Fight the system. Power to the pizza.

I spent all of yesterday trying to reorganize my resource binders. I'm only halfway done, though, because I'm trying to look up updated policies as I go. I looove the number of dead links and pages that say things like "This is a policies page" with a coming soon graphic that's been up for the last six months. I guess I can just pretend that policy doesn't exist, since I can't provide prove that it does?
Someone recently compared my bookshelves full of binders to a law library. I guess the comparison is fair, since sometimes I feel like I'm the only one keeping some of my coworkers from making mistakes that range from mildly inconvenient data errors to outright (and sometimes knowingly and willingly) violating state statutes.

This week a flurry of e-mails have been flooding my work inbox about the bonus all of the company's employees were supposed to receive. Well, it turnes out that those of us who are lucky (or unlucky) enough to be covered by a bargaining unit (which was voted in before I even worked here!) are not getting the bonus this month - as I figured out for myself early last week as I tried to decipher the way the initial notices had been worded, full of HR-speak and gibberish. So while the management level staff get their money at the end of the week, us peons have to wait to see if the bargaining unit will accept the terms, then we have to vote on whether or not to accept it. (I've heard at least one person say they think they'll vote no...which, I'm sure you can imagine, made me want to kick their shins violently while screaming "Well then Merry Effing Christmas to you, ya selfish bastage!") Now they're expecting it to take 60 days for the process of reviewing the proposal and approving the terms to run its course. Some of my colleagues are thinking it'll be more like 90 days. And ever opptomistic me - what do I think? I don't imagine I'll see a penny of my heavily taxed bonus until after the holidays. If at all. But they're throwing us a pizza party tomorrow, so apparently I'm supposed to be less disgruntled and paste a smile to my face because this solves everything! Pizza is obviously so much better than a bonus. Or even a raise. This place is the most misguided, backwards company that I've ever worked at in terms of resolving compensation issues and addressing morale problems. They're like : "Oh, you get paid $10,000 less than someone else with half the experience who has half the workload. Well, we can't do a comprehensive review of your duties and title and the quality of your work based on performance appraisals to adjust your compensation based on equity and merit, because that would make too much sense. Have some pizza instead, mmmkay!" So you know what I'm going to do? I'm gong to take extra pizza. That's right. I'm a rebel.

I decided to wear a skirt today. Bad move. Its windy, so the skirt is dangerously blowy. And I forgot I had the remnants of a large bruise on my calf. It is one of those yellow-purple monstrocities and is bout the size of my fist, which I assure you goes quite strikingly with my little ensemble. I would have changed into pants this morning once I realized I had this giant mark on my leg, but I was running out of time, so I just said the heck with it and walked out the door.

The good news, though, is that we've been spared the relentless onslaught of hurricanes. For now...

The mouths of babes

I was online Saturday night, wasting my time on one site or another, when my son came over and stood behind my chair. Now, this is my least favorite of his new habits, and I find it very annoying. He usually gets sent to his room now when he decides to lurk over my shoulder, because it normally leads to him asking if he can use the computer. Obviously, if I am using it, he is not. There are plenty of other things to occupy him in his room. But instead of asking if he could play computer games, he pointed out an image on the website I was reading. "That's Barack Obama". I was a little surprised that he knew who Barack Obama was, since we haven't really watched a lot of political programming this election, with the exception of the conventions for both parties. So I turned around and said "Do you know who he is?" The answer came back without a moment's hesitation - "He's the President."


If he calls this election correctly, I'm having him pick the numbers for lottery tickets from now on...

Stream of unconciouness

I have to hand it to the Republicans, and McCain's camp specifically - for a party that has displayed such a condescending attitude towards mere wordy speechifying (and that fancy, elitist booklearning), they sure have a skill with the theatrics. Better orchestrated propaganda than John McCain's bio video and entry to the convention I haven't seen in quite some time. I love the fact that there was more diversity featured in the video than probably existed in the whole crowd in attendance the last three nights. And right to the POW and September 11th references we go. I also noted that McCain's video didn't feature his first wife, or his oldest daughter, who he is supposedly not on speaking terms with...and I'm totally making my voting decisions on the power of his mother's word. No. And McCain should just let Palin do all of the speaking for him - by comparison, she has more of a talent for it (and by "it" I mean rabid fundamental zealotry and pandering to a willing audience), despite the seemingly affected midwestern accent, and he's awfully stiff up there at that podium (he's fumbled a bit, too...did he catch the spectre of Death impatiently looking at his watch stage right and nervously goofed the timing of the words appearing on the teleprompter screen?).

I just can't figure how the Republican party has now co-opted the "change" and "for the average joe" mantra that they've been attempting to ridicule and minimize for months now. NOW they distance themselves form the policies of the last eight years, from members of their own freaking party? All of a sudden they have to "recover" the people's trust? I thought they said everything was great!? These sentiments reek of false pretenses, to me.

(Ummm. What the hell just happened? Was that a total set up, or what? Who did they just escort out of the building? A protestor? Riiiight. More news at 11, I guess...)

Ohhhh! Sarah Palin has balanced a budget! So have I! Maybe I should join the PTA, and run for city council and set myself up as having "executive" experience. Whatever the hell that even actually means. I also don't get how McCain is making a point to mention how Palin understands what it is to pay a mortgage and worry about the price of a gallon of gas. Is that part of the reason she was selected to run as VP - because the candidate for the big chair doesn't come off as understanding or being able to relate to the issues affecting typical Middle America?

Wait. What is the "me first, country second" crowd being referred to? Babyboomers? But...the opposite of that would be "country first, me second"...which is...ah...something like...fervent nationalism. Inching towards socialism? With just a hint of communism? Oh. Awesome.

"Help workers whose jobs went away find a new one that won't go away"

I also need to just note that my husband misread a sign during last night's convention speech. Instead of "Hockey moms 4 Palin", he read it as "Honkey moms 4 Palin". One is probably just as accurate as the other, right?

Spitwash: transcends party lines

The only truly genuine moment from last's night's convention (catch it 4 seconds in):



I mean, honestly - that's a big ol' bundle of slobbery precious, right there. But be careful of that soft spot, punkin'...

Off the deep end

I'm officially over politics. And after this year is over and if we're all still here to bear witness to the aftershocks and repercussions, I am changing my registration to reflect "independent". I don't want to be affiliated with the ridiculous infighting and partisanship of either of the major parties. I'm pretty tired of hearing an issue made of Joe Biden's hairplugs. At least Biden doesn't have McCain's massive combover, okay?

Rise, toasters, rise: throw your support behind Tigh/Roslin in '08!

I made an attempt to watch the RNC last night, and let me just tell you...I thought the commentating at the Democtratic convention was pandering and partisan, but the participants at the RNC were tripping allover themselves to sing Sarah Palin's praises, and it reeked of a hard sell. I think I managed to sit through about five minutes before I turned it off in disgust. I don't know what the thought process for selecting Palin was (if there even was one), but personally, the "any ol' woman will do" approach to lure independents and undecideds isn't working for me. This particular woman represents everything I am not, and even stands for several issues that I am staunchly against. As much as I was determined not to vote for Hillary Clinton, I am twice as determined to not throw my support behind Sarah Palin just because we happen to share common anatomy. I don't care about the whole pregnancy scandal, although it is a prime example of how abstinence only reproductive education does not work (Congratulations - your daughter is now a statistic). What I care about are the issues, and what McCain and Palin together now represent and have to offer the American people. Which is what, exactly? I haven't heard much of anything about McCain's policies regarding the economy, the war, energy alternatives, education. Anything. All I'm hearing about are unwed teen mothers and decades old military service. And making "mooseburgers" out of reindeer meat. Which is just retarded. Reindeer does not magically transform itself into moose.

And parts of *this* just kind of scare me:

I really can't WAIT for the VP debate. :eyeroll:

Post Script...

This morning (Thursday) the boss engaged his assistant in effusive praise of Wednesday night's speakers at the RNC. It's a good thing I was already familiar with his political leanings before overhearing how great he thought Rudy was last night.

My husband had sinus surgery earlier in the week, and he's doing pretty well, all things considered. Personally, after seeing what he has gone through the last couple of days, and hearing other people talk about what an awful experience it was for them as well, I don't think I'd ever want to have that procedure done unless it was a last resort. In my husband's case it was, but he's paying the price for the ability to breathe easily.

I know I've mentioned before the fact that there was a tantalizing career-carrot dangled in front of me last year, in the form of a possible position in the administrative hub, which, as time goes on, seems less and less like it will pan out as expected (which is what I expected). Well - as a result of the pending acquisition of a whole slew of departments that will be enfolded in the warm and welcoming busom of the operational unit I work in, my boss just proferred a shiny new carrot at me this morning. It has both positive and negative implications, potentially. Positive: a "supervisory" role with more responsibility. Negative: Increased "responsibility" means an even more intensive workload and the likelihood that I'd be "supervising" another employee with a history of demonstrating questionable judgement and a lack of discretion. I've been given until Monday to mull over the options and lay out a plan to make this work. And to draft my request for title and compensation to match these new duties, although I'm not sure the boss has taken that part into consideration. Pray for me. I need this more than Alaska needs a pipeline...