I’ll give you a deal. In the face.
Monthly Archives: June 2007
No Selling, Buying, or Processing
Today is John Cusack‘s birthday. I also heard there was a band called ‘Say Anything’ playing at the opening of Summerfest today.
Coincidence? Probably.
I Wouldn't Mind a More Regular Schedule, Either
Howdy.
Had a nice weekend of baseball on Friday/Saturday. The Bock-fam & Co. tailgate went off without a hitch. I’m going to look at putting it together again next year, per the encouragement of a number of folks in attendance. The Brewers also won both the games I saw, and quite convincingly at that.
I realized last Thursday that I really need to watch the alcohol consumption now that I’m living in this town again. The opportunities for libations seem greater somehow in the MKE area, so I need to remind myself that a decent night’s rest, my (relatively) healthy weight, and low credit card balances are all predicated on OCCASIONAL social engagements involving intoxication. I’m going to keep myself more aware of the amount and frequency that I’m drinking, because I don’t want any of the aforementioned areas of my life to suffer.
Had the last two days off so I could get packing and stuff done up in Oshkosh. Originally, I had asked off for Thursday and Friday this week, but I’m glad things worked out as they did, because it turns out I need a lot more time than just two short days. I will be commuting for the rest of this week, and I think with those extra few hours in the evenings, I’ll be able to finish. Most of what needs to be packed is packed, but I haven’t really cleaned anything yet. I should disassemble some furniture when I get home.
I should also really get some work done, since I’ve been gone for two days.
I Find It's Best to Stay Out of Other People's Affairs
Since I don’t really get to watch movies much these days, please report to me on the following, at your leisure:
– Knocked Up
– Pirates 3
– Ocean’s 13
On the box, they always say so much, but they never tell you if it’s any good…
That is all, Randall.
The Point of Ignorance
In my experience, starting a new job is marked by a number of distinct benchmarks, by which you can chart your progress (this is the leading trait that distinguishes “starting a new job” from “occupying a fledgling democracy in the Middle East”).
I have reached the Point of Ignorance this week, and I find that encouraging. This is a time during which you feel fairly comfortable with the people, procedures, and surroundings, because your co-workers or supervisors have voiced their assurance/confidence in you, and you’ve personally noted successes that lead you to think they’re correct.
However, there is a Major Screw-Up looming on the horizon, which you will be guilty of perpetrating due to your ignorance of a little-known procedural point or little-used policy. The event will remind you that, despite your confidence, it will take time to master all the nuances of this place, but at the same time, you will have the evidence of those minor successes that leave you with the notion that you CAN, in fact, adapt.
So I’ve gotten a lot done already this morning. Time to carry on with that.
Doing MY Part…
I don’t know about you, but I’ve voted for all the Brewers at least 100 times.
You only have to fill out the ballot once, then it’s just clickity-click-click-click a few more times, and before you know it, you’ve cast 25 ballots.
Get to work!
Drowsiness?
The last couple nights I’ve had trouble getting right to sleep really early, so that I can get ‘plenty of rest.’ On Sunday night, I didn’t go to sleep until shortly after midnight, and last night I sat awake in bed until about 12:30. Last night I was going to archive some old emails over to the server, but I wound up reading them instead. I’ve said it before, but I’m repeating because it’s true: I was funnier in 2003. I started to lose it in 2004, and by 05, I was the dense, festering lump of flesh you see before you today. Not sure what happened there.
But I digress.
Point was that in spite of not getting what one could call a desirable amount of sleep, I was up before the alarm both days, ready to get moving at about 5:40. Yesterday, I didn’t even hit a wall later in the day or whatever.
But, I did notice this morning that I was a little groggy when I got off the bus, and I think it’s because I was reading. I don’t know about you, but any time it’s late and I can’t fall asleep, I just open a book, and unless it’s remarkably compelling, I will be out in under 10 pages. I’m pretty sure I was dealing with the same effect here.
So, no more reading on the bus on the way into work. Unless it’s just the paper (i.e., Internet). That’s still OK. Newspapers are short, relatively speaking.
Also, listening to Streaming soundtracks this morning, and the main title from E.T. is waaaaaaay too long.
I really don’t like that movie.
My Problem, or Yours?
So pretty much right when I started working here, another one of the fin aid advisors is taking a new job in Madison (I thought about applying for that one, actually).
I was thinking about whether or not it would be nice to have another male come in to the fold and join our little ‘unit.’ I haven’t worked in a lot of places with other men. I don’t know what that says about me. The last one was WTMJ, and we all know how well that worked out (I don’t think it had anything to do with the gender make-up of the staff, though).
At UWO, my supervisor was a man, but he was kind of old enough to be my dad, and we didn’t have much in common. Plus, I don’t think it’s easy to be chummy with one’s boss.
Here, there are plenty of other men working in the department, but none directly in my ‘unit.’ The biggest thing that I differ from my immediate colleagues on is the length and depth to which situations and/or procedures should be examined/analyzed. I really appreciate having the least discussion necessary, and moving ahead with the solution or approach that makes the most sense. If it turns out that it doesn’t work, I look at it as a lesson for next time. I don’t feel like imagining every conceivable scenario in advance is always the best use of time.
While I would certainly appreciate another ‘male’ perspective on this and other topics, I also get a little apprehensive thinking about how I and the new man would be naturally expected to ‘get along,’ but that may not be the easiest thing for me. At times, I’ve been guilty of having a first impression of someone that is way off, and it gets awkward when I no longer want to associate later on, but enough time has elapsed that I’m ‘stuck.’ In relations with women, this is a lot easier to overcome, because it can simply be chalked up to “gender issues.” I dunno, this is probably just a personal anxiety issue. I have some problems.
Anyway, that’s what I’m working on today. I also need to try to figure out when/if I’m going to get some time off to move, and where I’m going to move to. I had some thoughts and conversations over the weekend that freaked me out about buying real estate again, but it still might be the best thing (as opposed to renting).
Oh, and this was interesting: I walked home from work to Jen & Joe’s on Friday. About 8 miles. It took me roughly 2-and-a-half hours.
Some Findings
Based on the research that I’ve conducted (which is more or less none), it appears that time passes more quickly the closer you are to the equator.
I swear, the days here @ UWM are passing a lot faster than they did in Oshkosh.
Any of you science-types out there care to substantiate this?
100% Paperless?
I was getting some work pushed through this morning, and I realized that there are times that trying to go “all-digital” is more trouble than it’s worth. I was scouring through the network share for a couple minutes, looking for a form, when finally I realized, “I could have been done with this if I just wrote it down on a piece of paper.”
I’m all about not having tons of paper sitting around the office, and I hate file drawers, chasing around for information, etc. But there are some simple things that a damned memo pad is still the best and easiest thing.
I wish the forms and the procedures manual at work were better organized. It would make things a lot easier. I don’t think that falls into my job description, though.
I’m working on setting up a time to take a look at a couple of the condos I saw listings for earlier in the week. I sent an email the mortgage dude at the bank and he suggested that I look at some properties that would be a little more expensive as well. I just don’t know. It seems like the numbers he sent me are within the range that *I* know I could afford for housing. Like I said to Michelle, it just makes me want to talk to lots more people about this before I make any decisions. Buying a house is sort of a big deal, right?
OK, well my lunch is just about over and I didn’t actually get to eat. The union was mobbed with new freshmen and their parents. Gotta love orientation. Say it with me: I’ll orient you in the FACE.