Stupid Co-Workers

 From the title of this thread you already know I'm about to talk about work shenanigans.   Unfortunately when you have to work with different people there are times when you clash with them.   In my case I mostly interact with my team online and even when going to the office, I still interact online since the majority of my team works in the Indianapolis office.

So there are a couple folks that are struggling in the support role.   They let their cases drag out for weeks and months without updating their customers.   This of course results in customers being angry and then management usually has to reach out to other engineers such as myself to clean up the mess.

One of those folks I will call Jerry.   Jerry has a habit of sitting on his cases and continuously using stalling tactics.   He also would not reach out for assistance only taking action when the case got escalated and then management needed to step in.

My manager found a role with a team where he would not be required to think.   Pretty much the role would be resetting passwords for users or activating various features.   Since he was transitioning his remaining cases were handed off to various team members.   I was stuck with two of his cases.   Sadly both of these cases were simple cases that could've been resolved that same day.   Instead they were dragged for more than 30 days.   

One of those cases I got on a call with the customer and Jerry.   After I explained the solution the customer understandably was exasperated that it took almost two months to resolve.   I asked him to create a request so I could get credit for the assist.   He never did so and wound up closing the case before it could be done.   I debated if I should reach out to management to complain but decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

His other case I inherited I was able to resolve the issue and received the same exasperated reaction.   I've had a harder time closing the case as the customer is not stalling wanting to see if another person had any questions.   But I'm hoping I'll be able to close it finally sometime this week.

As bad as Jerry was, there's one other employee that is even worse.  Roni is one of those millennials that does the bare minimum but knows how to skirt the system to get by.   He's done such things as messaging teammates and saying that he's at the spa while he's supposed to be at work.   He's teased my manager mercilessly and even made an ignorant comment asking her if she bathes.

He reaches out to team members to ask questions but when you reply back he disappears.   He is always hiding himself from being seen online.  

When our area was hiring new engineers and they were looking for team members to act as mentors, he asked my manager if he could be a mentor.   She told him "hell no".   Why would she want new employees to emulate his behaviors?

There is a mandate that all senior employees must have the Advanced Admin cert as well as the AI Associate cert by the end of April or mid-May at the latest.   The assumption is if they're unable to get it then they may be terminated.   Roni does not have either.   I'm praying that he's unable to get them and maybe they'll finally be able to get rid of him.

He is so lazy and I hate that he was moved to my swarm team.   He's become quite the distraction to the channel and I dread having to assist him on his swarms as all he does is cut and paste any responses and sends them to the customer.   For example one of his cases that I helped him on, I asked him if he could "please ask the customer for clarification on their question".    I checked out his case and his response to the customer was "please ask the customer for clarification on their question".   What an idiot!   Surprisingly the customer did not blow up considering he talked to them in the third person.

Every job has their crazy, stupid people.   Those are just a couple of them that I've had to deal with or still have to deal with periodically.   I'll definitely have to keep things posted on Roni.   A Roni that's definitely not the one to make their daddy real proud or the kind of Roni that stands out in a crowd (well actually he does but for all the wrong reasons...LOL)  Bonus points if you know where that line came from.   Hint...it's a popular song from a 90's R&B bad boy.

It's A Solar Eclipse

 

Universal Appeal - The Misfits

VERSE:
It's a total eclipse, the moon's overtaking the sun
It's a total eclipse, you're coming to grips
You'll be left in the shadows when I get done
For I got...

REFRAIN:
Universal Appeal (Universal Appeal)
Universal Appeal (Universal Appeal)
Hailey's Comet has nothing on me
(Nothing Nothing)
I'm the brightest star in the galaxy

Universal Appeal (Universal Appeal)
Universal Appeal (Universal Appeal)
I keep growing bigger each day
Soon I'm gonna outshine the Milky Way

BRIDGE:
In My Own Mind's Eye
I am the Sky
So why should I be shy
When I've Got

OUTRO:

(I've Got) Universal Appeal
I've Got (Universal Appeal)
I've Got (Universal Appeal)
I've Got (Universal Appeal)
I've Got Universal Universal Appeal

The media has definitely made the biggest deal out of the Solar Eclipse that took place on 04/08.   The only story that was on repeat was the various outlets filming the moments live as the Solar Eclipse events played out throughout various parts of the country.   

It was crazy seeing people make their way to various paths where they were expected the path of totality to take place.   I was glad I didn't have to commute to Indianapolis since that was one of the spots of totality.

My neck of the woods was indirectly in the path but nonetheless we did experience a bit of darkness as the moon overtook the sun.   Dom decided to stay home since he anticipated the kids would be extra nutty as a lot of area schools were doing various things to encourage the kids to watch the eclipse.

I will say that it was a bit surreal to see the eclipse in action.   It does remind us that there are bigger things at play than all the crazy crap we deal with on a daily basis.    And perhaps that's the whole point.  Just like The Misfits song above, this post is short and sweet.   Till next time.

The Language of Music

 I was feeling a bit nostalgic about my childhood when on Sunday afternoons my Mom would play some records that were from my parents time.   A lot of the music were from French artists since my family were from the islands.   One of my Mom's favorite artists was Mireille Mathieu.   She's a French singer born July 22, 1946, the oldest of 14 children in a town named Avignon.   She truly is the story of rising from rags to riches.   The family lived in poverty for many years and she worked various odd jobs to make ends meet.   She starting singing at age 4 and started singing at a local contest in 1962.   She lost twice before winning in 1964 singing a song by another famous French singer Edit Pilaf.   From there she worked her way up and went through her own ups and downs on her journey to being a world-wide musical sensation.

My Mom had several of Mireille's albums.   One of my favorite albums to listen to was her album J'étais si jeune, which translates to "I Was So Young".   Weren't we all?   It especially became my favorite since the album was released in 1972, the year of my birth.

My Mom would translate the songs for us to try and better understand.   I did appreciate the effort but always felt bad because I would later forget.   I hate thinking that my Mom's efforts were in vain.   They weren't though and what I couldn't forget was the amazing melodies themselves.   Music indeed is the universal language that evokes feelings no matter the language.  I remembered enjoying listening to them and the memories of seeing the joy in my Mom's face when it played.   She would lovingly sing along to the music.   They were happy times and it makes me miss my Mom.

This is why I wanted to take this time to translate the songs from Mireille's J'étais si jeune album.   I have to give credit to the Lyrics Translate website for the translates.   I'm so grateful that translations are so easily available today.   Without further ado, here is the translations of Mireille's album.

Song 1 - J'étais Si Jeune

Verse 1:

I was sixteen

The promises were beautiful

The days passed as if in a dream

When I saw him so grand in the sun

The fire of love flaired in me

Refrain:

I was so young for my first love

I was so young but it was my turn

It was my dream come true

I forgot everything when he held me tight

The sky all around danced

I could have died in his arms

So much did I already love him

Verse 2:

We gave ourselves all the joys of life

A marvelous passion

But he was a prisoner of his past

Another love waited for his return...

Refrain 2:

I was so young for my first love

I was so young, goodbye to my most precious days

It was my dream that shattered without a sound

I will never forget, throughout my life,

Those days passed close with him -

And the scars in the depths of my heart

Reminds me of my happiness

Outro:

I was so young for my first love

I was so young, but I think about it all the time

I was so young for my first love

I was so young, but I think about it all the time

My thoughts:  First off the song in English definitely does not sound as good.  I wouldn't change a thing about it though.  I do now remember my Mom telling me this song was about a first love.   I was young back then so didn't really understand that kind of love.   But I only had to live life to learn the same lessons that Mireille sang so beautifully.   I had to grow into love though.  I don't think I ever truly fell heads over heels with anyone.   I definitely fell in lust initially but I grew to love in time.   Such a beautiful song and a great way to start the album.

Song 2 - Le Chemin Du Ciel

Refrain:

To You

To You

To You

Verse 1:

To you the soldier of a fight you who had no other weapon or goal other than love

(To you)

To you the whole world runs to forget its tragedies and live better here below

Repeat Refrain

Verse 2:

To you the humiliated, the offended who fight under the weight of the burden of your cross

(To you)

To you a burning world turns and proclaims the right to have faith

Bridge:

All roads lead us to you

You are light and joy

All roads lead us to you

Listen to our voices

On this Earth as in a desert

Man is lost without you

It's your sun that will open it to him

The path to heaven

Repeat Refrain

Verse 3:

To you legions of twenty years throw to the four winds the echoes of their songs

(To you)

To you millions of unbelievers will seek a creed for a new world

Repeat Bridge

Repeat Refrain

My thoughts:  My mind is blown.  I never knew this song was a dedication to Jesus Christ.  Now that I think about it, when I hear the men in the background chant "to you", they did sound like a marching song.  And Jesus truly was a soldier who died on the cross for our sins.  Now that I know the meaning, I'll never think of the song in the same vein again.   

Song 3 - Corsica

Verse 1:

Your own love is your country

Your island is sunny day after day

For your life is the same color as the sky

Everything is finished

I won't come back and tonight,

We fall in love for the very last time

Refrain:

Goodbye Corsica, it's over

The love of your life was not me

Corsica, I'm leaving tonight

The love of your life is your country

Verse 2:

You love your big skies

And your plants in bloom and in your eyes

I see flames of so many pleasures

You think about them, and then you forget about me

I won't come back and tonight,

We will live to fall in love for the very last time

Repeat Refrain

Outro:

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

Repeat Refrain

My thoughts:  This song is so short and sweet.  I didn't know what Corsica was growing up but now I know it's an island not far from Tuscany, Italy.   Clearly in the refrain you can hear the Italian influence in the melody.  In short it sounds like a song about a country that is no longer home for the singer in question as they leave to chart off on new adventures.

Song 4 - Une Passerelle

Verse 1:

A gangway and there you are on a plane, the plane waiting

A footbridge that is removed you leave and I see you leaving

A caravel went up there, my head is upside-down in the sky

And I stay there, I who believed that nothing was ever going to separate us

Refrain:

It all went away in one day, all this love, so strong, so sweet, yes

Everything went away our clear mornings when the Earth only turned for us

Verse 2:

Where will our honeymoons go if you never come back

Wherever you call me from, I leave everything immediately to go to you

Forget our quarrels, I will rush to throw myself into your arms

It was sunny and I stood there in despair, shivering but it wasn't the cold

Repeat Refrain several times

My thoughts: I don't remember this being a song I particularly liked.   And now that I see the lyrics in English, I can understand why.   Poor Mireille was pretty much a doormat in this song.   It's definitely not something to aspire to.   She lived her life only for her love and would drop everything, even to the detriment of her own well-being.   But I do get that.  When you are in love, you do silly things.  I will say I've done my share of "silly" for some guys but thankfully I woke up and smelled the coffee not too long afterwards.   Or I had a Eugene or Sally telling me the errors of my ways...repeatedly.  Till it sunk...LOL.

Song 5 - La Chanson Du Depart

Verse 1:

Never say no, never "goodbye"

The departure song, it's a "see you again"

Never say no, never "goodbye"

Into a drink with friends who are here tonight

Bridge 1:

They are coming to tell you goodbye

We are going to sing of love and hope

And pretend to believe

Verse 2:

We love each other and tomorrow you leave

The departure song, it's a "see you again"

Never say no, never "goodbye"

Think about us sometimes when you are happy

Bridge 2:

I would have wanted to sleep in your arms

And to forget that love had gone

Tomorrow for you and me

Verse 3:

If sometimes I close my eyes

Don't believe I will cry, it's better to see you

Never say no, never "goodbye"

The departure song, it's a "see you again"

It's a "see you again", nothing but a "see you again"

It's a "see you again", nothing but a "see you again"

Outro:

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh ,oooh, oooh

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh

My thoughts: I loved the melodies and harmonies of this song.   I do love this song is almost similar to the previous song except it doesn't give a sense that she's a doormat this time.   It's more like not wanting things to end but knowing that it has to.   But it'll be a happy memory when you think of that person again.   I do hear the slight Italian influences similar to Corsica.   I definitely enjoy listening to this on repeat.

Song 6 - En Frappant Dans Nos Mains

Verse 1: 

All together, we are there

The night is grand,

Populated joy,

Some people play

On their guitar

Then suddenly start a song

That the crowd resumes

Refrain:

Clapping our hands, we wait for the morning

We're ready to live, this life that we love

Clapping our hands, we forget our sorrows

We dream elsewhere, on a world of the best day

Verse 2:

Your eyes are blue

Mine are black

What is your God?

I want to know

All is magic around us

Everything seems easy and crazy

And the sky is at us

Repeat Refrain

Bridge:

I watch you and my heart beats

You're beautiful, I love you, I love

We're together and the happiness is there

My life starts with you

Verse 3:

We leave from the day

Across the horizon

And our love

To our friends

Cries 'thank you'

For grand and happy night

Who reunites us

Repeat Refrain

La, la, la, la, la, la...

My thoughts:  This song seemed like a good camp song.   Now that I see the words translated, it does seem like my sentiments fit here.   The best part is near the end where Mireille's accompanied by an unnamed singer who effortlessly repeats her every line until the end of the song.    This continues to be one of my favorite songs and was a good way to end "side one"...back when we had to flip the record over to continue hearing an album...LOL.

Song 7 - Adieu Je T'aime

Verse 1:

I'm getting married tomorrow

Say goodbye to me

And then get out

There's no more time

To tell me you love me

I'm getting married tomorrow

Say goodbye to me

This evening, you and I

No longer have the right 

To say "I love you" to each other

I'm getting married tomorrow

And you come back

It's too late

In our story

There's nothing left

But a little love

A little choice

In a blow of heartache

It's too late, you see

To say, "I love you"

Verse 2:

I'm getting married tomorrow

And yet, you know

If you wanted

We could have left

Both of us, together

I'm getting married tomorrow

You don't say anything 

You don't want any other duties

But a little pleasure

That we took together

And then you'll leave

It's no longer you 

It will never again be you

Who will hold me

In the hollows of your arms

Bridge:

So get out

There's no more time

To say "I love you"

I'm getting married tomorrow

Good bye, I love you

I'm getting married tomorrow

Good bye, I love you

I'm getting married tomorrow

Good bye, I love you

My thoughts:  This song always had a twinge of sadness in it.  It's quite a sad way to start the second half of a record.   In fact I thought of this song in recent years as a farewell song to my Mom, especially the ending where it's sung "Good bye, I love you".  Obviously now that I know the song is about a guy who lost his chance at a love for procrastinating and not expressing his feelings, the song takes on a different meaning.   Yes guy, she's getting married tomorrow.  Did you hear her?  She repeats it several times over.    However I choose to remember the sentiment I had on the song prior to the translation.   I love and miss my Mom so much.   Such a beautiful and sad song.

Song 8 - Ils S'en Vont Tous Un Jour 

Verse 1:

Don't cry Fanny

Do not cry

It's not yet today

That your love Fanny will come back to you

His beautiful journey is not finished

Refrain:

They all go away one day that we love and nothing can ever hold them

They all go away one day that we love they have that day their most beautiful smile

Is it the mountain or is it the sea or the sky that comes to us take them one morning

They all go away one day that we love neither you nor I will we never be able to do anything

Verse 2:

Don't stay Fanny

There on the port

It's starting to get cold outside

Long is the wait

We don't get used to it

I knew her just like you

Repeat Refrain

My thoughts:  I just remembered the intro to the song breaking me out of the somber left from the previous song.   I will say the translation seems a bit weird.   I feel sorry that there are folks with the name "Fanny".   But maybe "Fanny" is the girl in the song "Une Passerelle" (song 4) who stays out in the cold too long when Mireille sings in Verse 2 to not stay out in the port in the cold.   I hope you listened Fanny.   I do love the beat of the song if nothing else.

Song 9 - Emporte-Moi

Verse 1:

Take me aboard a great love 

In a long-term dream all around the Earth

Take me between sky and water

Towards new countries bursting with light

I stayed on this platform too long 

To watch from other hearts on a cruise

Come take my hands in your dreams

And let our love show us the way

Verse 2:

Take me aboard a great love 

In a long-term dream all around the Earth

Take me everyday of your life

Every hour of your days in each of your dreams

I want to love you like we no longer love each other

How afraid we are to love today

When we love I want to love you like you only love once

And build this love with you every day

Bridge:

We must remember the dreams before they end

Let time take them away 

I closed the door to dream with you

Repeat Verse 2

My thoughts:  The Italian influence is strong in this song as well.   I like the sentiment of the song.  It's mostly fantasy obviously but it's nice to dream grandiose thoughts when being with the one you love.

Song 10 - Quand J'entends Cet Air-Là

Verse 1:

When I hear that tune

Love is good, close to you

When I hear that tune

This is the signal that you are home

As I live below I hear this tune when you play it

When everything is asleep I will see you without making noise

Refrain:

Beating heart I join you

My parents don't know anything about it

In your arms until the morning under the roofs

We are so good

Verse 2:

When I hear that tune

Love is good, close to you

How to go back down

It's a long day without you

When I hear that tune

Everything is changed, I dance with joy

It's night and it's time

On the stairs I tremble and I'm afraid

Refrain 2:

In your room we are hidden

And without fear we can love each other 

Under the roofs we see the sky 

And sometimes the Eiffel Tower

Verse 3:

When I hear that tune

Love is good, close to you

One day we will be taken

And without fanfare we will get married

As I only think about that

Everytime my heart beats

When I hear that tune

Love is good, my love

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

My thoughts:  I liked the melody of this song and who wouldn't love a guy who has a room with the view of the Eiffel Tower.   Dom and I talk about going to Paris one day to see it.    He has been years back but not with anyone he loves.   I do hope we get to see the Eiffel Tower in person one day.   Yes that's what I got out of this song...LOL.

Song 11 - Dieu Te Garde

Refrain:

God bless you, oh my love

God keep you, until I return

God saves you from the bad days

I have to leave my love

Verse 1:

When time tells you (forget)

When the wind tells you (forget)

And when day after day you will remain alone

All alone in life

When your heart tells you (forget)

When the night tells you (forget)

And when it gets cold

That winter will come bringing the rain

Repeat Refrain

Verse 2:

When boredom tells you (forget)

When love tells you (forget)

And that adventure 

Will open arms to that nostalgia

Repeat Refrain twice

My thoughts - The song starts with a rock type of beat which is catchy.   And I'm laughing at the word "forget".  In French the backing singers say "oublie".   All these years I thought they were singing "Ooh  Wee"...LOL.   From the mind of babes.   I never corrected myself till now.    It reminds me how for the longest time when SWV sang Downtown (and what a departure from Mireille...LOL) I thought they were talking about going downtown shopping.   It wasn't till years later I realized they were talking about oral sex.    Even Coko admitted in an interview she thought it was about shopping at first.   I'll choose to sing "forget" as "ooh wee" thank you very much.

Last Song - Pleure Mon Coeur

Verse 1:

Cry my heart - cry my heart

Cry, cry, my heart

You who were made to sing

The joy of life - cry, my heart

What makes the bird fall from the sky?

What does the wounded bird do?

He no longer can fly

He cannot even sing anymore

Like the bird, I'm cold - I'm scared

You can cry, cry, my heart

Bridge:

My heart, you remember

He had taught me everything - it was beautiful - it was good

He knew how to take me away

On mad trips to sunny islands

The world was mine

For a moment of joy in the clasp of his arms

You, my heart, you beat

And you laughed and you sang

Verse 2:

Cry my heart - cry my heart

Cry, cry, my heart

You who were made to sing

The joy of life - cry, my heart

What does the child that you abused do?

What does the lost child do?

He does not know why

But he knows that you do not love him

Like the child, I'm cold - I'm scared

You can cry, cry, my heart

I love him - 

I love him - 

I love him - 

I love him - 

I love him -

I love him - 

My thoughts:  This song always spooked me as a kid.   When I started watching horror movies, the movie Jason theme reminded me of this song.    I remember that Mom would always start this side of the album first and then the other side which was the first half.   And now I know why.   What a sad tragic song to end the album on.    It is hauntingly beautiful especially the ending where she repeats "I love him..." till you barely hear her over the louder and louder music, the Jason horror ending.

A Third Look Revisited

Almost three months ago I blogged about a past hookup named Anthony who I first met in 2005 and hooked up with in 2021 and again reconnected for a third time with, online at least.   We promised to meet up sometime in 2024 for another hookup.   Well that promise finally took place last Friday on 03/15.   

I decided to take the 15th off since I made the 2 1/2 hour minimum trek to Indianapolis on the 14th for a work related quarterly townhall.   The car trip of course was the most arduous part of the day.   It was a mostly rainy morning though thankfully things cleared up by the time I arrived.

It seemed a lot of the newer folks were excited to see me.  It felt a bit surreal to have all this attention on me since I like to stay out of the spotlight.   I also found out that our townhall was not taking place in a conference room but rather at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the NBA's Indianapolis Pacers and the WNBA's Fever teams.

The stadium is about half a mile from our corporate office so the team all walked over.   It was my first time inside the stadium.   The townhall mostly featured lady trailblazers within the company talking about their various journeys at the company.   There was also a slide featuring those who were promoted in the last quarter.    I saw my name on the big screen which was pretty cool to see.   At the end of the event we all got to take a group photo with one of the speakers and then we walked back to our office.

It just so happened that it was Pi Day so as part of that day, there were pizza pies available to all the floors for everyone to take part in.   So at least lunch was taken care of.

I wound up staying a bit late to help one of my mentees on a particularly challenging case.   I was glad I decided to take that Friday off.

So I noticed that Anthony stared at my "social networking" profile earlier that week without responding.  Since I decided to take the day off on the 15th, I thought it would be good to reach out to him.   But on Wednesday I started to experience the head cold symptoms that I managed to mostly avoid while Dom was still dealing with congestion.   I wanted to message Anthony to let him know ahead of time that I took the day off.   But I didn't know how I would feel by that day so I opted not to.

I told myself that I had to go Thursday to Indianapolis regardless since I didn't want to make it seem like I was avoiding the trip.   I pretty much was sniffling and blowing my nose most of that day.

I was feeling stuffy come Friday morning but I still wanted to see if I could meet Anthony since I wasn't sure how soon I'd have another free day.   I went back and forth though on messaging, reverting back to my high school days.   I didn't want to be presumptuous that Anthony didn't have other plans for the day and wasn't just sitting around waiting for me to text him.

But I got encouragement from a random video I was watching from the website of an upcoming conference that I plan to attend in June.   One of the speakers said, "Do It Scared, Do It Afraid, Do It Anyway."   I never heard anyone encourage folks quite like that but I repeated that mantra and went ahead and texted Anthony.   Worse case scenario he would just be busy and could always reschedule another time.

It turned out he wasn't busy and he invited me over.  I managed to breath again through my nose after taking an inhaler decongestant.   I prepped myself and then made my way over.   Anthony and I chatted for a bit when I arrived.   We did the same thing when we met in 2021.   

It was then show time.  Anthony and I had a great time again.  He definitely knows what he's doing.  It's cool that he still has the desire for sex in his 60's.   I guess there are guys that still have it in their 60's and beyond.    

He's a pretty cool guy.   He's actually a retired school teacher that's going for a PH.D in education that he has a dissertation for in April.  (Heh I guess I have a type...LOL).   We were chatting afterwards about the lack of positive gay black couples that you see in media.   He said he didn't even think at one time that black guys could be together in a relationship.   I honestly didn't think it was possible either.  I did try to connect with other gay black men with bad results.   We both remembered this young-ish black couple in Atlanta that does Youtube videos and agreed that it is nice to see more representation these days.

I admit our conversation had me wondering what would've happened if Anthony and I had a second date.  I just remembered not really feeling a spark with him so it never happened.  But you never know what would've happened had I gave him another shot.    Would I have even met Rock, Midas, or Dom?   Would I have still worked at my previous job?   Would I still be at my old home?   Life is pretty interesting.   Every choice you make leads to your other choices.    Everything happens for a reason. 

I am glad Anthony and I reconnected once again.   Maybe we'll do it again sooner.

Hot Cop Short

 

No I didn't get pulled over recently by a hot cop.   But OMG...this video gave me the laughs that I didn't know I needed today.   This woman definitely did her part to get herself out of a parking ticket.    The cop in question (assuming it wasn't a staged video) was all smiles and damn it, he is hot.   She threw a few truth bombs in there such as if all cops that were hired were as hot as he was, there would be no violence.    I just had to share this video with whomever still reads my blog and most importantly for me to periodically look at when I need a smile on my face.   

I have been pulled over by office cutie decades back.   I wish I could've gotten away with doing this.   Maybe I wouldn't have gotten a ticket.   Though I wound up getting that ticket dismissed.  Who knew too that I would wind up relocating almost ten years after that incident to Indiana, not far from where I had to go to court that time.   Hopefully this woman didn't get one either.   She definitely put a smile on my face and also on officer cutie.

Spotlight Effect

 Since getting my promotion I've definitely noticed my work days are getting busier.   Besides having to be available for Severity 1 cases, I also have to make myself available for my mentees whenever they have case issues and also other team members with their questions.   I also have to be able to meet my weekly goals at the same time.   It's been crazy.

During my manager's weekly meeting a few weeks back, she mentioned that she wanted to have a segment where an individual talks about an interesting case and do a show and tell with the group.  Our team mostly consists of wallflowers so you can imagine how well that suggestion went.   So when my manager saw nobody was biting, she made a mention of going by alphabet for presenters.   There was another team member with her name starting with A that of course protested.   

Imagine my surprise when A suggested that she and I present a case together that she was asking my help on.  I wasn't even trying to get my name tossed and somehow I wound up coming to the forefront.   So basically I was volunteered with her the following week to present the case.

That week comes and the case in question actually is in investigation by another team and I didn't hear anything from A regarding what to present.   So to save face I decided to dig out one of my cases to present.   I quickly emailed the manager to let her know about my case.   

So I wound up doing a presentation which I hated but it mostly went without a hitch.   There was a minor hiccup in coding that I luckily was able to fix.   Basically the case that A was wanting to present with me doesn't appear to be anymore ready this week to present.   But I did my part last week so I'm hoping A steps up and presents another case.

But besides that it seems that management wants "senior folks" (I'm in that category now) to volunteer and update Knowledge Articles and do additional demos with other colleagues.   I just want to go hide in a corner but I seem to be out in the open.

I will say that the promotion isn't all bad though.  I'm definitely enjoying the raise that comes with it.  I guess management wants to get their money's worth from me.   Guess I need to step up my game.

Lost That Familiar Feeling

 Dom recently made several expensive purchases for his little hobby that were set to arrive a week back.   He was eagerly looking forward to unboxing those items and taking pictures of them.   He got an email while at school that his package was safely delivered to our residence.   So imagine his shock when he didn't see a package when he got home.   Of course he asked me if there were any deliveries and I said there weren't.

We have a problem where the street numbers for our blocks all match the same digits with a street name that starts with the same letter.   We'll call that letter T.    So we live at 555 Thomas Lane, the next street over there's a 555 Theodore Lane, the next street after that it's 555 Teddy Lane.   You get the picture!  Combine the closely named streets with an ever revolving cast of postal workers and you have a case of mistaken landings.   There were times when we got mail and packages from 555 Teddy Lane and times when 555 Teddy Lane got our packages.   I honestly feel there may have been times when the deliverer realizes the error but due to time constraints they're like fuck it, the recipients will sort it out.

So Dom made me go to 555 Theodore Lane and 555 Teddy Lane to see if his package landed there.   It's harder for him to move around efficiently these days so it's easier to send me.   I wasn't thrilled about doing it but you do things when you're in a relationship.   So neither of our neighbors had the package.  So having spent an obscene amount of money, Dom was upset wondering where it could be.

The next day he went to our local post office.   The person working there told him there was nothing she could do and that he would have to go to a larger branch for assistance.   He posted a rant message on our local Facebook page asking for help in whereabouts.   I of course told him that I wished he didn't insult the postal workers in the process since the very people that read the message may very well be related to a postal worker or is an actual worker.   But of course Dom didn't care.   We had that discussion before on our differences to approaching situations and how we mirrored my parents so won't mention it again...LOL.

In the end after he went to the larger branch, they confirmed that the package had the wrong address and it actually went to someone at 505 Thomas Lane.    Guess who had to go pick it up?   Apparently the home isn't occupied but thankfully the package was still there, slightly weathered of course.    I was glad things had a happy ending this time.   He's in the process of resolving the issue with the sender having the wrong address.

But I couldn't help but wonder if we didn't have a revolving cast of postal workers and had a regular person working the route, like we used to have, the story would've taken a different turn.   Someone who was familiar with the route may have looked at the name and say "Dom lives at 555 not 505.  I believe the package should go there."   Then that person would likely ring our doorbell and verify that the package belonged to our household.   Also a regular person may think there's never any mail delivered at 505, what is going on?

Having different postal workers every other day, I wouldn't expect them to remember the nuances like people's name.   They just read what's on the address and place it there.   So they weren't totally distracted on their phones like Dom complained about in this case.   Well they probably were but they only were delivering at the address that was printed on the label.    And thank goodness the mislabel was an actual address.   On our block there's a 505, 525, and 555 but nothing between.   What if the label said 515 or worse 155.    Where would the package have gone?    Thankfully for me the place was only six houses away and thankfully no one stole the package.

Another thing about not having a regular postal worker is who would I give the holiday tip to.  I remember I used to tip my postal worker at my old house around the holiday time and I may have done it once at our current home when we used to have a regular worker.   But with the revolving line of credit, you wind up tipping whoever is lucky to show up that day and the others get stiffed.     It is a shame how things change and not always for the better.

Office Returns

 My manager mentioned in our weekly team meeting that our company is mandating that everyone returns back to the office 3 days a week.   There wasn't much reaction on the call on the news.   The company made some noise last year on wanting employees to return to the office.   A couple folks left the company because of the news and there's been a lot of discord from folks on our message boards where grievances can be aired.   But the trend seems to be pushing towards getting folks to return.   It's said that 90% of companies are planning to implement return-to-office policies by end of 2024.   Also 30% threaten to fire those who do not comply.

There's been stories of downtowns becoming ghost towns since the pandemic.   According to a Forbes article, downtowns in Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco are at most half as active as they were in their heyday.   

I will say that even though the SouthShore trains seem full when I do go in the office, I can see that the station parking lots aren't as full as they used to be.   I remember when I was working downtown Chicago in 2018 that some mornings when I had to drive to the further location to park if you were late, you would not get a parking spot.   Now I can park in an area that's mostly away from folks and there's not a lot of cars nearby.    Also the trains have been reducing cars which is why the trains still seem full.   I do look forward to the station nearby finally being available so I don't have to worry about commuting to the station.

It's so funny when I was talking to Eugene about my promotion, he was telling me that I should consider going back to the office at least twice a week.    He was telling me about some moves he had to make on the job that required an in-person touch that email would not work.

I'll admit I've been spoiled by mostly working remote and not thrilled by having to return.  I'm especially annoyed since this week is Fat Tuesday and I was looking forward to going to a local bakery to get some Paczki's but Tuesdays and Thursdays they want us in the office.   I may just have to go extra early to the spot and then just be a little late for work.    But you know I guess I shouldn't bitch too much since I did get that promotion.   Rather this then my Amazon days, right.

Causing A Promotion

Madonna - Causing A Commotion

Refrain:

I've got the moves baby, you got the motion
If we got together we'd be causing a commotion
I've got the moves baby, you got the motion
If we got together we'd be causing a commotion

Verse 1:
You met your match when you met me
I know that you will disagree it's crazy
But opposites attract you'll see
And I won't let you get away so easy
The love you save may be your own
Can't fight this feeling, aren't you tired of being alone
You won't admit it but you know it's true
It's not a secret how I feel when I stand next to you

Repeat Refrain:

Verse 2:
Someday you'll see my point of view
You can't keep wishing on the stars baby
What works for me can work for you
You've got to make a compromise and maybe
Then we can keep our love alive
And when it falls we won't let it die
It doesn't matter if you win or lose
It's how you play the game so get into the groove

Repeat Refrain 
 
Causing a commotion, causing a commotion
Causing a commotion, causing a commotion

Bridge:
I hope you find what you're looking for
Is it mine, walk through that door
We're wasting time, make up your mind
And get into the groove

Then we can keep our love alive
And when it falls we won't let it die
It doesn't matter if you win or lose
It's how you play the game so get into the groove

I hope you find what you're looking for
Is it mine, walk through that door
We're wasting time, make up your mind
And get into the groove

Repeat Refrain
 

Causing a commotion, causing a commotion
Causing a commotion, causing a commotion

I received some good news from my manager this week.  It took a bit of time before we were able to connect to share it with me since we were both busy with meetings.   It's been a bit hectic since I'm the guide for four of my company's newer employees.   It's very intense working with them and then trying to work on my own cases.   I want to scream but I'm keeping it pushing.

So when my manager and I finally met, she shared with me that I officially received a promotion.   As I mentioned my manager was discussing with me on strategies I should take in order to get a promotion sometime in 2024.    I just didn't expect it to happen so early in 2024 let alone at all.   

From what my manager told me it's a competitive process to even be considered for one.  One of the things I needed to do of course was increase my responsibility load, including taking on high severity cases which I started doing a few months ago.

I remember telling my manager that I wasn't interested in joining the team that handled Sev1 cases.   But the person who took on the role wound up getting a promotion and basically they reached out to me to take over the role.   At the time they asked me about taking over, I didn't know about that individual's promotion.   So I was hemming and humming over whether I should or not.   But when I found out about the individual's promotion, I was channeling Roxy Hart in Chicago where she changed her tune about wearing a hideous dress for her court appearance after the prison killed another lady by hanging.   The next scene Roxy was like..."ohh I don't think this outfit is so bad"...LOL.    And I was like, "Oh maybe this Sev1 thing isn't so bad."...LOL.    We changed our tunes with a quickness.

That may have been the thing that tipped the scales in my favor.    I still can't believe it happened.   The timing of the promotion also happens to coincide with my second anniversary starting work there.   What a way to celebrate my second anniversary.    

There may have been some other soft factors as well that contributed to my getting a promotion.   Out of everyone on my team, I'm one of only two folks who turns on their camera during my manager's weekly Zoom meeting.   The other person is already a senior person.   I honestly felt awkward turning it on while everyone else had theirs off but I think it made my manager feel better knowing that she wasn't alone on camera.   She kept repeatedly encouraging others to show their faces but a lot didn't.  Several other key team members that my manager liked made lateral moves late last year to other roles within Salesforce.   Two others that were good workers left the company altogether.   She's had drama with other team members so I couldn't imagine anyone else from her team being considered.

I also kept my LinkedIn profile updated as well with my additional 6 certifications I've completed since starting my new role.   I also recently renewed my Security Plus certification for another three years which I mentioned on LinkedIn.   I was under the assumption that management or higher was watching what I post there.   

My promotion also is a good thing for my manager as well since I am officially the first person on her team to get promoted under her watch.   She really did fight to get me considered as well with my "presentation" to the decision makers.    It is a win for her which I am happy about.

Of course I'm wondering how other folks will react.  I'm sure some will wonder why I was selected.   Some will no doubt be jealous and accuse me of kissing butt.    If doing my job, supporting my manager, and being helpful to other team members is called kissing butt, then I have kissed all the booty.    But I have to put that out of my mind.   I can't let it bother me how negatively other people may react.   At the end of the day they are not paying my bills.   

I'm actually also happy to get this promotion since there are some newer folks that have been hired that have the potential to be super stars down the line.   I imagine it would be harder to have to compete along with them for future promotions (though I would have seniority at least).   But thankfully I don't have to worry about that now.

The promotion gives me a 20% percent raise that puts my salary just over the 6 figure mark for the first time since 2017 where I only got to enjoy the raise for 5 or 6 months before getting laid off.    Ruh roh.  I hope that doesn't happen to me here.   But the increase will no doubt help in my quest to pay off my mortgage by July 2026 and help Dom and I with a few other things.   It's also my first promotion since 2006.

Guess how I unintentionally celebrated my promotion.   I did so by accidentally banging my foot against the entertainment center on the floor as I walked out of the room.   My toe is injured and is currently swollen and numb.   I've been icing it and elevating it periodically.   I hope it's not broken.   

I made the moves baby, manager made the motions, put those all together it was causing a promotion...LOL.   Congratulations to me!

Do People Work?

Obviously of course people for the most part do work.   In fact U.S. workers work a lot harder and longer than most other countries.   According to this Money article, Americans work hundreds of hours more than their European counterparts.   This translates to around 1750 hours.     Apparently if you hate work, Germany is the place to be as they clocked the least number of average working hours.    Americans work about ten weeks more than their German counterparts.   

Despite the high number of hours Americans work, China and India workers work much longer.   Average working hours in those countries clocked over 2100 hours annually.

But I wouldn't know that after I ventured over to my local Costco last Friday just around 11am.    I thought it would be less crowded but the parking lot was nearly full though at least the gas line there wasn't as bad.  I was released early from my voluntary time off that I've been doing periodically for the last six months.   My company encourages employees to take Voluntary Time Off to help out the local communities.   I found a foodbank in Northwest Indiana to volunteer some time at.   

So as I said earlier I was leaving my VTO after 10:30 am since work was light.  Dom and I needed some things from our local Costco so I decided to take advantage of the extra time since I wasn't due back to work till 12:30.   As I walked into the store I couldn't help but ask myself 'Do People Work?'...*LOL*.

Obviously remote work has become more common since the pandemic.   With that flexibility I imagine a lot of folks take advantage of being close to home by venturing out to run errands during their workday. Remote working is nothing new as I first was introduced to the concept at my old job back as early as 2002.   

It was more of an anomaly back then.  I remember telling a few friends that I worked remote sometimes and they were so jealous.   When our company moved headquarters to a location further from most folks locations in 2008, to appease workers they allowed remote work 2 days a week.   And the last four or five years before I eventually got laid off in 2017, I was working remote 4 days a week and coming in one day a week.

The rest of the working world caught on to remote work when the pandemic took over in March 2020.   Companies have been fighting to bring workers back to the office but once people got a taste of it and the newfound freedom being at home bought, folks do not want to go back.    Judging from the shoppers at Costco, I can see why they don't want to be pulled back in the office full-time.   I will say if there's a way I can work remote 5 days a week, I would do it in a heartbeat.   But I do have a sweet schedule now, I go in the office once a week in Chicago now and then I venture to the Indianapolis office once a month (with some flexibility in the winter months meaning I probably won't venture there until March or April).   Hopefully I can still hang on to that deal.

Barbie-d Out

 As I've blogged before my hubby Dom has a little thing for dolls.    His hobby has been fascinating and annoying me for years.   When bitching about it with a random acquaintance once, they asked me what is behind Dom's obsession with doll collecting.   Dom explained that growing up he was envious that his two sisters were given dolls and he was never given any.   You know one of those gender microaggressions where boys need to be into sports and action figures (which actually are a different kind of doll) and girls need to be into dolls and pink.   So when Dom grew up, he decided to make up for his parents not giving him dolls by purchasing them en masse.

Our home literally has dolls sprinkled in almost every room with only the kitchen and bathrooms not having them on display.    When we moved into our home, he insisted on the largest bedroom being his doll room.   Every inch of that room is filled with all kinds of dolls.    His main style of doll are what are called 16-inch dolls which are slightly taller than Barbie.   His collection even has various dolls from a cartoon I used to watch in the 80's that was catered to girls.    The cartoon was Jem & The Holograms.    I used to secretly enjoy singing songs from Jem's rival band The Misfits.   I never had an interest in collecting anything from them though.   Dom didn't really know much about Jem but collected them because he liked how they looked.    It wasn't until the DVDs came out around the time we started dating and I introduced me to them that he said he collected those dolls as well.    

The dolls managed to creep their way into the other bedrooms including our main room (though I sleep alone in there since he's more comfortable these days sleeping on his easy chair).   But I get the pleasure of having his dolls appearing everywhere.    His collection is so huge that he has boxes of doll stuff overtaking our upstairs hallway and also in a couple rooms in the basement.    It borders on hoarding but at least I'm not stepping on dolls everywhere though I have to be careful not to step on a pin that may be hiding on the carpet.

I could go on and on about how unhealthy his obsession is but what has me ranting about it in this post is that at the time this rant began, it's 4:20 AM and we're both up because of work and he decides to blast music from the 2023 Barbie Movie that came out.   Such a fun thing to wake up to.   He's of course been obsessed with that movie since it's came out and he's forced me to watch it when it finally was released on Disney.   Of course he had to see it when it came in the theatre.   

Yes it's one of those things I've had to get used to.   I guess it's a good thing I love him...LOL.   Time to get ready for work.   How fun!

Hodge Podge

 I stumbled across a YouTube channel that I used to watch on the regular in the mid 2010's.   They were a pair of sexy physically fit twins named Keith and Kevin Hodge born in Virginia.   They started their original channel to try and see if they could supplement their income while both were working as insurance agents.    Things quickly took off for them and it wasn't long before the money they made off Youtube was enough for them to quit their jobs and do their channel full-time.

Most of their early work comprised of answering "viewer" letters that they received asking them for advice on various topics like Friends With Benefits, Getting Your Partner To Go Downtown, or Signs Your Partner is Cheating.   Their videos would start with antics where Keith will initially be sitting alone on camera on the right-hand side background and Kevin will slowly appear on camera, primping and posing and starting off the topic before Keith would leap up in front and playfully shove Kevin aside saying "Move out the way" before he starts primping and posing himself and eventually tag-teaming with Kevin on the given topic.   Some of their older videos which I can't find anymore they used to actually read the letters and at the end Keith would always say "but you can do whatever the fuck you wanna do".    I loved hearing them talk about "mushroom tips" and "getting in sugar walls".

I definitely enjoyed watching their antics and while both are hot, I had more of an attraction to Keith.   He was the more serious of the two twins and maybe that's what appealed to me.    Both were big on fitness and also had various fitness videos as well both on their channel and as guests on other Youtube fitness channels.   They also for a time made various food videos where they review items from various restaurants.

Anyway they got so big that they started scheduling comedy shows and selling merchandise.   I never did attend any of them and I remember stopping watching them after they started showing their "conversative side".

Apparently they lost a large number of their viewers once they did so.   I was also dismayed to learn that they are Donald Trump fans.   I just can't imagine anyone with a brain supporting him.   Plus it seems like a lot of their posts are on attacking trans folk.    They come across as ignorant during those times.

But I do feel like a lot of it is that people will root for their team no matter what.   In their case since they consider themselves conservative, they'll support Trump no matter what.   The same happens on the other side as well.   I know growing up we were raised to support liberal no matter what.   The Hodge Twins were no exception as black men growing up in a liberal family.   But somewhere along the way they decided that their opinions lean more on the conservative side.   

I will say that I have found that I have some conservative values.   I do believe in individualism in the sense that I believe in relying on myself to make things better.   At the same time though I do know sometimes folks may need a helping hand.   I just don't like it if people abuse the system (whether they receive welfare instead of betting themselves or get to shield the majority of their riches from being taxed and not helping those in need).   Also a person's individualism should not infringe on any other person's rights.   

But getting back to the Hodge twins.  I actually do find their videos to be entertaining.   Even though they tend to harp on the negative stereotypes of black folks, they do sometimes seem to try and apply logic in trying to understand the other side of things.   For example they drew a conclusion that if a trans woman "tricked" them into having sex, they would not consider themselves to be gay since they were attracted to the feminine aspects of the person.   I also agree with them that trans women (though I wonder how they feel about trans men) should not trick straight guys into having sex with them.   I do get that they are attracted to straight men but I feel that honesty is the best policy.   If a guy doesn't want them because they are trans, they have to move on to the next.   I've had to learn that lesson with gay guys that weren't attracted to me so that should be the same with trans.

I think for me what I most like about the Hodge twins is that it's cool seeing how they both interact with each other.   They are brothers in every sense of the word.   They joke around with each other and have an inside language all their own.   They seem to balance each other out too.   Kevin is the mellow jokester to Keith's stern serious nature.

I always remember wishing I had a twin growing up.   I feel like my life would've been more interesting.   I do wonder if my twin would be a carbon copy of me or if he would be completely opposite of me.   

Seeing the Hodge twins interact fulfills that fantasy for me.  I do believe that is their main appeal even if on the underlying level I do not agree with a lot of what they say.    Needless to say I'll still occasionally watch their videos.

If I Won The Lottery

 

I know I'm not alone in this.   I always fantasized what my life would be like if I ever won the lottery with a substantial amount of money.   If I won at least 20 million dollars (after taxes of course), would I quit my job?   Would I tell my family?   Sell my house and move somewhere warm?   Take the lump sum or spread out the winnings over 20 years?   How would my life change?

I've heard the horror stories about people who've won big jackpots but managed to lose it all either because of unscrupulous people (including family), bad money management (which is at the heart of it), and just not knowing what to do.   Some people even lost their lives because of those same reasons.

I definitely feel like I would not tell my sisters if I won.   I wouldn't be able to hide it from Dom but I would implore him not to tell his family either.   I would definitely opt to not make my name public.  That would mean hiring a lawyer and I believe setting up a trust and having that trust be named.   I can just imagine every Tom, Dick, and Larry coming out of the woodworks begging for a piece of the pie.

I wouldn't want my neighbors to know either which means keeping the same car or just buying a newer car that's a few years old.   I probably wouldn't quit my job right away either.   Maybe stick it out for another six months to a year and then make up a different excuse for leaving.   Thankfully age may help out here.   Ideally I would love to early retire at 55 if possible.   I'll be 52 in October so that'll only be 3 more years after that.   So I could definitely rock that excuse.   

As an aside I'm still keeping the faith that Blackberry will allow me to have that dream happen.  I also invested in a "blockchain" play that I'm hoping will blossom.   Supposedly "blockchain" is the next big thing after Artificial Intelligence.   Just hope I'm on the right trains.   Of course the bulk of my investments are in safer vehicles.   

But back to my hypothetical question.   I would probably keep the same house and if I hadn't already definitely pay off the mortgage.   That's a big thing with me and I am blessed that our mortgage is very cheap compared to the average mortgage which according to Trading Economics website is around $407,000 (as of Jan 5th).   In 2022 the Average Monthly Mortgage payment was $2,317.   Ours is definitely below average for both.   Dom had hinted that he'd love to move to London though realistically I don't know if that would be possible unless we won the lottery.   Plus that dream would have to be funded by me...*LOL*.   But if we could swing it, it actually would give us access to visit other European countries more easily.

If I won the lottery I would look into anonymously giving money to my family and include myself so suspicion would be taken off me.   I'd do the same with my current Church and of course Dom's family.  Once I quit my job I'd love to do more volunteering and again anonymous donations to different charities.    Again I do not want them knowing it came from me.   I'd like to be one of those people that when I finally leave this Earth, people would be shocked to find out I was a multi-millionaire.    Basically being "The Millionaire Next Door" blending in with the rest of the neighborhood and not standing out in any way.

Dom and I would definitely go on more trips.   We've both been blessed to have traveled to many places (together and separate) but there's so many places I have not been too that I would love to see.   There's Germany, Italy, France (which is a shame since our family has French ties), Australia, South Africa, just to name a few.   I'll admit I would worry a little bit about the house being gone but I would definitely have more cameras installed throughout to keep watch on things.

I would probably get some newer clothes and gadgets.  Eat out more and if the servers are particularly good, leaving $100 or $200 tips.   Of course I would pay off all Dom's debts as well.    Basically it would be nice to enjoy life more instead of always stressing about money.   I will say that I'm not stressing about it as much as I used to but I know that we're all just one disaster away from losing everything and having to struggle.

Basically I'd do almost everything the caller in the video I shared has done.   Some almost think the caller was a plant and he very well could be but it was so cool how they seemed to have everything planned.    He and his wife didn't even tell their two teenage kids (don't have that problem) which I definitely think is wise since they're not old enough to realize the ramifications plus as he said cleverly -- he doesn't want them to become "waiters", waiting for them to die...*LOL*.    He wants the kids to figure out what they want to do in life and work to achieve those goals.   Then once they have their jobs and lives started, sharing the news with them.    It just makes so much sense.   Now he did tell one sibling which I'm not sure I would've done.    But otherwise he seemed to do everything right.   Maybe he was a plant for the show...LOL.

But anyway it's nice to dream a little dream sometimes.   Who knows, maybe it'll come true?   Will I share it on the blog?   You'll have to wait and see.   LOL.

Stealing Garbage

 Last November our garbage container was replaced with a new container.   The one we had since we moved was falling apart with holes on the side and loose handles.   So it was needed.    We weren't told it was going to be replaced though.   I just went to reposition the garbage container since the collectors never bother to put the containers back properly and found it gone.

I wound up calling our waste management company (after a comedy of errors trying to figure out who to contact) to get a replacement.    They scheduled the replacement to arrive the same day as our garbage pickup.    They took no consideration to whether anyone would be home or not.

So the new container came that morning and the delivery person gave no consideration to even bother to let me know that it was there.   I guess he made enough noise just arriving and taxing in front of the parkway for almost fifteen minutes.   Just as he left, the collectors were arriving to pick up garbage so I put our garbage for the week in the spot where our container normally resides.   As soon as they were done I moved the new container to the spot where the old one used to be.

It was nice having a spanking brand new container.   Little did I know that jealous thieving assholes would be eyeing the container for themselves.

Fast forward to the morning of January 4th.   I woke up and from our second floor window, I saw that the new container was missing.   Our neighbors, the Joneses, have a tall fence next to us and my first thought was that the container was hiding there and the collectors who picked up our garbage the day before didn't bother to put it back in the vicinity of where it should be.   I went outside and found the container tossed in the yard.   My first thought was that pranksters were messing with us again.  In the past I found random items tossed in the yard.   Dom was wondering if it was the wind but I know the wind would not push it over the small fence and surrounding tree branches.   I have a security camera facing our garage but unfortunately none in the area facing the alley.

I picked up the container and put it back in place.   I saw that my neighbor's containers were not touched.   The only difference I surmised was that our container was newer.   I was concerned and I even contemplated how to put the camera on the vinyl siding.   I wasn't sure drilling holes would work on the siding.   I found some videos that showed how to install cameras without drilling holes using vinyl siding hangers.    But since I had to work for a living I didn't have time to contemplate it too long and by the time work was over, it was dark.

I was definitely concerned about the container but there wasn't much I could do.   We do not have security lighting in the yard so it's extremely dark and not able to see.   I just had to pray that everything would be okay.

But it wasn't.   The morning of the 5th I saw the container was missing again.   But this time when going to the yard, the container was completely gone (including the garbage I tossed in it).  There is an identification number that is on the container but I did not think of tracking the number.   I drove around the neighborhood and I did see a container with a black lid but I had no way of telling whether it was ours or not.   

I called the waste management company and reported the theft but they won't do anything about it.  I inquired about the identification number and operator stated they don't even use that number.    But I'll be getting a new container once more next Tuesday.    This time, however, I plan to keep the container closer to the house (Dom even suggested keeping it in the garage).

One of the things I liked about living where we are was that I didn't have to push the container to the curb every week in anticipation of garbage pickup.   It was nice being able to have it remain in the same spot just outside the fence in the alley.   But now I'll have to push the container weekly.   I fucking hate people.

I did file a police report online but I'm not expecting anything to come from it.   They didn't even want to investigate when our home was broken into.   I will get more cameras installed in the rest of the yard.  What a mess.

A Coughing Matter

 Another new year has officially made its way.   It's a reminder of how fast time is flying.   As far as major accomplishments go, I would say my biggest one was paying off my oldest credit card debt.   I am at the point thankfully that I'm able to pay off my credit card balance every month w/o carrying over debt that would quickly snowball into interest.   Workwise I obtained 3 new certifications and received recognition for my work from management.   I'm in the process of renewing my Comptia Sec+ certification that is set to expire 01/11/24.    Thankfully they give an option (for $200) to take a training module and successfully pass five assessments to renew it.   The alternative is to retake the exam for $329.   I am not utilizing my Sec+ knowledge since I'm not in a cybersecurity role but nonetheless I do feel like it's a good one to have on my skillsets.  I so far completed four modules and passed 100% after several dozen attempts (each assessment)...LOL.   I anticipate finishing the last module by this weekend, well before my current cert is set to expire.

Dom and I made it through another year of living together for better or worse.   We're currently experiencing the worse part of it.    As a school teacher he is unfortunately susceptible to catching "bugs" that his students and/or fellow teachers have.    One of his teachers was out of the office and in the hospital for the RSV that seems to be the latest virus plaguing the U.S.   He started feeling stuffy and coughing violently the week before their holiday.   He forced himself to go to work (because he was no more time off) which I think helped me initially not succumb to it.    In fact I left for Detroit while he was at work on his last day.

So I was fine while in Detroit.  I staved off a potential sore throat that was coming my way prior to going.   I came back home on the 26th and the next day I started getting sore throat symptoms again.   I tried gargling with salt water like I did the week prior but it didn't go away.    I woke up on the 28th with a severe sore throat.   I continued to gargle to no avail and drank hot tea with honey and lemon.  Dom in the meantime was still hacking and feeling stuffy.   I didn't feel any cold symptoms.   That changed the morning of the 30th.

I was disappointed because I was planning to hang with Eugene and his friend on NYE but knew I would not be in any condition if I was coughing and sneezing.   Things got worse on NYE and I knew that I would not be making it there, my third year in the row not attending.   2021 I had "stone drama" and in 2022 I was in Detroit.   I am glad we did get together over the summer for a day this year at least.   I was feeling feverish as well and barely ate.    Dom made some tasty beef barley soup that I did manage to eat a bowl and half of it.   I popped some Tylenol and before 9 I decided to head upstairs and spend the rest of the night in bed.   I opted to watch a Netflix movie called "The Noel Diary"   It honestly wasn't that great though I was pleasantly surprised to see cameos by Dexter's Dad actor James Remar and none other than Half & Half actress Essence Atkins who is my age.   The lead actor in the role was pleasing to the eye but the lead actress worked my nerves.    The ending was so stupid too.   But it did help me pass the time.   I went to bed just around midnight (I could tell because our resident idiot[s] was [were] out shooting firecrackers or a gun).   So that's how I rung in the New Year.

I'm not coughing as much today but it's still there.   And my mucus continues to feel very thick even though I'm trying to drink more water.   I'm actually trying different approaches.   I took a zinc pill and also some manuka honey and black seed oil.   I also resumed gargling and did a neti.   Dom and I went to the store on the 30th and I bought some knock off Lysol that was 80% cheaper that I've been spraying periodically hoping to kill the virus we keep spewing when either of us coughs.   I unfortunately go back to work tomorrow though I may opt for a sick day to give me one more day of recovery.   I have days that will go to waste so I may just do that.

Dom says he's almost at the tail end of his cold though he still has the cough.   I am praying this goes away.   It's not the way I wanted to end or start the year.   Not that I welcome this at any time.   Uggh.