Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bonanza!
Last weekend while walking through WalMart on our weekly shopping run, we happened to pass the vdeo department. I decided to scan the $5 bin of DVD's. And... Lo and behold! I found a 4 disc set of 34 episodes of Bonanza plus 3 "bonus" episodes of Wagon Train. Woohoo!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mountain Sunrise(s)
There is a phenomenon that occurs with some frequency during our morning commute. Just so you know, we travel a bit south and mostly east in the AM (reversed in the evening, of course). Also, for those who are not familiar with the area, Just to the east of Albuquerque sit the Sandia Mountains. During our drive, the terrain goes down to the river and then rises as one approaches the mountains.
OK, so here's the deal. When we start out at something after 6am, the sun is most definitely up and in our faces. But most times by the time we cross the river it has gone back behind the mountains.
So that means we can experience TWO sunrises!
OK, so here's the deal. When we start out at something after 6am, the sun is most definitely up and in our faces. But most times by the time we cross the river it has gone back behind the mountains.
So that means we can experience TWO sunrises!
High Desert Roofing
Dog has worked at this company, running their metal shop, for almost 6 years -- longer than he has held any other job (or so he tells me). When he was first working there he told me more than once that it was his dream job. But as with anything else, things change.
The man who owned High Desert Roofing got tired (his word) and pulled away from day to day operations. At the beginning of this year they cut back on Dog's hours -- I don't think he has anything like a full week since, nor has he been able to make even what they allowed him (30 hours). Then not that long ago, Dog told me he had heard a rumor that three of the top managers of the company had bought the owner out. This triumvirate includes a man with whom Dog does not get along all that well but who feels that, since he used to be a contractor in his own right, he has the right to supervise Dog.
I told Dog this morning that I cannot remember a time when a job I had did not have a written job description nor a clear chain of command. Dog has had neither for as long as I have known him. I find that kind of disconcerting myself but until recently Dog has seemed OK with it.
He has been forever telling Craig stories -- how the man messes with him or how the man just not "get it." Another recent development was that Dog was banned from the front office because it was too "distracting." He has tried talking to Craig about it but Craig just pooh-poohs it as of small concern. After all, Dog runs the metal shop, he has no need to go into the front office (can you hear the sarcasm?). Not only does this remove a possible short cut out of the building, but it cuts Dog off from one of his favorite people. He has been feeling like a caged animal for weeks.
So, OK. This week he has been working on a commercial job that actually requires at least two men to manipulate the pieces of metal in order to make them into the needed shapes. Mondy & Tuesday Dog worked so hard at this that he just about crippled himself. He is 44 and probably has arthritis in his hands. His hands without which he cannot perform his job. And his legs don't have the stamina they had when he was 20. So, anyway, he left work at 2:30 Tuesday because his hands and arms were cramping up on him and he was afraid that if he pushed it any farther he would not be able to drive himself home.
Wednesday, before he even could clock in, Craig was in his face asking what time he left. And why did he leave before the coping was loaded? Understand that it has never been Dog's job to load the finished metal onto/into any trailers or trucks. (This is a time where a written job description would come in handy.) Also he called Dog a crybaby for mentioning that his body was hurting. And apparently Craig did this chewing out in front of other people in the office.
Dog started to work on a house package. But he was stewing all the while about this latest incident. Finally he stopped and clocked out. Then he started clearing off a wall that he had spent weeks decorating with pictures, posters, action figures and the like. After that he emptied the cabinet in his shop of all his tools. There is still more of his stuff there. So today he went in prepared to take that away, too.
It's hard to explain here all that went into this decision. He has been talking for months about looking for other employment. Maybe not even in metal as he says he is getting too old to do that much any more. As he says, he hears McDonald's is hiring. He says he does not want to leave High Desert Roofing hanging. So he is willing to put in half days to finish this one commercial job, with some provisos. His best friend works there -- the man in charge of the metal crews but who is not part of the top triumvirate. He does not want Dog to leave. I dunno, maybe he could talk some sense into the others.
Of course, I only have Dog's side of things. But it does seem a bit unfair. Craig seems the sort who says he wants to talk, but he does not seem to listen. He also seems to think he knows it all, even tho he also seems to be talking out his ass, so to speak, at times.
*sigh*
The man who owned High Desert Roofing got tired (his word) and pulled away from day to day operations. At the beginning of this year they cut back on Dog's hours -- I don't think he has anything like a full week since, nor has he been able to make even what they allowed him (30 hours). Then not that long ago, Dog told me he had heard a rumor that three of the top managers of the company had bought the owner out. This triumvirate includes a man with whom Dog does not get along all that well but who feels that, since he used to be a contractor in his own right, he has the right to supervise Dog.
I told Dog this morning that I cannot remember a time when a job I had did not have a written job description nor a clear chain of command. Dog has had neither for as long as I have known him. I find that kind of disconcerting myself but until recently Dog has seemed OK with it.
He has been forever telling Craig stories -- how the man messes with him or how the man just not "get it." Another recent development was that Dog was banned from the front office because it was too "distracting." He has tried talking to Craig about it but Craig just pooh-poohs it as of small concern. After all, Dog runs the metal shop, he has no need to go into the front office (can you hear the sarcasm?). Not only does this remove a possible short cut out of the building, but it cuts Dog off from one of his favorite people. He has been feeling like a caged animal for weeks.
So, OK. This week he has been working on a commercial job that actually requires at least two men to manipulate the pieces of metal in order to make them into the needed shapes. Mondy & Tuesday Dog worked so hard at this that he just about crippled himself. He is 44 and probably has arthritis in his hands. His hands without which he cannot perform his job. And his legs don't have the stamina they had when he was 20. So, anyway, he left work at 2:30 Tuesday because his hands and arms were cramping up on him and he was afraid that if he pushed it any farther he would not be able to drive himself home.
Wednesday, before he even could clock in, Craig was in his face asking what time he left. And why did he leave before the coping was loaded? Understand that it has never been Dog's job to load the finished metal onto/into any trailers or trucks. (This is a time where a written job description would come in handy.) Also he called Dog a crybaby for mentioning that his body was hurting. And apparently Craig did this chewing out in front of other people in the office.
Dog started to work on a house package. But he was stewing all the while about this latest incident. Finally he stopped and clocked out. Then he started clearing off a wall that he had spent weeks decorating with pictures, posters, action figures and the like. After that he emptied the cabinet in his shop of all his tools. There is still more of his stuff there. So today he went in prepared to take that away, too.
It's hard to explain here all that went into this decision. He has been talking for months about looking for other employment. Maybe not even in metal as he says he is getting too old to do that much any more. As he says, he hears McDonald's is hiring. He says he does not want to leave High Desert Roofing hanging. So he is willing to put in half days to finish this one commercial job, with some provisos. His best friend works there -- the man in charge of the metal crews but who is not part of the top triumvirate. He does not want Dog to leave. I dunno, maybe he could talk some sense into the others.
Of course, I only have Dog's side of things. But it does seem a bit unfair. Craig seems the sort who says he wants to talk, but he does not seem to listen. He also seems to think he knows it all, even tho he also seems to be talking out his ass, so to speak, at times.
*sigh*
Monday, July 14, 2008
Clouds over New Mexico
I almost feel I have moved back to the east coast! It's been overcast and rainy for DAYS and days now. Since my last posing about clouds covering the Sandias, we have had morning commutes where we could not even SEE the mountains. Very strange.
On a happier note, we are working on "sculpting" our yard. We acquired some red lava rocks from Dog's parents when they re-did their yard. I am not sure if I told about the garden area that Dog lined out and infused with top soil along our front wall. More on that in a bit. But then he added a square around the big tree in front. Then he laid out round "stepping" stones . Next came the rocks. At first we thought that we could surround the whole square in the red rocks. Partway into the sifting and distributing the stones, he felt that maybe not. So we are doing two sides in red and the rest in the more abundant grey stones. (He had a bunch left from other times he did things and there were some intermingled with the red ones.)
In the two garden spots we are attempting to grow things, including some grass. Not much luck so far, though there are a couple of things sprouting in the wall garden. The trick is to differentiate the planted things from the weeds. We tried three plants at first and they have withered. Not sure if they have actually died. We'll see. Anyway, the latest addition is a succulent. I am not sure what it is usually called, but one of its nicknames is "Hobbit." How could Dog resist? The tag says it can spread to about 3 feet wide and grow around 6 feet tall. So far so good.
On a happier note, we are working on "sculpting" our yard. We acquired some red lava rocks from Dog's parents when they re-did their yard. I am not sure if I told about the garden area that Dog lined out and infused with top soil along our front wall. More on that in a bit. But then he added a square around the big tree in front. Then he laid out round "stepping" stones . Next came the rocks. At first we thought that we could surround the whole square in the red rocks. Partway into the sifting and distributing the stones, he felt that maybe not. So we are doing two sides in red and the rest in the more abundant grey stones. (He had a bunch left from other times he did things and there were some intermingled with the red ones.)
In the two garden spots we are attempting to grow things, including some grass. Not much luck so far, though there are a couple of things sprouting in the wall garden. The trick is to differentiate the planted things from the weeds. We tried three plants at first and they have withered. Not sure if they have actually died. We'll see. Anyway, the latest addition is a succulent. I am not sure what it is usually called, but one of its nicknames is "Hobbit." How could Dog resist? The tag says it can spread to about 3 feet wide and grow around 6 feet tall. So far so good.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Morning WOW
<<<< The one to the right does not really capture it.On the way to work this morning, I cannot remember the exact moment when I first noticed it, but even though
the first Sandia Peak was free of clouds, the ones just south of it were smothered in them. It reminded me of whipped cream topping -- no cherry, though.>>>>>> This other one does it better.
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