March | 2020 | Piss and Moan

No, I’m sorry

Posted on March 31, 2020 by backuphill

alarm clock and analog camera on wooden desk

Photo by bongkarn thanyakij on Pexels.com

19 days.

For that.

I waited 19 days to hear from HR about a question I asked to get in response, “No, I’m sorry.”

GEE, thanks. Good thing I didn’t ask an important question.

I asked if they knew the “program code” for a supplement to the healthcare program provided by the state. Not a tough question. Not one that I expected would take 19 days to answer.

When I submitted the question I anticipated an answer in a day or two. I figured it would be something they knew since it was provided by the state and encouraged by the state to participate. They should know this, right? I though so too.

After a couple of days of hearing nothing, I was wondering what was going on. Mind you, after seven days I no longer needed the answer I was looking for. I gave up trying to get signed up. After seven days I figured someone might be trying to track down the information since they should probably know this to pass along to others who might need it.

After two weeks of hearing nothing I just assumed the HR department had decided to ignore my question so I forgot all about the fact that I even asked it.

On day 19 I get a “No, I’m sorry.”

There’s no ‘Sorry it took so long to get back to you’ or ‘I tried finding the information and had no luck.” No ‘You’ll have to work with the program provider to get that info’ or ‘Here’s a number you can try.’

So, I can only conclude that little to no effort was put into my question and therefore the response AND getting any info, let alone a response, from the HR department in a timely manner is out of the question. I can also assume that when this email was seen 15-18 days ago it was too much trouble to respond with the “No, I’m sorry” then.

NO, I’m sorry I asked…

Precious

Posted on March 30, 2020 by backuphill

This “stay at home” order is killing me. Well, actually it may end up killing others in the house…

KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY SNACKS!

Little people. Adults. Adults in charge of little people. I don’t care. These are mine and I don’t want you touching them or eating them or moving them or anything else.

I know what you are thinking. “He still has snacks left?”

That’s a fair question.

I had a personal stash that I didn’t tell anyone about. But someone caught me hunkered down in a corner eating a tasty morsel and the curiosity began…

Thus, my own little pot-o-gold for times of telecommuting in the garage has been sniffed out. Honestly, the stash was getting a little thin after two weeks of telecommuting and I am not sure how I could sneak more into the house…leaving the house is suspicious, for obvious reasons, and if I return and skulk back into the garage carrying grocery bags it is going to be even more suspicious.

This whole event has caused me to view the eating habits of a few people in the house and can say that I don’t like it. The munching, the crunching, the gobbling, the face stuffing, the pie-hole gorging are starting to irritate me. Do I really need to feed all these people? Who can I vote off the island? Who can I sacrifice and live without?

Anyone else feel like Gollum from “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” when it comes to their snacks?

Small minority

Posted on March 27, 2020 by backuphill

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Why should a small minority dictate to the majority what is appropriate and acceptable, or what is not?

Case in point: schools are closed in WA and they are trying to figure out how to go forward as this corona virus thing continues. It was communicated out from OSPI (our state superintendent’s office) that districts couldn’t continue to educate their students if they couldn’t guarantee “equity” for all students it serves. Or, at least, they couldn’t require students to attend because of equity (lack of internet, ELL, SpEd, etc.).

OK, on the surface, that makes sense and it looks great on the PR side of things. However, it doesn’t make sense when you start looking at the numbers. That closer look ends up making the policy a complete “F” in my book.

The closer look:

So, we’re not going to educate 90% of the students because 10% can’t participate because of various challenges?

What if it was 50/50? Is that still too low to continue offering education to those who can participate? You can play with the numbers however you like, but at just about any point you can’t justify depriving a larger group of people from something because of a smaller group. It just doesn’t make any sense.

Do you scuttle the sailboat because there is no wind?

Do you throw out the baby with the bathwater?

Do you cut off your hand because you got a splinter in your little finger?

Do you cut off your foot because you broke a toe?

Do you demolish an entire building because a couple rooms in it aren’t or can’t be occupied?

Catch my drift?

Why do we let small groups of people dictate what happens with the larger groups? Seems a bit backwards, doesn’t it?

Remember the saying, “Greatest good for the greatest number“? Why doesn’t that apply these days? Or any day? How did we get so far away from an idea that mostly works?Sure, I know we have to make sure the “minority” group doesn’t get abused by those who are more powerful or has the most resources, but there is still something true about this thought:

What is the greater good when it comes to educating our students?

On repeat

Posted on March 26, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Pexels.com

The days are starting to run together. What day is it again? Oh, yeah, Thursday…is it March still?…the 26th…OK, got it. They days are starting to all look the same. The routine has become monotonous and stale.

Is it much different than previously? Well, a little. Typically I would be getting up, heading to work, doing work while interacting with co-workers, heading home after work, having some hang out time, then going to bed.

Now? Well, now it is get up, wander to the garage home office, work all day while seeing nearly no one (some virtual meetings), wander back up the steps from the garage into the house for some hang out time, and then bed.

Notice the difference? People. Socialization. The out of doors (even if only from car to building/building to car). The key component here is I miss people…even though people, in general, piss me off and I dislike them. I know, I am “mystery, wrapped in a riddle, inside an enigma.” I can’t explain it. Maybe it is only certain people I miss. OK, YES, for sure it is that. There are certain people I miss – way more than most!

Anyway, what are you doing to keep the days feeling like they are on repeat? How are you keeping track of the days? What has been your favorite thing to do since being confined to “life in a bubble”?

Cooped up & melting down

Posted on March 25, 2020 by backuphill

close up photo of man holding melting ice cream cone

Photo by Vincent Rivaud on Pexels.com

Being cooped up is tough.

Being cooped up with lots of people in a small space is possibly enough for some to consider “bodily harm” to others. As the crazy sets in, Jack Nicholson in “The Shining” comes to mind, you are gonna need an outlet to keep Ozzy Osborn’s “Crazy Train” from coming to get you.

So, I’m here for you!

Remember, this is a space to Piss and Moan about all the things (from large to small) that just drive you crazy, seems unfair, generally confuses the hell outta ya, or makes you wanna “redrum” someone…you get the idea.

Wanna vent? Wanna have a safe space for on online virtual meltdown? Contact me about submitting a guest post. I KNOW I am not the only one that could use this space. I’ve got blogger friends and I see what you post! LOL You all have a little sump’n sump’n to get off your chests. This space is for you!

Try not to have a meltdown today…but if you must, let me know!

Serial “like”r

Posted on March 24, 2020 by backuphill

close up photo of man wearing black suit jacket doing thumbs up gesture

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

Are you a serial LIKEr?

You’re probably asking, “What does that even mean?”

Urban Dictionary

It’s not a perfect definition though. I think it should be adjusted to mean “people on social media platforms who ‘like’ posts or blogs to generate interest in their own accounts, never actually reading or interacting with the ‘liked’ post or account.”

Does that make more sense?

You have probably noticed it too. People who “like” your blog often but have never left a comment of any sort in the past, nor do they intend to in the future. I am not saying I haven’t been known to leave a like or two without comment, but I try to interact with every blog at some point. It might not be on a regular basis, but leaving a comment now and then (one that actually demonstrates that you read the blog) goes a long way for building loyal readers and followers.

If you just “like” with the hopes that someone visits your blog, well, your “like” is disingenuous and you didn’t really “like” it at all.

Leave a comment. Spark a conversation between you and the blogger, or other readers of the blog. Create some interaction. Then those “likes” at other times might be appropriate and actually considered genuine.

Otherwise you’re just a fake “like”r. Don’t be a fake.

Apathy

Posted on March 23, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Александр Македонский on Pexels.com

I don’t know about you, but I have felt a general sense of apathy set in as a result of all this “isolation.”

I am not all that isolated since there are people around (neighbors in their yards, and other family members in the house, co-workers via Teams and Zoom). BUT, the general assumption is that we shouldn’t be going out and about to run our normal errands unless it is necessary.

So, the normal routine of life is interrupted. I find myself sitting around (more than normal) with a general sense of apathy towards doing anything productive.

We had decent weather this last week/end and all I wanted to do was sit. I didn’t want to go out and do yard work. I didn’t want to go out and wash the car (I did). I don’t want to cook dinner (but I do). I don’t want to be productive at work (but I am). I don’t want to…*insert something here*.

To be clear, I am still grooming myself and still going about the daily routine of eating and showering and getting dressed, because my day doesn’t feel like it starts until I have had a shower. LOL I mean come on, I am not a lazy-ass slob (nor a teen)! But, after that, all bets are off.

Are you feeling apathetic at all too?

If you are feeling it, how are you combating it? Are you combating it or are you just giving in too?

Who did this?

Posted on March 20, 2020 by backuphill

WHO DID THIS?!?!?

…leaving a square destroyed like this is just not acceptable. It’s unusable at this point!

I may hyperventilate at the wastefulness. This impacts resources. Seriously. This stuff doesn’t grow on trees…and neither does the money needed to buy this it…

Wait.

Wipe that…from the memory banks…

Maybe both do grow on trees.

OK, “toilet paper math dad,” what do you do with this? How does this calculate into your figuring? And does the average person actually need (or use) 20 squares? But I digress.

All right, what do you do with these wasted squares? Do you put them inside the next wipe, do you tear it off and drop it in the toilet so you have a nice neat edge for the next wipe, or do you tear it off and re-purpose it? Any other ideas you can think of?

No reminder needed

Posted on March 19, 2020 by backuphill

Anyone else tired of being reminded to wash their hands? ME TOO!

I was watching “The Ranch” on Netflix and this came on. It seemed rather appropriate considering the news and the inundation of the message to wash your hands.

How many of you have seen the paper of “songs you can sing” while washing your hands go up at work? Annoying. Really. How many of you have actually witnessed someone singing while washing? Even MORE annoying!

The way I see it, you are either a hand washer or you aren’t. There isn’t any amount of pleading that will change it. It might change habits in the short term (if at all) but I highly doubt it.

A little humor will get you a long way in a crisis.

Sorry for the language, but it was unavoidable.

**All rights belong to Netflix and no profit is being gained from this blog…but I wish there was.**