About a year ago I was invited to take a class at work called Leadership Essentials. I was happy to be judged worthy by my employer to be in this class. Well part of the discussion in the class was how to handle employee use of their sick leave. In the class I learned that it is important that the employer maintain good communication with the employee in order to judge if the employee is using their leave responsibly. Sounds reasonable, right? Okay, then we will pretend that you are the employer. Here are a few case studies I have come up with for you.
Cookie calls in to tell you that she will not be in to work that day and won't be able to make that presentation in that meeting; she has a cold. You are suspicious; she doesn't SOUND like she has a cold. You'll probably have to have a discussion with her about this when she gets back, and make sure she doesn't leave you in such a lurch again. You just can't keep employing people who act in such a selfish, irresponsible manner. In fact, your suspicions are well-founded: she is lying to you. What she DIDN'T tell you (shame on her) is that her husband raped her the night before and tore her anus and ripped one of her nipples halfway off. Now you have been known to beat YOUR wife on occasion, because women just have it coming to them sometimes, you know? But you would never RAPE your wife; that's where you draw the line. Too bad she was so untruthful with you about it.
Starr calls in today to tell you that she just doesn't feel like coming in to work, AGAIN. How can you judge otherwise than that she is using her sick leave incorrectly? You will likely have to take on the distasteful task of counseling her concerning her misuse, and perhaps even fire her. What you don't know, and what she doesn't even know herself, is that she is trying to take control of her life today by staying home from work, rather than by her usual method of self-starvation. The self-starvation is wearing her thin today. She doesn't think she is anorexic, but in fact she is. What she also doesn't know is that she has had paranoia since she was twelve. It exhausts her, but she doesn't know where that exhaustion comes from. Thorazine would likely help. But in her ignorance, she is inclined concur with your opinion that she is just lazy and irresponsible. She thinks that her employer may be out to get her, but that is silly. Right?
So when did you become such a good judge of people? From birth? Or from when you finally gained a bit of your rightful power in this life? Just because people HAVE sick leave doesn't mean they can use it willy-nilly. Where would we be without good leaders who can justly decide when sick leave use is warranted? Good for you.
The X-Files movie now has a name. The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Cool. By the way, I had forgotten how much Mulder and Scully get the crap beat out of them in the first three seasons.
Quotation of the day: "I like to eat kitty-cats." --Rebekah H. You should see her do it. It's quite impressive. You'll have to pay to see it probably, but it will be worth it when you are able to stir the memory of the sight around in your head the rest of your life.
Picture of the day: Guy making "guh" and me making "nee"
Quotation of the day: "How Can I Miss You if You Won't Go Away" --Andrew Lloyd Webber, when asked what is a good song for Simon and Paula
I finished Bleak House by Dickens. It was one of the best things I have ever read. I laughed (a lot), I cried, and afterwards I felt generally beat about the head and shoulders. Now I have moved on to watching the BBC adaptation of Bleak House, in which Gillian Anderson plays Lady Dedlock. I keep poking myself in incredulity and asking myself, "Could that really be the same actress who plays Scully?" Then I calmly and superiorily answer myself, "Well duh." I am a fan of Gillian's work. Here is a 13-second clip from the show. It cuts off at the end, halfway through the word "myself", but you get the idea.
Amanda is out of surgery and is in pain but recovering. Here is the update in Brian's words.
I wanted to let everybody know that Amanda is out of surgery and her doctor said everything went well. However, there was no tumor present on the thymus. Apparently, her thymus is quite large compared to most adults her age and the blood vessel or artery that supplies the thymus is positioned higher than in most people giving the appearance of a mass on the CT scan.
Additionally, the lump in her lung was just a collection of lymphocytes that are harmless but the doctor removed anyway. While there was no tumor present the removal of the thymus may still help relieve the symptoms of the myosthenia gravis but it will probably be several weeks before we know.
Well, that is the update for now. We will try to keep you informed on Amanda's recovery and hopefully she can go home by Sunday or Monday. . .Thank you for your prayers and please continue to keep Amanda in your thoughts and prayers as she recovers.
Silly coworker stories. 1) A lovely woman across the hall from me told me about visiting Dayton, "Oh-HI-uh". 2) A coworker stuck his head in my office Tuesday and said, "What are you wearing?" Astounded, I looked down to see if I was suddenly wrapped in plastic wrap or latex paint or something. I was relieved to find I was only wearing clothes. So I answered, "Clothes!" Turns out he was referring to the headphones I was wearing over one ear. This is the same coworker who once stuck his head in my office, saw the very large server rack being stored in my office, and said, "Nice rack." These are the only two exchanges I have ever really had with this coworker. Highly entertaining.
Phrase of the day: "poor slob"
Ok who remembers "Daddy beans?" I bet Dad does. I bet Mom does. I bought some of these the other day for sheer sentimentality's sake
Here are some pictures of my mom somewhere in the 60's. I love these. I hope I inherited some of her coloring. It's amazing that you are looking at them right now, because they started out as slides. Then they were made into a DVD, with all the slides in one enormous file. I couldn't figure out how to extract single pictures without some crazy chipping software or something. Maybe it's really simple, but I'm too simple for it. So I actually just took a picture of the picture on the computer screen, with my cell phone camera. Whew. I wish you could see the freckles, but I guess the pics look pretty good after such an anti-evolution. Devolution? Well without further ado, here.
I found this in Bleak House (Dickens, you know) the other day. It made me think of Obama (represented here as Buffy) and Clinton (represented here as Boodle).
Then there is my Lord Boodle, of considerable reputation with his party, who has known what office is and who tells Sir Leicester Dedlock with much gravity, after dinner, that he really does not see to what the present age is tending. A debate is not what a debate used to be; the House is not what the House used to be; even a Cabinet is not what it formerly was. He perceives with astonishment that supposing the present government to be overthrown, the limited choice of the Crown, in the formation of a new ministry, would lie between Lord Coodle and Sir Thomas Doodle—supposing it to be impossible for the Duke of Foodle to act with Goodle, which may be assumed to be the case in consequence of the breach arising out of that affair with Hoodle. Then, giving the Home Department and the leadership of the House of Commons to Joodle, the Exchequer to Koodle, the Colonies to Loodle, and the Foreign Office to Moodle, what are you to do with Noodle? You can't offer him the Presidency of the Council; that is reserved for Poodle. You can't put him in the Woods and Forests; that is hardly good enough for Quoodle. What follows? That the country is shipwrecked, lost, and gone to pieces (as is made manifest to the patriotism of Sir Leicester Dedlock) because you can't provide for Noodle!
On the other hand, the Right Honourable William Buffy, M.P., contends across the table with some one else that the shipwreck of the country—about which there is no doubt; it is only the manner of it that is in question—is attributable to Cuffy. If you had done with Cuffy what you ought to have done when he first came into Parliament, and had prevented him from going over to Duffy, you would have got him into alliance with Fuffy, you would have had with you the weight attaching as a smart debater to Guffy, you would have brought to bear upon the elections the wealth of Huffy, you would have got in for three counties Juffy, Kuffy, and Luffy, and you would have strengthened your administration by the official knowledge and the business habits of Muffy. All this, instead of being as you now are, dependent on the mere caprice of Puffy!
As to this point, and as to some minor topics, there are differences of opinion; but it is perfectly clear to the brilliant and distinguished circle, all round, that nobody is in question but Boodle and his retinue, and Buffy and HIS retinue. These are the great actors for whom the stage is reserved. A People there are, no doubt—a certain large number of supernumeraries, who are to be occasionally addressed, and relied upon for shouts and choruses, as on the theatrical stage; but Boodle and Buffy, their followers and families, their heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, are the born first-actors, managers, and leaders, and no others can appear upon the scene for ever and ever.
Quotation of the day: "Mom, your skin smells like artichokes." --Rebekah H.
Word of the day: scalp
My sister Amanda is in poor health and is having surgery soon. Pray please. Here is a summary in her words.
hello all! Well, I met with my surgeon on Monday and have my surgery scheduled for April 17th. I feel very comfortable with the surgeon and he actually took the time to sit down with Christa (sister-in-law) and I and go over the CT Scan and educate us about what we were looking at. The recovery will not be as horrible as I had anticipated; I will only be in the hospital for 3 days asuming I come off the ventilator well (some people with Myasthenia Gravis have trouble coming off of it). They will not have to cut any abdominal muscles, as he will not have to cut down that far which will help in the recovery significantly! The tumor in the Thymus is 27 mm (large). However, there is a bit of bad news. I also have a mass in my right lung. It is small at 4-6mm. This will be removed at the same time and both tumors (lung and thymus) will be sent to the lab immediatly- before they close me up. I appreciate everyone prayers and thoughts. I will have Brian e-mail everyone on this list after I come out of surgery to update everyone.
Here is the tribute-to-running video of the day from What Women Want.
Aubrey went to a morning track practice a week or so ago. She told us that this practice had gone late, so instead of going to her zero-hour class late, she skipped the class altogether. She said that it had been a poor decision on her part. Well a few days later she came home from school and said, "Guess what? I have to go to Saturday school [detention]!" All four of us burst into laughter. I gave her a high five. She grinned and blushed shyly and said, "Ya, I'm pretty proud of myself." The detention is 9-11:30 Saturday. She is looking forward to this quiet time to get some homework done and to see what detention is like.
We were discussing stake (church) dances with Aubrey recently. She was appalled to hear that when Jerry and I were her age, the girls stood around waiting for a boy to ask them to dance, unless they got really bold and asked a boy to dance. And kids turned each other down all the time. Apparently kids all just DANCE now, with or without a partner. (Not sure what they do for slow dances.) Well I too am appalled that it was that way in the old days. Before I moved to Albuquerque I attended dances without dancing one single time. Not very good on the developing female mind.
My sister called me today, as is her wont, while she was hanging breast images. I told her that I pin mine up every day too. She said, "But you don't pin yours to a wall." I thought she had a good point.
New Amsterdam sucks, alas.
Quotation of the day: “David is not here and there was something that we shared as actors and characters that cannot be reproduced. There was an energy between us that was very powerful and very profound.”--Gillian Anderson after David Duchovny left the X-Files
Second quotation of the day: "What a cod's head and shoulders I am." --from Charles Dickens's Bleak House
I found the cure for my tragedy blues: watching the first new episode of season four of Doctor Who. I giggled like a schoolgirl all the way through. If you care to watch it before it is taken down for copyright infringement, it is here.
So some moving dudes were hauling a bunch of furniture I didn't want out of my office the other day. They were putting this obelisk of a server rack onto a dolly that looked like a really low little table on wheels. I said to them, "Why is it called a dolly? Where in the world did that name come from?" The moving guy stopped and gave me a little lecture on the different types of dollys. A safe jack is for moving safes. A two-wheel dolly has a handle and is for all-purpose box-moving and general dolly needs. A stevedor is for moving file cabinets up and down stairs. And a short little table on wheels is just plain old "dolly". I took notes as he told me all this and swore to him that I was going to put it in my blog.
I just finished reading The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It is a beautiful work of art. And true to the form of all beautiful works of art (see my last post), the theme was "life sucks and then you die." I hear that they are making a movie out of this book. A person considering going to this movie should take into account that it is harsh. Harsh. I thank Eva for this excruciating experience. Having just been beaten with the surgical hose that is The Time Traveller's Wife, I am in search of a Garfield comic book to soothe my soul.
I am now reading, simultaneously, Bleak House by Charles Dickens and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I plan to see the screenplays of both after I am done reading. I think I have read Bleak House before, but it is only vaguely familiar as I read it. I have heard that Gillian Anderson (Scully of X-Files fame) gives an award-winning performance in the miniseries as one of the main characters. Gillian has always been a really really good actress. She has such a huge range unlike David Duchovny (who plays Mulder in X-Files). And Philippa Gregory seems like my kind of writer although I have never read anything by her. Why haven't I? If I like it, and if it is not too naughty, I have a feeling that I will read all of her stuff. I also have a feeling that these two novels are probably less than cheery. I have fallen in a tragedy trap.
Watching X-Files is intense. Quotation of the day: I really wanted to have a "quotation of the day" all highlighted in red in this entry, so I searched and searched for a certain quotation that I read recently. Alas, I couldn't find it. But if I HAD found it, this is what it would have said: "Mulder and Scully not only can't manage to get together, but they can't manage to get ANYTHING together. This tragedy drives the show." There are some definite funny and joyous moments through the years, but when all is said and done X-Files a tragedy. Why do we love tragedies? Are we masochists or what? It's a mean trick to play on humans: create the most beautiful works of art around the theme "life sucks and then you die". The beauty just barely outweighs the tragedy of the end result. Or maybe the tragic ending IS the beauty. Well whatever. It hurts but it's overwhelmingly compelling. I can't look away.
