What Irked You Today?

[Tom Geiger]

Argh! My wife’s cousin in NJ died, non Covid related. It’s such a friggin mess today!  Her sister cannot come from Florida, would need to quarantine 14 days upon arrival. 
 

Without her, that leaves my wife’s aunt and uncle in their 80s to fend alone. As such they are leaning on my wife and her siblings. 

There won’t be a wake, just a church funeral with limited attendance.  Then an outdoor restaurant meal since NJ doesn’t allow indoor dining.  This should be interesting.

[espo]

Sorry to here about your lose and new found responsibilities.     

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, TonyK said:

Thing is, these companies are stuck on young people just out of college and don't realize how perfect an older employee would be that has years of work experience and simply wants to come to work everyday and do a good job. They have a stable life, no kids, looking toward retiring some day....

I think more and more companies are starting to realize the benefits of older employees. They actually believe in showing up on time every day, doing the work, and getting along with people. And they don't spend all day on their stupid phones, and probably aren't looking to turn the workplace into a dating club. They're not all tatted up and pierced in weird places and have goofy hair in unnatural colors. And so forth. 

[Tom Geiger]

31 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I think more and more companies are starting to realize the benefits of older employees. They actually believe in showing up on time every day, doing the work, and getting along with people. 

In the last mega large pharma company I consulted within, I was on an Opex team that was concerned about information retention due to massive turnover.   Their info said the average stay of an employee was down to four years.  They come in to get a manager's title.. then leave when they get an offer to step up to the next wrung of associate director at a competitor.  Not only aren't they retaining talent and information, but it's going off to their competition! 

Still they didn't get the value of hiring people.  Sad fact is in my industry they'll post director level positions asking for 5-10 years experience.  I have 35 and they won't look at me.  BUT, their buildings are full of people my age, many employees they laid off in lean years, all hired short term as consultants!  Just about any of these companies will dig into my brain as a consultant but won't make an employee commitment.

In fact I am supposed to be starting another consulting gig with another mega company...  

Edited August 1, 2020 by Tom Geiger

[Snake45]

13 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

In fact I am supposed to be starting another consulting gig with another mega company...  

I might have a deal like that in the works too. I've got a guy looking for me. Last time he got me a very good paying temp gig that was supposed to be 3-5 weeks that turned into 11 months. He got paid for every hour I did, so he made out okay on that deal, too. I trust him to look out for me. 

[Tom Geiger]

45 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

I might have a deal like that in the works too. I've got a guy looking for me. Last time he got me a very good paying temp gig that was supposed to be 3-5 weeks that turned into 11 months. He got paid for every hour I did, so he made out okay on that deal, too. I trust him to look out for me. 

Good luck to you!

This is a six month gig at a company you would've heard of.  I'm supposed to straighten out their maintenance processes in six months!  

The last short term one I had was supposed to be a month or two, writing and proofing SOPs.  Companies have a max term for consultants of two years, but I kept getting renewed as essential... but not essential enough to get hired as an employee.  In the past two years everything I set up there has gone to garbage!   

[DonW]

It's a living. So much waste...

[Ace-Garageguy]

57 minutes ago, DonW said:

...So much waste...

To those who haven't noticed yet...Atlas is in the process of shrugging.

It won't be much longer until the lowest-common-denominator run...and ruin...everything, and some time thereafter, everything that defines civilization will just stop.

[stavanzer]

Amen, Bill! The adults who do the dirty jobs and keep the lights on, and the Gas Stations full, are a shrinking and derided group.

AS usual, they'll miss us when we go, but won't know how to do the things that need to be done. Some Jobs cannot be done at a desk, in the A/C. And some, like Amazon Whse worker, are just too brutal to keep filled. 

The "Shrug" Bill mentions has already started. COVID is just accelerating it.

[stavanzer]

BTW, Tom, I saw your note. My condolences to all. That is a sad situation with no good answers. Hope you and your wife can make the best of it.

[stitchdup]

41 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

To those who haven't noticed yet...Atlas is in the process of shrugging.

It won't be much longer until the lowest-common-denominator run...and ruin...everything, and some time thereafter, everything that defines civilization will just stop.

Its not just lowest common denominator. I'm only in my mid 40s and i see most of the generation behind me trying to do simple jobs at work and failing, but I don't blame them. When I went to school we were taught to think, had real homework that wasn't multiple choice. I'm the nightwatchman on a boat now and the younger ones that do the day shift haven't learned anything useful to the job. We often have alarms go off (boats being refitted) and at least twice a week i get woken up to be asked how to turn the alarms off so i have them marked and numbered in the order they have to use. I'm the cleaner usually but they ask me because they just dont know what to do, and I'm happy to help them learn something thats useful to them even though its not my job. Today the one guy said about his brakes making a funny sound and he was going to spend a few hundred pounds getting a garage to fix them, so I took in a haynes manual for him and said to get his dad to help him fix them. He looked at me like I was insane for suggesting fixing it himself when he could pay someone to do it. I didn't tell him anything about the repair except to read the instructions a few times and he'd soon figure it out but if he doesn't I'll be happy to give him a hand on my days off. But give the same guy a computer and he can run circles around me. I know a lot of people put down the younger generation, but those same people that put them down wanted to pay less taxes and education is the first thing governments cut. We should be investing in their futures because it benefits us all in the long run. We blame the kids but its us that messed up their futures, want to go to college? well you have to go in debt first which means many kids that could be the next einstein or tesla just dont get the opportunities we got.

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, stitchdup said:

but those same people that put them down wanted to pay less taxes and education is the first thing governments cut. 

Sadly, there's very little actual education going on in the name of "education" these days. 

[yellowsportwagon]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Sadly, there's very little actual education going on in the name of "education" these days. 

Thank you and the schools are super well funded. The problems start in the home. Money can’t fix what’s wrong with a lot of the schools.

[slusher]

10 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

Argh! My wife’s cousin in NJ died, non Covid related. It’s such a friggin mess today!  Her sister cannot come from Florida, would need to quarantine 14 days upon arrival. 
 

Without her, that leaves my wife’s aunt and uncle in their 80s to fend alone. As such they are leaning on my wife and her siblings. 

There won’t be a wake, just a church funeral with limited attendance.  Then an outdoor restaurant meal since NJ doesn’t allow indoor dining.  This should be interesting.

Sorry for your loss Tom...

[1930fordpickup]

10 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

Argh! My wife’s cousin in NJ died, non Covid related. It’s such a friggin mess today!  Her sister cannot come from Florida, would need to quarantine 14 days upon arrival. 
 

Without her, that leaves my wife’s aunt and uncle in their 80s to fend alone. As such they are leaning on my wife and her siblings. 

There won’t be a wake, just a church funeral with limited attendance.  Then an outdoor restaurant meal since NJ doesn’t allow indoor dining.  This should be interesting.

Sorry for your loss Tom. Been a rough year out there here in 2020. Lost 2 good friends to cancer this year, one 54 the other 59. The first before the lock down the second the funeral was today. Very sad.  My buddy lost his Father and step Mother in the middle of this and could not even have a showing or wake.  

[peteski]

On 7/29/2020 at 10:00 PM, Danno said:

WAY PAST IRKED!  Well into PI$$ED!

Mailed a Priority package to an address I've mailed dozens (or scores) of packages to over the years with no trouble, always delivered on time. NOT NOW.

Mailed the package on 07-13-2020, Priority, from Phoenix to Denver with a promised delivery date of 07-17-2020.  Tracking shows it was in Denver by 07-16-2020 and put on a truck for delivery 07-17-2020.  No delivery scan. Never delivered. Still hasn't been delivered. Vanished.

I put a trace on it 07-24-2020 per their procedures. Received a very unsympathetic call from USPS Idiot chick in Denver on 07-24-2020. Was told I should call the recipient to ask if it was delivered. I don't think so, for two reasons:  1) The recipient ALWAYS calls as soon as a package is received . . . recipient hasn't called, so it hasn't been received. 2) It was supposed to be a surprise. Calling the recipient kinda screws that, no?  Oh, yeah, and what the ph**k is Tracking for?  I'm supposed to call the recipient to find out if it was delivered or not? Then I didn't need to pay so much extra for secure handling and tracking, huh?

It was put on the truck and never got off the truck. GO FIND IT!  Go look in the friggin' truck. Arrest the delivery guy or guyette for mail theft!  Whatever.

 

The Denver USPS Idiot chick told me I should contact the shipper and ask them to send a replacement package. HELLO?  A) I'm the shipper. I don't have to contact myself, I already know it's AWOL.  B )  The package did not contain merchandise, it contained heirlooms from my recently deceased Love-of-My-Life (the Lovely and Gracious Mrs. B )  intended for the recipient. There's no replacement on the planet.  

GO FIND THE ph**king package! 

I was told (rudely) I should get over it and file an insurance claim. 

Been three days since the second call where the same USPS Idiot Chick told me to just send another.  Right.  Like I'm supposed to trust you fools now? Besides, did you not listen? See "B" above.

 

Sheeeez!  

The local delivery truck can only be so big. How the H-E-double-hockey-sticks can they lose it?

 

Thank you one and all for allowing me to vent.  I needed to get that out.  I'm afraid I've gone postal. 

-danno-

 

Few years ago had an interesting experience with USPS.  Priority Mail package was sent to me. Tracking indicated it was delivered to me but I couldn't find it anywhere on my property (and I was home at the time tracking showed delivery)!  I looked everywhere!  I even went and asked my neighbors if maybe the package was accidentally delivered to their addresses. Nope!   I was going to contact USPS next day, but the package just showed up with that day's mail!   No explanation why it was delivered one day after the tracking showed it delivered.  I mentioned that with hopes that your packager will show up at the destination address in the next few days.  Good luck!

 

One thing is for sure:  in my daily life I run into more and more incompetent people who often just don't care how well they do their jobs..

Edited August 2, 2020 by peteski

[Snake45]

Storm rolled through and knocked out the power last night several hours before my usual bedtime. Was able to keep myself entertained with a pocket flashlight (that little thing was a rock star!) and a new book about DIY gunsmithing, but had to try to sleep with no air conditioner, no air conditioner white noise (which I find VERY helpful), and I missed the Saturday night Ark Midnight broadcast, which I look forward to every week. 

Oh well, First World Problems, right? 

[Mark]

5 hours ago, peteski said:

 

 

One thing is for sure:  in my daily life I run into more and more incompetent people who often just don't care how well they do their jobs..

The couple of times I had packages lost but noted as "delivered", I ran into The Wall with USPS.  After being frustrated with it, I chalked it up to either (a) protecting their own, and/or (b) going along to get along.  On occasion I get mail for the house on the next street over (same house number); I just take it over and stick it in the right mailbox.  What happens to my mail on those days I don't know, as the next street over in the other direction is a main drag with different numbering.

[HomerS]

23 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Sadly, there's very little actual education going on in the name of "education" these days. 

Amen!  I have one son finishing up college and one in jr high.  I'm disappointed that they teach kids even less life skills now than when I went!!  No home ec, no auto mechanics, no wood shop!  My oldest was working for a catering company when one of the vans wouldn't start after and event.  There was about 20 people standing around with no clue what to do so my sons grabbed jumper cables and started it.

Even more shocking is the number of kids not playing sports.  Last year in rec league baseball, my youngest played one team that had to forfeit (played the game for experience) as they only had eight kids?  He had another game that the opponent had to reschedule as they only have nine kids on the team and only ONE pitcher (they had played the day before so do to the pitch count he couldn't pitch back to back...their relief pitchers threw like Ricky Vaughn!)  Nine years ago when my oldest played these same teams, they had enough players to field two and three teams respectively!

 

[Joe Handley]

Uhg, forgot how much I hate plain, white styrene when it comes to working on models vs the primer grey that AMT/ERTL used. The details are hard to see unless you have a really strong light, then since I used white putty for filler, I couldn’t see where one started and the other ended?

I ended up using a head lamp to get enough light on the subject to see what I was doing.

[STYRENE-SURFER]

I'm not much Irked these days except for my own foibles.

But.. inspired by a self congratulation thread elsewhere I have to say

why the heck do people pose inane questions here just for the sake

of it? I mean there are knowledgeable folks here and others quick 

on the Google. They take their time to research for others yet it 

is just an exercise. ? Maybe just me thinking this way.

[ChrisBcritter]

Hit a local Goodwill store today and spotted a Revell 1/48 B-25J kit that looked complete for $2.99. Got it home and checked more thoroughly - no clear parts. Checked Revell's site - no replacement parts shipped to the USA now because of you-know-what-19 (plus they charge some unspecified fee). Found new clear trees on eBay for 15.00 shipped, which will make the total cost about what I would have paid at Michael's for a sealed one with a 50% off coupon.

Take gun, point at foot, squeeze trigger. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Same stuff irking me today as every day: mindless rebleating, sheeple in general, willful ignorance, cowardice, laziness (both intellectual and physical), lies, greed, etc.

But I'm not going to let it affect my own productiveness and calm...'cause at this point there's not a dammed thing I can do about any of it.

[Danno]

38 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Same stuff irking me today as every day: mindless rebleating, sheeple in general, willful ignorance, cowardice, laziness (both intellectual and physical), lies, greed, etc.

But I'm not going to let it affect my own productiveness and calm...'cause at this point there's not a dammed thing I can do about any of it.

Hear, hear, Bill!

The Lovely and Gracious and Beloved Mrs. B would in recent years tell me I seemed to be getting grumpier and less tolerant of people. She was concerned I was becoming Walt Kowalsky, she said.

i defended myself by explaining that the older I get, the more people I’ve met.  It gave me solace, but it didn’t really impress her, I guess.

At any rate, I guess she earned her eternal reward by putting up with me for 40 years, “people” or not.

God, I miss her. But she still inspires me to seek that calmness you describe.

?

Edited August 8, 2020 by Danno

[ranma]

Lost my car due to an accident.  Tore the front end apart, but didn't blow the air bags. Busted the plastic on the raidiator, Pushed the battery to almost touching the Coil packs, But the old beast started right back up, and drove it into the median, And towed from there. The only good thing is I came out unharmed. Let me say those 95-98 Lesabre's are tough car's!