Dear Friend - snow day in May

How cool it that?  May 19 to 20th - 12 inches of snow in most of the areas around me and it was 88 degrees the day before.  I love this state.  Almost a best day ever category.  I will say after working the nightshift it was difficult to drive home because of all the tree limbs down from the snow being so heavy, not to mention all the water from the snow melt. I love the snow and we were about to burn up and with so many people being careless with those stupid personal burners at home it made this a very dangerous place to be.

In fact, one guy dumped the ash from one along his back fence and caused a horrible fire inside the eastern part of the city.  I bet he'll be surprised when he gets the bill for all the emergency workers and equipment used to stop the fire. Because unless you die, you get charged for your stupidity.  Something I didn't know until I started working for The Company.

Cheers and stay warm,

L

this was Saturday and that is Manny, my cat. He loves the snow.

Dear Friend - best day ever

Hello, it's been awhile...

 I was recently reflecting on "the best day ever" in my life and then what would it be for others. 

What would it be for you? Would it be the day you got married? divorced? 

or the birth of a child? 

 the day you learned to play an instrument? 

 riding a horse?

 purchasing your first home? 

 starting a business? 

 starting a new job? dream job if you're lucky. 

 listening to music? 

creating music? 

 making cool stuff? whether it be artwork, metal work, glass work, textiles? 

 a concert? 

I went to Bruce Springstein's Born in the USA tour and attended the stop in Denver (1980's). My brother waited overnight in line to purchase tickets. It was realy cold and they took their sleeping bags, lawn chairs and alcohol and made a party of it. Is that even available anymore, waiting overnight in line for tickets (with alcohol?) now that everything is done online?

 I work with the homeless at times and I wonder what would their best day ever be like? a warm coffee? a safe place to sleep? 

 What would your best day ever be like? Is it epic or is it simple? 

 Cheers and speak soon, L

PS sadly I couldn't come up with a recent one for myself.

Dear Friend...

life is an adventure...

the pre-story...

...to the last post is me being forced to Pueblo HQ for a safety stand-down meeting. My Ltc Ops was hysterically wild with me this day. You could see the crazy in his eyes. Let it be known that the only thing he offered me was a hand picker before this unfortunate meeting. Yeah, a picker. It's distinctly laughable.

He yelled at me four (4) times "are you refusing to do your job?" Four times I replied, "NO, I'm requesting that I be able to do my job in a safe manner."

Tricky that, Management is taught to ask these questions in a tricky way because if you answer incorrectly then you are you, and you are screwed. It's a fireable offense if you get it wrong. Unfortunately for management I listen to questions and usually answer correctly and I've taught my Darling Daughter, same.

Side note: It's been interesting to me to find that most people do not realize how many times when asking a question that the way they phrase it will mean that they will receive a negative answer for the positive response that they desire. example: Do you mind if I sit here? Response: No

Anyway, the safety suit (although it's laughable), gloves, mask (which when wearing glasses causes depth perception issues) and that's dangerous in itself when walking among such incredible biohazard.

So back to the meeting, where instead of sticking to the safety agenda I was personally attacked for no reason. I sat there in disbelief wondering when the district superintendant would step in or the acting Superintendant would say something. It's a good ol'boys network for sure here. The safety issue wasn't even addressed until the Civil Rights (CR) person stepped in. Really??? OMG!!!

Although, at the end of the meeting the CR person stated to me, "You're going to want to speak to me after aren't you?" shaking her head yes as she repeated this 3 times, while I was like no-ooo, yee--ees??

The Ltc Ops accusations were that 'all the men refused to work with me' and that when my TMII was asked for a worker to not bother with sending me. Both of which are untrue. The last is untrue because from September 1, 2018 to Feburary 19, 2019, I'm all that he could send and everyone knew this. So why ask if I'm who you are going to get? The first isn't true because I've asked and if it were true I'm not the only 'guy" this pertains. There was one last accusation, in that one day I'm happy and one day I'm mad and 'the guys' don't know what they are gonna get and this makes it supposedly difficult to work with. Truth is all the guys are like this except C67 who is always angry or V69 who is always happy. So essentially that sentence describes everyone except those two.

After the safety meeting, there was an additional PDF which is a company write up for a wrongdoing. Guess what that's for? I'm snorting as I write this.

"Disrespectful Texts." OMG, yep. It is laughable. You'd think they would be for writing Mother F or A-hole. Nope. It's for being insistent that my TMIII not my TMII is my supervisor. Whereas, my TMIII insists that my TMII is. Yep this is not a joke. I almost laughed out loud when the Ltc Ops handed it to me. In fact, I couldn't read all the way through without laughing so I stopped while reading and refused to sign it, refusal to sign is allowed.

Anywhoo,

Unknown to myself when you speak to civil rights an investigation starts. WOW, WOW, Wow. I'm not even the one who wanted to meet. How ironic is that??? But when I did you can bet I had everything in order and used facts not fiction, unlike an Ltc Ops I know, and blasted away.

Currently the fall out is unknown, other than I am certain one Ltc Ops, and one TMII who set this all up have a lot of resentment towards me. Which I find ironic as the Ltc Ops caused the whole thing, and I am certain he doesn't see it that way.

Anyway, watch that 'disrespectful texting' you mother f'ers.

Send me all the news,
Love L

Dear Friend...

life is an adventure...

Take a look at this...




...it's actually a hundred thousand times worse and the stench is so bad it's indescribable. We still have more than half a mile of clean up. The reason is these people have more rights than you or I. Sad that. Please please please I beg you to stop giving anything to these people. The true homeless do NOT live this way. Nor do the true homeless beg for money.

Please Please Pleas, Stop "helping" these people because it's costing YOU a lot of money!!!

Ironically, a company (not mine) wants to build a wall to keep these people out. Because it's the only thing that will work. Hey, Trump come see our wall too!! (insert hysterically ironic laugh here)

My friend, this stuff is bad (please refer to photo above) and enabling these people does not work. My poor city is a waste trap, a bio-waste trap and I want something done. Not what has been done by allowing these people to trash it.

Send me all the news,
Love L

PS this is one type of aftermath that happens when you legalize marijuana in your state. Another type is all the wrecks that happen while people drive when high. We had a 68% increase. ugh. I have no problem with medical MaryJane but that's the first step in obtaining legal MJ. Beware that the above is what happens. I don't personally believe in walls but if you look at the wealthy homes...all you see are fences, gates and walls. hmmm...

Dear Friend...

Not a lot going on here. The coolest snow activity this winter season was plowing snow during a snow cyclone that we had. It was fun and dangerous all at the same time. No one should have been out and there were lots of people out. Interesting thing, if you go past a closed road barrier and have to be rescued you will be charged for your rescue (unless you die, ahem). There were six snow cats being used for rescues and it still wasn't enough. Four more were called to come in from other areas. The only thing is, it takes time to move equipment around.

...and..more recent...

Life has had it's ups and downs. Once again, I am singing the same old song and wondering "what the heck am I doing here?"

I was once wisely told that I bring change in a good way wherever I go, and with that change, it makes for a trying life for me. Truer words were never spoken.

The winter season is essentially over and now we concentrate on making our roads snow and ice worthy (safe), for lack of better wording.

In just the past 3 weeks I got to:

- be an eyewitness to an amazing accident in where I actually saw the semi-tractor trailer get hit on the side back passenger area, which caused a tremendous sound, and rolled the whole tractor trailer with cab onto it's side. I thought I'd be checking on a very hurt driver for both vehicles and miraculously neither driver was terribly injured. Both walked away. Unfortunately, the law gave the ticket to the tractor trailer guy, which was the wrong person in my view as he was almost through the intersection when the dump truck with pup trailer hit him. Reminder, just because you have a green light doesn't mean you have the right away. People who are turning get to finish their turn even if you get the green while they are turning. Anyway, the law was having a tough time not showing a big ego.

- my snowplow has been deliberately disabled by "someone" twice within two-weeks, if it's management I hope they kept a record of it and disabled 3 other working snowplows from 3 different patrols to show non-bias. If it's a co-worker doing this, it's not very funny.

- "The company" issued a couple of "prime directives," which the first one has caused my job to be 3 times more dangerous, and the second PD just causes animosity, dissent, and negativity since "the company" completely exempted themselves from it. Which was silly because State law exempts everyone from it. So the whole thing is moot anyway, and very pointless unless the point was to cause negativity. Then I say good job, point thoroughly accomplished.

- next, I innocently asked our safety officer a question about the "prime directive" that causes my job to be more dangerous, and my LTC OPS was present and upset that I had done so and called my TMII to take me to task and blew the situation totally out of proportion. My TMII informed me that I was NOT to speak to the safety officer anymore and that the only people I need ever speak to would be him, my TMIII, and my LTC OPS, which is total phony baloney. Essentially, I was being bullied by my TMII with permission from the LTC OPS, and both should know better.

Don't know what to do about the last issue because if I say something then I will be targeted at work with the excuse that I should be doing my job and that the "targeting" means nothing and management has every right to "target" me to make certain I can do my job. I've seen some of the men they've hired here that have left (and that still work here) and I am a much better worker than most of them and yet, they would still be chosen over me to work here. Being targeted like this does not make your employee better, it causes anxiety.

I did inform my TMII that I had every right to speak to whomever I wish regarding work and most especially our safety officer and that he was trying to make his issue mine and that I was not going to allow him to make his problem mine. He bullied me like this in front of our TMIII and a coworker. I informed the TMIII at that moment that I did not appreciate how this was being handled and that I was not going to be bullied and that I may be speaking to HR about it.

Anyway, I hope things are going better your way.

Send me all the news,
L

Dear Friend...

There's been a couple of storms here lately some weather related some not.

The last weather related storm was an ice storm and it was frightening to be in a snowplow sliding sideways down a 6.5% grade hill and wondering if I would make it without harming anyone. This went on all night long. It was so bad I thought I might quit.

Ice is the great equalizer.

People believe that large vehicles have better traction, the truth is that no vehicle has better traction or any traction on ice.

The other "storm" is one when I was on-call. I was mis-informed by a co-worker that there was a north on-call and a south on-call. I would be the south "guy." I was called at 2:30am and informed to move a light post off I-25 and Baptist Road, which is north. Unfortunately, I dared to question the "authority" about why the north guy was not taking care of it. ooops. I was taken to task this morning at work, my bad. The TMIII had to show me who was "boss." I got the message, loud and clear.

Send me all the news and I hope your days are better than mine have been lately.
Love, L

Dear Friend...

It's been awhile since I posted about work. Work has had it's ups and downs.

I told my co-worker A about my cartoon with him and E53. I have him in one truck and E in the other truck and A asking E if the truck he's driving makes his butt look fat. A is really skinny so this is never going to happen. The idea for this cartoon came when the guys were talking about their better half stating that when they ask you if an outfit makes them look fat it's a no win situation and A said, "yeah, what if they're fat in the first place, which would mean that every outfit makes them look fat." I had an incredible light bulb moment just after A said this and E53 is his BFF at work and came up with the cartoon. I am refining now. A looks too much like a praying mantis and E looks like Mr. Potato Head. Although, to be fair E does have a long face. I hope to share one day when it's refined to my liking.

A recently transferred to another Patrol. No, he wasn't upset about the cartoon and I occasionally tell him that the truck he's driving makes his butt look fat. He laughs.

My snowplow is broken. I blew the turbo in it (it was old and nothing to do with me) and it would be a quick fix but management refuses to fix because it would cost too much, which bothers me a lot as they have no trouble paying administrative assistants more than me by almost a thousand dollars and buying new office equipment, yet, emergency snow equipment can sit in the yard and rot. My apologies for the run-on sentence this really bothers me.

My TMIII and TMII, hounded me so much last week about how wrong I am for any idea that I have even though on one idea was the same as they had only stated in different wording. I was so fed up I took Friday off last week.

Today my TMII and I went out to fix a sign that's been down for months and I mistakenly understood "fix" to really mean fix. Instead it meant look at it, stare at it for awhile (smoke break), stare at it some more. Oh, my teeth barely made it without being broken I was gritting them so hard. I just want to work. sigh Anyway, needless to say I made my TMII so mad at me about this standing around that he barely spoke to me and acted like such a baby when we got back to the shop he wouldn't speak to me the whole way back and I had to approach him regarding work since he changed his mind about what we would do that day after I pissed him off and he wouldn't tell me about his new work plans.

Things eventually worked out, the sign did get fixed, and my realization is that I need to keep my ideas and opinions to myself and the desire to get some work done. OMG, I still have a hard time believing we are actually in the 21st century with this type of neanderthal attitude. No idea is a good idea unless it's a male idea. ugh.

Send me all the news.
Love, L