Minor Annoyance

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Frog

I was just down in our business center* picking up something off the high-speed copier and noticed someone had stuck a post-it to a box. The post-it ended with “Thanx”. I realize there are bigger things to worry about but the author of that note couldn’t spare a K and an S? To spell it correctly would have taken one more letter but she** was too busy for that? Afraid she’d use up all her allotted S’s for the day?

*This is the room we now have to leave locked because people here for training helped themselves to our supplies and misused our equipment. Some folks even took to meeting at the work table in the room. Yeah, some people have lost their minds.

**The author has to be female because we don’t have any men who work at this location. Scary, but true.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off

Camera, Pictures, Gah

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Frog

On Saturday after the graduation ceremony the better-half told me he didn’t take any pictures as the batteries in the camera were dead and because we read the rules of the ceremony he didn’t have his cell phone with him. Yeah, they said not to bring cell phones because the security folks would take them away from you. I saw dozens of cell phones among the graduates and lots of people were using their phones to take pictures. I hate being the one who follows the rules only to have the rules tell me to bend over.

Faced with the fact that we knew there were none of our own pictures, I decided to go look at the pictures the official photography group posted to their website. I made screen shots for the better-half and sent them with the following titles: “my three chins”, “drunk again” and “ready for my prison jumpsuit”. As you can guess, we will not be spending money on any official photos.

I emailed him and told him I was not photogenic and these pictures proved that. I suggested that I put the frock back on and have him take pictures of me with the camera that now has brand new rechargeable batteries (we’ve had the original set of batteries way longer than is recommended). He said it would be like the moonwalk–all done on a sound stage.

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OMG, for reals

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Frog

This was in my chair when I got back from lunch (sorry about the crappy picture–taken with cell phone and quickly so I wouldn’t be seen taking a picture of it): omg1

The secret pal has struck again. I realize that the sentiment is what’s important and that the giver was being nice. BUT HOLY COW I WANT TO PLUCK OUT MY EYES!

Posted in General Spleen Venting | 2 Comments

That didn’t take long

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Frog

So, I’m a newly minted M.Ed. and I’ve already interviewed for a new job and been asked for advice on how to do what I do for a living. I think the interview went well, but I’m not sure that I’m a fit for them…my fit may run more towards having drinks after work but I’m not sure about the 9-5 aspect.

A student who is about half-way through the program emailed me yesterday and is coming to my office tomorrow to discuss instructional design. I’ve asked if others in the office would like to join us–the response has been positive so far. Hopefully this student will get some advice she can use.

This time next week the better-half and I will be on our way to Chicago. I can’t wait. For all the learning I’ll be doing in my training workshop, of course.

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Today’s the day

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Frog

Watching the video feed now…heading over to the School’s ceremony in a little bit.

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Freak Magnet

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Frog

I took my lunch time today to get the oil changed in the car. I’d much rather go to the oil change place near work than the ghetto one that’s in my town. The folks who work at the place I like take care of customers (they helped an elderly woman today with her walker and then let a mentally-challenged young man hang out and watch what they were doing) and they don’t leave grease prints all over the car like the ghettoville one.

While I was waiting, I picked up the local paper and read for most of the time I was there. A woman and her 2 year old were watching Dragon Tales but then left. The older woman came in about the time I did and then the spaz couple walked in. The whole time they were bursting onto the scene like a couple of kittens I kept reading the paper. It was obvious I could care less about them or Dragon Tales. Still they asked me if I was watching TV. Instead of saying if I had Superman vision and could see through solid objects I’d finally be the ruler of the planet and I wouldn’t be wasting my time on a minion task, I just said no feel free to change the channel. Then they went back to their spastic ways. The woman finally said something about what a deal it was that this oil changing chain was going to wash the windows and vacuum the car. I just gave the vague smile of “you are an idiot”.

Then she scampered around when they called out about who had the Honda (lucky day we both have one). Yeah, I was there before you they are probably talking to me. When I turned around to sit back down, she was in my seat and asked me if it was my newspaper. I told her it was provided by the establishment and then I sat in another chair. She leaped into the air and then moved back to her original seat. Seriously, WTF? There’s no excuse for being that hyper. Quit taking the drugs.

Posted in General Spleen Venting | 1 Comment

Microwave King

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Frog

I dragged myself to the grocery store after work yesterday. I like to cook, but general grocery store shopping is something I loathe. Shopping at a fancy store for a special meal is entirely different than making sure I buy a bag of onions and a refill for the window cleaner spray bottle. By the way, the generic window cleaner stuff was half the price of Windex and they sat right next to each other on the shelf. Hi, I’ll spend that $2 on something else.

I got in the check-out line and I was behind a guy in his late twenties. He is the microwave king. He had about 8 3-minute pizzas, several bags of that frozen meal in a bag stir-fry stuff, a large bag of cereal, a dozen of those little servings of ravioli, a big bottle of wine, a jug of OJ and a jug of milk. Oh, and Lunchables. He’s probably a barrel of laughs at work if he’s bringing Lunchables to the office. Yes, I was being judgmental in the check-out line. Hard to believe, I know.

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Weekend=Good, Weekend=Short

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Frog

We worked in the yard/garden for most of the weekend. I cut the nearly knee-high grass. I burned the crap out of my shoulders–yes, the one who is always going on and on about sunscreen totally missed a swath of skin on my back (was wearing a sleeveless shirt on Saturday) and am now paying for it. I was also bit by some critter on the back of my leg and let me tell you don’t want to look up pictures of spider bites on google unless you actually want to throw up.

We went to a party for my master’s program. It was fun. We were some of the last to leave which I felt bad about, because I don’t like being the last one to leave. We got out of there just in the nick of time before it turned into one of those “when are these people going to leave” moments. We nearly made the professor in charge of the program cry with our thank-you gift. We also found out she won an award that several of us had nominated her for–pretty prestigious award and she’ll be honored at graduation on Saturday. That was really wonderful and very exciting.

As we were sitting in the backyard late Sunday afternoon drinking a beer, I said I think I need to take next Monday off. So! I’ll be celebrating graduation by skipping work on Monday a week from now. Oh happy day, indeed.

Posted in Gardening, Generic Thoughts | 1 Comment

Wondering

Posted on May 7, 2009 by Frog

Is it ever going to stop raining?

Have you ever experienced this situation…you see a train wreck coming but you just have to let the train wreck happen even if you are a passenger on the train?

Posted in General Spleen Venting | Comments Off

Suggestions

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Frog

I’m interested in really developing my project mayhem at work. Last year we deployed the Annoy-a-tron noise maker and I need to come up with something new.

There’s an In/Out board right outside my office and people are obssessed about the board. I frequently hear folks out there arranging blue dots, making notations about their schedules, etc. One person in particular spends much of her time complaining about how much work she has to do and yet she spends a lot of time at the In/Out board. What does it matter really…is the person’s office light on or not? You had to walk past their office to get to the board, you know whether they are here or not. Pick up the phone or send an email.

I’ve rearranged the In/Out blue dots into smiley and frowny faces and I’ve taken some of the blue dots off (especially around my name). Today I got to work and someone had written on the board that it was for business only but other announcements or drawings should be posted on the white board next to the In/Out board. I guess the frowny face yesterday was a bit too much for the In/Out elite to handle.

What are your ideas on other office pranks I can pull–I don’t have the time, energy or supplies to fill someone’s office with post-it notes so the ideas have to be small, quick and cheap. I need to be in and out (no pun intended!) of offices quickly to escape detection.

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