The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => People & Places => Topic started by: linnea on May 29, 2007, 01:35:16 am
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Well... my boss told me last week in a fit of rage during an argument that I would NEVER, EVER get a promotion. I immediately started making phone calls. I will go back home to Denver on June 30th to become a partner in my dad's company. I'll be doing surveying and mapmaking, which is pretty much what I've been doing up here. So I'm putting in my resignation tomorrow.
My only regret will be leaving the Fire/EMS department where I volunteer. I volunteer hundreds of hours per year. I'm a Firefighter-1 in the State of Alaska, an NREMT-B nationally, and an EMT-II in Alaska. Those folks in the Fire Department are like family to me. Sadly, I probably won't have time to volunteer with Fire/EMS in Denver due to my new responsibilities, but I will do what I can to keep my registration current. I will miss the folks at our fire dept. so much. But I definitely won't miss my boss.
Would it be entrapment for me to hire an attorney to call her and say that they are checking candidate references? I want to have someone check to make sure that she is only giving legal and accurate information for reference checks cuz I know that she's going to say stuff about me that is untrue and not within the legal boundaries of what employers are authorized to say.
Damn, I am really gonna miss the folks at the fire department. I don't want to leave them. There is a dispatcher position open...but my degree is in architecture and planning...and I don't really wanna be a dispatcher for the rest of my life. My goal is to have my own company, because I am sick of being an employee minion. My dad will be training me to take over when he retires.
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Would it be entrapment for me to hire an attorney to call her and say that they are checking candidate references? I want to have someone check to make sure that she is only giving legal and accurate information for reference checks cuz I know that she's going to say stuff about me that is untrue and not within the legal boundaries of what employers are authorized to say.
I don't understand while this would matter if you are getting a job with your dad? Wait, like not for a job, but just to make sure that she is saying legal stuff? Why don't you just get someone you know to call, and then go from there. That would be cheaper.
Still, if your plan works, it shouldn't matter.
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You know, I know this is so totally not my life, but I am relieved. The whole Alaska thing just made me.... I don't know, nervous.
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Can't someone from your dad's company call? He really is giving you a job, so it's not a deception, you know?
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Well, I guess I jumped the gun a little bit. We still have to get stuff ironed out, and so we're going to wait until I'm in town to sit down and discuss everything. I'm going to wait until after my vacation to give my notice. Sigh. I was really hoping to be out of there sooner, but I guess i'd better cool my heels.
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I am glad that you have made this choice. It seems best.
You will only be 1 or 2 states over from me (when I'm at school)! Not that I'd be in Colorado, but, you know.
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Actually this sounds great. You've had your Alaskan adventure, now you're coming home, older, wiser and more experienced, and taking up the family business.
So your boss was a dick. Let it go. As you say, you'll be very busy soon. If you're too busy to do something good and useful with your firefighting skills, surely you will also be too busy to engage in vindictive (if well-deserved) litigation.
I know you must be excited to be going home to your family. Also, you'll be able to tell the Grandkids about the years you spend in the Great White North. It rocks to be you!
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I'm looking forward to Kellichou's reaction.
Congratulations on yet another life-altering decision!
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I hope the Alaskan adventure was good to you, but yeah, it's sounding like it's time to get back to the lower 48. Safe travels, and let us know how Colorado is, 'kay?
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It is better not to do these things in an anger, so waiting to quit till you have a cooler head is good. But any job where a conversation with the boss includes 'a fit of rage during an argument' is a job you should leave.
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It is better not to do these things in an anger, so waiting to quit till you have a cooler head is good. But any job where a conversation with the boss includes 'a fit of rage during an argument' is a job you should leave.
The boss is super volatile. She's either going to take it with an aloof "good riddance to bad rubbish" attitude, or else she's gonna hit the roof and scream, "How could you leave me high and dry? Our admin assistant left on May 25, and your position took 2.5 years to fill! How am I going to manage??"
At this point, I don't effing care how she's going to manage. As long as I give my 30 days notice as required, she cannot give me a poor recommendation. I have gotten satisfactory annual evaluations.
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"How could you leave me high and dry? Our admin assistant left on May 25, and your position took 2.5 years to fill! How am I going to manage??"
If good help is so hard to find, maybe she should have been more considerate. People like that are poison. Good for you for not putting up with it. Life is too short.
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You know, I know this is so totally not my life, but I am relieved. The whole Alaska thing just made me.... I don't know, nervous.
Welcome back to humanity, Somebody nice.
I am glad that you have made this choice. It seems best.
Actually this sounds great. You've had your Alaskan adventure, now you're coming home, older, wiser and more experienced(.)
I hope the Alaskan adventure was good to you, but yeah, it's sounding like it's time to get back to the lower 48.
Ouch - thanks, guys. Why can't I wake up with the gin already in me? (http://achewood.com/index.php?date=12202001)
Seriously, Somebody nice - good luck!
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Ouch - thanks, guys. Why can't I wake up with the gin already in me? (http://achewood.com/index.php?date=12202001)
Seriously, Somebody nice - good luck!
I guess we're all just more comfortable having you far, far away from the rest of civilization.
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I find myself unable to argue with that.
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I am never leaving the wilds of my Canadian adventure.
But I am glad for you linnea.
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Sure, but you were born to it. Out of curiousity, s_s, you've been to Indonesia, but have you been here? Other than, say, Buffalo, or Grand Forks (in case you want to splurge on American brand label medications, perhaps).
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s_s-- have you ever been to the "underground city" in Montreal? That shit sounds awesome, even though I'm sure it isn't actually that cool.
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You should come to the Kentucky Derby, for the sake of inter-thread self-references if nothing else.
Bad Craziness/hyphens!
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You should come to the Kentucky Derby, for the sake of inter-thread self-references if nothing else.
Bad Craziness/hyphens!
Come on by and we'll get us a couple of jars of ether! Road trip!
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I got two boxes packed today, and I don't even have all my Fire/EMS/Search and Rescue books packed yet. I am trying to spread them around through boxes because each book is about a thousand pages and heavy as a cinder block. However, I also must make sure to reserve enough of my wardrobe to act as cushioning material for when I package the delicate stuff: PS2, Xbox, Computer and monitor, telly. It's a tightrope, I tell you.
One of my friends from the BBS days (300 baud...remember that?) is going to let me stay with him for "a few months". He lives 5.4 miles from the office, so even if I have to walk or take the bus for a few months it won't be that bad. When I get to Denver i'm taking him out for beers and extracting an agreement in blood of how much I will owe him and EXACTLY how many days I am allowed to stay there. I want no bad blood to be stirred up, nor do I want him to feel like he's being taken advantage of.
The move up here was craaaaazy...and my employer was reimbursing me for it all...this time I'm footing the bill 100%. This time is going to be easier (hopefully) because I've done it all before. Talk about a pain in the ass. Moving your stuff 4,000 miles is way more complex than you would think. I have to get all my shit boxed and then shrinkwrapped into pallets, then they will be loaded into a container and put on a big-ass ship to be sent down here. When they hit Tacoma, another dude with a freight forwarding company has to pick them up and put them on a truck to Denver. 2 pallets worth of shit (less than 1,000 pounds) will run me at least $1,200. I think that I've accumulated more than that, so I might be paying more. Whatever... it's cheaper than re-buying everything when I get down there.
Wish me luck and plenty of sedatives. It's gonna feel so good to be back home.
Also...apparently my town has a one female in, one female out policy (we have 4 men to every female over 18 years of age). We got a new curator for our museum, so she's taking my place. I'm pushing my landlord to give her my apartment when I'm gone. Housing here is a nightmare. I'm also going to sell her my truck. It sucks because I could probably get WAY more money if I sold it on the free market...but she is also 27 like me and penniless and I want to help her out. Hopefully it will repay some karma to the awesome folks who helped me out when I first moved into town. You get what you give.
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If suddenly your whole life seems better as the result of a decision you come to in a moment, it usually was one that was brewing in your mind for a long time. I've had that happen.
Check prices very carefully on your monitor and television (assuming they're tubes). They're heavy, fragile, and in an incredibly competitive, dying market. If I move cross-country again I'm not moving my 27" tube. I'll get a new TV somewhere, and either get a way better one for the same price I paid or the same quality for a quarter of the price. You can almost certainly get a used CRT in Denver for less than it would cost to move yours.
Craigslist is a friend of people who are moving. And also horny 50 year olds, but they usually don't have monitors to sell for cheap.
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Re: Travels in the US - I've had several weekend road trips to parts of North Dakota for shopping(boring), a hellish why-don't-you-just-get-divorced-already road trip to South Dakota with my parents to see Mount Rushmore (why?), and the equivlent of about a day's worth of stop over in LA and Minneapolis combined. No real touristy trips though. Since reaching adulthood I've never had a single desire to travel in the States. Nothing in the US has ever been on my "must see" list other than New Orleans, and that's off the list for a while. I'm just not interested - if I'm traveling it's either other parts of Canada or somewhere far, far away that I'm interested in. I'd like to go back to Europe. Also India.
Re: Underground cities - We were planning a trip to Montreal for this summer that has had to be postponed until next year due to financial reasons, however Winnipeg has a series of underground tunnels including a couple subterranean malls, and mostly they are boring. Basically I wanted to go to Montreal for the poutine, and old Montreal, and maybe the Just for Laughs festival.
Re: Moving/Packing - with the amount of times I've moved, I really should have some sage advice for you. But no. I suppose the best advice is to have a garage sale/give away/donate as much as you can. Moving is the best time to purge.
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If suddenly your whole life seems better as the result of a decision you come to in a moment, it usually was one that was brewing in your mind for a long time. I've had that happen.
Check prices very carefully on your monitor and television (assuming they're tubes). They're heavy, fragile, and in an incredibly competitive, dying market. If I move cross-country again I'm not moving my 27" tube. I'll get a new TV somewhere, and either get a way better one for the same price I paid or the same quality for a quarter of the price. You can almost certainly get a used CRT in Denver for less than it would cost to move yours.
Craigslist is a friend of people who are moving. And also horny 50 year olds, but they usually don't have monitors to sell for cheap.
I just found out that I'm going to be reimbursed by my employer for some of the expenses since they paid to move me up here. Fuck yeah! I'm packing absolutely everything possible since it'll be on their dime. Now I've gotta find a box big enough for my snowboard. I'm going to get some saran wrap and wrap up my game systems, telly, and monitor in that, then package them as carefully as i can.
My father offered to buy me a laptop when I get down there (so that I can do CADD)...but I'm not going to throw out the $20 system that I have now (he has said a lot of shit that he had no intention of following through with - i'm hoping that he won't be a dick about this). That's right...twenty bucks. I got it at auction. It's a piece of shit, but it's better than nothing.
I already have an impressive amount of shit boxed up and ready to rock.
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unsalted popcorn is every mover's best friend
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I'd leave the big stuff behind. Try to do an ROI analysis on your stuff - if it costs more or the same to move as to buy new, then buy new.
Of course, this is coming from a guy who moved without any furniture, and who shipped his computer and some books and DVDs and stuff ahead of himself, and then just flew here with nothing else but clothes. If you can live like a fratboy for a couple of months, I highly recommend it.
Of course, my place still looks like I just moved in, and I've been here for almost seven months now.
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all this talk is getting me all hot and bothered about moving into my new room in August. New posters! 2 rooms to arrange (common room and my room)! The whole room to myself! Will I put the bed up high, or go for comfort with it down low? How small will the room be? Will I have room to get a shitty easy chair or something? SO EXCITING.
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all this talk is getting me all hot and bothered about moving into my new room in August. New posters! 2 rooms to arrange (common room and my room)! The whole room to myself! Will I put the bed up high, or go for comfort with it down low? How small will the room be? Will I have room to get a shitty easy chair or something? SO EXCITING.
What dorm is it? It's not J Dorm (Shandeling) is it? That's where I was sophomore year.
I could tell you some stories...
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shit, boy! That's right behind where i lived this year!
But, no. I am living in Wheeler. Which is... as far southwest as you can get on the south 40-- along the south border.
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So I'm flying out to Denver for my pa's wedding. I'm in Anchorage right now at the airport. I am on Flickr and looking at photos of my sweet kitties and I MISS THEM ALREADY. I hate going on vacation because then I'm away from them and it's damn near impossible to sleep. :( Sadface.
Anyway... I hate bush flights. I was hanging out with a bunch of my friends at the airport bar. We have a miniscule airport, but they have a PA system. They never called my flight. Finally... I went up and asked if they were going to board the flight yet. "You're the last passenger to board, ma'am." is what they told me.
I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life. I FELT AWFUL. I ran out to the plane and they took my carryon and I had to wait out the entire flight with nary an iPod, book, or magazine. I sat there for the entire 3-hour flight and felt bad and pretty much the only thing I could think about is that I made everyone wait. :( Why didn't they throw a brick at me or something???
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Yes, now they can lick their privates for hours without embarrassment. This, from what I know of my own cats, is one thing they prefer to do when we're not looking.
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Yes, now they can lick their privates for hours without embarrassment. This, from what I know of my own cats, is one thing they prefer to do when we're not looking.
See, that is the exact opposite of one of our cats, who seems to prefer attention while he's privates-licking. Ashby's favorite trick lately is jumping up on an unoccupied chair at the dinner table while we're eating and then, after plaintively staring at the food for a bit, raising a leg and getting his hygiene on. He prefers the chair across from me, and his size means that I will frequently eat dinner with just the little toes on the cat's extended leg visible.
I'm starting to wonder if this is a reaction to the other cat, who, while dainty and substantially smarter than Ashby, has pretty mediocre private-area hygiene habits. I wonder if Ashby is trying to convey the idea "look, I'm not the dumb one! See how clean I am?!"
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I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life. I FELT AWFUL. I ran out to the plane and they took my carryon and I had to wait out the entire flight with nary an iPod, book, or magazine. I sat there for the entire 3-hour flight and felt bad and pretty much the only thing I could think about is that I made everyone wait. :( Why didn't they throw a brick at me or something???
Fuck those guys. I'm pretty sure you aren't the person who, after the plane lands, waits until everyone in front of them gets off and then realizes that they brought a bag on, so all of a sudden it is time to commence the luggage scavenger hunt.
HEY OLD PERSON - FUCK YOU! I have a fuck*ng plane to catch!
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I got home to my Alaskan apartment about 5 hours ago. I can't even bear to leave to do a load of laundry next door. I have both of my sweet little guys right here with me. Even just taking a 10-minute break from hugging them to get into the shower was torture. Lenny sat in the bathroom and sang a little kittysong to me while I was in there. he was so happy to see me get out of the shower that he rubbed up against my soaking wet legs and it didn't even faze his normally hydrophobic kittyself. I am so happy to be back with them. Seriously.
Crazy Cat Lady Moment of Truth: Upon walking up to my apartment, Lenny hopped into the window to see who was coming up the stairs, and I burst into tears. Even though I was sobbing, they both came up to me for petties as soon as I opened the door. *sniffle* These little dudes, I swear... They are my special little guys.
I LOVE MAH CATS, YOU GUYS.
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my old cat loved to roll around in the shower right after we got out. he was really into that.
of our two cats... the small one, female, has a really loud, persistent meow.
the huge, huge, huge, male one has a really pathetic tiny meow.
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I can't get off this island, and every day that passes I need to more.
I'm glad you found your way back - and that you had a mostly positive experience there.
I have three kids now, two born here. It's so expensive. We are dying every day.
Best of luck to you~
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**Manly pat on the back and some words of encouragement**
Repeated.
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I can't get off this island, and every day that passes I need to more.
I have three kids now, two born here. It's so expensive. We are dying every day.
Trouble in paradise Dawg? I thought you loved it in HI.
Welcome back to TOUAMB, we'll always be here for you.
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I've come to an interesting conclusion about Hawaii.
Imagine that you are in love with and married to Tia Carrere (or, insert a real or imagined woman/man to meet (nearly) your every possible physical, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, and emotional need).
Now imagine that this person is everything above except that he/she just plain old treats you bad once in awhile. Maybe doesn't hit you, just disregards your feelings, or does really dumb things that cost you money, or just embarrasses you a lot.
But he/she is hot. And apologetic. And sweet. And generally usually demonstrates that they love you.
Now imagine your ex, who is 85% of this person in terms of your every possible physical, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, and emotional need pops up in your life, and you KNOW that there would never be those all-too-frequent bad times.
Do you stay or leave? That's how I feel about Hawaii.
Plus, I'm a boob guy and they're ubiquitous and year round here. It's a problem.
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Well, at least you get to order off the secret Taco Bell menu.
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I've come to an interesting conclusion about Hawaii.
Imagine that you are in love with and married to Tia Carrere (or, insert a real or imagined woman/man to meet (nearly) your every possible physical, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, and emotional need).
Now imagine that this person is everything above except that he/she just plain old treats you bad once in awhile. Maybe doesn't hit you, just disregards your feelings, or does really dumb things that cost you money, or just embarrasses you a lot.
But he/she is hot. And apologetic. And sweet. And generally usually demonstrates that they love you.
Now imagine your ex, who is 85% of this person in terms of your every possible physical, intellectual, spiritual, sexual, and emotional need pops up in your life, and you KNOW that there would never be those all-too-frequent bad times.
Do you stay or leave? That's how I feel about Hawaii.
Plus, I'm a boob guy and they're ubiquitous and year round here. It's a problem.
Good to have you back, A-Dawg. Places like Hawaii and Alaska are beautiful... but they're still a pain to live in after a while. It's gotten to the point where my Alaskan adventure is over, and now I just live someplace that's really expensive and inconvenient. Our airline carrier has us over a barrel, and it costs me $900 just to get to Anchorage. It would be nice to be able to walk into a grocery store and be able to buy my favorite kind of dental floss, instead of having to order it over the internets like I do here. It will be nice to be able to purchase cherries and other produce that are not $12.99 a pound. It will be nice to be able to buy a 12-pack of diet Pepsi for less than $11.99 (or $9.99 on sale). Or if I choose to pay $1,100 for an apartment it will be hella nice, and not a filthy 550-square-foot hovel. Here in AK I was lucky to even find someplace to live, and the landlady knew it, and she charged me accordingly. Sheesh.
And just like Hawai'i, the natives hate non-natives, they just hate them to hell. I'm sure that they have a special word for us similar to "haole". I will also be excited to live someplace where the men are cute and not gnarled giraffeermen.
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Do you stay or leave?
Well.... which one would leave you with more time to post on internet messageboards?
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All the rest of you fuckers, and me too, can go the hell home. Wombat has won the imaginary funny person internets sweepstakes and retired the trophy.
ALSO: Maybe I agree with wombats call on decision making here.
Heh, I almost snorted my latte out my nose. Tiny can to you and omba!
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It's a can cascade!
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Speaking of wombat, I can't decide which nickname I like better for her: Wombles or Omba. Hmmm.
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Wombles is much better. Omba... confuses me. I don't know why. Whenever you call her that, I'm like "Who? ...oh. right."
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Wombles is the one I use . . . because it invites more snuggles.
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Or if I choose to pay $1,100 for an apartment it will be hella nice, and not a filthy 550-square-foot hovel. Here in AK I was lucky to even find someplace to live, and the landlady knew it, and she charged me accordingly. Sheesh.
So you clearly won't be moving to the DC-area any time soon. My first apartment in Arlingon was exactly $1,100 for a 550-square-foot walk-up. Plus electricity.
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You should move to Utah then. I had an 1100sf* apartment and I paid $550 for it.
*Actually I think it was bigger than 1100sf, but that wouldn't be as funny would it.
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Wombles is much better. Omba... confuses me. I don't know why. Whenever you call her that, I'm like "Who? ...oh. right."
It was Lore Fitzgerald Sjoberg who said that Wombats were the best animal cuz they have a "wom", a "bat," and an "omba". That's why I call her Omba.
So you clearly won't be moving to the DC-area any time soon. My first apartment in Arlingon was exactly $1,100 for a 550-square-foot walk-up. Plus electricity.
Yeah, electricity ain't included in mine, either. There is no washer/dryer either. Plus I have to pay a landfill fee, AND HAUL MY RUBBISH TO THE LANDFILL MYSELF. While my head gets divebombed by filthy ravens and bald eagles swoop menacingly over head. And I have to wade through rivers of garbage juice. ...Oh wait, I only have to do that for one more week! Heh!!
Jeez, I think I'm repeating myself here. Sorry about that. I whine a lot. Sorry.
You should move to Utah then. I had an 1100sf* apartment and I paid $550 for it.
*Actually I think it was bigger than 1100sf, but that wouldn't be as funny would it.
Dammit, you are just trying to rub it in.
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Dammit, you are just trying to rub it in.
The downside is you have to live in Utah.
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Plus I have to pay a landfill fee, AND HAUL MY RUBBISH TO THE LANDFILL MYSELF. While my head gets divebombed by filthy ravens and bald eagles swoop menacingly over head. And I have to wade through rivers of garbage juice.
Yeah, but the benefit there is that you get to look over all the "garbage" and take goodies home if you want. They don't let you do that in the real world. Probably some bullshit insurance thing.
Note to other board denezins who may live somewhere in the real world: When I lived in Wasilla, AK, this shit happened all the time. I did not have garbage service at the house, and I had to load my truck up with all my garbage periodically and run it to the dump. People were always walking through the landfill hauling "valuable items" out. It was like a free garage sale. This almost certainly happens at other places, but that was the only place I ever lived that it did. Of course here in Portland, everybody just drags that crap to the curb and puts a sign on it that says "free". Well of course it's free, motherfucker - it's garbage.
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Yeah, but the benefit there is that you get to look over all the "garbage" and take goodies home if you want. They don't let you do that in the real world. Probably some bullshit insurance thing.
Yeah, they have a special table at our baler building for the set-aside stuff. It's pretty awesome. The dudes just loooove going there and rooting around for new stuff. One of my coworkers said that she hated to have her husband go to the landfill just because he would come home with more shit than he came to throw away.
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Man, thanks a lot, Lenny!
I have a little bit of damage to repair so I can get my deposit back. He clawed the landlady's table, so I had to get wood putty, fill it, sand it, and repaint the table legs. Of course...I'm too lazy to repaint everything. I got a French Manicure pen from Sephora, so I'm using that to cover the yellowish wood putty. I cut up an old t-shirt and covered each table leg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/linnea/617784572/) with it.
Milan (http://www.flickr.com/photos/linnea/617782124/) wrote the book on being good, of course. Lenny (http://www.flickr.com/photos/linnea/617779768/) is good when he's sleeping! ;) Heh. Just kidding, he is sweet all the time, and he manages to be mostly good when he's not destroying shit.
Lenny is proud (http://www.flickr.com/photos/linnea/617210977/) of the effort that is undertaken to erase the marks made by his bad little claws.
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Yeah, I'm super-excited that my twiiiiin is moving back to civilization, yo! :) I feel like I haven't posted in forever.
I can't wait to have her and the bad little rats (Milan and Lenny) home again! It will be awesome! Here's to Linnea coming baaaack!
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Yeah!! it will be great to be home. I had a phone interview today and it looks like I might have an in person interview on Monday or Tuesday.
Also, a news bulletin: Packing to move can go eat a bowl of dicks. This is horrible. I have my friends coming in 24 hours to help me load all this shit and take it to the warehouse. From there it will be shrinkwrapped onto pallets. It will cost roughly $1,000 per pallet of boxes, and I don't even have any furniture. It will get shipped to Tacoma, and from there my freight forwarding dude will put it on a truck to Denver.
Craaazy. I'm glad that it's summer, because otherwise I would be hella pissed about being separated from my Tassimo espresso machine for this goddamn long.
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How long will it take to get your stuff to Denver?
Also, when will you be back in civilisation?
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How long will it take to get your stuff to Denver?
Also, when will you be back in civilisation?
Man, I have no idea. Probably 4 to 6 weeks for my shit to show up.
I will be in town on July 1st. Hopefully my interview will be on July 2nd. I really want to get a vehicle ASAP. If I had a car it would only take me 20 minutes to get from my place to work...taking the bus means that it's at least 45 minutes to commute 8 miles in suburbia. Yay.
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Hey, you'll only be a three-hour flight away, then.
DON'T BE A STRANGER