It feels good just to say it.

“Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.” ... Drew Carey

It's not that I hate my job. I like the work that I do and I'm good at it. It's just that I don't like the company I work for and I'm not overly fond of the management team.

That probably says a lot - we have a "management" team, not a manager. If you don't know what you're doing, surround yourself with others who don't know either. That way they can't tell just how stupid you really are - and you always have someone else to blame when the peasants revolt. I've had a lot of managers, at least 2 dozen, maybe 3, probably more, so when I tell you that these people aren't good managers, understand that I'm talking from experience.

Why do managers think lying to employees is a good thing and why do some managers go out of their way to demoralize their best workers? And why does a company put up with that crap?

More important, why do I put up with that crap? I wouldn't have when I was younger. I would have told them politely (more or less) what they could do with their job - but then I didn't like those jobs.

I just read an article on what you should do if you hate your job.

# 1 suggestion: Quit - well, I'm thinking about it seriously. But that seems a drastic measure. It's not easy to find work that you like, that you're good at, and that pays decently. But it's coming. A letter to my manager saying Take this job, etc would be very satisfying. If I thought he could read it.

The article said it realized that quitting wasn't an option for everybody so it gave some other suggestions.

1. Decorate your working place. Hang some pictures on the walls. - I don't have any walls. I only have 2 sides to my cube and there are file cabinets hanging on both. I do have a picture of a computer going out a high rise office building and I'd like to draw in a picture of a tiny little IT guy following it out the window.


2. Open the windows. - My windows don't open, though I have considered throwing that stupid computer through it several times. I suppose that might relieve some stress, but how many times can you do that before management realizes it can't always be an accident?


3. Combine your job with a hobby. - I have a strong work ethic (yes, I'm still crazy after all these years). I don't think one should get paid for playing around when you're suppose to be working. I did work with a crafter once who was known to work on her crafts at work - even to setting up an ironing station in her cube - and I heard about a guy in another department that sold real estate out of his cube. [Do you really believe that everybody but managers knew about these people?]


4. Get to know the people you work with. - Uh, why? They are what make sane people quit their jobs.


5. Find a new office flirt. - You're flirting with danger with this one. and you probably have poor taste.


6. Change your point of view. - Oh, sure, I'll just be Polyanna-cheerful and ignore the crap. Trust me, sister, once the crap piles up to your eyebrows it's hard to breathe and the only thing left to do is say

I QUIT!

Man, it feels good just to say it out loud.

Time isn't what it used to be

Did you know today was the first day of fall?

I just found out a few minutes ago and it took me by surprise. I don't know why because I know what day of the month it is (which is unusual for me) and I knew that fall was coming. I just didn't expect it this soon.

I think it's probably the weather that has me befuddled It's over 80 degrees here which is about 10 degrees warmer (at least to me) than it should be. I need to find some fall clothes that are summer weight. Good luck to me.

It's time for the time to change away from DST, but it will be another month, month and a half, before that happens. It's already affecting my internal clock because it's dark in the morning when I have to get out of bed. When I wake up befuddled that it's 7:30 and still dark I have to tell myself, "Oh, it's really 6:30." and then I call politicians dirty names.

Leave the time alone.

If you want to change something, change the calendar so that all the months have the same number of days. Nobody knows what day it is anyway.

And the Emmy goes to ........

I'm watching the Emmy award show on television. Off and on. Mostly off.

I wonder if my parents and grandparents felt like me if they watched the Emmys when it first started. About the shows getting nominated. Never saw that show. Watched that show five minutes and it stank. Never saw that show. Never wanted to see that show. Wanted desparately to never see that show. What happened to all the good shows?

This is the 60th anniversary of the Emmys. I don't think TV has been around that long which just goes to show you how narcissistic television people actually are.

I did watch the memorial section about people in the biz who died this year. It evoked the usual comments - I didn't know she died! I didn't know he was still alive!

A couple of minutes ago they awarded the Emmy for --- Oh, excuse me. Tom Selleck is getting ready to award something and I want to watch this. I don't care what the award is or to whom - I just want to see Tom Selleck. Still looking good in or out of his Hawaaiian shirts.

OK, that's over - they're running out of time and "funny" little patter so they're cutting everybody short, sometimes very rudely.

Now, back to the "A couple of minutes ago they awarded the Emmy for" segment. They awarded an Emmy for the best "reality show" host. Of course, they ignored Phil from The Amazing Race. I get the feeling that Hollywood doesn't appreciate The Amazing Race the way America does. I think it's because there's not enough sex, nudity, back stabbing, and dumbness on TAR. Now sometimes TAR has really annoying contestants, but they detract from the show, they aren't the basis for the show, like say Big Brother or Survivor. Let America vote and TAR wins everytime.

It's over and time for the news. I hate award shows.

Animal Tails

A puddle does not make a pond
Last week after it rained, I looked out to the parking lot at work. The was one fat goose sitting in the middle of a water puddle that was only about 3 inches wider all around than the goose. And there were 3 other geese standing around waiting their turn. We live in a community that encourages water retention ponds. Within a mile, there are probably at least a half dozen ponds suitable for actual swimming (if you're a goose or a duck, not a person). Did they think they were on vacation at an Econo-Lake or something?

Look both ways and pay attention.
When I went to lunch one day earlier this week, a squirrel was nonchalantly crossing the street until he spied my car, then he scurried back to the safety of the curb while my passenger held her breath and made funny noises through her teeth. I didn't tell her that when I went home along the same street later that day, there was a flattened squirrel at the same spot.

There's one in every bunch, or is that flock?
This morning on my way to work a line of ducks was crossing the road so the car in front of me slowed down. As we reached the ducks, the car came to a stop even though the ducks were all on on the other side. I thought "I'm in a hurry here! What are you doing?" Then I saw one lone duck reach the sidewalk, taking his time, enjoying the view, not a care in the world. I wish I'd had a picture of the squirrel to show him.

There's always somebody

First, let me say that I truly feel sorry for the folks whose lives have been interrupted and devasted by Hurricane Ike. From trying to choose what items to save, to waiting in line trying to evacuate, to living in a shelter with hundreds of strangers, it's a heart-rendering situation.

But there's always somebody .....

On the news yesterday, a man of around 35 - 45 was being interviewed about his decision to not evacuate. He said it was scary but they survived. However, they were running out of food. It hadn't even been 24 hours and they were running out of food! I bet they had plenty of beer.

SOS

I couldn't find any Chocolate covered potato chips so I bought a 30 cent bag of chips and some dipping chocolate and made my own. I'm over it now.

I bought some chipped beef to make Chipped Beef Gravy because I wanted some. I have it about once a year or less because sometimes I just want it.

I seem to have a lot of food cravings for a non-pregnant person. There's probably something psychological about it, but who cares?

There's not much simpler than Chipped Beef Gravy. You buy the beef in a little jar that you can keep and use for a juice glass if you want. You open the jar with an old fashioned bottle opener then you rinse the beef well if you want to cut down on the salt. Then you throw a batch of home-made biscuits in the oven and while they're cooking you make a cream sauce. (2 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour for each cup of cold milk, more or less depending on how thick you want the gravy) Cut up the beef, throw it in the sauce and serve it over a hot biscuit (with one on the side for sopping). If you got 'em, put a poached egg on top of the biscuit before smothering it with the gravy. If you're southern, heap a nice serving of grits on the side.

Of course, if you really want it simple you could buy a box of frozen Chipped Beef Gravy and a tube of refrigerated biscuits or make some toast. Or go to a restaurant.

The Dumass Company Strikes Again.

I work at the most Dumass company in the whole wide world. I know almost everybody thinks that, and sometimes it's actually true. If you work with the same level of Dumasses as I do, you have my heartfelt sympathy. And today I'm talking about the faceless management who make up stupid rules just to make stupid rules.

I prepared a knock out presentation for an upcoming conference, but first it had to be reviewed by the company's Formatting Police. They insist that you only use the colors, font, font size, bullets, and pictures that they tell you to use. After their review, the presentation is mediocre at best. Personally, I think it's boring and ugly.

They insist you use a puke green stripe at the bottom of the screen. And accent it with dull blue.

You have to use their pictures and their choice of bullets. You can't even use the clip art and graphic elements that come with PowerPoint.

They changed puncuation, pictures, and words. They changed capitalized words to lowercase which changed the meaning of the phrases. Would you believe they took the period off sentences?

They changed graphs around so they didn't represent the data correctly.

They changed the animation so that elements disappeared when they shouldn't have and didn't do anything when they should have.

But to me, the worst part was what they did to the font. They made the font so small that my eyes still hurt from trying to read the computer screen to see what havoc they had wrought. I can just imagine the audience trying to see it from 20 - 30 feet away or trying to read any handouts.

Imagine tiny little letters on a plain white background.

Which makes the biggest impact: $15,000,000 or $15,000,0000. Yeah, it kind of loses something when you have to squint to see it, doesn't it?

And when they finished, they congratulated themselves and announced "Look's great!"

No, it looks stupid and I'm embarrassed to have it seen in public.

Ummmmm. Chocolate.

I want some chocolate covered potato chips. I have been wanting them for almost 3 weeks after having something chocolate and then a potato chip while watching TV and mindlessly snacking. The taste was surprisingly interesting.

One of the guys I work with overheard me telling me one of the gals I work with that I wanted some and he said he had them one year at a Christmas party and they were great. He thought the combination sounded weird till he had one.

But apparently you can't buy Chocolate Covered except at Christmas and by the time Christmas gets here I'll have forgotten all about them till after Christmas and then it will be too late until next Christmas

I could make them myself but that seems like a lot of work. Dipping one potato chip at a time into chocolate. I think I'd eat them faster than I could dip them.

I did look for recipes. The ingredients for one recipe included 24 chips and served 12. Yeah, right.

Here is the simplest recipe I found. I'm going to give it a try one of these days with a few potato chips and a few chocolate chips.

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips
From Dorothy McNett's Recipe book at http://www.dorothymcnett.com/.

potato chips
dark, sweet, or milk chocolate

1. Microwave the chocolate in a batter bowl on high for 1 minute. Stir.
2. Microwave another 20-30 seconds and then stir to melt.
3. Dip the chips and place on waxed paper to harden.

Labor Day

Today is Labor Day. I celebrated by laying around the house and doing nothing.

I watched TV. I watched a couple of minutes of Martha Stewart. Her hair dresser is opening a new shop in downtown Manhattan. I spent a couple more minutes wondering if her hair dresser had to pay for the "free" advertising or if Martha ran a short about the new shop's construction just to be nice. I watched about 3 minutes of The View but their bickering was annoying so I watched a little bit of Ellen and Will Smith. He seemed nervous. Then it was time for a rerun of Andy Griffith. It was the one where Howard's mother got married and Howard moved into his own bachelor pad.

Then I didn't really watch I Love Lucy which was the one where they're all coming back from California on a train and Lucy keeps pulling the emergency brake.

Then I watched Andy Griffith in Matlock. It was part 1 of a 2 part show and I have to go to work tomorrow. I've seen the show before but I can't remember who dunit. It was the show with flashbacks of Matlock's father and the time he was arrested for murder and Matlock is defending the son of the man who eventually got convicted of the murder. It seems like everytime I'm at home during the week and watch Matlock, it's part 1 of a 2 part show and I can't see the second show unless I come home for lunch or pretend to be sick and stay home all day.

Then I watched the comedy lineup on the religious channel. They start with My 3 Sons. I was lucky - it was a show about Katie's aunt that they don't show very often. I think I've seen it once before. Then there's Laverne and Shirly and an episode I'd never seen before - it was one of the later shows. Even Shirly must have been tired of the show by then because she was gone. And I don't think I'd seen the episode of Happy Days which was next or the episode of Hogan's Heroes which followed that.

Then I took a shower. Then it was time for WESTERNS. I watched Bonanza which was the episode where Ben gets kidnapped and then Gunsmoke which was the episode where Dodge city almost ran out of water.

So all in all it wasn't a bad day.

Hope you all had a good Labor Day and didn't have to Labor any more than I did.