Sunday, 30 October 2022

 A crisp Sunday morning. Clear skies, sunny and a bit chilly (47°F), but it feels good. 

The Mugwugs played a private Halloween party last night south of St. Cloud, near a tiny town called Rockville. We had a good time, sounded decent. I think the crowd enjoyed themselves. I got home a little after 11:00 PM and made some fun money in the process.

My lost book finally arrived via Amazon, days after it was supposed to be here. I had claimed a lost package (actually, Amazon suggested it was lost) and they sent a replacement. Now have have duplicate books, so I will have to return one. Or maybe I will just keep it? The jury's out.

Our shower debacle continues.  We STILL do not have an upstairs shower. The plumbers were here to finish the job this week, only to discover another panel to the surround is cracked at the bottom. The company was again kind enough to send another replacement which we are now waiting for (although at this point I am questioning the quality of the product). I cannot believe our bad luck with this project. 

...actually, that's not true. If it is going to go wrong, it will happen to me. 

So we are going on week six without an upstairs shower. It has really, really tested my patience. Our plumber does feel bad about it, though. He did say to let him know as soon as the panel comes in and they will make the time to come out and finish.

Today is reserved to be a lazy day for me. This past week has absolutely sucked at work -- the worst it has ever been. It is to the point where I am contemplating looking for another job, but that's a lot to digest. I am too old to start over again doing something else. I've done the college thing and soon my kids will be going to college. It is their turn now, I've had my shot; if I screwed up, that's on me, not on them. 

I have nearly 25 years invested with the organization, I have climbed the seniority ladder, and I have well over 500 hours of sick time which I've earned, but will lose if I leave. Can I tough it out for another 10 to 12 years before I can seriously think about retiring? I'm not sure. Maybe if I stopped caring about the quality of my work, if I just did the bare minimum and went home for the day, it would make it easier. Maybe that's the answer.

It is a pity because I know I am very good at what I do, but the company I work for does not give two shits about its employees. Simply put, it is miserable working for shitty people. And yeah, I know this is on the web and can be read by anyone. I won't mince words about how I feel. Fucking fire me.

I have a lot of thinking to do about this.

That said, I am going to plant my ass in front of my 72 inch t.v. and watch NFL Redzone all day. A Bloody Mary is undoubtedly on the radar as well. Maybe two.

Monday Morning

 Monday morning, a beautiful thing. I was on call this past weekend and I am glad it is over. I logged in 18 hours of work time and I never sleep well when I'm on call, so I am pretty tired. There's a good chance a nap is on my radar today.

My wife texted me on Saturday to tell me our thermostat wasn't working right (again). It keeps going dead (the screen goes blank) despite fresh batteries. It was a programmable high tech thing when I originally installed it (I am guessing 12 years ago?). I am disappointed it didn't last as long as I was expecting, but nothing is built to last anymore. 

Anyway, a poorly functioning thermostat is not a good thing going into the winter months, especially in Minnesota. So this morning I installed a new thermostat. It is a simple, non-programmable digital model. I am all about keeping it simple at this point in my life. 

Also, on Friday my wife's mysterious iPhone showed up! It took four times longer than it should have, but it finally arrived no worse for wear.

And in the continuing saga of things not arriving on time, I ordered a book from Amazon a week ago (And There Was Light by Jon Meachem). Today I got a notice that said "Your package might be lost, click here for a refund or a replacement."

My package was last seen at the Baxter post office some five days ago (the post office is about four miles from my house). I have no idea why getting a package to my residence is so incredibly difficult. It isn't like I live in the middle of absolutely nowhere.

A face only a mother (and father) could love. 

My daughter is a member of Key Club (a high school club) and that organization was on the "scare team" at the Northland Arboretum's haunted trail last weekend. She loves putting on (and creating) special effects make-up and she was completely in her element. I have to admit she does look a bit horrifying.

Today is my only off this week (my first day off since last Wednesday). After I get off work Friday, my band is rehearsing and we are playing a private Halloween party in St. Cloud on Saturday. We haven't played since the end of July, but I think everything will fall into place pretty fast. It will be fun to make music again and get away from work-related crap. Ugh.

More updates to come...

The '78 approach

 I was just a kid in 1978, but I do believe life wasn't quite as hectic as it is today. No smartphones. No internet. Instant access to information was science fiction. Life just came at you and you dealt with stuff on a day-by-day basis. You learned about the world on the evening news with John Chancellor (NBC) or Walter Cronkite (CBS). You got local news from the newspaper (Bertha Herald) and radio (KWAD). 

Whatever was going to happen tomorrow was saved for tomorrow. 

That's not the case today with all the conveniences of modern technology and instant information. In fact, instant access and up-to-the-second information can cause a great deal of unwarranted anxiety.

What do I mean? I'm glad you asked!

I bought a new iPhone 14 for my wife early last week. She has a very old iPhone 8 with a battery ready for the graveyard and it is way past due for an upgrade. I ordered the new phone from Verizon and it was shipped via UPS; I've done this at least five times in the past and things have always gone smoothly. 

Not this time. But if it wasn't for instant information, I wouldn't be nearly as stressed.

The main cause for my consternation is this new phone is not, shall we say, cheap. And 99% of my fretting is based off that fact alone. 

Anyway, according to UPS's tracking system, my package (the new phone) arrived at the UPS facility in my city on Monday, October 17. Shortly after that, it was out for delivery. Fantastic!

Except it never arrived. 

Later that evening, the tracking system updated my package as "processing at UPS facility," still in my city, just six miles (give or take) from where I live.

I thought this was odd, but rationalized that it must have been sorted to the wrong truck for delivery (I don't know how UPS is organized); surely the phone will come Tuesday. 

Well, that didn't happen. It went unscanned for 48 hours.

This caused more than a little concern for me. Unfortunately, as I've become older, I've developed into a terrible worry-wart. I cannot just let things play out. I have to brood, agonize and lose sleep over ridiculous things (I do remember my dear grandma Walker was the same way, so maybe it is genetic). Yes, I am working very hard on that gastric ulcer. 

Always one to act prematurely, I started investigating the claims process through UPS and Verizon's policy for a lost package. I tend to take the doomsday approach to almost everything. Worst possible scenario: that's me. 

Meanwhile, I could not understand how the most technologically advanced shipping service in the world could lose a package just miles from its destination?

Somehow we go from Minnesota to Florida without a single scan. I can't even....

Now this morning, October 18, my package is "on the way" and has suddenly departed from a facility in Jacksonville, Florida.

Wait... what?

How on earth did this package go from Minnesota to Florida without being scanned even once? It was never listed as "departed" from a facility in Minnesota or "arrived" to a facility in Florida. It just POOF! appeared (and departed) in Jacksonville overnight. 

Was it even in Minnesota? But if it wasn't, why was it "out for delivery" on Monday? It hurts my brain to even think about this anymore.

In 1978, I wouldn't even be fretting about this. No, I wouldn't know where my package was RIGHT NOW and I wouldn't feel that I'd even need to know. I'd simply know that my package would eventually arrive.

No worries.

I think I need to take a more '78 approach to everything. It is much healthier.

Observation Unrecorded

 What a beautiful fall day; it is very breezy, but with a temp of 78°F, it is hardly worth noting. 

I've not posted for a very long time--six months, to be exact. The spring, summer and most of fall has gone by. Indeed, I'm still here, which is pretty obvious since you are reading this. 

And if you are reading this, thank you for visiting. You must really want to be here because I'm not posting the link for my blog on social media anymore (in fact, I don't even look at social media anymore), I'm just posting for myself (and anyone who cares to read). I like journaling. I like keeping tabs on ideas and current events and looking back on them in context. 

I just finished a book today, Undaunted Courage by acclaimed historian, Stephen E. Ambrose. The subtitle of the book is Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West. I purchased the book while on vacation in Cody, Wyoming, this summer (I bought a whole bunch of books on that vacation!). I've been reading it for multiple weeks (I am a notoriously slow reader); essentially it is about the history surrounding the Lewis and Clark Expedition, with special emphasis on Lewis and Jefferson. 

The odd part is I finished reading it on the day Lewis died (today, October 11th), exactly 213 years later. 

Anyway, excellent book. I looked forward to reading it every single day. My interest in Corps of Discovery (the official name of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) piqued after visiting an interpretive center near Washburn, North Dakota, last year, where the Expedition spent the winter of 1804-05, near the Mandan villages. I purchased the Lewis and Clark journals while at the interpretive center, which I am going to read at some point.

~

Our upstairs bathroom is still not complete. A new shower is being installed (after waiting some 16 months for a plumber) only to find the main piece for the surround was damaged in the box. We contacted the company (Lyons) and they sent a new piece, no questions asked--great customer service. Now, two weeks later, we are still waiting for the surround to be installed.

Still not done...

I spent the 53rd birthday in Walker, MN. A quick getaway. Enjoyed the crisp air and beautiful fall colors on Walker Bay of Leech Lake. Also enjoyed the fantastic beer of Portage Brewing. 

Walker City Dock, near Chase on the Lake Hotel in Walker, MN

Of course it is football season and I've greatly enjoyed watching my son play. He's really improved this year and he seems to really enjoy playing. My daughter is really active in school: member of student council, theater department stage manager, plays in the pep band, symphony and jazz band. They are my source of eternal pride and happiness.

Seven tackles that day!

She's become "famous" for her frog hat during pep band

Some times I get in on the act at football games. It's a pretty good view from here.

Well, there's a quick update. I suppose I am a bit motivated to jot something down since the passage of yet another birthday. It always seems like a good reset. Plus, I read a quote from Undaunted Courage last night that struck me: "Observation unrecorded is knowledge lost." (James P. Ronda)

Now, if I could just keep at it for 21 days. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit.

We'll see.