opinion | Piss and Moan

Under pressure

Posted on March 26, 2021 by backuphill

The trip to the doc yesterday confirmed my suspicion on the ears. I have an ear infection. Doc said it was fairly easy to take care (of course) but then the pharmacy didn’t have the drops for my ears and I have had to wait an additional 24 hours for relief on that.

But, what I was not expecting was that some other news isn’t what I wanted to hear.

As it turns out, if I am not careful I may blow a gasket, so to speak.

The nurse came in yesterday and we went through the usual check in stuff and then she proceeded to check my blood pressure.

Background: I run high and always have.

She seemed alarmed. She asked, “Are you feeling alright? Your BP is unusually high, even for what we have in the records.”

I assured her that I run high and it wasn’t all that unusual. She said, “Well, this high and we start to worry about a stroke.”

Hmmmmm. I guess that is high.

She said, “We’ll have the doc check it again when she comes in. Often people are a little high when they visit the office so maybe you’re just elevated at the moment..”

She leaves. Doc comes in a few minutes later. Ask about the ear. Checks the ear. Confirms infection and sends off a prescription for drop to treat. Then she sits down and says, “Let’s talk about that BP.”

She takes it again and she says the top number is down but the bottom number is still really high. Too high for them to feel real comfortable with. So, she recommended a follow up in two weeks with my primary. In the meantime, I am supposed to check my resting BP at least once a day for the next two weeks so I have some data to talk with the doc about at that time.

It seems the pressure inside is building and I just might pop a top. Blow a gasket. Explode.

Do people just randomly explode from high blood pressure? That would be cool. Maybe. I supposed it could be rather messy.

Anyway, here’s to keeping the pressure down and the top on.

Cheers!

Frog in a pot

Posted on March 23, 2021 by backuphill

A frog doesn’t know it is being cooked when the heat inside the pot slowly rises. Instead, it stays in the pot and doesn’t try to escape because it doesn’t recognize the danger it is in until it is too late.

There are a lot of Americans who don’t realize they are frogs in the pot.

The chef in the kitchen are the Democrats and their recipe for destroying America has all the right ingredients at the moment.

Compliant or apathetic people who look to the government to take care of them and solve their problems.

I may be a frog in the pot, but I sure know what the hell is going on and I am doing my best to get out, but those other frogs in the pot just keep pulling me back in.

Are you willing to get boiled, a slow and steady death…of your freedoms?

You better wake up and open those eyes soon. Those people you put in power are going to take your power and there won’t be any looking back.

Own it

Posted on March 22, 2021 by backuphill

Crisis created by promises made before an election. Promises the American people disagree with, and promises the administration’s rear end can’t cash. Of course, the Biden administration is going to say it isn’t a crisis but the numbers are pretty much the same as they were when the Democrats said there was a crisis under Trump. They probably are worse.

The border is a mess again.

The same as it was during the Obama administration and leading up to a Trump takeover. Why was it bad? Democrats had promised something they couldn’t provide and immigrants were scrambling to get across the border illegally before a new administration took over in Washington, DC.

The Trump administration handled it (maybe not the best way, but it definitely sent a message) and the stabilization of national sovereignty and border integrity was beginning to take shape. Something that is not only necessary, but a requirement for the establishment of law and order.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people coming over the border illegally and even more headed that way because of bad policy and empty promises from the Democrats. There is no one to blame, though the Biden administration is of course blaming Trump, except the Democrats. There was no crisis at the border when Trump left office. This is clearly the result of Biden entering office and immediately reversing all border policies previously in place.

There is no other explanation.

So, Biden (et al.), own it.

Just step up and own it.

Revert back to policies that were working and engage in true immigration reform, rather than giving the impression that the border is open.

Sick days

Posted on March 19, 2021 by backuphill

What are your feelings on Sick Days? Have you or do you currently work in a position that offers you Sick Days? If you had access to Sick Days, did you use them? Maybe a better question is how did you use them?

Kind of loaded questions, probably. Here’s another…does they way you use your Sick Days say anything about you, like as a person?

As most of you understand, a paid Sick Day is for those times when you (or someone in your family) are physically ill and it wouldn’t be a good idea to go to work (or you need to care for someone), or if you (or someone in your family) have medical appointments you need to attend. In general, these are the only acceptable uses of your Sick Day(s).

With that being the general understanding of how a Sick Day is supposed to be used, where do you stand when people use a Sick day for something other than those two reasons?

Examples of other uses:

A co-worker takes a Sick Day because they want to take an extra day on either end of a holiday or vacation.

A co-worker uses a Sick Day to go shopping, or to take a beach/lake/whatever day – basically like a vacation day.

You take a Sick Day as a “mental health” day.

You aren’t sick, but just don’t feel like dealing with your co-workers today so you use a Sick Day.

A co-worker is avoiding doing part of their job so they take a Sick Day.

Obviously, there are lots of scenarios where someone could use a Sick Day for something other than being sick.

So, how do you feel about it? Is anything acceptable now?

I have some 100 days of Sick Leave accrued from the last 19+ years (15 year of teaching and 4+ in my current position).

I very rarely used my Sick Days when I was a teacher because it was just easier to go to school than it was to get a sub (all teachers feel this way), and I almost never use more than half of my allotted Sick Days in my current position. So, I have a large bank of days to draw from should I need them.

I guess this all comes from the fact that some of my co-workers have used all their Sick Days up (because they didn’t use them for their intended use) and then something happens and they need to ask for people to voluntarily gift them Sick Days. I know people who regularly (and often) take Sick Days to just do whatever they want because they can and no one questions them about it.

What do you think?

Do you think poorly of the people who use the benefit in such a way, or do you think it is OK to take an occasional “mental health” day?

Drop your thoughts, or experiences, in the comments. Really curious what you all think!

Virtual over the shoulder

Posted on March 16, 2021 by backuphill

In my line of work, I do a lot of “virtual over the shoulder” looking at a client’s computer. It’s the best way to help them troubleshoot issues they have in the software and we can help them (sometimes “holding their hand”) as work through processes to get the data they need. This is, of course, with their permission.

The matter is entirely different when you haven’t explicitly authorized a computer/mobile operating system, app, or browser, to look over your shoulder virtually while you use a device. Instead they collect more and more data about what you do and where you go, all in the name of providing information and data to people who want to sell you things (or have other motivations).

I am getting more and more wary of the intrusiveness that we have allowed, mostly without a fight. We just accept it.

So, I have started looking at alternative browsers that provide more of the privacy that we should want, but moreover expect. I have used Chrome for years and years, both personally and at work. However, as more information comes to light about business practices and intrusiveness (even the “incognito” mode tracks you) it becomes harder and harder to accept.

Transitioning to something different is difficult because you inevitably are going to be asked to sacrifice something in the trade-off. Weighing all those factors becomes somewhat of a challenge since there are benefits with the varying products that are out there. The nagging question is always, “What’s the best way to go from here? Am I making the right choice?” It’s a question I haven’t been able to settle as I look at the different options.

So, what say you?

Are you on a similar journey and what are you finding? Have you taken steps to move browsers and what did you consider as you did so?

Tell me what you are considering, or considered if you have already made the move.

Space fatigue

Posted on March 15, 2021 by backuphill

Photo by Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas on Pexels.com

Space is not endless, at least not in the “out of this world” sense.

We humans like to collect stuff. Some of it is useful, some not so useful. Some of it is because of nostalgia, memories, sentimental value, or whatever and then sometimes it’s just because it’s cool. Whatever the reason we collect stuff, there is always a tipping point that each of us reaches.

“Where am I going to put this?”

Space, especially in a small-ish house, comes at a premium. There is only so much space. You can only rearrange it so many times before you just don’t have any options left. You can stuff it full (hoarders?) or you can try to maintain a balance, but for every single thing that comes into the house there has to be a space for it to go.

Why do we have a hard time letting go of things? What is it about an item that makes us keep them for whatever weird reason it is? Why do we even store things for other people (kids, relatives, friends) when we don’t have space for ourselves?

A tipping point has been reached here.

There can be no more things brought home without giving up ground on something that no longer has a useful purpose, or is used more than a couple times a year. There just can’t be more. It’s hard to say, “No,” to someone or even myself but there is this fatigue that becomes too great for trying to make things “work” or “fit.”

This space is either going to be the final frontier with manageable things, or it’s time to explore different worlds and expand this universe.

Changing time

Posted on March 12, 2021 by backuphill

It’s time to change…the change of time…

It’s time to dump the silly “Fall back” and “Spring forward” nonsense. It was probably useful at a time, but that time has passed and it is time to move on. Time is ticking…can’t waste even a second…no time like the present…

(It is weird that there are so many “time” clichés?)

Anyway, WA state passed the necessary laws it needed a while back to stay on Daylight Savings time, but they can’t go into effect unless Congress acts and makes it a federal thing. Thankfully, it has been reintroduced in Congress and it might actually have enough traction to pass this time, or time to pass, or…well, you get it.

Business people, health people, regular people all have said it is time to go. Everyone hates this ritual and there are lots of reasons for it’s time to pass. Let’s just hope Congress get’s their act together and makes it happen. This could be the very last time we need to do it (for those of us that have had to do it since it was instituted).

It’s time to make this change permanent…this time.

What do you think? How do you feel about this issue?

(How many times did I use the word time in this blog about the time change?)

Loss of freedom

Posted on March 11, 2021 by backuphill

Photo by Paulo Marcelo Martins on Pexels.com

Did everyone really think China was just going to leave Hong Kong alone when the British handed it over 23 years ago? Sure, the agreement said that China would have to keep it’s democracy intact and not limit the freedoms of the people loving there. Ha! With a wink, wink, and a nudge, nudge China said, “Sure, we’ll do that.” But they secretly had their fingers crossed behind their backs.

We have watched the slow-ish erosion of freedoms ever since. Today, the Communists in China effectively eliminated democracy from the one area most hoped would have greater influence on the rest of China. The resistance in Hong Kong has been admirable, but Communism just keeps on rolling. Mao is probably dancing in his grave today.

I feel sad for the people in Hong Kong. Their lives aren’t going to get better. It almost always goes the wrong direction when it comes to this stuff.

That Great Wall of China just got, for all intents and purposes, a little longer.

When it don’t

Posted on March 10, 2021 by backuphill

Yesterday. Yesterday was a challenge. Well, not the whole day, but a part of the day that mattered more than the rest, if that makes sense.

Like most people who are working from home these days, Zoom or Teams or whatever video conferencing platform you use is kind of an essential part of your job. Meeting with clients, meeting with your supervisors/teammates/co-workers, or meeting with potential clients is something that typically needs to be done several times throughout the day.

Yesterday, I was co-hosting a meeting (a training) with clients and the challenges of the day started shortly after the meeting began.

First, the video started to freeze and the sound was choppy. Then the internet just dropped altogether.

Gone. Kicked outta the meeting.

I frantically tried to reconnect, and within a minute or two I am back in the meeting. Apologies to my co-worker and clients.

15 minutes later I am dropped again.

This time, after waiting for over 5 minutes to get a signal back, I find there just is no internet at all. Damn. Wait several minutes, still no internet. Wait several more minutes, look to see if there is internet by staring at the router. It says there is WiFi, but of course that just means it is broadcasting not that there is data being transferred.

I tell my phone to stop using WiFi and then log into the Xfinity app. Sure enough, internet is down for maintenance in the area. Affected customers is between 51-500. “Expected restoration of services…” is an hour and a half. Seriously?

How about a little warning? Or, better yet, if this was an unexpected outage, how about a text message with info letting me know this info without me having to become a detective for the internet signal?

Thankfully the outage didn’t last as long as they estimated. The internet came back and I logged back into the meeting after 30 minutes. It appeared that I might get kicked from the meeting again after 20 minutes, but apparently they figured out something and I was able to co-host as expected.

The internet is obviously a necessity these days, especially when it comes to work.

But, when it don’t work, it don’t work. And neither do you.

Asking, for a friend…

Posted on March 5, 2021 by backuphill

Asking for a friend. It’s a rhetorical question, really, but I still need to ask just to get it off my chest. You can provide your answers to the question in the comments, if you are so led. What would you do?

Scenario:

If you knew someone (let’s say a really good friend or even a family member) was struggling financially and you know that they had a history of making really poor decisions, what would you do when you learned they made yet another one?

Said someones are on state and federal assistance, have four kids, can’t keep up with rent or other bills, has debt collectors “knocking on the door,” and is basically using every sort of charity they can qualify for to meet needs the other sources can’t or won’t meet.

It’s tax return season and they likely will be getting a pretty substantial return based on the low income from the previous year and the number of children. There is also a pending 3rd stimulus payment coming up, so there is money coming in that could be used to do what needs to be done to get caught back up.

But, instead of using the money to do the right thing, some of the money is being used to ponder a move to another state, has been used to purchase flights to the possible state, and of course the spending for the trip will go up from there. The trip is being seen as a “vacation,” almost a scouting trip for their plans.

Advice?

They have been advised that moving is expensive (especially to a new state). They don’t have any prospects of a job at the place they would move. They have no real clue what the living expenses are like there.

They won’t listen to good counsel. Others have told them this is a terrible idea. Yet they charge forward.

So, I am asking for a friend…

What would you do? How would you address this? How would you go forward in this situation?