6.21.2005

Being a Dad...

I have put my daughter through alot, even as I have raised her as a single father. I just want to keep working towards being someone she will be proud to call Dad.

6.18.2005

How do some make it?

Through life? Get degrees? Have substantial incomes and incredible responsibility? Today I took a call at work from a woman who it turns out had just picked up her vehicle. She was quite upset that we had not repaired one of the items she had brought it in for. She was telling me that her plug for her phone was still inop because we had not fixed the power socket. She told me she had found a fuse and a screw in the socket when she had pulled her phone adapter out. I told her to just hold on a moment and I would go ask the technician who had worked on her car as he was also working today. He had notated in his story that he could not duplicate the problem. That had her in a tizzy! After conferring with the technician it became apparent that we did not understand the nature of her complaint. I was talking to her, attempting to get more information about just what had happened to her power socket when it occurred to me that it was not her car that had broken, it was her phone adapter!. I never cease to be amazed at how intelligent, successful people can be so dense! I know I have my moments too and when I do, others are free to snicker at me but my goodness how do you not figure out the dang fuse fell out of the adapter? That the pieces of plastic and loose screws came from the device? I just don't get it sometimes.
Today was a killer of a day! The first five hours we were non-stop running around. We were so busy as we were the only dealer in the company open. My company has an annual event call the "Garage Sale" where all the used cars from all the dealers are moved to our facility along with onsite financing. It is a big deal and as I said we are the only service department open. Once it died down some around 1pm I went to my office to catch up on paperwork. All in all it was a good day but my legs are wore out. I also ended up with over 21 hours of overtime so I have another fat check coming! That is always a good thing!
I watched a movie tonight, "The Bone Collector", and while it was ok and I am sure the DVD version is better (i.e. more graphic) I do wonder about something. A lot of the scenes in the movie take place in old abandoned buildings and far beneath the surface in New York City. Parts of Staten Island and Manhatten are shown and what I really want to know is, does New York really consist of that much decay? So many abandoned buildings and rotting infrastructure, is that really a part of New York? It seems with the lack of space in and around the city every inch of available space would be cleaned up and made available. But then what do I know? I am just a hick from rural Texas who dont kno nuthin!

6.17.2005

Who invented the weekend?

Who invented the weekend? And I thought having to work Saturday's was a recent thing. I remember when my Dad had to start working Saturdays and he was none to happy. Seems he grew up just in that golden time when weekends were considered a right rather than a privilege. I will be sure to set him straight on that!

6.16.2005

What a day!

My district rep was out today. Because of thejob I do, he likes me and therefore I get alot of "special" claims paid. He tells me I am the best in my district. Nice words to hear, especially for a paranoid manic-depressant like me. I go to work each day believing it will be my last, that I will be fired for something or other. I know I do a good job and that I won't, but I still feel that way. Anyhow, I found out my current scores and they are quite good. Claims that have something out of the ordinary as compared to other dealers in my region go into a digital file called a claims status report. One of my jobs is to see that claims don't go in this file. Now, it is impossible to keep all claims out of there but you have to keep as many as you can. An audit is triggered when the claims in this file reach a certain percentage of the overall paid claims. So, I look at this two-fold. I keep as many claims out of dcr while at the same time making sure any claims that do go in are good claims that will stand up in the event of an audit.
On a different note, I am wore out. I have been working six weeks straight non-stop. The money is good, nothing like 20 hours of overtime a week, but it sure takes a toll on a person. I am training a new "booker" (a person that "books" or prepares the tickets for invoicing) and she is doing a good job. I think if she can quit worrying what everyone is saying about her (which is only the other young women) and just focus on work, she will be fine. I will keep encouraging her.
I have stated before my beliefs about God and how He works, sometimes in ways we don't expect. I have also always believed that if I just do my job the best I can and not worry about what others are getting paid, etc. then it will all work out in the end. It is happening once again to me. Last year, when they moved my boss next door and the asst mgr was promoted to mgr and the warranty administrator was promoted to asst mgr, I was promoted and recieved an increase in pay. Well, because of the events of the last month with the current (or should I say former?) mgr having left the company, and the booker (who was the aformentioned warranty administrator promoted to asst mgr then demoted to booker) having also moved on to a new job I have been working closely with the Fixed Operations Director for the whole company (7 dealers and a body shop). He has seen firsthand my work ethic, knowledge, and skill. Because of that I have aquired new duties and at the end of the month, when I am up for my review I am sure I will recieve further enhancements to my compensation. So once again it is paying off just by doing my job the best I can and not worrying about anyone else.
It is that time of year when it gets hot and humid and I am not liking it. I have a sore throat because I run the air conditioner with a small fan blowing on me. I just cannot get comfortable without a breeze blowing across me and yet the dry cold air causes me throat problems because I sleep with my mouth open and snore. I do believe in the future I will see a doctor for sleep apnea. I am convinced that is why I cannot ever seem to get enough rest. I suffer from chronic fatigue and I know it is due to this situation. I have been taking sleeping pills for over a year and half now and with them I have been able to get a decent night's sleep usually. Before I would only sleep 4-5 hours a night and lived in a constant state of exhaustion.
When I arrived at home today there was a notice from the office about my lease expiring at the end of August. It has not been bad here but I have to move closer to my work as gas prices are out of whack and my old van won't take the 40 mile round trip forever. In fact, the air bag light has come on again and I don't know what is the reason for it. It is flashing a code 12 and I will find out from our Ford dealer what that means. It was doing this when I first purchased it last November but it stopped 3 or 4 days after I bought it. Back to the notice, it stated that I was required to give a 60 day notice to move out. Sixty days? I will have to check my lease because I have never heard of that far of an advance before. I am ready for a change of scenery and the drive is just too much anymore. The freeway's are falling apart with monster holes and as I said previously the price of gas is just too high to live this far away. I am looking forward to being 5 minutes away from work where I can go home for lunch if I choose to.

6.14.2005

Work, Work, Work....

We are in one of those transitional periods at work where alot of people are leaving and new ones are being hired to replace them. It has been good for me as I have been able to accumulate alot of overtime, which is a good thing. I can always use extra money. Lots to pay for, like a laptop and motorcycle. Yeah.

PostSecret - A Secret No Longer!

I found this really great site and wanted to share it with whomever may read me. The secret behind PostSecret is that you have to actually mail a card in and then the guy will post it for you. Pretty cool idea.

6.05.2005

At the ballpark

Orel Hershiser in the dugout before the game.
Not too much of a crowd for a Sunday. It had been storming all week and was threatening to do so again.
Dellucci leading off.
Can you spot the ball?
Here are some photos of the game. This is where I hurt my leg and no, it wasn't from trying to be one of the outfielders!

Ouch!

This is what happens when you pull a hamstring!
Yeah, it did hurt!
On a different note, I shot this guy(I mean with the camera!) a couple of weeks ago.

Hot Stuff, Huh?!

Streetwalker Barbie ready for a night of work!