Yesterday at work. There are a few things to do in the routing system, but the decision was made to work on the warehouse. The new warehouse, I should say, total shambles. Piles and piles of material laying all over the place. Pallets and crates shoved up against each other. There had been all kinds of people allegedly working on this situation for days, but as far as the warehouse was concerned? Nothing had been done and it was getting a bit old. Pulling orders? Climb over pallets and crates, dig through all of it to try and find what you were looking for.
I can drive a mean forklift. I have been operating those things since 1985. I looked at the mess. Apparently the excuse for not putting it away was that they didn't know where we wanted it. Who cares, find a place and put it on the shelf, if we want to change it later, we will. Get the stuff off the floor and get it organized is the goal so we can get at it. I went to town on it. 6-1/2 hours of non-stop grinding later and it was about 85% done. I wanted to finish it, but at noon-thirty, a "rush order" came in and I had to put some material on the truck and then head downtown for 2 stops to pick up material and then get it out to a jobsite.
I left and came back 2 hours later. The guy that had been organizing material outside had come in and picked up where I left off and had all but finished the project.
I'm not the kind of person that needs a lot of "praise" and all that junk at work. I know my abilities, knowledge and experience, I am confident of my work without anyone else's approval. However, when my work is accredited to someone else, then I can get a bit cranky about it. So. when the sales manager came out talking with my manager and stated that George - the dude that had finished my work - had done a nice job in getting the warehouse cleaned up, yes, I got pissed. I had busted @$$ in there all day long and hear this from this dude? But I've had some negative interactions with this guy in the past, whatever he has up his crawl I have no idea but I dislike him greatly. I am not a fan of egotistical, arrogant and condescending management. I make it pretty plain, too, that I don't tolerate it, I don't care what their position is, that is no reason to lord themselves over other people and treat them like they are a piece of dog s***.
Basically, about the time you realize that your work is unappreciated and probably at this point your presence there may not be appreciated either, it might be time to move on and find another place of employment. This isn't about George, either, I just realized what I wrote above - he is a hard worker as well. George is a cool dude, really, I didn't have a problem with him finishing my work, that isn't the point here at all.
Anyway, maybe 10 minutes later, they are in the back where I had rearranged the pipe - all of it. There was a stick of hard copper (20 feet long, 2 inch diameter) that had been smashed on one end and dinged 5 feet down from the smashed end. The sales manager got all fired up about that: WHO smashed this copper? I responded that I had seen that smashed end this morning, it must have been done in the move. He started getting extremely pissy with me, in my face. I got right back in his face and dished it right back to him. He's standing there getting a look of anger on his face, stating that he had moved that pipe there last night, it was in perfect condition. NO, I replied, it was NOT in perfect condition, it was like that when I went out here at 6:30am.
I guess people think if they get there eyes all big and get some look on their face that that is going to somehow intimidate me. That's exactly what he tried to do. I just looked at him and said I wasn't going to argue with him about it, but that pipe WAS like that this morning, meaning it was smashed in the last several days or maybe the move from the other building. Who knows? It's smashed, there isn't anything you can do about it! Get over it, I didn't say that but I was definitely thinking it. You aren't going to move that much material and not expect that something might happen to something.
Well, then it came out that he was referring to 3 sticks of pipe that had come in last night on a truck. No, that smashed pipe was not those 3 sticks, those are up THERE, I was pointing at them, THIS smashed pipe was underneath a pile of other copper pipe. Ohhhhhhhh. Suddenly this freak tones his junk down. I was getting angry and I had to walk away from him. "Maybe you're right then, I thought it was the pipe that came in on a truck last night". Isn't it wonderful when people jump to conclusions, get mad about their conclusions and then find out that they are TOTALLY and COMPLETELY wrong and have completely and totally offended other people by their stupid reactions?
I dunno. I like working at the company I am working for - but again, when management starts this kind of s*** with me, I am completely unappreciative of it and I will let them know about it. I am not going to bow at the throne of any manager. I will give them the respect that they are due for the position they are in, but when that respect doesn't go both ways, then we have a problem. I work and work hard. I am a loyal person, whoever I am working for I will give it my all. They give me a paycheck, I give them everything I have that I can put on the table.
Moving on. I get home from work and something is out of place. 2 of the slats for my blinds on the sliding glass door are on the floor, broken off of the hooks that hold them in place. The dogs are outside all day long when I am at work, so it couldn't have been them. I have a screw-locking device on the track so no-one can go out. I mean, they can but they will have to loosen 2 screws on the thing to open the door, a pain the rear, a person just leaving the house isn't going to want to fool with it. Well, it was in place. But my mind went right down the line like a computer: Someone has gone through this door. That person would have had to have had a reason to want to go to the trouble of doing that. That person would have to have been doing something that required use of that door. Someone moved out today while I was at work, is the conclusion i drew and then I immediately thought of one person: he is late on his rent. I have been given NO notice or even an indicated that anyone was going to leave, at all.
I went directly to this "kid's" room - he just turned 21 - key is in the door handle, door slightly ajar. I open it. Trashed. Completely and totally trashed. Garbage and "items" laying all over the floor. Dishes with food on them and cups and utensils. Even some clothing. I looked at some of the stuff he left behind and deduced that he was in a BIG hurry to get that done before I got home from work - he even left a bunch of change on the desk in there. This is the type of thing that causes a person to want to lose faith in the hope for mankind. I mean, really. I haven't done ANYTHING to this person, I haven't even given him any notices. What kind of person is it that treats another person like that?
I know where he works. I don't think I have his phone number, but I've already sent him an email. I will be visiting his work as well - leave a message on his vehicle. He has caused us to spend a lot of money for nothing. Mark and Lynnette wouldn't have had to move, just wait until this kid leaves. All this kid had to do was say he was leaving. I would have mentioned the money he owes me, but I wouldn't have made a big deal about it. The funny thing is this kid has a full time job.
Well whatever. I am not going to go into all of that, it will just make me mad. I am, instead, going to go over to the RV park, discuss this with Mark and Lynnette and see what they want to do. Perhaps if Lynnette puts on her charm she will be able to get some of the rent money back. Probably not, but it would be worth a try. I could move that thing right back over here and that will be that.
Actually, I am going to do something that I have been wanting to do for a few weeks: go to Denny's and have a slam breakfast. Take my puter' with me for the fun of it - well I take it with me anyway. I have already had my house broken into once, it's not a big deal to carry that computer and my gun with me in the car. The gun is in a plastic case that looks like it's a hand tool of some sort, I don't go around flashing it everywhere, I just don't want it stolen. It's also a bit too large to carry concealed, I would have to get a smaller gun for that purpose. At this point, I am not sure I want to carry a concealed weapon and anyway, I have other things to do with my money than spend it on a 3rd firearm. I was mostly concerned with protecting myself at home, not while out and about. Between my .40 caliber and my 12 gauge shotgun, I do believe home security is not an issue, at least if I am at home anyway.
Well, I am going to get myself ready and get out of here. Several things I want to get done besides Denny's and discussing this situation with Mark and Lynnette - though my guess is that Lynnette will want to come over here with me, clean up the room and move in. That was the original plan anyway, so if that's what she wants to do, then that's what we are going to do.
Later.
ben