Baked ham

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OK, it’s hot! It’s really, really hot!

These temps, up here in the Northwest corner of the United States, are not normal. If anyone asks, it rains all the time. Don’t move here. But, seriously, there are nice days here…except the the last two, and probably tomorrow too. It’s just unusually hot.

It isn’t the hottest part of the day, but the forecast is calling for a high somewhere in the neighborhood of 104 (105 depending on where you look) today. Of course, we all know those guys are rarely correct, so it will be hotter, for sure. At 12:31pm, it is currently 95 degrees outside.

Now, if you have been reading this blog for the last year and a half you will know that I have been working from home for the time of the “flu that is known by another name.” And, you will also know that my home office is in my garage. To further give details of my situation, know that my home and garage have no AC.

So, currently, at 12:31pm, the garage temp where I am working is 88 degrees and the house is 85 degrees.

I know know what a baked ham feels like, or a baked chicken. My family would probably say turkey. A baked turkey.

Anyway, stay cool out there…

Destructive behavior

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Have you ever had a sudden urge or desire to engage in destructive behavior, either physically or mentally?

I am not sure what triggers the feelings (and I am totally in control, mostly), but two destructive behaviors I am currently contemplating:

  • Eat everything in sight.
  • Fight, either physically or verbally, everyone.

I know there are lots of other destructive behaviors out there and these are relatively minor compared to some, obviously, but today this is what I am dealing with.

Anyway, maybe it’s the fact that my “don’t give a damn” meter has reached beyond critical. Maybe it’s that I am tired, super super busy, and only marginally motivated.

I don’t know.

How do other people deal with this?

I know this is a passing feeling. It won’t last. But today, the feeling is strong. very strong.

What do you do?

Changing telecommute

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Well, after telecommuting full time for the last 16 months, there is a date to start going back to the office and I am not sure I am all that happy about it. Actually, I am sure that I am not. I lied. I am not happy about it.

Yes, I realize that the expectation to be at the office for work has always been there but this whole situation has fully exposed the fact that we don’t need to be in an office to get our job done. We have proven beyond that shadow of a doubt that our job can be done fully remote and that our clients have been affected to the smallest degree possible. In fact, many have commented over the this time about not really even realizing we were all working from home except that they knew we were working from home. That’s how we roll. There was no break in service, ever.

Anyway, the time has come to get back to the office and there will still be a telecommute policy as before, except that there is a new proposal to expand upon it. Frankly, I don’t think the expansion goes far enough and while I haven’t talked to any of my co-workers yet, I am sure there are quite a few who will express similar feelings.

Prior to the pandemic, we were allowed two days a week (40%, with a few limitations on what days they could be). Now, we are going to be allowed three days a week (60%, not sure of limitations yet). Also what remains to be seen is whether or not this policy has built in flexibility, meaning I don’t have to have a set three days but can pick and choose when I want to telecommute.

Anyway, I don’t think three days is enough.

It could be and should be more.

Perhaps I’ll see what is out there, in regards to full time telecommute and whether or not a change can be had.

Never hurts to have options, right?

Not forgotten

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Yes, I haven’t been on here as of late. It’s been hard.

Not because I don’t want to. It’s because it has been so freaking busy at work (like unusually busy) that it just makes it hard to find time to get anything written.

The end of the school year is upon us and schools are trying to figure out how to navigate all the new rules, special situations, and data reporting needs, etc. so they can close out their educational year. The phones are ringing off the hook. The emails are none stop.

Add on top of that a handful of districts preparing for data migration to a newer version of the software and its hard to find time to breathe.

Anyway, I just wanted you all to know that I haven’t forgotten about you. Ya’ll are still on my mind, just not the only thing on it…

Hopefully things will slow down a little in a while and I get get back to my usual grumpiness.

Until then, keep an eye out for an occasional grumble, whine, complaint, or just a plain pissy point about common sense (or lack thereof).

Turned on it’s head

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There are a whole lot of things in this crazy, mixed up world that have been turned on their heads. It seems the “upside down” (without the scary monsters…ok, maybe just different monsters…) is for real and we are all living in it now. We can’t avoid it and it seems kicking and screaming about it won’t change it either.

I got an indication of what going back to work (like actually back to the office – because I have been working the whole time) is going to look like, and I don’t like what I am hearing.

So, the head honcho has said that when it is time to be back in the office (projected as August 1, right now) that you will have to wear a mask unless you are vaccinated and they have documented proof that you are vaccinated.

My frustration level, and my irritation level, have hit all time highs now. As I am sure you are aware if you have been reading this blog (does anyone actually do that or do you just click?) for any amount of time over the last year, that I am strongly against people providing proof of vaccination in any manner whatsoever. I believe it is a violation of privacy, leads to segregation and discrimination.

But, it appears that we are going to throw hundreds of years of vaccination understanding out the door in the name of fear.

Mainly, what’s the reason for getting a vaccination?

The simple answer is to protect someone from contracting a disease. Does it completely work in eliminating the risk? No. A vaccinated person can still get the disease, but the likelihood of it being as severe as what an unvaccinated person would experience is reduced greatly.

Immunity, as we have come to understand it, is developed through “active” exposure (coming in contact naturally) and “passive” exposure (being given a vaccine). So, as more and more people have been exposed to Covid (via either method) the more people who are protected against it.

We have seen this for years and years and years with polio, measles, mumps, small pox, chicken pox, etc. Childhood vaccinations were endured by many. We also see many people who get through the flu shot every year because they want to avoid the effects of the flu (or at least as much as possible).

So, if we understand how the shot works for the flu and all the other vaccinations, why are there demands for people to continue wearing masks when there is no reason to?

If you have had the flu shot, do you need to worry about people who haven’t had the flu shot? Do we make those people wear masks at work?

If you have had the measles vaccination, do you have to worry about people who haven’t had the measles vaccine? Do we make those coworkers without the vaccination wear a mask at work?

Do people who haven’t had a vaccine worry about the people who have had the vaccine? If someone chooses to be unvaccinated and not wear a mask, should they worry about getting the disease? No, because the likelihood of getting goes down with each person who has developed immunity to it one way or another.

As I look at the “rules” for going back to the office, I can’t help but wonder where we decided to turn everything we know about vaccinations upside down and ignore hundreds of years of practice simply because this one disease has caused so much undo fear.

If the vaccinated aren’t afraid of other vaccinated people, then do they need to be fearful of unvaccinated people? NO! They are protected. That’s why they got the vaccination in the first place!

Gosh people are stupid.

Perhaps I’ll start looking for a job where I don’t have to go into an office any longer. Anyone got a job offer that would allow me to work from home and allow me to earn what I currently earn? I would seriously consider it. Seriously.

Bad motivator

I seem to have a bad motivator. Yet, I have so much I could be doing. Anyone else having a hard time getting started today?

After a LONG, short week of work and every evening being dominated by gazebo construction (no, not done yet), I am just having a hard time focusing on what needs to be done at work today. I am already thinking about what I may be able to accomplish after work today, and yet there is a part of me that says, “You should just sit on the couch tonight.”

Perhaps another droid would like to take over and finish out the day for me.

Anyone?

Well, well, well…

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Interestingly enough, it may turn out that Dr. Fauci is more politician than scientist.

“Follow the science” they say.

Something else they should be following is the truth. Because it certainly appears that what was being said in private and what was being said in public don’t exactly align with each other. Yes, one can change their opinion about something, but as we have learned all along during this ordeal – people knew more than they were letting on and the truth wasn’t always being told.

Was this crisis manufactured for political gain? Monetary gain? I don’t know. But there are definitely some things that appear on the surface to point in the direction that personal freedoms have suffered (and will continue to suffer) far greater than actual medical necessity demanded. Lasting implications and trends are doing far greater damage to society than the actual illness.

I am sure of one thing. There will be more developments in this story.

Warped

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Continuing on the projects theme from yesterday, the gazebo has been started and so far things are going fairly well.

Except…

Except that there are quite a few pieces of the wood material that is warped. Not horribly, but enough that making the gazebo square, which it needs to be for the roof, which could prove to be a major challenge.

I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less. That’s the problem with these prefab kits you buy. Sure, all the pieces are cut to the right size, pre-drilled, and have all the components you’ll need but there is that one factor they just can’t account for – how much the wood will continue to warp once it is packaged.

Working on this kind of project also warps something else…my attitude.

I already have a warped sense of humor, so it doesn’t nothing for that.

Seriously though, warped wood sucks.

Here’s to straight boards, straight cuts, and no knots.

Projects, projects, and more projects

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So, how do you know when you have too many irons in the fire? Is it that you just look at everything and can’t decide which is most important or where to start because they just all need to be done? Or is it that you look at everything and you just decide that you don’t know where to start and therefore just don nothing?

Currently, I have too many things going on that I can’t decide where to start, though there is a looking deadline of rain coming at the end of the week, so that dictates a little of the timeline.

Project one: I have a front yard that needs some attention. I have a hedge and a tree that need trimmed and some Sluggo (bait for slugs and snails) to put down. While these aren’t extremely time consuming and aren’t necessarily urgent, they are the final pieces to having the front yard cleaned up for the summer.

Project two: A garage sale purchase needs cleaned up and tested. The house gets exceptionally warm during hit weather, but there isn’t a heat pump to control the temp inside. So, while visiting a garage sale recently someone was selling a pretty decent portable AC unit for $25. It’s four years old and needs to be cleaned up. I had the guy run it before purchase and it appears to be operable, but it needs to be given some attention. Unfortunately, it won’t likely happen before the warmer weather this week.

Project three: The patio has been built in the back yard and a gazebo purchased. Spent most of the day yesterday working on putting wood sealant on it to further protect the wood into the future. Now the assembly of the gazebo needs to be done…a very time consuming task. Obviously, having it constructed before the weather comes in this weekend would be ideal as it would help to keep the water from hitting most of the wood. So, that seems to be the immediate winner of focus.

There are lots of other projects that needs to be done too, just none of those seem as pressing as these three.

When faced with a list of projects, how do you prioritize which ones get done first?