I just can't help myself sometimes....

I try to be a good person.

I try not to gossip.

I try to set a good example for my children.

But then some incident will toss all that goodness out the window and I have to start over at ground zero. Yes, I am back at ground zero after the story I am about to tell you.

First let me say I work for a VERY and I mean V - E - R - Y conservative company.  We have approximately 10,000 signs alone in our office building. Everything from be sure to scan your security card before entering the elevator to restrooms ----> to caution stairs to how to change the coffee filters. You name it - conservatism is a way of life.

Besides the signs, we have extremely aggressive safety rules. I understand 100% wanting to get home safely every night and it is vitally important for those people working in the field but we take things to the extreme.

Yes I am getting to my story but you needed some background to understand my story.

After my lunch-time workout I get a cup of ice to take back to my desk for my afternoon water. I like the ice in our break room area as it is the tiny small pieces a bit larger than crushed ice for my cup. I don't like the giant cubes so I make special effort to get ice before returning to my desk.  So as I am waiting for the elevator with my coworker I reach into my glass to pluck out a tiny piece to eat.  Oopsie, it falls on the ground. Well I know this is a company sin so I kick the minuscule piece of ice over right next to the wall out of every one's way and no one will be injured from this piece of ice.

I get on the elevator with a bunch of people.  There is a lady still outside the elevator that must have seen me move the ice and it was just not good enough for her. She makes loud disgruntled grunting noises as she is bending down to pick up this 3/4 melted piece of ice to show how displeased she is for me doing such an atrocity. How could anyone  leave that ice cube beside the wall to melt? 

The elevator doors are now beginning to close and I just can't help myself. I take a much larger chunk of ice and toss it out the almost closed elevator doors.  My friend bursts out laughing so hard I think she is going to pass out. Two of the other passengers have looks of terror on their face that I would do such a thing and one passenger pretends not to see anything.

I am sure a safety bulletin will be distributed shortly on the dangers of ice in the workplace. If only I could have hit her with it...

Take this job and shove it

This blog is going to get a bit detailed and use terminology that you may not be familiar with. I am sorry about that but this is also a vent to try and keep or put things in perspective for myself.

Remember this old song by Johnny Paycheck?  Song #16  I think of that song often as I am working. You see working is all I have been doing lately and after a while it really wears on you. Now I am not talking the normal work and then home chores. I am talking work work, come home eat dinner, and then start working on work work again. We have this huge project going on at work that is all consuming.

Now let me tell you I have been doing computer conversions my entire career. I got to thinking back and even while going to college I participated in my my first conversion.  We got pink t-shirts for this one. :-)  On and off in all my various accounting and computer positions I have converted various financial systems from one product to another. Some have been accounting systems, some planning systems, and some modeling systems.  I have also used various methods of implementation from rapid application development to traditional system development.  I consider myself somewhat of an expert in this area since I have done so many types over the years.

This project takes the cake. It is by far the W-O-R-S-T conversion I have ever had the pleasure to participate in.

First we have a group of accountants implementing a financial planning system. Financial planning is NOT accounting. There are a lot of similarities but may more differences. When you try and make a planning system into a detailed transactional system with debits/credits and T accounts it is NOT going to work. The consultants will tell you it is going to work to make the sale but successful implementation is a whole other story.  Right now we have the consultants hating the implementation and they do this work for a living.

Lack of decision making. Let's have 20 meetings on one design document and still not have it complete. This is not an exaggeration. Some of our design documents were started in October and are STILL NOT COMPLETE! We are into configuration of the system and using documents that are not complete because management still wants a go-live date of April 15.  We have meeting after meeting with no decisions made. Both of the top two accountants (controller and financial planning director) running the project have had major changes - one left the company and one has been out with a mysterious family emergency for a month!

Next are the copious amounts minutia detail. Why use what the rest of the organization is using when you can ask for MORE?!?!?!?!?  We are receiving actual data from one system but it isn't in enough detail so we now have to develop an interface with a completely different system to get the exact same data but in MORE detail. Two interfaces to get the same information. That is just one example. There are many many more. Once again the consultants tell us they have never seen such detail in a planning system in all their implementations.  We have experienced consultants leaving the project and others admitting they have never done such detail before.

Trying to implement what is best for the company has been frowned upon. At the beginning of the project I tried to express my feelings on what would work best for a successful implementation. The vice president got wind of this (from the controller that has left the project) and I was told in no uncertain terms to quit being so negative about the project. NEGATIVE when my only motive was to make the project succeed.  A couple of weeks ago my boss decided to try and suggest some best practices on making this implementation better. Again the same vice president told him not to be so negative. They are telling the people that have done these implementations for much of their careers to shut the hell up. Let's just say it causes a lot of stress and loss of motivation.

I am sure I could type a lot more of the same on what has been going on in my work life but I think this gives you an idea of how bad things are. 

This sure has been taking a toll on my life with: mega stress,sleeplessness, chest pains, upset stomach, and headaches. Not a fun thing. So blogging world, this is why I have been neglecting something I enjoy. I sure hope to get back to this on a more regular basis soon.

Would you please hire me???? I am a great system analyst!
 

Apples

Yep first it was peaches, now it is apples.

100's and 100's of pounds of apples.

Enough apples to make me whimper in defeat.

Here is a nice shot of some apples freshly picked.

This shot here is of some BBA's as I call them. Big beautiful apples still on the trees.

This shot here is of one of the trees.  You can see a the top how the branches broke from all the apples.

Dehydrated apples are SO yummy and easy to make. This first shot is of the apples freshly sliced and placed on the dehydrator shelves. Yes, I hand peel and cut each apple. Hubby helped to peel when he wasn't picking.

This shot is what those apples look like when finished. Still nice and extremely flavorful.

Here is a sampling of some apple pie filling for great desserts this winter.

The final photo is a sampling of the apples we gave away to food pantries and homeless shelters. I just added it up and we gave 1,030 pounds of apples to these places alone! That does not count all the apples I processed, the apples we gave to friends and family, and the apples that ended up in the garbage because the were not edible.

I put away all my canners, jars, and supplies tonight. I have the dehydrator doing the last batch of apples. Canning season is officially over. My gosh now it is holiday time.... Just shoot me now.

Leave it to the engineers...

The company I work for never ceases to amaze me at the things it comes up with to cause me to shake my head in wonderment.  Here is a new one I just HAVE to share with my readers.  This very detailed email was actually sent to an entire floor of workers. Be sure to contrast that with our floor. I have italicized the email. If you can't make it through skip to non-italic fields for rest of blog.

Subject: Refrigerator Cleaning Plan

 All,

Engineering has initiated a process to improve the cleanliness and health of the third floor refrigerators.  In order to begin the regular cleanings, the two units will be completely emptied and cleaned March 1, 2013.  All food located in the refrigerators or associated freezers on that day will be disposed.  Packages may be disposed or recycled.  Personal lunch pails and containers will be saved and placed on the counters for a week before also being disposed or recycled.

PLEASE EMPTY ALL REFRIGERATOR CONTENTS FOR THE MARCH 1 PURGING.

Going forward, a labeling system will be implemented to protect your food from disposal and to ensure all refrigerator contents are not expired.

1. Engineering will provide tape on a hook with a pen for labeling items.
1. Labels should include owner’s name and date of storage.
2. Write “FOR STAFF” if you’d like to share it with others on the floor.  “FOR STAFF” items will not be disposed until the expiration date on the item.
2. Anything not labeled at the last Friday of each month or that has a label that is more than a month old will be disposed.
1. Containers and lunch pails will not be tossed. They will be rinsed and placed on the counter for a week.
2. Food will be tossed in the trash can, liquids in the sink.

Thank you for your attention to the health and safety of the floor,

Did you actually read all that? I mean my head began to swim after the first couple bla bla bla sentances and I am a detail oriented person!!!

Now for the Refrigerator Cleaning Plan on our NON-engineering floor:

Note posted on refrigerator door -


THIS REFRIGERATOR IS BEING CLEANED TOMORROW. RETRIEVE YOUR FOOD BY THEN OR IT WILL BE TOSSED!

I like ours - simple, to the point, no bureaucracy.

Fighting my inner child

I don't wanna work.
I just want to bang on my drum all day...

So the song goes.

Some days it is so hard to concentrate on my job that I need to be doing and am getting paid for.

My brain wonders off to things I'd rather be doing.
My brain wonders off to things I know I shouldn't be doing!
My brain wonders off the job I should be doing.
My brain just wonders...

Yes - today is one of those days and you can see what is winning...sigh.

I think today I could be talked into skipping, playing on a swing set, or jumping into a swimming pool. My brain is doing 1000 things and none of them are productive but then again I think we all need these days to be creative and feel better. It's just that this should happen AFTER I am done with my daytime job.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!!!