Goal setting, idyllic living, happiness, insomnia, fishing, what to do with a Coors Can

Today is a beautiful day. I had intended to go fishing after attending  Church today. However, I skipped church and last night I checked out the river and it is running pretty high. I haven't had a lot of luck fishing for Bass when the water is high and murky. However, goal setting is important. It got me through the week. Perhaps I can take up the backup plan of going for a motorcycle ride.

I should check the river today as it will be going down and clearing up. 

I drove my gator to the river and the river was high

I was able to brutally murder an empty can of Coors Banquet. After six years at LU I do see I am shooting a bit high and to the left. I always saw my self as aiming a bit low and to the right, but times do change. Who knows, perhaps I will become a leftist. My dad was past 90 before he started voting for Democrats... I probably should just let that one go. I mean, he would actually laugh at the joke... But...

High and to the left

I have not been sleeping. I wake up at 3 a.m. and worry about life. I hate these transition stages. Six years ago I never dreamed I would be in the same job at the college. Or essentially making less money than when I started. I suppose telling Jose the security guard to go fuck himself two years ago pretty much queered any change for my advancement. Also, using terms like "queered" probably also helped kibosh things. Spiked my own Petard, so to speak. Probably also why I am going blind. My doctor says this will not happen for 40 years. I asked what was causing my macular degeneration and she said I should eat more leafy green vegetables and stop smoking. I noted that I did not smoke and I had a huge salad every Friday. Then I thought I probably should not continue in the direction I was going. 

What I do at work. A straight edge on the Softball Field.

She suggested I just squint more and not worry about people making fun of me for squinting when I read. Squinting pushes my eyes back into focus for some reason. She tried to tell me why but I was thinking about self abuse jokes and missed most of the information. As my mental age is really only 14.

Yesterday I went to look at a tractor. A friend of my wife lost her father unexpectedly. Her friend's mom is selling everything. Even things that they actually need on the farm. The friend was really close to her dad. Her dad told her certain things would be her's. He didn't write it down. No one believes her. 

The only John Deere that is not valued at four times what it actually worth

I would actually buy this tractor if I had $20,000 cash. The hydraulic front wheel assist really hurts the value but it is super clean and would make a great mower tractor. Or a great feed mixing tractor. I have always been anti John Deere but after working for liberals for six years I feel like kind of whore anyhow.

I am kind of running out of blogging steam currently. The stream of consciousness is running dry. I have been listening to "Ulysses" at work. I gave up the last detective action adventure book when the author started killing everyone by sticking large objects up their butts. Really.... Don't read books by authors who just use one name. 

I am sitting in my easy chair and listening to Dire Straits, "Brothers in Arms," on the stereo. My wife is in the hot tub and the dog is laying in the sun,

It should be an idyllic life. 

Leaving home and growing up...

My daughter turned 21 this week.

I put together a tool kit for her. It is a mixture of old and new. I gave her my trusty crescent wrench. I found 3/8 drive Craftsman sockets in Metric and nonCommunist up to 21mm and 3/4", I included a hammer and a square and a rubber mallet. She needs the rubber mallet if she goes into psychology.

I found her a 1/4" drive SK socket set only for $60 delivered. It has deep well sockets also and has a neat little box. I have already explained the difference between a ball peen and claw hammer and so I included both. Plus a square and small level. 

I included a couple automotive stickers at the suggestion of the retired gentleman that helps at the farm. (Actually he provided a couple stickers.) I engraved her name on everything. 

She seemed happy.

I really miss my daughter from the pre Young Writers Convention at Sweet Briar college days. But such is life.

The toolkit

The daughter before I made the mistake of working at a college so she could receive a free indoctrination.

Peyton Place and LU

I love working for a bureaucracy. I am seriously happy to give my soul to the greater good and I realize that should I ever violate the greater good by getting caught going against policy I should be fired and my name never spoken again. I would be a little happier if there would be a public denouncement but that is only saved for really entertaining and spectacular crashes where you get your picture circulated via email with the notice you are banned from campus.

If I grow tomatoes in the greenhouse and eat them while at work, am I stealing from LU if I don't poop before I leave?

COVID regulations somewhat changed the personal dynamics of my job. I used to hang out with the smoker group that met by the grounds department/ paint shop entrance. But after numerous comments on lack of mask wearing out of doors and lingering at break I moved to the other smoker group behind the shops whose supervisor politely brings out work orders if we over stay our break.

I have not been bonding with the new hires like I used to do. There has been a lot of turnover and I don't really see the point. Because of this I did not bond with the new paint department. The head painter seemed like a fine person. Is friendly, has a small business in his spare time, seemed to get things done.

The assistant painter is a quiet guy. Works hard, has a big family, wants to continue working at the college for the benefit of his kid's education. I know his brother and his brother's friends but not him. However, he has a sterling reputation in my neighborhood. Is considered a standup sort of guy.

He stopped to talk to me Thursday as I was cleaning parking lots. He wanted to ask me about my department's policy for loaning tools on the weekend. I don't borrow tools from my department. It is too weird.

Many years ago tools were loaned all the time and someone had to ruin it for all. Apparently, someone was using the truck and backhoe to make extra money on the weekend. He is the one blamed for screwing up the policy but really it was the person of authority over him that failed us. Instead of cutting off access for everyone that person should have been reprimanded and a public lecture given about abusing the policy for personal gain. 

But I digress...

Apparently the policy of loaning tools is somewhat unofficial per department supervisor. I think it is really frowned on so I don't do it. Although I was able to borrow a fan for a hemp emergency and was offered a dehumidifier to deal with a mold issue, so I think supervisory people try to be helpful and reasonable.

 

The Building and Trades department has a somewhat ineffective supervisor who may be trying to crack down on missing DeWalt tools. As per the general attitude of authority at my college the assumption is that people are stealing the tools. As per the general understanding to those who work in the building and trades department, they are just wandering off and leaving those aforementioned tools as they sometimes appear on the roof or random bathrooms.

Here is what irritates me about the system. The head painter was borrowing the paint sprayer and may have been paining houses for people on the weekend. However he had the audacity to report my friend for borrowing a drill for the weekend. My friend got an official reprimand and is on three year probation. No raises for three years and no promotions. My friend did not tell on his coworker, who had told on him.

In the old days we had an employee's association which would have assisted him with this issue. He has several points in his favor. 

1. No stated policy on borrowing tools in his department. 2. Everyone else was doing it. 3. His immediate coworker who turned in him was doing the same thing he was doing, only for profit.

I just listened to him and was sympathetic. I suggested he either find a new job, talk to HR, or keep his mouth shut and try to move the the utilities department which has a real supervisor who would listen to his story and make a decision based on his other performance.

This story will get around, I will avoid the head painter as he can't be trusted and frankly, you never know what you may accidentally do that will get you reported. That one time you forget the safety vest or eye protection or too long on break or who knows? 

If I were the supervisor I would have called the offender into the office. Given him an unofficial warning. And I would have made sure everyone knew my policy. My supervisor gives us a training sheet and makes us sign it. I fully expect to see something like this coming in the near future.

The one thing I find depressing about my job is just knowing what a great job it could be. But I guess there will always be complaints and I only heard one side of the story.