Falling”
Book Review
“America Falling”
Don Brockette
Publisher: iUniverse
304 pages
If you’ve wondered what would happen in this country if it were hit by a series of terrorist attacks, this would be a good primer. Other revues have described this book as a roller coaster ride; I saw it more like riding a log flume. Starting out with a steep drop and not letting up until the end.
The hero, Elliot Cahill, is not just “an everyday guy who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time”, however, he is someone you can identify with and care about how he can save his family from the jihadi’s he’s managed to piss off.
The flume ride reaches near vertical in the final chapters with lots of heroic actions and tons of action.
Scale of 10: 8
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My major complaint about this book would be directed at the publisher. I know they’re a small company that allows books like this to be published, but spell check and a proof reader would help. It hate reading something and going “What?”, then having to go back and interpret what they meant due to misspellings and such. It can really kill an exciting scene.
P.S. Thank you Mopes for a few hours of good, intense reading.
Monday, December 03, 2007
My Best Bud
See! I do have a friend.
This was taken a while long ago at one of my son's Little League games. We found Ralph there, he had been living there for about a week off the garbage cans full of half eaten hotdogs and such. Animal Control had tried for two days to catch him, but no luck. We had a black Lab at the time that we always brought to the games, and this dog just seemed to like her, or us and kept hanging close by. One night after a game, I decided I wasn't going to come back and hear how that poor Shepard got hit by a car yesterday, so we stayed till everyone else left and the lights went out in the park. It took about an hour and a half of sitting very still to get a rope around his neck, but second it was on, his attitude was "where we going and don't leave me behind."
He was dubbed Ralph because he had a look on his face that made you think that was what he was going to do. It started out as a joke, but it stuck.
From his reactions to certain people and things we "deduced" that his previous owner was a mean woman who kept him chained and would yank his ears for punishment. It took about 4 or 5 months before he was comfortable around my wife, my boy...no problem, he could roughhouse with him and it was play, if my wife tried to play, he'd just shy away. Leashes were just tolerated at first just because that meant going someplace. If you just gave a toying tug on his ears, for almost a year, he would yelp like you'd kicked him and he'd run away. He didn't like hugs for a long time either, always leaning away from you. These have all passed now and I hope his doggie brain has forgotten them completely. You can bear hug him, yank his ears all you want and the sound of a chain means road trip/walk.
For the next six years I never went anywhere without him. I was the Manager at work so I made the rules, and my dog became the unofficial mascot. Vacations, pet friendly motels were the rule. Weekend long family gatherings, if my dog isn't welcome, I won't be there.
Ralph is about 12 years old now and when I had to change jobs four years ago, he became a house dog. He's a lot wider now, but I still see him as that stray we found in a park so many years ago.
P.S. We have another hound, two cats and a bird, and I'm sure you are eager to hear how we "acquired" these misfits.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
We Are So Anti-muslim
This was taken from the Rott. It was written by jaybear in response to muslims beating up gays in the netherlands.
-------------
Denial is strong in them, mein Emperor…..
I watched Flight 93 for the first time last night, I’ve avoided it for a long time as I just knew it would get me reeeealy pissed again. I was right…I’m reeeeealy pissed again. Then while listening to cnn this morning as I cooked breakfast, I heard the comment that the Annapolis peace talks are doomed to failure because the Arabs don’t trust The President…that all of his “Anti-Muslim” actions of the past 7 years have destroyed his credibility in that part of the world…..what anti-muslim actions do they mean? do they mean removing the taliban from power Afghanistan? or handing out toys and food to Iraqi children? or liberating their country and fighting the peace loving muslims that have killed them by the bushels full? or allowing muslims to practice their vile filthy religion in this country unimpeded and unrestricted?…..are THOSE the anti-muslim actions that they’re talking about?
Europe is done for, they’ve dismissed the lessons of 1917 and 1939, and they’re heading for a Dark Age that will make the atrocities of hitler look like so many parking tickets. From giant mosques next to the London Olympic complex to Theo Van Gogh getting stabbed by a muslim for his anti islam art to an English school teacher getting jailed for naming a teddy bear mohammed…..the march towards dhimmitude…nay…oblivion continues on. The cancerous parasites called muslims use our fear of them, and our fear of offending ANYONE against us. They know we will not speak out for fear of insulting them, so they keep beheading….and stabbing…and shooting…and raping…and mutilating…and exploding….and expanding…..expanding their black plague of submission and repression to every corner of the world…..and we in the west as a free, largely secular, tolerant society welcome them with open arms and subsidies and free passes to infect our culture with their pornographic delusions of paradise.
Since they are really into martyring themselves, we should encourage that…..with this stipulation, go ahead and buy your ticket into your heaven by blowing yourself up, only don’t you think it would be generous of you to do it in a swarm of your fellow practitioners of the sickness of islam? allah (arabic for child rapist) would surely smile on your selfless act of carrying swarms of your fellow muslims into paradise on your shoulders (or in little sandwich bags…depending on the size of the body parts).
Or we could make THIS announcement: any muslim who “martyrs” themselves, will…after the explosion….have his or her body parts collected and they will be processed into pig feed….that also goes for ANY muslim who is caught in the blast. Is that cold? is that insensitive? maybe so, but if muslims knew that they would be turned into pig poop, they might find it in their best interest to “discourage” these homicidal bastards……
It’s as plain as my shiny balding head that political correctness has retracted the nads of the ruling elite in the Netherlands. I would pose this solution to them: since Amsterdam is such a “gay friendly” city, why not open a few gay bars in the Muslim districts?…you know, just for inclusiveness’ sake….
To quote Rodney King: “Can’t we all just “hic” get along???….now give all of your money beeyotch “hic”"
-------------
Denial is strong in them, mein Emperor…..
I watched Flight 93 for the first time last night, I’ve avoided it for a long time as I just knew it would get me reeeealy pissed again. I was right…I’m reeeeealy pissed again. Then while listening to cnn this morning as I cooked breakfast, I heard the comment that the Annapolis peace talks are doomed to failure because the Arabs don’t trust The President…that all of his “Anti-Muslim” actions of the past 7 years have destroyed his credibility in that part of the world…..what anti-muslim actions do they mean? do they mean removing the taliban from power Afghanistan? or handing out toys and food to Iraqi children? or liberating their country and fighting the peace loving muslims that have killed them by the bushels full? or allowing muslims to practice their vile filthy religion in this country unimpeded and unrestricted?…..are THOSE the anti-muslim actions that they’re talking about?
Europe is done for, they’ve dismissed the lessons of 1917 and 1939, and they’re heading for a Dark Age that will make the atrocities of hitler look like so many parking tickets. From giant mosques next to the London Olympic complex to Theo Van Gogh getting stabbed by a muslim for his anti islam art to an English school teacher getting jailed for naming a teddy bear mohammed…..the march towards dhimmitude…nay…oblivion continues on. The cancerous parasites called muslims use our fear of them, and our fear of offending ANYONE against us. They know we will not speak out for fear of insulting them, so they keep beheading….and stabbing…and shooting…and raping…and mutilating…and exploding….and expanding…..expanding their black plague of submission and repression to every corner of the world…..and we in the west as a free, largely secular, tolerant society welcome them with open arms and subsidies and free passes to infect our culture with their pornographic delusions of paradise.
Since they are really into martyring themselves, we should encourage that…..with this stipulation, go ahead and buy your ticket into your heaven by blowing yourself up, only don’t you think it would be generous of you to do it in a swarm of your fellow practitioners of the sickness of islam? allah (arabic for child rapist) would surely smile on your selfless act of carrying swarms of your fellow muslims into paradise on your shoulders (or in little sandwich bags…depending on the size of the body parts).
Or we could make THIS announcement: any muslim who “martyrs” themselves, will…after the explosion….have his or her body parts collected and they will be processed into pig feed….that also goes for ANY muslim who is caught in the blast. Is that cold? is that insensitive? maybe so, but if muslims knew that they would be turned into pig poop, they might find it in their best interest to “discourage” these homicidal bastards……
It’s as plain as my shiny balding head that political correctness has retracted the nads of the ruling elite in the Netherlands. I would pose this solution to them: since Amsterdam is such a “gay friendly” city, why not open a few gay bars in the Muslim districts?…you know, just for inclusiveness’ sake….
To quote Rodney King: “Can’t we all just “hic” get along???….now give all of your money beeyotch “hic”"
Will They, or Won't They?
(will be updated if I wake up enough)
There are only four games being played this afternoon (1 PM PST). Now I would think that the Denver-Raiders game would be shown here on the left coast, but TV guide just says TBA.
I'm on graveyard, so I have to set my alarm to wake me up IN THE MIDDLE OF MY NIGHT to see if the game is on.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
December Already
I can't believe we're in that last month of 2007. Just to try to get this holiday season off to a happy start, I'll just post a silly holiday song.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Oldies, But Goodies
I'm working graveyard and my wife needs to be chauffeured this morning, so I have to stay awake until the rest of the world gets going.
I was able to read my regular blogs and catch up during my shift, so this morning I've just been cruising around hitting some of the not-so-regular sites.
I ran across these over at the Rott's Imperial Tech Wizard's (and Token Liberal)site. I'd heard 'em before, but they still crack me up.
A sample:
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ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh…
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ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
--------------
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
--------------
There's more at Fueled by Coffee, go see.
I was able to read my regular blogs and catch up during my shift, so this morning I've just been cruising around hitting some of the not-so-regular sites.
I ran across these over at the Rott's Imperial Tech Wizard's (and Token Liberal)site. I'd heard 'em before, but they still crack me up.
A sample:
--------------
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh…
--------------
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
--------------
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
--------------
There's more at Fueled by Coffee, go see.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Lazy Today
Work kept me constantly moving and thinking today, so I'm just gonna post a song.
I loved this song from the first time I heard it, I even did something I don't do when listening to an album for the first time, I went over, picked up the needle (anybody remember LP's?), turned what was probably an already too loud stereo up more and listened again.
The horn section in this song is amazing, I just wish the sound quality was better (I needed a little more bass to smooth it out). The live video wasn't as good as this, so once again just listen.
I give you "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder
Crank the Volume for best effect.
I loved this song from the first time I heard it, I even did something I don't do when listening to an album for the first time, I went over, picked up the needle (anybody remember LP's?), turned what was probably an already too loud stereo up more and listened again.
The horn section in this song is amazing, I just wish the sound quality was better (I needed a little more bass to smooth it out). The live video wasn't as good as this, so once again just listen.
I give you "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder
Crank the Volume for best effect.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Do You Know?
Do you know what his is? I'll be honest, I wouldn't have known until I read this story today: The Pennsylvanian Flag Could Get a Name Change. while cruising through the FOXNews site.
Pennsylvanians are having an identity crisis when it comes to their state flag: Hardly anyone in the state can identify it. Now state lawmakers are considering a proposal to remedy that by literally adding the word "Pennsylvania" to the flag.
The reason this caught my attention was at my old company we had a 65 foot flag pole flying the Stars and Stripes, but below that we flew this:
I can't tell you the number of people who would drive into our yard and start going absolutely nuts about "How dare we fly a commie flag!" After explaining that that the flag belonged to the commie state of Arizona, we'd get a five second blank look, followed by "Oh, well.... never mind."
To us there were two sides to flying that flag, One was both the owner's son and I attended Arizona State, so we had an affection for the place, the other was Arizona doesn't have an oil industry, so therefore, no regulations. We said we just decided to secede from Kalifornia.
To be honest about the whole thing, I went to a site with all the state flags and unless the name was on the flag, I only would have know Alaska, Texas, New Mexico and the territory of Puerto Rico.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Thanksgiving
In spite of where my life has led me at this point, I am very thankful for so many things.
I am thankful, of course, for my wonderful son. He could (in Dad's opinion)be achieving so much more, but he is conscientious, polite, and caring. He's still trying to find his niche.
I am thankful for all the people that I have met over the net that I now consider friends: Blackiswhite, GuyK, Rightwingprof,Sig94 to name just a few.
I have to make a special point of Emperor Misha I, whose site allowed me to meet the people above.
To LC Mopes a special thanks to you for your random act of kindness, it meant more than you know.
My family is scattered all over the country now and for the first time in decades we are not getting together with at least some of them. May you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and know that I wish I could be with you.
To our troops overseas may you have a day of peace and return home to your love ones soonest. Bless you for your sacrifice so that we may celebrate this holiday.
To all....Happy Thanksgiving.
I am thankful, of course, for my wonderful son. He could (in Dad's opinion)be achieving so much more, but he is conscientious, polite, and caring. He's still trying to find his niche.
I am thankful for all the people that I have met over the net that I now consider friends: Blackiswhite, GuyK, Rightwingprof,Sig94 to name just a few.
I have to make a special point of Emperor Misha I, whose site allowed me to meet the people above.
To LC Mopes a special thanks to you for your random act of kindness, it meant more than you know.
My family is scattered all over the country now and for the first time in decades we are not getting together with at least some of them. May you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and know that I wish I could be with you.
To our troops overseas may you have a day of peace and return home to your love ones soonest. Bless you for your sacrifice so that we may celebrate this holiday.
To all....Happy Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Almost Like A Vacation Extention
It is a fluke in scheduling that I hadn't counted on.
When I got back from the trip to Portland, I resumed work on a Saturday, so I had the weekend to myself. Monday I had to deal with the Foreman and other people, but then I was off Tuesday and today (Wednesday).
Tomorrow, I go back on my most dreaded of shifts...Days (5:00 AM-1:00 PM), but I get the site to myself for four days straight. Thursday is Thanksgiving and Friday is a floating holiday, then the normal Saturday-Sunday.
I'll have to face a crowd disrupting my routine on Monday and Tuesday, though Monday will probably be slow with everyone still groggy from their four days off. I'll then get all of Wednesday and 3/4 of Thursday off when I go on graveyards for 6 days, followed by five days off.
In over a months time I'll only have to deal with disruptions for three days, not bad.
Karma will get me though. During the Christmas holidays we have a guy on vacation, so I'll have to help cover his shift. It should be about three full days overtime, and I can use the money, but those 12 hour shifts get old real quick.
When I got back from the trip to Portland, I resumed work on a Saturday, so I had the weekend to myself. Monday I had to deal with the Foreman and other people, but then I was off Tuesday and today (Wednesday).
Tomorrow, I go back on my most dreaded of shifts...Days (5:00 AM-1:00 PM), but I get the site to myself for four days straight. Thursday is Thanksgiving and Friday is a floating holiday, then the normal Saturday-Sunday.
I'll have to face a crowd disrupting my routine on Monday and Tuesday, though Monday will probably be slow with everyone still groggy from their four days off. I'll then get all of Wednesday and 3/4 of Thursday off when I go on graveyards for 6 days, followed by five days off.
In over a months time I'll only have to deal with disruptions for three days, not bad.
Karma will get me though. During the Christmas holidays we have a guy on vacation, so I'll have to help cover his shift. It should be about three full days overtime, and I can use the money, but those 12 hour shifts get old real quick.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Like Quiting Smoking In Reverse.
Once again I'm going to promise to start posting on a more regular basis. I've promised to quit cigarettes about a hundred time and have actually made a few valiant attempts, once for almost three months.
My good friend Blackiswhite has been posting regularly, so now I feel there is a contest between us. I'm going to go by his example and just post whatever is on sticking in my head at that particular time. There is always politics floating around there, but most of the time I'm just too pissed to make a coherent argument on the topic, so there may be a bit of music to fill in the gaps.
That was a lead-in to Peaches in Regalia. This song has been stuck in my head for the last week and I don't know why. As much as I love the song, maybe this will excise the demon. (The video is dumb, but the music is great....Filmore East, 1971, damn I wan't even outta HS then)
My good friend Blackiswhite has been posting regularly, so now I feel there is a contest between us. I'm going to go by his example and just post whatever is on sticking in my head at that particular time. There is always politics floating around there, but most of the time I'm just too pissed to make a coherent argument on the topic, so there may be a bit of music to fill in the gaps.
That was a lead-in to Peaches in Regalia. This song has been stuck in my head for the last week and I don't know why. As much as I love the song, maybe this will excise the demon. (The video is dumb, but the music is great....Filmore East, 1971, damn I wan't even outta HS then)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Racist?
After a week without net access I've just been bouncing all over the place today. I came across this and just had to post it.
Well said.
Well said.
Road Trip Report
I know you’ve all been dying to hear the details of my trip. Overall it was good, there were some bumpy moments, but overall I’d give it a 7 out of 10.
The Flight Up
Chris’ girlfriend got us to the airport in plenty of time. The only thing that pissed me off was that security made me throw out new bottles of shampoo, conditioner and my aerosol deodorant (nothing over 3.6 oz.). The flight was only half full, left only 15 minutes late, but arrived on time.
Our arrival was another of those little bumps. There were no signs in the terminal saying drop offs this level pick up that level, so we went out the front doors on the top and waited for my brother, who was circling the lower level. My brother doesn’t have a cell phone, so it was just luck that after about 40 minutes he decided to check the top.
Wonderful Beaverton
Good news here, my Mom was home, so even though she’s pretty much bedridden now, still sharp as a tack, just no energy, so we got to visit without the hassles of visiting hours and travel to and from the hospital. It kept the stay up there relaxed.
Grandma and Unca Doug got to see Chris for the first time in over 8 years (10 to 19 is a huge chunk to miss). They were impressed with how well he’s turning out and amazed that I had managed to teach him so well in the ways of the Dark Side knowing what a lib his Mother is.
Being a major reason for the trip was to get Grandma’s car for Chris, he was constantly chomping at the bit to go somewhere, anywhere so he could drive his new toy. It’s a ’99 Buick Century Limited, blue-gray, with only 27K on the dial. Leather seats and electric everything. Damn, my kids got a better car than I do.
Drive Home (Pt. I)
Beaverton Or. To Oakland Ca.
Out of bed at 5:30 AM and on the road by 7:45 AM, real close to the schedule I had in my head. I drove the first hour, then I gave up control to the boy. I’ve been the primary driver for so long now that I was amazed at how nice it can be to just sit and watch the scenery flow by and it is beautiful country up there.
It was smooth sailing till we got past Medford and the highway turned inland and started into the mountains and we hit rain. Not a hard rain just a constant drizzle that no matter what speed you set the wipers at, it was to fast or to slow.
Coming down out the mountains past Mt. Shasta, I was doing a crossword and started hearing Bott’s dots on the passenger side and the emergency corrugation strip on the driver’s side. Without looking up I just told Chris “Let’s try to stay between the lines for a bit.” He said he was getting tired (5 ½ hours behind the wheel) and there was rest stop a mile ahead and he wanted to change anyway. When we stopped and I got out of the car, I got blasted by about 50 MPH winds,. He had kept it steady enough that I hadn’t noticed, so I felt like an ass. I drove the next 5 hours to the Bay Area, mostly straight highway with no view due the clouds.
Bay Area
This will be my last trip there!!! Traffic sucks! We got into the area just after dark, it was foggy and really raining. We could see the freeway well enough, but nothing beyond it so I lost all sense of direction.
After a “brief” meandering tour of the hills of Berkley (I have no idea how we got there), we finally found Oakland. I should mention that I was so disoriented, that I actually stopped and asked for directions at one point, which at least got us headed in the right direction.
Due to a bunch of circumstances, I hadn’t reserved a motel. I paid dearly for this. There really isn’t a hell of a lot of motels in the area, and they’re spread all over the place. We hit six that were booked up, one that had one room at $109.00/night (HA!). We were getting farther and farther away from the stadium and I was just hanging onto my sanity due to fatigue and the stress.
I was really starting to wonder how comfortable the seats in the car were for sleeping when we spotted a Motel 6. Three rooms left and $114 for two nights. SOLD!!!
The place was crazy with Raider fans, but maybe because it was raining, it was quiet and we got a good nights rest.
Game Day
Woke up to the sun shining, something good to offset the karma from yesterday.
We arrived with plenty of time to spare, turns out the motel was only about 15 miles down the freeway , but good thing I have a mania about leaving time to deal with the unexpected, cause it came in handy. There is little signage directing you anywhere around the stadium and half of what they have is cryptic to the point of making no sense. There were plenty of cops around, but rather than direct traffic, they just sit on the pretty Harley Davidson motorcycles in groups of four and look cool while chaos flows around them.
We ended up in an “Overflow” parking lot (mud flat) about ½ mile from the stadium. It wasn’t a bad walk and once inside the parking for the stadium, we had time to cruise around a check out the tailgaters. Man, there were some parties going on. We entered on the wrong side (of course) and proceeded to the top of the arena to be told “You’re on the other side, go down two levels and around.”
The seats weren’t bad, tween the 20 and 30 , sun behind us and nice people in our section, even if some were Bears fans. I was a little disappointed, all these years, I’ve heard the stories of the “mean, nasty Oakland fans.” There was only one fight during the game. I’ve seen more violence at a Dodger game. It may be that a lot of the fight has gone out of both Raider and Bears fans (My sucky team doesn’t suck as much as your sucky team).
It was an action packed thriller with the score 3-3 into the 4th . As one Bears fan put it “two of the most inept offenses to ever bump heads on a football field.” With 4:04 remaining we kicked a 52 yard field goal to jump ahead. Followed by the Bears throwing 59 yards for a TD, followed by McCown getting sacked and fumbling on our own three, which the Bears ran in for another TD. Final 17-6.
Back to Oakland Base
We could have if we had really wanted, driven home right after the game, but I’m getting older and the idea of a long drive on top of a busy day just isn’t that easy anymore. We went back to the motel and watched the Sunday nite game where the Chargers, up 23-0 into the second quarter, did everything possible to lose to the Colts. The Chargers only won because the Colts missed a 29 yard FG in the closing minute. Final 23-21.
Drive Home (Pt. II)
Oakland to L.A.
Slept in a bit, didn’t want to rush out into “rush hour” traffic, so we left about 10:00 Am for the 6 hour sprint home. Traffic was moderately light, so traveling down I-5 was just a long boring cruise. Chris drove the whole way. (Gotta show the new toy to his girlfriend). Home around 4:30.
It’s nice to be home, and it was good to see my Mom again. I’m still a little travel weary, but I don’t go back to work until Saturday afternoon, so I think I’ll just take it easy.
The Flight Up
Chris’ girlfriend got us to the airport in plenty of time. The only thing that pissed me off was that security made me throw out new bottles of shampoo, conditioner and my aerosol deodorant (nothing over 3.6 oz.). The flight was only half full, left only 15 minutes late, but arrived on time.
Our arrival was another of those little bumps. There were no signs in the terminal saying drop offs this level pick up that level, so we went out the front doors on the top and waited for my brother, who was circling the lower level. My brother doesn’t have a cell phone, so it was just luck that after about 40 minutes he decided to check the top.
Wonderful Beaverton
Good news here, my Mom was home, so even though she’s pretty much bedridden now, still sharp as a tack, just no energy, so we got to visit without the hassles of visiting hours and travel to and from the hospital. It kept the stay up there relaxed.
Grandma and Unca Doug got to see Chris for the first time in over 8 years (10 to 19 is a huge chunk to miss). They were impressed with how well he’s turning out and amazed that I had managed to teach him so well in the ways of the Dark Side knowing what a lib his Mother is.
Being a major reason for the trip was to get Grandma’s car for Chris, he was constantly chomping at the bit to go somewhere, anywhere so he could drive his new toy. It’s a ’99 Buick Century Limited, blue-gray, with only 27K on the dial. Leather seats and electric everything. Damn, my kids got a better car than I do.
Drive Home (Pt. I)
Beaverton Or. To Oakland Ca.
Out of bed at 5:30 AM and on the road by 7:45 AM, real close to the schedule I had in my head. I drove the first hour, then I gave up control to the boy. I’ve been the primary driver for so long now that I was amazed at how nice it can be to just sit and watch the scenery flow by and it is beautiful country up there.
It was smooth sailing till we got past Medford and the highway turned inland and started into the mountains and we hit rain. Not a hard rain just a constant drizzle that no matter what speed you set the wipers at, it was to fast or to slow.
Coming down out the mountains past Mt. Shasta, I was doing a crossword and started hearing Bott’s dots on the passenger side and the emergency corrugation strip on the driver’s side. Without looking up I just told Chris “Let’s try to stay between the lines for a bit.” He said he was getting tired (5 ½ hours behind the wheel) and there was rest stop a mile ahead and he wanted to change anyway. When we stopped and I got out of the car, I got blasted by about 50 MPH winds,. He had kept it steady enough that I hadn’t noticed, so I felt like an ass. I drove the next 5 hours to the Bay Area, mostly straight highway with no view due the clouds.
Bay Area
This will be my last trip there!!! Traffic sucks! We got into the area just after dark, it was foggy and really raining. We could see the freeway well enough, but nothing beyond it so I lost all sense of direction.
After a “brief” meandering tour of the hills of Berkley (I have no idea how we got there), we finally found Oakland. I should mention that I was so disoriented, that I actually stopped and asked for directions at one point, which at least got us headed in the right direction.
Due to a bunch of circumstances, I hadn’t reserved a motel. I paid dearly for this. There really isn’t a hell of a lot of motels in the area, and they’re spread all over the place. We hit six that were booked up, one that had one room at $109.00/night (HA!). We were getting farther and farther away from the stadium and I was just hanging onto my sanity due to fatigue and the stress.
I was really starting to wonder how comfortable the seats in the car were for sleeping when we spotted a Motel 6. Three rooms left and $114 for two nights. SOLD!!!
The place was crazy with Raider fans, but maybe because it was raining, it was quiet and we got a good nights rest.
Game Day
Woke up to the sun shining, something good to offset the karma from yesterday.
We arrived with plenty of time to spare, turns out the motel was only about 15 miles down the freeway , but good thing I have a mania about leaving time to deal with the unexpected, cause it came in handy. There is little signage directing you anywhere around the stadium and half of what they have is cryptic to the point of making no sense. There were plenty of cops around, but rather than direct traffic, they just sit on the pretty Harley Davidson motorcycles in groups of four and look cool while chaos flows around them.
We ended up in an “Overflow” parking lot (mud flat) about ½ mile from the stadium. It wasn’t a bad walk and once inside the parking for the stadium, we had time to cruise around a check out the tailgaters. Man, there were some parties going on. We entered on the wrong side (of course) and proceeded to the top of the arena to be told “You’re on the other side, go down two levels and around.”
The seats weren’t bad, tween the 20 and 30 , sun behind us and nice people in our section, even if some were Bears fans. I was a little disappointed, all these years, I’ve heard the stories of the “mean, nasty Oakland fans.” There was only one fight during the game. I’ve seen more violence at a Dodger game. It may be that a lot of the fight has gone out of both Raider and Bears fans (My sucky team doesn’t suck as much as your sucky team).
It was an action packed thriller with the score 3-3 into the 4th . As one Bears fan put it “two of the most inept offenses to ever bump heads on a football field.” With 4:04 remaining we kicked a 52 yard field goal to jump ahead. Followed by the Bears throwing 59 yards for a TD, followed by McCown getting sacked and fumbling on our own three, which the Bears ran in for another TD. Final 17-6.
Back to Oakland Base
We could have if we had really wanted, driven home right after the game, but I’m getting older and the idea of a long drive on top of a busy day just isn’t that easy anymore. We went back to the motel and watched the Sunday nite game where the Chargers, up 23-0 into the second quarter, did everything possible to lose to the Colts. The Chargers only won because the Colts missed a 29 yard FG in the closing minute. Final 23-21.
Drive Home (Pt. II)
Oakland to L.A.
Slept in a bit, didn’t want to rush out into “rush hour” traffic, so we left about 10:00 Am for the 6 hour sprint home. Traffic was moderately light, so traveling down I-5 was just a long boring cruise. Chris drove the whole way. (Gotta show the new toy to his girlfriend). Home around 4:30.
It’s nice to be home, and it was good to see my Mom again. I’m still a little travel weary, but I don’t go back to work until Saturday afternoon, so I think I’ll just take it easy.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
A Hiatus From My Hiatus
Well no, I'm going to be posting, not even sporadically for the the next week. I'm going to be out of town. My son and I are flying up to Portland. This was a planned trip, but the timing is extra lucky.
The original plan was to get Grandma's car for my son and drive it home. Just a road trip for us guys. Now my Mom isn't doing well and is incarcerated in the hospital again, so it's probably a last chance for my son to see his Grandma.
Even though I'm beyond broke right now, the plane was cheap (using credit card miles) and the Raider's game we're going to on the way back home was paid for months ago. This will be his first Pro football game, as the Raiders left L.A. the year he was born. It's our Raiders (2-6) v. Da Bears (3-5), so it has a chance of being a good game. Of course with the tickets I could afford we're in another time zone from the field, but we are on the home team side and usually those are some of the most entertaining fans to be with. We're planing on wearing a lot of Silver and Black.
To fund this little adventure we loaded up the F-150 with aluminum cans that I'd kept stashed in a back section of my garage. It was like a vault that I'd draw on to have extra cash for Vegas and such. The lady at the recycling center seemed to take a liking to me and due to the amount of cans we brought in bumped the price from the base of $1.15/lb., up to $1.75/lb., then decided that I was so damn nice and incredibly handsome (HA!), she raised it up to $1.80/lb. With two trips there, I got just under $500, and there's still some left in the vault.
We'll probably drive Portland to Oakland on Saturday, 11 hours, but two drivers and being my kid just got his license about a month ago, will be hard to get him out from behind the wheel. It'll mean we can't do the Eureka/Fortuna stopover that I wanted so he could see my Dad's family's home base, but it will allow more time in Portland with my Mom and brother.
I'll be back Monday and still won't have work until Saturday. I'm using all my vacation time being vacations are forbidden between Thanksgiving and New Years, except for the guy we just rehired who already had a British Isles Christmas vacation set up, so I could be looking at some good overtime before the end of the year.
I'll have no internet access until I'm back in L.A., so if you drop by BisW, post a couple of snarky comments on the Rott for me til then.
The original plan was to get Grandma's car for my son and drive it home. Just a road trip for us guys. Now my Mom isn't doing well and is incarcerated in the hospital again, so it's probably a last chance for my son to see his Grandma.
Even though I'm beyond broke right now, the plane was cheap (using credit card miles) and the Raider's game we're going to on the way back home was paid for months ago. This will be his first Pro football game, as the Raiders left L.A. the year he was born. It's our Raiders (2-6) v. Da Bears (3-5), so it has a chance of being a good game. Of course with the tickets I could afford we're in another time zone from the field, but we are on the home team side and usually those are some of the most entertaining fans to be with. We're planing on wearing a lot of Silver and Black.
To fund this little adventure we loaded up the F-150 with aluminum cans that I'd kept stashed in a back section of my garage. It was like a vault that I'd draw on to have extra cash for Vegas and such. The lady at the recycling center seemed to take a liking to me and due to the amount of cans we brought in bumped the price from the base of $1.15/lb., up to $1.75/lb., then decided that I was so damn nice and incredibly handsome (HA!), she raised it up to $1.80/lb. With two trips there, I got just under $500, and there's still some left in the vault.
We'll probably drive Portland to Oakland on Saturday, 11 hours, but two drivers and being my kid just got his license about a month ago, will be hard to get him out from behind the wheel. It'll mean we can't do the Eureka/Fortuna stopover that I wanted so he could see my Dad's family's home base, but it will allow more time in Portland with my Mom and brother.
I'll be back Monday and still won't have work until Saturday. I'm using all my vacation time being vacations are forbidden between Thanksgiving and New Years, except for the guy we just rehired who already had a British Isles Christmas vacation set up, so I could be looking at some good overtime before the end of the year.
I'll have no internet access until I'm back in L.A., so if you drop by BisW, post a couple of snarky comments on the Rott for me til then.
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