hydra
Junior Member
Posts: 81
|
Post by hydra on May 10, 2009 6:39:34 GMT -5
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, grandmas and caregivers!
|
|
|
Post by Denethor on May 11, 2009 16:28:08 GMT -5
They didn't spray, the weather wasn't just right, so we didn't sample. Get this...temps in the 70s, no rain, low humidity, but it was a bit "breezy" so they didn't spray.
The space shuttle goes up in fouler weather than these guys can handle.
My guess is, the county spray guys just didn't want to work on the weekend. OK, I s'pose. We'd just all really like to get this project over with...
|
|
bear
Full Member
Posts: 104
|
Post by bear on May 12, 2009 0:06:07 GMT -5
I hate it when projects never end.
I'm trying to close one out that should have been closed before I started this job back in August. But it is such a low priority for me that I keep putting it off too. Its what I spent my overtime Fridays doing.
I couldn't work last Friday. Wednesday and Thursday I spent half days in the bright sun doing inspections. I had a tough enough time sticking it out in the office those afternoons. I needed some time to be outside and have fun.
Friday my dad and I moved a bunch of stuff from my Aunt E's place to my place. Little Bear now has a full sized bed. A princess bed. A Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle princess bed. And she loves it. I'll see if I can post some pictures tomorrow.
Sunday we spent at the zoo. It was weird seeing my mother pushed around in a wheelchair. My dad bought her one so her oxygen levels wouldn't drop so bad when they go on vacation and are doing a lot of sight seeing, like when they go to Yellowstone next month.
|
|
|
Post by blackrose on May 12, 2009 8:06:05 GMT -5
I'm sort of feeling somewhere between tired/cranky and spring-time hyper... which is an odd mix, tho seemingly increasingly normal...
Me and Darkk have a 4 day weekend coming up... we have no plans to go anywhere, which woulda been nice - but we just both needed a break from work... so hopefully that'll be nice, and we might be doing some day trips, or we might be doing house stuff, or we might be doing nothing. Who knows? It's a mystery *waves hands around and goes woooooo - and then giggles inside*
|
|
bear
Full Member
Posts: 104
|
Post by bear on May 15, 2009 13:15:53 GMT -5
Morning everyone.
Hopefully the world will be getting back to normal for the next 2 or 3 weeks and I'll be able to be around more. I think we have reached our saturation limit on projects. I currently have 11 on my desk (I don't know how many my 3 coworkers who do the same stuff have) and we are telling everyone else, "Thanks for the project application. We might have money to help you in 2 years, if you are high on our priority list. See you in 2011. Have a nice day!"
When they don't like that response, I wish I could say, "Yes, please write your politician. I'll make a note to ignore them too."
But the good news is I now have enough comp. time to cover all my vacation time this year. And I'll probably get some more hours in before the end of the year.
|
|
|
Post by Denethor on May 15, 2009 20:07:08 GMT -5
Well I worked 11 hours today and it looks like I'm going to have a similar schedule for the weekend; still haven't decided whether to bank these hours or just take the money. I'll probably do half and half because there are so many. At least for this weekend I'll be just going to the office and entering data on samples someone else drops off. Someone has to tell these temp kids that the way you seal chain of custody evidence bags is not to roll them up and tie them with a rubber band. One of the kids apparently feels as I do about Realtors. These bags are from the same company that supplies many police departments; there's a line on the front for "suspect", which of course should be blank for our purposes. Many of the samples have the location entered on the correct line (um, "location" ), but the samples taken in realty offices have the name of the realty company listed under "suspect". None of the other samples has this problem. In an amusing sidelight, some of the samples are "swipes" taken on the outside sills of windows. One of our samplers, clad in environmental sampling gear and taking such a swipe from an office window, apparently gave some early bird realty employee one heck of a scare. ;D
|
|
bear
Full Member
Posts: 104
|
Post by bear on May 16, 2009 12:32:38 GMT -5
There was a Dilbert a couple years ago. The boss and Catbert are wearing Level A hazmat suits while asbestos is being removed from the building. The boss says, "I told them it was perfectly safe, but aparently I lack credibility while wearing a hazmat suit."
Chain of custody, kind of important. Sounds like they need a training day.
This morning I awoke to reports that Huntsman is leaving Utah for China. Smart for Obama. Dumb for Huntsman. Bad for Utah.
|
|
|
Post by Denethor on May 16, 2009 17:00:02 GMT -5
I ran across a new theory for why these people are having such a time with the basics of sample collection.
In one data block, where the person was supposed to write "canopy", the form rather clearly read "cannabis".
Now that would explain a lot.
|
|
hydra
Junior Member
Posts: 81
|
Post by hydra on May 17, 2009 9:52:05 GMT -5
I have had a nice relaxing fun weekend. I visited with my son, his gf and my granddaughter yesterday. She is six and a half months old now. She is crawling well, has another tooth and can pull herself up to a standing position. Son and his gf are doing fine, he is working hard and she is going to school to become a nurse.
Not much on the agenda today, just grocery shopping.
|
|
|
Post by blackrose on May 19, 2009 13:20:19 GMT -5
Me and Darkk had a mini stay-cation this weekend. We went to the movies, ran some errands, did some shopping, and got some house stuff done... all-in-all pretty productive, and still better than being at work.
|
|
|
Post by Denethor on May 19, 2009 16:01:20 GMT -5
I worked this last weekend, entering data for the samples. I also packed the samples for shipment, during which I found all sorts of interesting things, like live arthropods in the samples...one sealed evidence bag had a large hunting spider, brownish or blackish, which I had great fun watching from all angles as it struggled to get out of the bag... ...at least that is what it was doing when I sent it on its way to the lab. Mwahahaha!!!! On a related note, I've been asked to change one of my work habits. There's a woman where I work who has a degree in entomology. So occasionally, when I've found a bug I can't identify, I've been known to capture it in a ziplock baggie (a method inspired in part by projects such as the one we're working on now) and bring it in to see if she can. Well today, one of the vice prezzes stopped by and asked me if I would very kindly please stop bringing wild insects to the office??? (I had the snarky temptation to ask if tame insects were acceptable, but in a rare moment of restraint I declined). I suppose this just illustrates one of my issues with them corporate type jobs!
|
|
|
Post by MsAriel on May 20, 2009 7:18:54 GMT -5
*smirks* That's kind of funny, Den!
So things are chugging along over this way.. Not much to update you all on. Though I talked to my mom yesterday. She had a good day at the hospital and got good test results. So the doctor is pleased with the results, which made mom happy. She also told me that from her last tests they discovered the type of tumors she has are genetic. So she'll have to take a pill each day from now on.
She laughed and said it was good to know, though she wasn't sure *why* it was good to know that it was genetic. I had to giggle, but at least now we know how this came about. Though this is just another reminder for me to get the non-identifying information from my biological family, and the State of Georgia, in case there's anything known for me so I can let my kids know.
Anywho.. that's about all that's happening here!
|
|
qira
New Member
Posts: 40
|
Post by qira on May 20, 2009 13:02:16 GMT -5
hello, and long time no see!
I was busy with the end of my semester for a long time -- finishing up with Art History, which I think I mentioned I totally rocked out, and Information Systems, for which I still don't have a grade, but am hoping for a B.
I'm taking math this semester, and I'm bound and determined to do well at it. I have a tutor, and am diligently staying ahead on the homework. Did five hours, nearly straight through, this morning. Am hoping to stay one week ahead throughout. We'll see. It's going to be a LOT of work, I think.
Then there's Eastern Religions, Foundations of Humanities, and English Critical Approached to Literature. It's a full semester - as my mother said to me this week, it's my full-time job. So I'm really going to try to treat it as such. I think every day I will go to the coffee shop int he morning and work, and then come home for lunch and do the stuff I have on the computer.
Anyway, that's the bulk of my life at the moment. I hope everyone else is well!
Qira
|
|
bear
Full Member
Posts: 104
|
Post by bear on May 21, 2009 18:35:54 GMT -5
D, I read your post and had the same thought. Things are definitely winding down here. I managed to get through the last of the debris in my inbox. Right now, all that is sitting in there are my car keys and my sunglasses, just tempting me to grab them and head home for an early 4 day weekend. I’m having difficulty lately not daydreaming about next month’s trip to Yellowstone. It will be the first time we’ve gone since we got married 7 years ago. We will be going with my parents and my brother’s family. Over the last 7 years, I’ve had about enough of trying to coordinate everyone on a vacation and I have pre-made my excuses for not convoying there and for days when we may not spend the whole time with the group: “Mrs. Bear has an appointment that morning and it won’t be over until 1pm or 2pm. Besides, that will have us leaving about the same time Little Bear takes a nap, so she’ll sleep for 3 or 4 hours of the 5 hour drive.”
“We need to have a good mix of car time, walking time, and backpack time for Little Bear so she doesn’t get too cranky about not getting a nap or not having time to run around. So we might go off and do some hikes or driving on our own.” Kids are such great excuses. This weekend is going to be full of big house work. I’ll spend Friday and Saturday cleaning up the yard. I have 10-foot sapling aspens that have grown over the last 3 years (while I neglected the yard) and need to be cut down. I’m also pulling out my grapes. They are putting all their energy into making runners and not actually growing grapes. And they have tangled themselves in the aspens pretty bad over the last 3 years. Then I’m going to kill off all the grass and weeds that have grown in the vegetable garden and get some biomats or woodchips down to hold in moisture prevent weeds from coming back Oh, and maybe I’ll finish that fence project seeing as all that remains is the gate and about 1 foot of fencing that need to be put up. Sunday and Monday I’m pulling all the junk in my garage I’ve been storing for my mother-in-law for the last 2 years, since she moved, and either haul it to her place or haul it to the landfill. I have a good car again, I need to park it properly. Have a good weekend.
|
|
|
Post by Denethor on May 21, 2009 20:00:08 GMT -5
One of my workmates had a bad thought about that spider - she wondered if there might be anyone at the lab who is afraid of them...I confess I hadn't thought of that. She said, maybe they'll get back at you by sending whatever you are afraid of back in the empty cooler. (Good idea, I suppose...) I had to point out that that is profoundly unlikely. One of the benefits of having the object of one's distaste be too large for easy FedEx. They'll have to settle for leaving a message on my voicemail asking if this is a bad time, and thanking me for my cooperation. In any event I hope the school thing goes well (Qira), and expect to hear more about these classes as they unfold...plenty of great posts in some of them I'm sure, but don't neglect your studies to come here, nag nag nag ...hope your Home Improvement Weekend goes well (bear)... very glad to hear of good test results (MsAriel)...and hope everyone's weekends and staycations and such continue to be enjoyable. And...I may actually get to go back to Lodge this weekend! Good, before the anxious inquiries into my metabolic status!
|
|