Field Trip

Today I got to go on a little field trip to a job site. We are doing the AC for a new medical center downtown. My boss wanted myself and the other new girl to get a chance to see the equipment and duct work before it gets covered up by drop ceilings, etc. Plus, we got to go on the roof to see the massive units.

It's sometimes easier to understand the units we are, or will be, designing if you can see one close up. I was just excited to go out of the office. Plus, I got to wear a hard hat. It was quite a sight to behold.

My friend/teacher Jenny was out sick today so I actually jumped into the unknown and asked one of the two sales reps I'll be working with if there was anything I could do for him. He gave me a copy of an email from one of our contractors who needed a price quote on a vertical unit heater. He told me it would be easy.

10 min. later I'm still trying to find the option in the computer selection system. At this point I'm feeling like an idiot. I page him in his office and ask a question and it turns out I wasn't quite as big a dork as I thought. The selection I'm looking for is called a different name in the computer system. Okay. I find the right thing, start entering my data and realize that I can't come up with some of the info I need. I grab the catalogue and try and find it there. No luck.

I snag the boss guy as he's going past. I tell him I don't know where to find this info...again, feeling a bit stupid. He tells me the info is in none of my supplied sheets. It's something the contractor needed to provide. YEAH! I'm not a complete idiot. He calls the contractor, gets my questions answered and Bob's your uncle, I've generated a proposal on the unit, gotten it approved and faxed that puppy off. WHEE!!! I love comprehension.

Of course, then I try and help my rep with another massive flippin' project and it turns out that I have to do actual math to try and get the numbers to work right with the unit the engineer has selected. We spent 20 min. trying to get just one unit picked out. There are 32 of these units that need to be done. At this point it was after 5, so I'm going to pick it up tomorrow.

I had to leave fairly on time because I needed to take my car to the dealership so they could buff out some scratches on the new car. I wasn't bothered by them, but my Mom got all kinds of OCD about them in the lot so to keep her happy I kept my appointment. Plus, they were supposed to fill up the car when I bought it, but their flunky messed up and didn't do it. They're going to fill it up this time around.

I got a loaner to drive to work tomorrow. I figured they'd give me something similar to what I was driving.

Boy, was I wrong.

I got a flippin' Yukon!!!!! I haven't driven anything this big since I drove my Dad's truck when I moved from home to Bloomington-Normal when I was 22. I practically needed a ladder to get into the thing. I think I'm going to take back roads to work tomorrow.

Finally, Mamma Mia was a hoot! A great, light, Sunday afternoon sort of movie. If you love the ABBA it's definitely worth it. Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Dominic Cooper, the lead chick, Julie Walters...all quite good singers. Pierce Brosnon on the other hand...ehhh...not so much. Still, definitely worth seeing.

I Want To Believe

Hey all. I apologize for being an extremely bad blogger as of late. I'm still trying to get a grasp on my new work schedule. I leave around 7:20am and, depending on traffic, get back anywhere between 5:30 and 6pm. Then it's time to make dinner, eat, go through the mail, remember to watch The Closer...you get the picture.

As you can guess from the photo, I went and saw X-Files: I Want To Believe this weekend. I'm still trying to decide what my opinion of it is. It was great seeing Mulder and Scully again. I really enjoyed seeing what their relationship was at this stage in the characters' lives. It was really David and Gillian's chemistry and how they play off that connection which keeps one interested. I liked the essential story (Billy Connolly (sp) is really great) and the film doesn't drag on time wise, but there was still a little something missing.

It was good that they kept the story away from the series mythology, but because the basic premise was, well, rather basic, the movie felt like a long tv episode. Maybe that is the result of directing or editing style. There were exciting moments and the "thing" that the mystery ends up being about is interesting, but you didn't quite get the sense of impending dread that I think you should have had. For a short movie that didn't seem to drag, the reveal still felt slow moving.

That may have been because a lot of the great character development we get with Mulder and Scully is thoughtful and in some ways, slow. Mulder and Scully's relationship was never about overtly romantic gestures. I mean, it was always such a shock to hear them refer to each other by their first names in the series...enough so that I can remember in which episodes that happened. Big moments were there for sure. I consider saving your partner's life on multiple occasions pretty big. But, their relationship was about subtle looks, gestures and just being together and really getting to know the other person. And, it is/was about faith. Faith in the other person and faith that even though you've seen the worst and darkest things out there, just enough good exists in the world to give you a reason to want to try and be with this person.

I enjoyed the movie because I loved the show. If you aren't familiar with the show, you'll probably be disappointed, because as a thriller it falls just a bit flat. But, if you loved the characters, it is worth checking out. Coulda just used more naked Mulder.

Also saw The Dark Knight and since I'm guessing most of you have also seen it I'll just say that I really liked it. It was beautifully dark and twisted. I did think it could have been just a tad shorter and I would have liked to see more of the Bruce Wayne/Batman identity struggle. At times, it seemed more like a Joker movie that Batman was in. Still, it was very cool.

On to the work front. I'm getting more comfortable with the computer systems there, but I'm struggling with getting the jargon down. I keep expecting to grasp things that take about a year to get down.

I have discovered that skinny girls don't eat. I, on the other hand, do. The two women I work with, one my friend who recommended me for the job and the other is the girl who got the other position, just snack now and again. The other day we were working and it got to be about 12:20 or so and I was just completely dragging. It had been almost 6 hours since I'd had breakfast and I was going sleepy loopy. I kept waiting for someone to call a time out, but they just kept zippin' along. Finally, I think I either couldn't answer a question or I got a bit snippy because Jenny asked if we should break for lunch. Thank God!!! I couldn't get out of there fast enough. New girl seems to mostly snack on candy and Wheat Thins during the day. I just want to tell her that in 10 years that will bite her in the ass, but she's rail thin so my prediction is probably wrong. I sometimes wonder if my body chemistry isn't completely different after the surgery. Who knows.

Off to see Mama Mia this afternoon. I have been forewarned about Pierce B's singing, but love the ABBA so I'm going anyway.

Finally

Just a quick entry this morning--I finally have gotten the car situation taken care of. Thanks to a multi-hour search yesterday, I have a car. I am the worst car shopper. I hate looking at the things. I hate having to experience the dog and pony show at the dealership. I just want a car that will run well and get me where I need to go, preferably with a cd player. Simple. Of course, nowadays, nothing is that easy. Everything has to be run by a computer and have 12 different features and shiny buttons and glowing displays.

None the less, I think my car looks pretty bad ass. It's a much more "adult" car than I've ever owned. Not that I've ever strayed into using something as a adult that looks like it should belong to a 16 yr. old. It's just a sleeker car. It used to belong to a cop. I ended up spending a little bit more than I had originally planned, but I know myself and I knew I wasn't going to go running around and hope to find something I like in my original price range...it's hard to know what's out there and I couldn't really take my time with my old car being in a rather "un-driveable" state. If I could have used it instead of Mom's car, I probably would have ventured into Peoria to look as well. I just won't be buying as many tv show dvd sets for awhile, which is okay. I'll just have to keep an eye out for the big sales on Amazon. Plus, it may take a few more years before I go on a trip again since I had to take money out of the savings account to make this happen. That sucks, but there's not too much I can do about it--still waiting for my hospital bill as well. It's been a great Spring/Summer this year, eh?

I got a Pontiac G6, which is the model that replaced the Pontiac Grand Am--the car I used to own. I looked over a few sites and in general the car gets good reviews. The MPG is anywhere from 25-30 highway--all depends on the speed you go, which is true of any car. The one thing I will need to get used to is it has a larger tank--15 gallons over my old 12 so letting the car go down to empty and refilling is going to be more costly, but I'll have more time between fill ups so it'll work itself out. I'll probably do like I've always done and not let it get too low and just toss in $20 or so every now and then. Seems to hurt less even though it's a bit of an illusion.

Perhaps I will get around to taking a picture of it at some point. We'll see. Now all I have to stress out about is work and learning things quickly. Only two more weeks till my friend leaves and then I have to be at least fairly competent at what I do. Things are starting to click, but I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed. Think good thoughts for me.

Hopefully I'll get to Dark Knight this week! And Wall*E. I think Hellboy 2 is going to wait till DVD. Have a good week everybody!

V.A.V.

V.A.V. That means variable air volume. Or possibly very annoying vegetarian, at this point I'm not 100% sure. It's been a weird week at the new job. I've gotten a quickie physical, went pee in a cup and got a crash course in the basics of HVAC. In addition to "class" with the head dude, I've also been getting training on the various computer programs with Jenny. It's a bit like taking advanced French at the same time as you are learning to say your ABC's in the same language.

I got excited the other day because I was starting to hear similar things mentioned in both "classes." The light bulb seemed to be going on. Today, I think I hit the dimmer switch. I got an assignment of working up a practice job. I was reviewing plans, specs and schedules so I could order several roof top units. I thought I was doing okay, but as the afternoon wore on things started to get muddled and I got a bit confused. I was going to ask for help, but as I quickly discovered, Friday is "get the hell out early" day. Jenny had the day off, main guy left at about 12:3o, one of the sales reps left while I was at lunch, the other sales assistant did answer a couple of questions I had, but then she left early and the other sales rep was always deep in a call when I went past his office. Had this been an acutal job, I would have stood by the door till he was done, but I was stubborn and wanted to see if I could figure things out on my own. Not really sure I was able to do that.

My head was spinning so I reasoned that since I showed up 10 min. early to work I could leave 10 min. early. Besides, hardly anyone else was there so who was going to report me? I will add that I still don't regret leaving the store. I just wish I was picking up on things faster. It's tough going from knowing all kinds of shit to knowing almost nothing.

On the car front, I got the inital problem fixed, but got an estimate for everything else that's wrong with the damn vehicle. It's about $1800 worth. If I'm going to invest that kind of money in a car, it's going to be into one that's new to me at the least. Dreaded car shopping looms, as well as the continued use of my Mom's car. Hello to the guilt trip...keep arms and legs inside at all times.

I haven't had time to watch any movies. Still got WALL*E and now Hellboy 2 to go see. I've had Control and American Gangster sitting by the dvd player for over a week and my friend's son let me borrow Transformers. I have been reading a little bit of Night Watch before going to bed each night. I bought the trilogy before leaving the store. Once I get the car sitch figured out I think I will feel tons better. Keep your fingers crossed.

Then:

Now:

Not What I Imagined

Well, I am now no longer an employee of the bookstore. Thurs. was my last day and I think there were two big mistakes I made. First, I actually worked. Instead of just wandering around, I did stuff. Second, I thought that something might change on my last day. Given nothing had changed earlier in the week I should have known better.

I should start by talking about Wed. Our regional human resources director was in town doing a chat-a-thon with anyone who wanted to talk. Or rather, any employee, random weird customers were not allowed. I signed up for a slot because I figured, what the hell, I can pass along some info before leaving the company.

I ended up talking mostly about Skippy and my general dis-satisfaction with how things are done over there. As I was telling various stories, including the classic "I didn't talk in manager meetings for a year" story, she kept shaking her head and saying things like, "that's so sad" and "that concerns me to hear things like this."

After chatting for around 40 min., I go back to work. As I'm heading home, I stop for some groceries in town. I go back out to my car and it won't start. Nothing happens. It is deader than dead. Frustrated, I go into the Bed, Bath and Beyond that's next to the grocery store trying to clear my head in a cool environment. Luckily I run into Jackie, who ended up being my savior for the day!!! Super Jackie to the rescue.

After trying to jump the car then getting help from this guy in the parking lot, we take the battery across the street to an AutoZone to get it checked. But, there checking equipment isn't working. Great. I buy a new battery and install it. Doesn't make a difference. Okay, so maybe it's the starter. I call to get it towed home and the towing company doesn't even know the city I live in. We get things figured out and when the guy arrives he tells me his boss misjudged how far away it was so the price they quoted me over the phone was going to get jacked up by $40. At this point, I'm tired, I'm sweaty and hungry...plus, I'm worried my food is going bad, even though I had it in a cooler.

Jackie was sweet enough to drive me home. I get the car to a service place run by a family friend. I borrow Mom's car to go to work on Thurs. I spend a few minutes here and there on the phone only to find out that apparently my starter is fine and the problem may be in my Passlock security system. It may have fried or glitched up so it isn't recognizing my key. Oh, and only the dealer can mess with that stuff. So now I have to call and get it towed to the dealership 10 miles away. Fine. It gets there, but no one from the dealership calls me back. I call when I get home and the guy tells me to call first thing Mon. morning to see when they might be able to get to it next week. Fabulous.

I look into renting a car, but the closest rental place doesn't open again until Mon. My Mom is supposed to go down to my Aunt's to go on a little trip with her. Originally I was going to drive Mom to my Aunt's place, but I lucked out that a friend of mine that lives in that area was in town and offered to give my Mom a lift. So, I have Mom's car for the next week. I did some research online and found out that there is something you can buy to bypass the Passlock system altogether, but first I need to find out if that is actually the issue. Oh, and I need 2 new tires as well. Goody.

Needless to say, I was stressed out on my last day of work. I got not one but 3 lovely cakes thanks to two very nice women at work (Kathy and Karen) plus there was monkey bread that kicked ass from Terri. Had they not been thinking of me, I don't think there would have been any treats. I also believe Kathy was responsible for snagging a good bye card for both myself and another worker who was also leaving that day.

Skippy ran into me as I was walking around the store saying goodbye to people after my shift ended. He was closing that night and I'd seen him for a few seconds earlier, but he had just come back to snag TJ for his interview for my job. When I checked my inbox after lunch, I did find a card and a gift certificate from Skippy, which was appreciated. I told him thank you when I said good bye. Sadly, most of my friends either didn't work that day or had already left, so I didn't have too many people to chat with at the end of it all. (Although, I will say, I did get some nice time in with Terri, Carolyn, Jackie and TJ though I didn't get to say hey to Marla since she was with a customer as I was heading for the door.)

I didn't expect a parade, but it was dis-heartening to come in and discover that some people had no idea until that morning that I had even found a new job let alone that this was my last day. One shelver I had even seen the week before and said hi to as I walked through the store. Also, I'm still not sure if my vacation time situation got fixed. No one gave me a paid out so I guess I'll know when I see my last check. As an added bonus, our night person called off with a migraine. I believe this migraine to be of the "I'm leaving for Chicago to see my girlfriend and have a four day weekend" sort of migraine. Sadly, that seemed a fitting end to my time there at the store.

On to better things I hope. Just gotta get the car thing worked out and quickly learn about HVAC systems. No stress then...

in case I had any doubts

Here's the picture I was going to post last time.

After going to work yesterday, I really have no reason to regret my decision to find another job. The whole day was further proof that nothing is ever going to change there.

I got there about 10 min. early so I was taking a leisurely stroll to the back. I walk in and there is no one there and the buzzer for the backdoor was going off. I go to the door and yell through that I need to go get the key. I then have to cross the entire store to get the key...which is in the locked room that I don't remember the entrance code for. One of the manager's comes in and I get the code and get the key.

I let in UPS and as she's delivering I ask one of our shelvers if he's seen anyone in receiving this morning. He says no. I call a manager and ask where my peeps are. She says Jinn has called off sick and that she just saw TJ, but he's in Duane's office (I'm presuming being talked to about taking my job).

This always happens. They never call me in early or leave me any sort of note letting me know what is going on. TJ's schedule got changed, but no one marked the schedule (I checked). Then my least favorite employee comes to the back. The conversation went like this:

"Michelle?" (insert breathy, whiny voice here)

"Yeah?"

"A hardcover fiction book, 3 copies, came in on the 25th..."

I interrupt. "I don't know where it is; I wasn't here."

In a put off, petulant manner she continues, "I just thought you might know where I could look for it..."

(Hmmm...let's see you dumb bitch, you could look in any of the places I've mentioned the other hundred million times you've asked me the same question.)

"Well, since my first day back was yesterday, I can't say where exactly it is but I would recommend looking (I then run off a list of the usual suspects)...otherwise, beats the heck out of me..." I return to work and she wanders for a few more seconds then grouses off.

Added bonus to the day:

Store mail didn't go out--don't know if that's because Skippy didn't get all the paperwork back in time or if UPS was missed because no one was in back when they arrived because...

Evening person was scheduled for 2, but didn't come in until 3:40. Also discovered while checking receiving box count numbers that this person didn't do anything for just over an hour. Hmmm...too busy texting? I'll just say that I will be writing something up to go in this person's file. Not saying that anyone will be checking the file, but it will be there anyway.

Finally, I called benefits to find out what vacation time I have left that might end up on my final paycheck and it seems no one entered my vacation time from last week. It's all just more of the same.

"I suppose if this doesn't work out you can always go back..."--Marge

"Not the way I quit!"--Homer