Stupidity should be taxed....

So, I know I've talked about my job before and this time the amount of frustration is almost more than I can bear...

I've been rewriting some scripts for a different department under strict guidelines that they have set forth. I have this tendency of doing crazy things like, double checking my work, following up on directions that I'm given, and making sure that everything I do meets the criteria that it's supposed to. I know, I'm a wild one and completely try to subvert the system by following orders...


WARNING!! THIS IS THE FACE OF A REBEL, A SPY, AND A COMPLETELY HORRIBLE HUMAN BEING!!

Can you taste the sarcasm? It has a hint of displeasure and a healthy dose of seething hatred...

I found out today that comments are being made, by the group I'm doing all of this work for no less, that I'm now completely out of line because I'm trying to "change procedure". Now mind you, I started on this project on January 27th. I followed up on all changes that I was making over the course of 3 weeks. Now during the past month I have had a few meetings with management of the group that I'm working with to ensure that everything is up to their specifications, I've held training for the 20+ employees that these changes will affect, and I've also had the same training with the management to ensure that they are all in the loop.

The scripts went live last week and I've had very positive feedback about the way that the scripts work and very little feedback about how it can be improved. Yesterday or the day before I sent an e-mail stating that while I was listening to the call recordings for the past week I haven't heard the employees using the scripting that I had written. I also gave an idea of how to improve this and possibly re-vamp the scripting that was just enacted....

What I was meet with almost shocked me. Now, mind you, a reply from this department is a rarity, but I was appalled to find that apparently the employees had been told to do something different and that I had set up the scripting completely wrong.

WHAT!?!?!?!?!? Hold on, let me check something, I gave a clear understanding of what I was putting in place on January 27th and now on MARCH 18th, I'm told that it is wrong...Let me put this in perspective, 50 DAYS!!! That's the length of time between when I told them what they were going to have and being told that it's not what they want.

I'm pretty sure that I'm not hallucinating and I just had a psychiatric evaluation a few months ago. So, unless I've recently smoked about 50 lbs of crack or I've gone completely insane (which could be possible, one never knows) I'M NOT THE ONE AT FAULT HERE!

Just to make sure that you get my full point, here is what I felt like when I went into work today.


What do I know about office politics though...However, I do know that if the Obama administration taxed stupidity maybe they would be able to get us out of this damn recession, this country would generate a fortune...

Talking Tolkein...

So, much like the other thousands of random sci/fi geeks, there is a special place in my heart for hobbits and Middle Earth. Although Discworld (READ TERRY PRATCHET) provides much more laughs, I find the idea of middle earth very provacative. For those of you who don;t know, J.R.R. Tolkein was first and foremost, a linguist. Tolkein had already created 4 completely WORKING languages before he realized that he needed a place for them to live. Three of his Elven languages, Tengwar, Sindarin, and Quenya are very interetsting to hear when spoken and REALLY crazy to actually write. From what I've seen and read both are based off of psuedo arabic writing and conjugated like a dead romatic language.

I downloaded a teach yourself Elven course and I haven't really had a chance to play around with it yet. Here is the link if you want to give it a shot: http://www.phy.duke.edu/~trenk/elvish/#course_sindarin. Although, I did have enough time to translate a lyric that a friend of mine wrote. I already have some of the music written for it, I just have to put everything together and have my brother record it for me. So, until I actually get that done, enjoy the pic. I'll leave the rest to the imagination.

Lamentation by Myst
(translated by Niko)

EPIC

This is a completely unrelated picture of my EPIC beard. You know you like it, don't deny it. Who else had an epic beard oh ya, that's right the coolest man who ever lived, that's right respect Lincoln.

Sewing, Baking, and Model Making - What do you like to do as the time goes by?

I realized the other day just how crazy some of my hobbies seem to my friends. Among some of the nuttier things that I like to do are sewing, cooking, and playing with 25mm models. To kinda break things up a bit, I'll talk about each one individually.

Before my son was born I was REALLY heavy into sewing. Tragically, work and school have kept my sewing machine in the closet lately, but I plan on pulling that puppy out pretty soon to make a few pieces for my SCA Asian outfit:a Kamishimo and set of Hakama. My mom always told me that sewing was a skill that I could use my whole life and I couldn't agree more. She also told me to make new friends, so when I found the book "Stupid Sock Creatures" I took that advice quite literally.
Two of my favorite creations are Scraps(bottom)and Zoe(top). I made Scraps one day while I was hanging out with my wife at her parent's deli and I made Zoe for my mom when we went up to my parents house to visit a few months ago. I found that the sock creatures were an AWESOME way to get rid of my old socks while at the same time making some inexpensive and personal gifts for my friends. The few others that I've made have been given some great homes. Not to mention that I also like to make other quirky things like Nannnerpuss.

Next on the list was baking. I love cooking and every once in a while I think up RANDOM stuff that would be amusing. Going back to a conversation that my friend Graeme and I had a long time ago, we were talking about opening a restaurant. Graeme had a thing about artisan bread and I wanted to just cook really wacky meals. So we got to talking about how when you go into a fast food place or just a random greasy spoon, people tend to order the #4 or the #2. you know how places usually name their combo meals. Well, we thought it would be hilarious if you ordered the #4 and you got a burger in the shape of the number 4. Really Sesame Street style comedy, but we thought it was a riot. so, he took it a step further and started talking about ABC pasta. He was wondering about just having one letter instead of all of them and not just tiny letters, HUGE letters. The way he described it was, "Niko, I want to have the letter A with meat sauce". In honor of Graeme, I was making pasta the other day and I give you, The Letter A with Meat sauce!


Finally, one of my true loves, playing with miniatures. About 6 years ago my buddies got me into playing a table top strategy game called Warhammer 40k. It's basically a strategy game where you literally build and paint an army, set up a battle and beat the crap out of another player. There's a whole bunch of different armies that one can play and a single game can run for over 6 hours! It gives me a creative outlet because Games Workshop (the creators) encourage "converting" models. so chopping up models and making them your own is part of the hobby and I think that's what I love most about it. I just recently started playing an army called Tau (think towel without the Ls). They're a race of blue super advanced aliens that want to help others "for the greater good". If you don't want their help, they basically blow you up until you either give in or die, tee hee. Not to get too much into it but, here are a few of my favorite conversions. for those of you who know who Tank Girl is, my tank commander for my Imperial Guard army looks exactly like her. The others are just inspired by things like Invader Zim and the last picture is my Sisters of Battle army (also known as the Nuns with Guns). I've also taken up resin casting so I can make my own customer models.



So what do you do to pass the time?

Life is what happens when you're doing other things...

(this is a pic of the slacker doing homework)

Do you ever feel like life is just passing you by but, there is just not enough time to live it? You turn around, go to grab a magazine and you've lost 4 hours...I guess everything is starting to catch up with me. Between work, home and school, my nerves have been kinda widgy, but I'm determined to move forward.

As far as work goes, my boss was in the hospital for the past 3 or 4 days so I had to cover a few things that I normally don't do. Not something too unusual for me, I guess I'm just trying to figure out where I'm going with all of it. My technical title is Senior Sales Supervisor; however I haven't lead a "sales" team for almost 3 months. I have however, almost single handedly overhauled most of the training material that our company uses for 2 separate departments and I feel very accomplished in what I've done. I guess where my frustration comes in, is that I really have no "home" at my job. I have no group to supervise, the new project that I'm supposed to be heading up doesn't start for another 2 months and I feel very removed from the project in general. However, I have been working very closely with the development side of what our company does and I've seen sides of Client Services and the Training and Development groups that REALLY interest me. Have you ever just had that feeling of being sucked into something bigger that just won't work? Which brings me to my next point.

My wife works with her parents at their Deli but, she's going to start staying home after this week. We've already decided that we can swing it with just me working as long as my pay scale doesn't change. We're also looking into getting "assistance" like other people do, but you wouldn't believe how hard it can be if you are TRYING to do the right thing. I swear some government agencies were developed just so people can do nothing and get all the help that they need...grrrrr.

School is just one of those things that I can't get over. I still can't believe that I'm still doing it, I'm getting my degree. Still, there is that nagging feeling that I might fail. I hate that, and I usually don't hate anything; it makes me feel weak. I am kind of sweating the anatomy paper we have to write. I didn't budget my time extremely well and YET AGAIN, I find myself walking that line right at the very end of too late... oh well it'll get done. Next time I just need to get it up to my standards.

Anyway, I know everything is going to work out, it always does. I was told once that as long as I thought I was lucky, then I always would be. My four leaf clover has held up so far.

Now that I've vented, I find myself thinking about the Tao Te Ching. In chapter 11, Lao Tzu states, "Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there."

So in a way I guess I'm the hole in the wheel. Not sure if that makes any sense but, at least I've got some clarity now. I'd have no reason to write this if it wasn't for the fact that I know someone was going to read this so I guess I should thank you.

Domo...