Thursday Critters (NSFW)
Fabulous
I needed this. With all the st00pid swirling around us these days, I’ll bet you do too.
Amazing
Smile and Nod
So I’m being hired by the company I’ve been contracting at since August.
This is a good thing, but I’m not going to be popping any champagne corks over it.
Why? Initially I thought my boss had offered me only slightly less than what I’d been making in Phoenix. I knew asking for that amount would never fly, but this was an acceptable compromise. Sweet!
But when the head of H.R. called to confirm the amount, it was obvious that there had been a miscommunication. What I had heard as a yearly offer (because up until this time we’d been talking in yearly terms) was actually the cents portion of an hourly salary that translated to about $7000 a year less than I was making in Phoenix.
While it’s $2.50 an hour more than I’m making as a contractor, the amount they were offering was still way below the “low average” for my job description in this region.
My boss was positively verklempt when this came to light. He accepted full responsibility for the misunderstanding and supposedly went back to management and tried to negotiate a higher salary, but returned empty handed. Afterward he admitted that he’d pretty much blown this year’s budget by hiring the outside network consulting firm to manage our servers and infrastructure, not anticipating when I initially came on that I’d work out as well as I did and that they’d actually want to hire me.
He said he knew I was worth far more than they were offering. He also said the COO knew I was worth far more than they were offering. And he understood completely if I wanted to cut my losses and leave.
I told him I wasn’t going to do that.
So why didn’t I refuse the offer that inspired the title of this post? Several reasons. As is obvious to anyone who’s been looking for work this year, the economy sucks, and finding another job—much less one that pays what I want—right now would probably be next to impossible. It took me nearly three months to find this gig, and it was simply by sheer luck that it happened when it did. In other words, “a bird in hand…”
And as long as the Republicans are in control of Congress (or god forbid, somehow manage to capture the presidency next year) the job situation is not going to get any better. When the GOP Clown Car views gay marriage as a greater threat to the nation than the tanking economy, you know they have no intention whatsoever of doing anything to improve it.
Secondly, I hate interviewing. Based on how the process went for me numerous times last summer, I don’t want to have to go through that nightmare again any time soon.
And lastly, despite the horrible commute, this really is a decent place to work. It’s not a hospital, I can wear jeans every day of the week, and there’s no on-call nonsense. I start receiving benefits immediately (no 90-day wait) and my boss hinted that he may be able to do something about my salary when he gets a new budget in February. Not holding my breath, but I’m willing to at least give him the benefit of the doubt.
Tuesday Ink (NSFW)
Monday Dance Party: Hazel Dean – Always Doesn't Mean Forever
Mirror Monday
Insomnia and Some Reflections On Mom
Insomnia: just one of several unpleasant symptoms associated with the declining levels of a specific hormone in men of a certain age. Yeah, that hormone.
Being able to sleep in on the weekends is one of the things I miss most about not being 25 (or 35, for that matter) any more. These days I’m lucky if I can pull off anything over 8 hours on a good night.
And those times when insomnia strikes at 3:30 or 4 am, I often find my thoughts drifting back to the last few weeks of my mom’s life. Prior to the fall that led to her eventual passing, she had told me on several occasions she had been ready to go. She wasn’t happy. She had always been a very independent, active, self-sufficient woman, and the fact that Alzheimer’s had robbed her of all that and forced her into assisted living with a set routine had no doubt made life unbearable.
Mom adored Dennis, my first partner. She was heartbroken when we split up, and after he passed from AIDS in the early 90s, she refused to remove his photo from her nightstand, always referring to him as her second son.
The same could not be said of my second partner, Bernie. They were at odds almost from the moment they met. I think that was because Bernie was as independent as she was, and she knew our relationship would end in heartbreak. She didn’t hate him, but she also didn’t shed a tear when we eventually went our separate ways.
On the other hand, although she was outwardly pleasant toward him on her visits to San Francisco, Mom loathed Rory. Moms know; that’s all I have to say regarding number three.
But with Ben it was different. She loved him from the moment they met and I think that despite her diminished mental acuity at the time, she sensed that he was the man in whom she could finally entrust her son to happily live out his life.
And that is why I still find the timing of her fall—for lack of a better word—suspicious. It happened very shortly she and Ben met, and at the risk of making this all about me, I now believe that since she felt I was safe and she was ready to go, she set the wheels of her departure in motion—if perhaps only unconsciously.
The fall in assisted living (which led to an initially undiscovered fracture in one of the vertebrae in her spine—thank you very much Abrazo Fucking Healthcare—and forced her into a nursing home and a wheelchair) was only the first. I mean, how many times can you “accidentally” fall out of bed or from a parked wheelchair?
(My brother-in-law immediately suspected negligence on the part of the nursing home which may in fact have a ring of truth to it, but I think the repeated falls were far more likely her desperate attempt to get the hell out of this life.)
I feel no guilt about any of the decisions my sister and I made during her final weeks on this earth, but I regret that she went through so much suffering—both physical and emotional—during that time. I also regret that I didn’t spend more time with her during her final weeks—even if, for all intents after the final fall she wasn’t really here any more.
And perhaps selfishly, I find myself missing her even more these days, not being able to pass on all my adventures and tribulations in Denver…
I Approve of This Message
American Horror Story
Try as I might, when American Horror Story debuted, I just could not get into it. I saw the premier and maybe one or two additional episodes before abandoning it. Shows with as much graphic violence as this show possesses aren’t my thing, and the storyline wasn’t really engaging—or coherent—enough at the time for me to justify sitting through the blood splatter.
Several weeks later, out of curiosity and because I am a fan of Zachary Quinto, I returned to AHS and unexpectedly found myself completely caught up in the story. It’s dark, twisted, and things are finally beginning to make some sense. (Although it seems that just when I think I’ve got it all figured out, the writers come out of left field and whup me up the side of the head as if so say, “Nope. Try again. That’s not it at all.”)
I now consider it an excellent reboot of a genre that had all but become a caricature of itself. Bravo, FX!
Calvin Was Here
Saturday Dance Party: Sparks – Music That You Can Dance To
It’s amazing how music has such strong memories attached to it. Whenever I hear this song I’m immediately transported back to a sunny Saturday morning in August 1986. Shortly after moving to San Francisco I’d found this record in the collection of the friends I’d initially been staying with. Loved it, so naturally I threw it on a cassette tape to play in the car. That particular morning I had gone out exploring and was driving down Lincoln Boulevard, sun roof open, wind in my hair (I had hair then), catching glimpses of the Pacific out the passenger side of the car. It was awesome. I had arrived in California and life was good.
Worst Customer Service EVER
I’m starting to understand why so many people say they hate their cell phone companies.
I’ve had Verizon service in one form or another for about two years, and except for having to jump through hoops to get my cell modem and iPhone put on a single account when I first got the iPhone, I really haven’t had any problem with them.
That is, until this week.
When I lived in Phoenix, I got decent 3G coverage from my cell modem and was happy with it. Since moving to Denver, however, it’s been next to useless. Since I’m locked into the contract on the modem for another six months and had to pay for it anyway, I sent it to my dad, hoping could get some use out of it (he was still on dial-up).
We started getting 4G mobile hotspots at work for several of our on-the-go users and I’ve been very impressed with the lil’ buggers. 4G service in Denver is excellent, so I finally broke down and ordered one online from Verizon a week ago to replace the cell modem. The device was free with a new 2-year contract, so it was kind of a no-brainer.
I’ve had to activate enough of the things by now to know it’s a very simple matter. That’s why I knew I was in trouble when I called the activation number and was immediately transferred to customer support.
Apparently they’d sent out a SIM card with a number that couldn’t be activated. The lame excuse I go from the rep was “Since we started selling the iPhone we’ve had a lot of bad numbers come across.” Really. REALLY?
He said he would overnight a new SIM card and made me go through the motions of accepting a new agreement. That should have been the first red flag.
Yesterday I went online to check my balance and discovered that I now had four lines. Not only did I have the expected lines for my iPhone and my 3G modem, I had two additional lines, one for the SIM card that couldn’t be activated as well as a fourth line for what I assumed was the new SIM that had yet to arrive. (It turns out the rep lied or was flat out clueless. The card had been sent out two day Fedex, not overnight.)
The new SIM was waiting at home last night when I arrived. Once again I called the number to activate, and once again was immediately transferred to customer service.
At that point, Ben took the phone from me and acted on my behalf, letting loose on the rep. It’s a good thing he did; I might’ve had a stroke if I had to deal with the amount of outright stupid on the other end of the line that he did.
Apparently the jerk I’d spoken to two nights earlier didn’t know what the fuck he was doing. What a surprise. In the land of Verizon, the SIM cards are (for whatever reason) tied to the devices they’re shipped with and the idiot didn’t know or didn’t care. He should’ve sent out a new hotspot and SIM, not just a SIM. Idiot. Ben was told that in order to clear this up, and get the extra lines removed from my account everything would have to be mailed back. Again, the rep didn’t have a clue how to handle this other than to read from her script. We were getting nowhere.
At this point, I got on my cell and called the local Verizon store, asking them if they could sort out the mess. They said it wouldn’t be a problem and to bring everything in.
After dinner we drove to the mall and got everything fixed. I left with a activated, working MiFi, and only one additional line on my account (as it was supposed to be from the beginning).
Lessons learned: never ever order anything from Verizon online. GO INTO THE STORE. Secondly, don’t ever bother with their phone support. It SUCKS.
It's Called Absolutely Fabulous For a Reason, Sweetie…
TGIF
Cassandra
If you watch nothing else this week, watch this.
And in case you don’t get the reference to Cassandra, you need to do some reading.
Thursday Dance Party: Cerrone – Supernature
Another one that would always bring Kent and I to the dance floor.
Since this song first came out in 1978, there have been countless remixes by countless DJs. A couple years ago Cerrone himself created an entire 70+ minute symphonic suite based on the original tune that is simply put, orgasmic. Here’s a tease:
You can get it through iTunes here, or from Amazon here.
Of course the more enterprising among you will also undoubtedly be able to find the whole album for free online. Not that I’d ever advocate doing such a thing. 😉
Thursday Critters
And So Began…
…the biggest lie ever perpetrated on humanity.
Quote of the Day
“The radical religionists have confused ‘freedom of religion’ with the notion that means they can force everybody else to comply with their own religious tenets and rules.
The Christianists don’t just want prayer in schools. They want teachers to lead the kids only in prayers to Jesus the Lord God and Savior and his angry vengeful sky-daddy.
They don’t just want their Christmas crèches and Ten Commandments plaques in public spaces. They want those to be the only things allowed.
They don’t just want their particular definitions of what is and is not a valid government-recognized marriage or child adoption to be codified into law. They want all other faiths’ definitions—including non-religious secularism—to be outlawed.
Once again, it’s projection. What they accuse others of advocating—special rights and all that twaddle—is what they themselves want. In short, to make everybody—including those who do not belong to, adhere to, or believe in their religion to have to follow their rules anyway.“ — Becca Morn, commenting on this post at AMERICAblog.
BRA-VO!
Tuesday Dance Party: Jeff Wayne – The Eve of War (Ben Liebrand Remix)
I have no idea how this never registered on my radar back in the day. I only first heard it on a mix tape a friend gave me in the mid 90s. This Liebrand remix sent me in search of the original source material and once I found it, I immediately fell in love with the entire War of the Worlds album. Having been a big fan of “symphonic rock” in the late 70s, this fell nicely in line with the likes of Rick Wakeman, Yes, and many others:
Tuesday Ink
12 for 12
Or is it 12 on 12? 12 of 12? Whatever. Let’s just call it the Untitled Chad Darnell Project.
Another Day Begins
Twigs
Chiclets
“How Bleak Was My Puberty” – Agnes Gooch
At the End of 4 Miles of St00pid
Fire in the Sky
Already Sick of the Shit
Sparkly Vampires Live Here
Lucky Recipient of one of the Verizon SIM Cards That Can’t Be Activated. Awaiting Replacement. FAIL.
Spot, My Faithful Companion for the Last 25 Years
Be Gone Before Someone Drops a House On You Too!
Why They’re Called Action Figures
Uniting Against a Common Enemy
Word.
Monday Dance Party: Love De-Luxe – Here Comes That Sound Again
Mirror Monday
I Do The Same Thing
Mmmm…cake.
I'm Still Amazed
…at being recognized at work for simply doing my job.
This tells me two things: people like how I do my job, and that I’ve obviously replaced some real losers.
Last Thursday one of the claims processors was having an issue that was obvious from the get-go that it was not going to be a quick fix. She had an older machine that was loaded with one of my predecessor’s images, so based on previous experience trying to troubleshoot one of those messes, I told her that instead of wasting time trying to find the underlaying cause of her problem on her current machine it would be easier for everyone involved if I just swapped it out with a clean build. She was fine with that, so I told her it would be about half an hour and I’d return with the replacement.
“I’m not going to lose anything, am I?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not [insert name of previous tech].”
Immediately her face lit up and she said, “Oh, thank GOD.”
(This is not the first time I’ve heard that.)
I got her existing machine back up and running well enough that she could perform her basic job functions and then went back to my desk and fired up one of my already-imaged spares, created her profile, and then transferred all her data and settings behind the scenes. There were a few minor glitches after I delivered the new box, but I got them sorted. She was missing a couple personal mail folders that hadn’t been stored in the normal locations, some font-specific settings that needed to be recreated in Procomm (yes, we’re still using Procomm), and some shared mailboxes had to be reconnected, but she was patient with me while I made things right, and I was more than happy to help her get everything back up and running to her satisfaction.
Hey, it’s my job, right? I just try to give these folks the kind of service I would want to receive from I.T. if I was in their shoes—and not simply because I would like to get hired on at the place. Apparently that kind of attitude is uncommon in my field.
Anyhow, on Friday I received an email from that particular user. It was copied to her boss, my boss, the head of HR and the COO:
My name is: [user’s name]
I would like to recognize: Alexander for the following: Teamwork and Promoting a Positive Workplace
Alexander displayed this in the following manner:
I needed a new computer and Alexander was so nice and patient with me in getting everything set up just how I had it on my old computer. He wanted to make sure I was happy and settled and was also very gracious and helpful with all my questions!
This isn’t the first time I’ve received praise from the people I support. I routinely received accolades at my last job for what I viewed as simply doing my job, and have received several emails at my current position from upper management over the past couple months telling me what a great job I’m doing and how everyone in the company is delighted with my dedication, but this was different. This was also a nomination for very public internal recognition and award program.
About a half hour after I received the email, I got a call from my boss and the head of HR to tell me that the opening for my permanent position was (finally) going to be posted this coming Monday. That was great news!
Yeah, I’ll have to go through the motions and formally apply, but that’s only because rules preclude them from just hiring me outright; something I find odd, considering getting hired on directly without the company first posting the position is exactly how it’s worked at every other job where I’ve transitioned from a contract worker to permanent employee. Whatever. It’s still good. Benefits start immediately (no waiting period) so I’ll be permanently employed and have health insurance again by January 1st.