James Pearl Thinks Blogging is Dead

Finish a book.
Wait three weeks for pickups/retakes.
No pickups.
Ask where the invoice should be sent
Am told that the invoice will be generated by the client
Wait for three weeks
Ask again where the invoice should be sent
Am told it's heading to the paymaster that day
Wait for three weeks
Ask again, no reply
Query paymaster
Get scolded by an intern for asking, and told that the invoice was only submitted a day ago
Follow up letter from paymaster, apologizing for the scolding.
Am told that I'm being put "into the queue" tomorrow morning.
Seven days later, realize that I have no idea what "in the queue" means, but obv. not payment.
Finish another book for the same client.
Wait for pickups...
Repeat ad nauseum
 
1sh0t1b33r said:
When people email me at work, and then call a minute later to make sure I got their email so I can answer them faster. I usually wait until the end of the day to respond when they do this.
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Shoot. I was going to say this.

My sales rep does this ALL THE TIME. Sends me an email with an ad, then promptly calls or walks over to my desk (depends on if she's in the office or working remotely) to go over said emailed ad.

EDIT: so that I'm not copying @1sh0t1b33r ... When a designer sends me an ad that's not to our specs (usually wrong size or RGB instead of CMYK) and they insist they're right and I'm wrong.
 
Workstuff that makes me cray-
I guess I'm in a good spot-
actually had to rack the brain a bit to come up with something-
I think I'm pretty happy with my gig.
But if there's something, it would be getting short lead time on a project.

Fortunately this doesn't happen often,
and I think I've got it dialed now.
Last week I got a request to turn around some analysis for a report that was due in 2 days.
I was able to fight the urge to be a superhero and save the day,
and simply did what would be reasonable to expect in that time.
(Read: not much).
Also declined all requests for urgent follow up.
They were profusely grateful for what I did send,
which will help reinforce this behavior on my part in the future.

But like I said, fortunately this does not happen often.
(It was the day to day in my last job).

It helped me make this call that I had turned around a very polished
30-page report on 2 weeks notice for this individual just before winter break (an already busy time).
And despite follow-up emails, I have never actually received acknowledgement of said report.
For all I know, it's collecting electronic dust in her inbox.

Work environment things that make me cray:
Sharing a kitchen with people that don't have the same standards for kitchen hygiene.
It's like having 30 roommates, but no one has a bedroom where you can stash their dirty dishes in their bed.

Fortunately my floormate has gotten through their "smoothie phase",
so there are no longer chia seeds clogging up the sponge every morning.

Edit: reading other people's stuff- yeah,
any meeting that cuts into my schedule lunch me-time.
 
Me: this is still preliminary, but we need some feedback before moving forward. So keep in mind that XYZ is missing.
Person: XYZ is missing.

Or

Person: I need this ASAP
Me: does it ASAP-ish
3 weeks later....
Person: remember that thing? I'm going to send it out in an hour so I need you make some changes.
 
I have too many to list, but if there's just one it's when a client employs our services because they can't do it themselves, and then micro-manages each and every step to make the day as inefficient as possible. Then they want to know why we can't get things done faster.

Ok, one more. When my boss is on the phone and everything is "I do this, I do that, I can get it done", but when he screws things up he comes to me and says "WE need to fix this"
 
Wow. It's interesting how lots of people have different flavors of basically the same core problems. I actually really needed this thread this week.

Norm said:
If you are still reading - tell me 1 thing about your work that drives you f'ing nuts.
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PM, to Me: This subcontractor is in the critical path - please write a subsystem specification and get quotes from them by COB tomorrow.
Me: Okay. *does it immediately*
Me, to support org: Hi, here's info you should need for this, please place a purchase order with this subcontractor as soon as possible, and please let me know if you run into any issues - this is on our critical path and would be a day-for-day slip.

Go about my business, assuming that the process is doing its thing.
One week goes by, subcontractor says at next meeting that they haven't gotten PO.

Me, to support org: Hey, are there any issues with this PO?
Support Org: Yes, we're missing some info from you.
Me: I wasn't aware, did you notify anyone on the technical side?
Support: We recorded the need for additional information a week ago, on a spreadsheet you didn't know existed, in a location you don't have access to, so yeah.
Me: But I had no idea. Did anyone send us an email or call us?
Support: Well, that's our process, we did our job, you need to do yours.
Me: You don't see anything maybe not totally great about this process, not one thing?
Support: No actually, this is a great process, it works really well for us. You need to monitor that spreadsheet throughout the day to ensure you're not holding up our process.
Me: Okay, me holding you up great thanks, can you provide further detail other than "this form requires more information"?
(Note: all fields of form are filled out, so it's not immediately evident what is deficient)

No answer to last question via email for 48 hours.
Me: Hi again, can you provide further detail other than "this form requires more information"?

No answer for another 24 hours.
Call Support Org.
Call very obviously sent to voicemail after 1.5 rings.
2 minutes later get IM cryptically describing the change needed.

FUCKING THANKS.
 
It's May 1. Time for a report card check-in. While this whole effort is not a NYE Resolution type thing, it is a set of goals/aims and I'm still in the game.

Exercise: 47.87 hours. More of this was walking than in months past. But you gotta take what you can get. I forgot to mention that in Toronto we walked a total of 22 miles. That's gotta be worth something. After 4 months I am up to 184.4 hours of exercise this year. Bike time is 157 hours after 4 months, which is just under 40/month. I am not sure I'll hit 500 bike-only but I am on pace to beat the 507 overall total of like 7 years ago.

Blog: 27 posts. I think I'm keeping it fresh enough. Some days you got it, other days you don't. Hoping that overall it's still on a good track. Total posts on the year, 97.

Non-standard "life" things: 27. This was a busy month. I'm rapidly getting to the point where "staying home and doing nothing" will count. Some of the highlights:

* Florida for spring break
* Universal, 2 days
* BSA TM, pre-ride, and the Mooch race
* 4 podcasts, with 4 guests - DVW, Utah, Andrew R, Ken. I feel like @seanrunnette and I are really doing well with this lately
* Duke trip
* Hamlet to support the big man, plus the dinner with the crew before that
* NICA race
* Julia's birthday
* Minnesota go-live
* Toronto, Infinity Mirrors, Fun Home (the play)

93 "things" on the year. If you are reading this, you should try to make it on this list.

Books: 3 this month. Mockingbird (great), Expanse 3 (good), Demolished Man (meh). Total of 11 books on the year.

Weight: Down 3 pounds.

Drinking: As of yesterday, 385 days free.

Coming up in May:

* Iron Furnace
* Maybe another NICA race
* Stewart rides & prep
* Working on a podcast star guest
* Austin
* Oh we gotta see this new Avengers movie
* Maybe the French reek race?
* Mother's Day - don't forget
* D's birthday - REALLY DON'T FORGET
* Memorial Day, still undecided
 
When people hear I teach high school English, I often get questions about "dealing with those teenagers". 25 years into full-time teaching, I can tell you that the problems for me do not come from the kids. The kids have been, are, and will be alright. Teachers who expect the kids to not be kids, usually have problems with the kids.

As the number-ification of public education continues to metastasize, I spend increasing amounts of time filling out spreadsheets and boxes on forms, supposedly quantifying what I'm doing and what results it's producing for the students. The vast majority of this stuff is vaporware that means nothing and won't ever be looked at again, once my annual evaluation is written. That's really the only complaint I can legitimately muster for my job.
 
The Work Feedback

I just want to say thanks to everyone who added on to the work venting feedback. Every now and again (this year), I have asked for the readers to give some feedback and it has been really good each time I have asked. Thanks to all of you. I read every word of it. Just don't quiz me, because I don't necessarily remember all of it. Some of the stuff resonates with me, some of it is totally foreign to me. I am sure that my work commentary is the same. Thanks for bearing with me on my work venting.

I know other people have made comments over the past few weeks and as much as I often intend to respond to them, most of the time they slip from my mind. When I sit down to write these I usually have some aim in mind and I forget to address any of them. Sorry about that.

Watchung Wheelmen Tuesday Ride

Last night D and I did the WW ride out of the former High Gear parking lot. As the long-time readers know, this is a ride I have done on & off for many years. At one point, I was the B leader and of course back in the heavy days, I was a regular contributor to the A ride massacre that the weekly ride used to be. But last year I think I took a total pass on the Tuesday rides and D may have done 1 or 2 of them. By and large, we skipped the WW rides because the B ride had morphed into the "A ride for riders that get dropped on the A ride" so it was a tad, how-you-say, testosterone-ish. Instead, we have been doing the MAFW ride that starts less than a half mile from D's work.

Well, last night there was no MAFW ride as it turns out that John, the guy who led most of them last year, has retired from work so he rides during the day.

Anyway, back to last night, it was mostly a good crew and a lot of the guys on the ride are old-timers who made lots of comments about our recent travel adventures as captured by Facebook pictures. Jeff, who has been around forever, is now leading this ride and he did a great job reigning everyone in and letting people go with directions on where to regroup. For the most part it remained civil with the biggest exception being Liberty Corner. At the base D proclaimed, "I'll see you at the top" so I took off and jumped up to the front and pushed myself up & over the top. I pushed the group of 3 other guys past the golf course (we took the side road) and I crested the last hill out front. While this is not the A ride, there are some strong guys on the ride and being able to climb this well at this point of the year is a good thing.

Anyway, lots of ground to cover but yesterday felt good.

Today's Ride

Got back outside today which is giving me a complex about my Zwift relationship. I am sure @stb222 is disappointed to see me outside so much but right now, it's pretty hard to stay inside when the year has been as shitty as it has been. I'm making sure that I put my work schedule together in a way that allows me to get outside and not have to deal with work in the same way I have been.

Again today was wonderful. I hope you made it outside.

Coyotes

At 4:30am I was awakened by some noises outside and after a minute or so I jumped up and looked out the window into the back yard. The light was low but the moon was out, and I was able to see what appeared to be a handful of dogs wandering around. One or 2 of them were making odd yelping noises which were not really dog-like. I assumed these were coyotes and after looking up coyote distribution in NJ, sure enough they are pretty much reported around the entire state these days. I knew we had them in the state. I've just never seen nor heard them in this area. It was pretty wild.

Shortly after, the sun started coming up, and it was a pretty awesome sunrise (which @jShort knows the time of). So I laid in bed and enjoyed it. I ended up reading after that, then eventually went back to bed at 6:30 or so for an hour. But I woke up too early today.

Race Weight Now

I wish I could just fast forward and drop 12 pounds to get to my previous "last race weight" now. To be clear, that "last" race weight just represents what my weight was the last time I raced cross. It is not a "best" race weight nor is it "ideal." It's just better than it is now. I am really feeling pretty good out there right now and wish I could drop my weight faster. Having said that, the slow weight loss this year has been totally maintainable and I do not feel like I am starving myself anymore. I think that's a net positive.

Iron Furnace

This Saturday. Not sure what I am thinking here. But @seanrunnette and I have vowed to ride together. So if nothing else, I'm hoping it is a good time. I gotta make sure I bring lots of good food. Maybe I'll bring a half a cake.

* not going to proofread this. Too long and I gotta get some code to prod now.
 
I miss coyotes soooooo much. They're the California State Bird. Hearing the local packs in the arroyos and hills was always a thrill. And the monster groups out in Joshua Tree were legitimately spooky. And awesome. Fingers crossed we get a good bunch out here someday. (Our cats are indoor - not so great for the outdoor cats, esp. when the coyotes are denning. We used to call it poster season - all the missing cat fliers in the early spring.)
 
We have coyotes all over here. In the winter, as food gets scarce up near Green Lane and the wooded sections along the Perkiomen Trail, they push south in search of something to eat, and they're not too picky. But they are territorial, which usually means the weaker and less alpha they are the further they have to go. I live about 15 miles as the crow flies from Green Lane, and a few years ago one of them took up residence in a section between my years and my neighbor's yard. At the time, we had a cat move in with us (he was our neighbor's cat but preferred us apparently) who was an indoor/outdoor former barn cat who was simultaneously the sweetest animal with people and an absolute killer with other animals. One night I hear a very high pitched yelp just outside the window and I run outside knowing BK was out there. As I open the door, I see the coyote crouched about two feet from BK ready to attack him, but as I look, BK (who was about a third the size of the coyote) starts to coil down as if he's about to lunge at the coyote. I thought, "Holy shit!" and I jumped in between the two of them and started wildly flailing my arms and screaming at the coyote. It ran about 20 feet back and then stopped and sat down to watch and see if I would leave. Instead, I scooped up BK and walked him back in the house and the coyote eventually wandered away. It occurred to me after that incident that my cat was braver than most people I know. He didn't hesitate against a much larger foe who would almost certainly have killed him. BK was a total badass. Eventually, the coyote left the area but we've seen a few more around in the years since. They stink, too - the area he was living in the far backyard smelled like shit for months after he left.
 
1speed said:
We have coyotes all over here. In the winter, as food gets scarce up near Green Lane and the wooded sections along the Perkiomen Trail, they push south in search of something to eat, and they're not too picky. But they are territorial, which usually means the weaker and less alpha they are the further they have to go. I live about 15 miles as the crow flies from Green Lane, and a few years ago one of them took up residence in a section between my years and my neighbor's yard. At the time, we had a cat move in with us (he was our neighbor's cat but preferred us apparently) who was an indoor/outdoor former barn cat who was simultaneously the sweetest animal with people and an absolute killer with other animals. One night I hear a very high pitched yelp just outside the window and I run outside knowing BK was out there. As I open the door, I see the coyote crouched about two feet from BK ready to attack him, but as I look, BK (who was about a third the size of the coyote) starts to coil down as if he's about to lunge at the coyote. I thought, "Holy shit!" and I jumped in between the two of them and started wildly flailing my arms and screaming at the coyote. It ran about 20 feet back and then stopped and sat down to watch and see if I would leave. Instead, I scooped up BK and walked him back in the house and the coyote eventually wandered away. It occurred to me after that incident that my cat was braver than most people I know. He didn't hesitate against a much larger foe who would almost certainly have killed him. BK was a total badass. Eventually, the coyote left the area but we've seen a few more around in the years since. They stink, too - the area he was living in the far backyard smelled like shit for months after he left.
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gotta love a badass cat.
my stupid cat keeps chasing the fox that lives nearby. i'm surprised there are any rabbits left in the area.
They are always delivered to the front door sans head.
 
Coyotes are super resilient and super smart. I have only seen one so far, which was back in 2012-ish at Mahlon. I came upon it, we stopped and looked at each other and it dashed off. I'd be a little freaked to see a pack of them in my yard, especially since I have a dog.
 
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rlb said:
I'd be a little freaked to see a pack of them in my yard, especially since I have a dog.
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Get an Central Asian Ovtcharka and keep it outside. Just one and I will guarantee they will never come around. Even in a pack.



Even bears will back off
 
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