Thoughts, Rants, and Musings

[SherrySher]

I'm sorry for you and Arnolds loss. :(

 

That's so sad. I know death is a natural part of life, but it never gets any easier. Each time, is a pain I wished none of us had to endure.

[Jibralta]

Thanks.

 

It's weird.... I've been to a lot of wakes and funerals in my life, almost always open casket. But I have some anxiety about going to this one and seeing her... I wonder why?

 

She was such a sweet lady.

[Jibralta]

Arnold and I went shopping for him yesterday. As we wandered around the mall, I was drawn into Bath and Body Works.

 

Arnold came partway into the store with me, then said, "You know, I think I'm gonna take a seat on that bench over there," and pointed to a bench outside of the store.

 

I was like, "Alright, fine. Give me your wallet," and held out my hand.

 

He said, "How are you going to carry it?"

 

He was right. I had no pockets in my outfit and I don't carry a bag. So I said, "Give me your credit card."

 

We were both grinning at this appalling exchange. What a bloodsucker I was!

 

But the truth is that we have a ledger of expenses. We split some things 50/50, and pay each other back for our personal expenses.

 

For example, Arnold does most of the shopping and pays all of the utility bills. I pay the rent. We meet regularly (ideally several times per month) to tally our expenses. Then, at the end of the month, one of us pays the other what we owe.

 

It used to be that he'd end up owing me a couple hundred in rent at the end of the month. But when we started going out to dinner a lot, I started owing him at the end of the month.

 

Arnold prefers when I am the one who owes him. He feels like he is making money at the end of the month, even though he isn't. We call it, "Winning the Ledger."

 

When I start tallying everything on the ledger spreadsheet, he sits up and puts his glasses on. It's like he's watching a riveting program on TV.

 

Yesterday, he brought his wallet and I left mine at home. He didn't want me to win the ledger by buying too much stuff lol. I did that last month, and almost won. He got wise!

[Jibralta]

This morning, a guy sent me an email with subject line "Your Telephone No."

 

Inside, it read, "Jibralta: this is Rob Lastname, can you send me your telephone no. If you have time I would like to talk to you about, how you set a drawing up and where all the reference drawings are, and how exactly I get to them and the drawings in general. I hope you don't mind.thank hope to hear from you soon."

 

I had no idea who this was, and my company is so small that we don't have a company directory. His email matched the company email, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Scammers can clone legitimate emails.

 

I looked the guy up on Linkedin, but didn't find out anything conclusive. But, the content of his email gave me the impression that he might be an engineer on the project I am working with. So, I gave him my number.

 

Rob called soon after. His questions were all about the surveying drawings, and not my project. So, I really couldn't help him didn't understand why he chose to contact me out of all of the people he could have contacted. I gave him some general instructions about how to get the reference drawings and referred him to Jim and Max for additional questions.

 

Then Rob asked, "So do work out of the Blank City office?" I was like, "Yeah." He said, "Is it just you there?" Immediately creeped out, I said, "It's me and Craig." Rob was like, "Oh, ok. Well, I live right near there." I was like, "Oh, nice."

 

We got off the phone after that.

 

This post was just background for my next post.

[Jibralta]

A while back (posts 617 and 622), I wrote about a then-coworker of mine. I think I ended up calling him Angry Mitch. He had an altercation with another of our coworkers, Brian, which resulted in Brian inadvertently firing himself from the company.

 

Angry Mitch can be a d*ck at times. I've certainly locked horns with him. But he's knowledgeable, organized, fast, and he does his job. When I parted ways with my last company, Angry Mitch was still working there.

 

Well, this morning, when I was trying to figure out who Rob Lastname was, I saw on Linkedin that Angry Mitch had parted ways with the company and was in search of a new job. Based on the date of his post, it looks like his last day was Friday.

 

I felt bad for Mitch, but I wasn't terribly surprised that they let him go. Don't get me wrong: I doubt he deserved to be fired. I just think that the company is probably hemorrhaging money and this is the only way they know how to cut costs.

 

Mitch had a senior position and his salary was probably proportionate with his experience. He probably had a big target on his back for a while.

 

I was surprised when Mitch called me just a few minutes after I got off the phone with the mysterious Rob Lastname. I got the impression that he (Mitch) knew that I worked for an engineering company, even though he said, "I realize that you probably work for an architecture company...." But who knows.

 

Anyway, according to Mitch, he was fired because one of the clients always complained about him, and then one day there was a big mistake in the drawings.

 

Well, there are always big mistakes in that company's drawings because they have no QC process. They once had a $10,000 change order because someone spec'd the wrong sink, and that guy didn't get fired (but of course, that guy was Jason). And Eddie told me that Mark is constantly discounting client fees so that clients won't sue him over the mistakes.

 

In short, I doubt they fired him over that mistake.

 

I told Mitch that he was going to start feeling happier, now that he's left the company.

 

Unfortunately, Mitch has a wife and two young children, so he can't afford to dilly dally the way that I did. He's looking for work. Preferably fulltime, but he's willing to consult or do contract work.

 

I had him forward me his resume and I forwarded it to my boss with a recommendation.

 

My boss's response was, "Sure. Let's talk."

 

I wonder what the hell he means by that??

[Rose Mosse]

"let's talk" is often just a phrase for "will look into it and get back to you (if needed)" or a form of acknowledgment.

 

Are you worried your boss will ask you details about Angry Mitch or why you've referred him?

[SherrySher]

The Rob guy definitely sounds creepy.

 

Here's a random question that's off topic, when was the last time you seen Rainycoast? I hope she's doing okay, was just thinking about her.

[Jibralta]

"let's talk" is often just a phrase for "will look into it and get back to you (if needed)" or a form of acknowledgment.

 

Right. So I sent him back a similar form of acknowledgement: "Sure. Any time is good, except I have a chiropractor appt today at 445."

 

And he replied back: "Not today. Let's aim for tomorrow or wednesday. Text me before hand and will have the call."

 

So, he does seem to to want to talk.

 

Y tho?

 

Are you worried your boss will ask you details about Angry Mitch or why you've referred him?

 

Well, I guess I assume that's what he'll ask. I guess I just figured he'd reach out directly to Mitch and bypass me. I guess my concern/question is, why does this warrant a phone call? When my other former coworker, Joe, applied, Simon just sent me some texts asking about him.

[Jibralta]

The Rob guy definitely sounds creepy.

 

Yeah.... I hope he doesn't start working out of my office. Rob is definitely a legitimate employee, though. He was copied into an email from Kasey last night, and another employee contacted me and Craig yesterday to get a key to our office so that he could meet this Rob character at our office today.

 

Here's a random question that's off topic, when was the last time you seen Rainycoast? I hope she's doing okay, was just thinking about her.

 

A while ago... she pops in now and again. I hope she is ok, too. She was like a breath of fresh air.

[Rose Mosse]

Right. So I sent him back a similar form of acknowledgement: "Sure. Any time is good, except I have a chiropractor appt today at 445."

 

And he replied back: "Not today. Let's aim for tomorrow or wednesday. Text me before hand and will have the call."

 

So, he does seem to to want to talk.

 

Y tho?

 

 

 

Well, I guess I assume that's what he'll ask. I guess I just figured he'd reach out directly to Mitch and bypass me. I guess my concern/question is, why does this warrant a phone call? When my other former coworker, Joe, applied, Simon just sent me some texts asking about him.

 

I don't know... bosses are sometimes talkative. Maybe he's heard about Mitch before in other circles but wants your input as he values it. Hope it goes ok.

[Jibralta]

Maybe he's heard about Mitch before in other circles

 

^This has crossed my mind.^

 

I can see from my new company's billing history that they've done business with my last employer. I think it was mostly MEP stuff. Mitch is an electrical engineer, so maybe they worked with him. The only thing that doesn't make sense is, how would Mitch not know that my company is an engineering company if he's done a project for them before? Then again, he might have worked on an architectural project for us.

 

Oh, I don't know! These are the silly little loose ends that go around and around in my head.

[Jibralta]

The letter is going out today. We'll see how it goes!

 

Well, my letter came back to me. Sometime last week, I think. Apparently, they don't have mailboxes in that part of Texas.

 

I called the local post office, but they don't give out PO box information.

 

So, I Fedexed it. I think it should have gotten there by now. Or maybe that one will come back, too!

 

Oy vey. At least I tried!

[SherrySher]

A while ago... she pops in now and again. I hope she is ok, too. She was like a breath of fresh air.

 

Yes, she definitely was/is. I know you and I and Pippy were the main ones that talked with her, I just had wondered if anyone had seen her.

 

I sure hope she's okay too.

[Jibralta]

Last night I had a brief bought of sleeplessness due to job stress.

 

You know, I don't consider myself to be a stressed-out person. But obviously I am to some degree.

 

My stress is almost all work-related. Some of that is probably because this career-change has been a 13-year uphill battle.

 

Sometimes it seems like I can't afford to not be stressed out. If I relax for just a second, I could lose ground.

 

I think I'm in a good place right now, though. My only real worry is, what if this company tanks?

 

But there is some distance between me and that concern. I don't have immediate, pressing, stressful situations in this job. At least not like I did in my last job.

 

I think part of my stress is me still decompressing from that horrible sh*tshow. I'm still getting used to working with nice people, people who haven't been harassed into insanity by unrealistic deadlines.

 

Another part of my stress is that I set high standards for myself. I always want to turn out a good product. Sometimes I fall short of that mark because I don't have the information that I need.

 

A good example was yesterday, and this is what kept me up. I had to do an egress stair for some building. I emailed my boss twice and left him a voicemail with questions about which code I should use.

 

He only replied once, and didn't answer any of my questions! So, unfortunately, I chose the wrong code. I finished the staircase and called it a day.

 

Right before I went to bed, I (stupidly) checked my email. There was a message from Alan: "Thanks for the drawings. The IBC requires egress stairs to be a minimum of 3’-8” wide with risers not to exceed 7” in height and 11” deep treads. Please rework this. You need a minimum of 28 risers."

 

I responded, "I thought this was a fire escape stair?"

 

Alan: "No, this is a new egress stairs. We are replacing the fire escape. It needs to meet IBC."

 

Me (after making a huge ARRRGHH sound and pounding my knee with my fist): "Ok."

 

I was so annoyed. First, because I'd asked him this exact question to no avail. Secondly because I did it wrong.

 

There was absolutely no admonishment in his email, but I still felt admonished.

 

I knew I was overreacting, but the feelings still came.

 

I guess I was admonishing myself for misunderstanding something along the way. Filling in for assh*le Frank and assh*le Shannon, lol.

 

So, I woke up in the middle of the night and had a worry session about the space. It was really tight--what if I couldn't get the stair to fit with those dimensions? I lay there and imagined how to sneak an extra riser in, perhaps at a landing.... And I also argued with Alan mentally in my head. Argued with Frank. Punched Shannon in the face. Fought the world!

 

Then I fell back to sleep.

 

This morning, I got to work early. The stair came together real easy. I figured out what I wanted to do by our 930 conference call. Crisis averted.

[Jibralta]

I had to go up to the remote office (actually the main office) to seal some drawings. While I was waiting for the next batch to print, I chatted with the kid that used to work for my last employer. I guess I'd better give him a name.... Mike. He's some sort of engineer. Wears a lot of hats, which is good, but is still quite junior at this point.

 

Mike said to me offhandedly, "They seem pretty happy with your performance."

 

I said, "Oh, I'm glad to hear that," as nonchalantly as I could... but inside I was like, yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

 

He said that they were happy that I was able to come up to speed as quickly as I did and produce drawings that made sense. He said that it seems to take people months to do that.

 

I was like, "Well, I did just work for >..." But he just gave me a blank look. He didn't work there very long. He saw some of the stupidity, but he may not have experienced the relentless workload.

 

I griped to him a little about not knowing the CAD standard and there not being a library.... He replied that he understood... we talked shop a little.... it was a pleasant conversation.

 

Most of all, I was happy to learn that I was valued.

 

I think it was nice of him to even let me know that the owners were happy.

 

You see? Nice people....

[Batya33]

Yes- what a nice and thoughtful person and what good news!

[Jibralta]

I don't know... bosses are sometimes talkative. Maybe he's heard about Mitch before in other circles but wants your input as he values it. Hope it goes ok.

Well, my boss finally called yesterday, towards the end of the work day. I was starting to wonder if I was supposed to call him.

 

Doesn't seem like he knows Mitch at all. He was just following up because I recommended him. Now I wish I'd recommended Joe a little more emphatically to him. Dang.

 

Also found out that I was supposed to be working on a cost estimate all week. Oops. He's not mad, but now I only have two days to do it. The guy doesn't budge much on deadlines.

 

One good thing about him is that he makes his expectations clear. It seems like this often happens after I make some sort of error. But he's never mad. He just makes himself clear. I like that.

[Jibralta]

My boyfriend and I were disinvited from my cousin's Thanksgiving this year. He wants to spend it with his 90-year old mother (my great aunt) and his children. I'm glad. I was starting to feel bad for my great aunt. She missed the holidays last year because she was in the hospital. Then she missed Easter and whatever else people celebrate in the spring and summer because of Covid. The poor lady!

 

Our second option removed themselves to their vacation home, out of state.

 

And of course, my mom and my sister live a thousand miles away...

 

So, me and Arnold are celebrating this Thanksgiving alone... which I really like. No running around. Just hanging home and cooking.

 

We ordered a turkey from a nearby farm. It's probably going to be too big for us, but we'll get by. And we have a bunch of recipes that we're going to try for side dishes.

 

I took Wednesday off, too.

 

This should be really nice. I'm looking forward to it.

[pippy longstocking]

Yes, she definitely was/is. I know you and I and Pippy were the main ones that talked with her, I just had wondered if anyone had seen her.

 

I sure hope she's okay too.

 

Funny I ended up here on jibs journal and saw my name , I had been looking at some of rainy's private messages earlier on that she sent me back in the day and wondering about her . Good times , nice times on here .

[SherrySher]

I agree, Pippy. It was always great talking to Rainy. I don't know where she went or how she is, but I hope she's okay. xxx

[pippy longstocking]

I agree, Pippy. It was always great talking to Rainy. I don't know where she went or how she is, but I hope she's okay. xxx

 

I know ... people come and go I know that ...but sometimes I wish we knew more about some people so if they do vanish , someone can at least contact them . I thought about Mhowe for years after she vanished ... and now TWT that worries me . I know it is the internet but you grow fond of people and really care .

[SherrySher]

I know ... people come and go I know that ...but sometimes I wish we knew more about some people so if they do vanish , someone can at least contact them . I thought about Mhowe for years after she vanished ... and now TWT that worries me . I know it is the internet but you grow fond of people and really care .

 

Yes, most definitely. I was wondering about TWT as well wondering what happened. There's a list of people that seemed to have all of a sudden vanished, especially since the pandemic has started. :(

[pippy longstocking]

Yes, most definitely. I was wondering about TWT as well wondering what happened. There's a list of people that seemed to have all of a sudden vanished, especially since the pandemic has started. :(

 

Well if any of them are reading jibs 's journal , please say hello ...right jibs I will stop chatting in your space .

[Jibralta]

Not a problem :)

[Rose Mosse]

Well, my boss finally called yesterday, towards the end of the work day. I was starting to wonder if I was supposed to call him.

 

Doesn't seem like he knows Mitch at all. He was just following up because I recommended him. Now I wish I'd recommended Joe a little more emphatically to him. Dang.

 

Also found out that I was supposed to be working on a cost estimate all week. Oops. He's not mad, but now I only have two days to do it. The guy doesn't budge much on deadlines.

 

One good thing about him is that he makes his expectations clear. It seems like this often happens after I make some sort of error. But he's never mad. He just makes himself clear. I like that.

 

That's good that it wasn't anything dire about Mitch. I hope he gets the job if he qualifies. Times are tough for everyone.

 

Sounds like a good boss too. Good leaders don't get upset. They just clarify. It is easy to identify when an employee already knows when they've located the problem. Solving it is all that's required.