The Lounge

nivek

As Above So Below
Long work day today, from 0300 until 1900, too tired to count the hours...Home now, eating some leftover barbecue pork and relaxing for a little while...It wasn't a stressful or difficult day, just long hours showing others how to do their work better and absorbing all I have to do with this new added responsibility...

...
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Suffered a cringeworthy interview this morning. Don’t think this one’s on me.

Job posting has little bearing on what the job is. One cold fish young guy who asked two questions. Two others about my age that asked a couple of canned questions.

Something’s not right there.

What a waste of time. Another spoonful of s**t.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Suffered a cringeworthy interview this morning. Don’t think this one’s on me.

Job posting has little bearing on what the job is. One cold fish young guy who asked two questions. Two others about my age that asked a couple of canned questions.

Something’s not right there.

What a waste of time. Another spoonful of s**t.

That's a bummer, at least you didn't waste a lot of time with them, I hate it when time is invested in a company only to find out later how crappy the place is...I don't like moving from job to job, did enough of that when I was younger and traveling more...I've turned down the recent job offers I had, just not wanting to move to another State right now, there just wasn't enough incentive offered to make such a big change, money isn't enough motivation either, I don't think I would be happy taking one of those jobs...

...
 

nivek

As Above So Below
I went in at 0500 this morning and finished at 1630, no lunch today, eating and munching as I worked...Tomorrow should be closer to my original regular hours, again it wasn't a stressful or exhausting day either...
...
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
That's a bummer, at least you didn't waste a lot of time with them, I hate it when time is invested in a company only to find out later how crappy the place is...I don't like moving from job to job, did enough of that when I was younger and traveling more...I've turned down the recent job offers I had, just not wanting to move to another State right now, there just wasn't enough incentive offered to make such a big change, money isn't enough motivation either, I don't think I would be happy taking one of those jobs...

...

Naturally I've been replaying the whole thing over and over and am chewing nails this morning.

A few years ago when I was shopping for a new truck we stopped in a dealership and just as we started to speak to a salesman we realized something must've just happened. You could feel it hanging in the air and I half expected Lee van Cleef to be leaning over in the corner. Those people hated each other's guts and it became obvious. We tippy-toed out.
300px-Leevancleef.jpg


As for the cornpones I met yesterday, two were about my age so I doubt that was a big factor. The man had summer teeth - as in, some are here and some aren't. So I think that's why he was a bit reserved. I answered the technical questions he put to me easily. The woman is some kind of librarian and why she's involved isn't clear; she was the only one taking notes. She was the one who met me and then walked me out. Told me a few people had left recently.

Then we have young man. I looked him up before I went and he's between 30-35 and has an impressive resume with a graduate degree. But I'm not sure he blinked or reacted in any way - real MiB stuff. My answers to his specific questions were not as good as I would have liked but were acceptable.

Body language. I make a point to keep mine squared away. I noted he was sitting away from the other two and like the Ford dealer, there is something there almost palpable. He's only been there 3 months and is leaving. No idea what under what circumstances. My take is that they aren't comfortable interviewing anyone and would rather not. These are people who have been in a school district for over 25 years and I have encountered the type before. Not happy to be taken away from the routine. The young feller clearly isn't happy there or with them and is involved in finding his replacement just to get the hell out and avoid a stain on his resume.

If by some outside chance I get something other than a rejection I'll have to have a second chat with them to clarify the role a bit - they certainly never made it clear until I asked. Many red flags.

In that regard I trust my instincts, like Commander Kruge.
 

The shadow

The shadow knows!
IMG_20200219_164244.jpg
Beyond proud! Debby and the varsity got 2nd place In city tournament
 

wwkirk

Divine
I live in New York. Until today, I had completely forgotten about the new law prohibiting stores from providing plastic bags. and imposing a 5¢ charge for each paper bag. Enforcement begins on March 1.

So I just ordered several reusable bags from Amazon. They say I should receive them by Feb 28.
 

Toroid

Founding Member
I live in New York. Until today, I had completely forgotten about the new law prohibiting stores from providing plastic bags. and imposing a 5¢ charge for each paper bag. Enforcement begins on March 1.

So I just ordered several reusable bags from Amazon. They say I should receive them by Feb 28.
It's been that way in Los Angeles possibly all of California for several years. You have to condition yourself to bringing them every time you shop.
 

The shadow

The shadow knows!
with each day I see a truth..
my kids are growing changing..
these are moments that will never come again..
I cry sometimes.. because I love them.. and I fear losing them..
Debbie fell in love last year..
And I am sure she will marry him..
I see the future for them..
 

nivek

As Above So Below
I live in New York. Until today, I had completely forgotten about the new law prohibiting stores from providing plastic bags. and imposing a 5¢ charge for each paper bag. Enforcement begins on March 1.

So I just ordered several reusable bags from Amazon. They say I should receive them by Feb 28.

I bought a couple reusable bags for groceries and a cold bag to keep the cold stuff cold but rarely use them because I haven't pushed myself more to use them...However, the plastic bags I get from the grocery I do not throw away, I use them for trash bags when I clean and use them in the small trash bins I have next to the vanity, if any have a hole in them they go in the recycle bin...I doubt recycling has been effective enough to make a difference, I have heard only about ten percent of trash going to get recycled actually does get recycled...I've requested paper bags at the grocery sometimes but I should make it a habit to use the reusable bags I bought lol...

...
 

nivek

As Above So Below
This morning for about five hours I was over 20 feet up on top of the framework of a loading/unloading machine replacing a drive motor...Two of my techs were afraid of heights, found out one of my engineers also had an issue with heights when he got dizzy in the scissor lift going up, so I grabbed another tech and went up with him and did it...

Its snowing tonight which is a pleasant surprise...I'm taking tomorrow off work, but working half a day Saturday...

...
 

pepe

Celestial
How can i put this, as a kid feb 13 was me and my dads day. He has been dead since 91 when he hung himself. but for some years now on the 13 of feb i hear his whistle,a very distinct whistle made by cupping ur 4 fingers with ur other ones with ur thumbs together and blowing through an opening below the thumb knuckle you can change the pitch by lifting ur fingers that are top of the others,if that makes any freakin sence at all. he used to call me in at night or at other times useing that whistle that one could hear for a long ways, it was the same whistle i heard this 13th and for some years now on the same day. This year i was walking from my car into work when i heard it. i stopped looked around and seen this man in dark pants, jacket and wearing a indiana jones type hat, i could not see any features even though it was sunny and about 1: pm, he was standing in the cemetery across the street looking right at me. there was lots of cars and people around so i kinda blew it off thinking it was something else surely, while finishing my cig before i went in i kept watching him as he walked away around the streets further into the cemetery and he kept stopping looking back at me. and finally went around a building so i went into work feeling at peace,calm,refreashed kinda, strange experience dont know really what to think. except i miss him so..

That's a heavy one to hold on to coubob and I hope that guy is your old fella keeping an eye on you.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
I live in New York. Until today, I had completely forgotten about the new law prohibiting stores from providing plastic bags. and imposing a 5¢ charge for each paper bag. Enforcement begins on March 1.

So I just ordered several reusable bags from Amazon. They say I should receive them by Feb 28.

Plastic bags vanished up here a few weeks ago and I say good riddance to them. Seemed incredibly wasteful to me. We self checkout and pack our own in the reusable bags and it really does make things easier.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Suffered a cringeworthy interview this morning. Don’t think this one’s on me.

Job posting has little bearing on what the job is. One cold fish young guy who asked two questions. Two others about my age that asked a couple of canned questions.

Something’s not right there.

What a waste of time. Another spoonful of s**t.

just found out they cancelled the job requisition. No doubt this explains ‘that look’. My instincts were correct, something was out of whack
 

nivek

As Above So Below
just found out they cancelled the job requisition. No doubt this explains ‘that look’. My instincts were correct, something was out of whack

Yeah sounds a bit fishy, something definitely out of place there, good you picked up on that...It seems that some interesting opportunities and/or possibilities opened up for me taking on this extra workload, next week is going to be the tell...

...
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Yeah sounds a bit fishy, something definitely out of place there, good you picked up on that...It seems that some interesting opportunities and/or possibilities opened up for me taking on this extra workload, next week is going to be the tell...

...

I think it went something like:

Friday afternoon 4pm: everyone goes home for a long weekend (President's Day) knowing there's a Tues 0900 interview.

Tuesday 8am: everyone comes in and does what people who have been entrenched in an office a long time do. Breakfast, coffee, check email and .... uh oh .... look at THAT one. Then it took a few minutes for the three of them to read the email that said the jog req had been cancelled. And then at 0850 Oh My God .... that's HIM sitting out there in the parking lot ....

These days you never know how people will react so the chances of one of them being a human being and just explaining the situation are zero. Better to let it get handled up the chain somewhere - not their job. So they did the only thing they could - like seeking the easiest path to earth - went forward anyway. The tension was palpable and we all felt it.
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Started work at 0600 this morning, right after the presses were shut down and the night shift left, jumped in some disposable coveralls and scrubbed the hydraulic cylinders, ten of them on Press One...These aren't small by any means, forty inch diameters each that are connected to a large twenty inch thick platen for pressing melamine sheets on particle board...The hydraulic cylinders have been leaking a little and the manager they fired was supposed to take care of this problem, now left to me, but they were so dirty and with old fluids coating them the first thing needed was a good cleaning...So yours truly took the dirtiest job of climbing up between all the cylinders with a pump sprayer of ZEP and another of water with a scrub brush and towels, hand cleaning each large cylinder all around each one with a tech on each side of the machine vacuuming out the cleaner and water from the top of the Platen along with the excess hydraulic fluid that has been leaking out...

We had to clean the cylinders first to see where the leaks are coming from, as it was they were way too dirty and grimy to tell, five hours later they are very clean, we finished about 1100 after putting all the tools and cleaning supplies away and scrubbing down my arms and hands of dirty hydraulic fluid and grease...When they run Press One on Monday we will watch for leaks and record the issues so we can order parts and/or seals and repair them...Press Two will get scrubbed down next Saturday morning the same way, only it has fourteen hydraulic cylinders, not ten, a large machine and will take more time...Its cylinders aren't leaking as bad as Press One, just four I think out of fourteen, but all need some scrubbing down...Press Three is a new machine, installed about 18 months ago, its is still shiny and spotless lol...After finishing the work the two techs told me they were damn impressed with my efforts jumping right into it and taking the dirtiest part of the job, they both said they hope I stay on in that facility as their new boss, they said after working with me today and what I did that they would do any job I asked them to do...

...
 

Toroid

Founding Member
Started work at 0600 this morning, right after the presses were shut down and the night shift left, jumped in some disposable coveralls and scrubbed the hydraulic cylinders, ten of them on Press One...These aren't small by any means, forty inch diameters each that are connected to a large twenty inch thick platen for pressing melamine sheets on particle board...The hydraulic cylinders have been leaking a little and the manager they fired was supposed to take care of this problem, now left to me, but they were so dirty and with old fluids coating them the first thing needed was a good cleaning...So yours truly took the dirtiest job of climbing up between all the cylinders with a pump sprayer of ZEP and another of water with a scrub brush and towels, hand cleaning each large cylinder all around each one with a tech on each side of the machine vacuuming out the cleaner and water from the top of the Platen along with the excess hydraulic fluid that has been leaking out...

We had to clean the cylinders first to see where the leaks are coming from, as it was they were way too dirty and grimy to tell, five hours later they are very clean, we finished about 1100 after putting all the tools and cleaning supplies away and scrubbing down my arms and hands of dirty hydraulic fluid and grease...When they run Press One on Monday we will watch for leaks and record the issues so we can order parts and/or seals and repair them...Press Two will get scrubbed down next Saturday morning the same way, only it has fourteen hydraulic cylinders, not ten, a large machine and will take more time...Its cylinders aren't leaking as bad as Press One, just four I think out of fourteen, but all need some scrubbing down...Press Three is a new machine, installed about 18 months ago, its is still shiny and spotless lol...After finishing the work the two techs told me they were damn impressed with my efforts jumping right into it and taking the dirtiest part of the job, they both said they hope I stay on in that facility as their new boss, they said after working with me today and what I did that they would do any job I asked them to do...

...
Do they sell expandable jackets that can cover the cylinders?
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Started work at 0600 this morning, right after the presses were shut down and the night shift left, jumped in some disposable coveralls and scrubbed the hydraulic cylinders, ten of them on Press One...These aren't small by any means, forty inch diameters each that are connected to a large twenty inch thick platen for pressing melamine sheets on particle board...The hydraulic cylinders have been leaking a little and the manager they fired was supposed to take care of this problem, now left to me, but they were so dirty and with old fluids coating them the first thing needed was a good cleaning...So yours truly took the dirtiest job of climbing up between all the cylinders with a pump sprayer of ZEP and another of water with a scrub brush and towels, hand cleaning each large cylinder all around each one with a tech on each side of the machine vacuuming out the cleaner and water from the top of the Platen along with the excess hydraulic fluid that has been leaking out...

We had to clean the cylinders first to see where the leaks are coming from, as it was they were way too dirty and grimy to tell, five hours later they are very clean, we finished about 1100 after putting all the tools and cleaning supplies away and scrubbing down my arms and hands of dirty hydraulic fluid and grease...When they run Press One on Monday we will watch for leaks and record the issues so we can order parts and/or seals and repair them...Press Two will get scrubbed down next Saturday morning the same way, only it has fourteen hydraulic cylinders, not ten, a large machine and will take more time...Its cylinders aren't leaking as bad as Press One, just four I think out of fourteen, but all need some scrubbing down...Press Three is a new machine, installed about 18 months ago, its is still shiny and spotless lol...After finishing the work the two techs told me they were damn impressed with my efforts jumping right into it and taking the dirtiest part of the job, they both said they hope I stay on in that facility as their new boss, they said after working with me today and what I did that they would do any job I asked them to do...

...

Having read your posts about work I think I've been given a peek into a problem I had back in 2016.

Remodeled our bathroom and picked Mid Continent Cabinetry. Eliminated a closet in favor of a cabinet. Slab style, flat faced, fairly large. They absolutely couldn't pull it off - as in, yes it's in their catalog and yes, they offered it for sale but had so many quality control issues I don't know where to begin. Technical issues in producing something difficult for them. If it's such a problem why offer it for sale? From what you've described I can guess why.

Had two factory reps in my house who were so full of s**t I needed hip waders. Not at the same time. The second one appeared because the first one had quit or got fired or abducted by Nordics. Who cares. Second one was a different version of the first. Loud and useless. Delayed by 3 months.

Ultimately we got what we had ordered and it's very nice. I have a few 'seconds' up in my attic. They sent a for-real cabinet maker/craftsman who came out and straightened it all out. He was totally cool and defused me. I got a full refund for the cabinets - over $3K - from their distributor.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Bad day yesterday. Older guy came in with his son and after a few minutes had a stroke or something right in front of me. I got him down easy and help came really fast. Bad scene. Hope he's OK. Probably never know. Went through this with my aunt a couple of times and nothing good comes from it.

But if you're going to hand someone a barf bucket is this the one you really want to use?
upload_2020-2-23_8-35-50.png
 
Top