Site Tour or Field Trip Day
Apr. 14th, 2022 09:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatThe site tour went better than expected. Although the project team was woefully unprepared. Not that it mattered, since only two firms showed up.
The others, we joked, went to the beach.
It was 80 degree. Beautiful. Clear blue skies. All worries of thunderstorms floated away. (The thunderstorms kindly did not arrive until 5:45pm, after I got home, to hit us.)
Six firms made reservations, and sent in Site Tour Release forms, but only two showed up, and one that didn't make a reservation at all, didn't send a Site Tour Release Form, nor brought the correct Personal Protective Equipment or reflective vest.
ME: Hello, who are you.
Contractor: AI Equipment and Painting.
Me (checking my attendance list): You didn't make a reservation or send in a form.
Contractor: I called you.
Me: No, you didn't.
Contractor: I got your name.
ME: I never spoke with you and never got an email. Also you aren't wearing a vest. (He didn't have a mask either - but I was willing to waive that - since it wasn't listed as a requirement any longer, we were outside, it was sunny, and warm. But the reflective vest is required. At least he was wearing safety boots.) I can't let you on the tour.
Contractor: Is this mandatory?
Me: No.
Contractor: Are all the stations visible like this one? (You can see everything through the barbed wire fence (which granted has seen better days).)
Me: Yes.
Contractor: Okay then, bye.
The site tour really wasn't necessary. I managed to talk the project team and the contractors who showed up out of visiting all of the sites. So, I cut at least three hours off of it. Instead of being from 10-3pm, it was 10-12 pm. And most of the time was spent on driving. It took an hour to get out there.
Anyhow, I got a nice tour of Long Island. You can tell a New Yorker from a tourist by how they refer to the geographical locations in New York.
There's "The City" - which is basically just the island of Manhattan. That's it. Then there's "The Island" - Long Island. And "The Boroughs" - Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx - although these are usually referred to by name. The Island is Nassau and Suffolk Counties, even though Brooklyn and Queens are located on it.
Upstate - is basically everything north of "the City". The City is kind of all encompassing, and really there's no need to give it a name - we all it's Manhattan and there's nothing to compare. Everything else is kind of towns in comparison.
Co-horts in the car with me, who are born-and-bred New Yorkers pretty much explained it thusly - "You are definitely a New Yorker if you refer to Manhattan as The City. Tourists and out of staters just don't get it."
They don't. Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and The Bronx may technically be considered part of The City, but they aren't located on it, and you have to cross a bridge to get from them to it. (A lot of New Yorkers consider Staten Island as part of New Jersey, which is amusing.)
New York is odd in another way. We pay the most in taxes, and give the most away - there's not a lot put back in our infrastructure - most of it goes to other states. Our federal taxes are higher than most states. As a result, the cost of living is very high in NY. You can get a three-six bedroom house in Texas for a fraction of what it costs to get a one bedroom house or apartment in New York.
Plus all the politicians in NY are corrupt and always have been - not that they aren't elsewhere, they just are more so, here. And if you don't have a strong, bullying Governor, nothing will get done, because the legislature doesn't agree on anything - except not doing anything.
It's nice out on Long Island, hilly, lots of trees, and beautiful homes. I can't afford it, plus it's not highly walkable. I need to find a rich significant other - who has a chauffeur.
For the most part, folks wore masks. I took mine off periodically - when outside, and briefly in the car to eat my energy bars and drink water (I was feeling woozy again, due to barometric pressure, dehydration, and low blood sugar or pressure. Menopause means I get overheated easily now.) But I was behind the guys in front, so safe. The Project Manager, while not vaccinated, had gotten COVID in March, and tested negative yesterday. I figured he was safer than I or the other guy were - we were both vaccinated.
***
Got back to crazy workplace. Found out during tour that everyone is fed up with crazy workplace. And people are leaving right and left. They are fed up in the office too.
Babs has had it with BYT (Bright Young Thing Manager). I'd feel sorry for BYT, but I've lost patience with her as well - so I decided to torture her with email overload. (Micromanage me at your own peril. I will gleefully overload you with details and information. Babs is the same way. We both do that. She kind of taught it to me. No, actually, I think we both learned it in law school - we both have legal backgrounds.) She pulled me aside today to find out why A was upset. I didn't know for certain, but my guess was what he'd told me the previous week - while we were commiserating over it.
I swear, I should teach a class on how not to manage people. Things you shouldn't do. I've only had one or two decent managers in my lifetime, and both lasted about a year each.
It's taught me that crappy people are like cockroaches, they refuse to go away permanently. And most of them for reasons that escape me, get promoted to management.
***
The subway shooting thing has gotten complicated. Apparently the person of interest, or the guy accused of this - turned himself in. He called them.
And his attorney's are claiming that he may be innocent of the crime.
Saw that on the news this morning.
I hope he's not. Because that means the bad guy is still out there wandering around. I have a feeling my fellow New Yorkers feel pretty much the same way. As does law enforcement - which is the problem.
Fair trial? Hmmph.
***
I intended to get up early tomorrow morning to do laundry, but I'm exhausted. So I may sleep in and do it in the afternoon instead.
***
There was a Helen Reddy song on my Iphone Apple Tunes the other day, that I really identified with..
Where Is My Friend?
It's a rarely heard song...
"Where is my friend, the friend that I lost at the fork in the road that led me to the life I live."
Where is my friend who knew me when - I'd love to meet her again..
Where is my friend, the friend that I lost at the fork in the road and never ever found again...
Well, I wonder what she'd say if we met again today, has she lost her way, and does she need a friend
And does she feel the same whenever she hears my name and does she wish we were together once again..
The road took a turn and we keep living...
But it gets lonely, oh so lonely...now and then...
Where is my friend, the friend that I lost at the fork in the road and never and never ever found again..."
It's a plaintive song...and haunted me one morning on the way to work.
I had a friend like that. I lost her at the fork in a road, not of my own choosing, way back when I was around 11 or 12 years of age. My parents chose to move to Kansas from Pennsylvania in the late 1970s. We corresponded for a bit, but...well, without visits (and my parents chose not to return for any), the distance drags, and we fall out of touch. I did see her once again about five years later. But time had taken its toll.
And the visit was far too brief.
I never ever saw her again.
We'd been best friends for about six years.
And I've had other friends like that over the years. My loss of friends is not due to fallings out or anything either of us have necessarily done, but logistics, and life.
I envy those who haven't had this happen. But my guess is they are rare and few between, or it would never have become a song.
The others, we joked, went to the beach.
It was 80 degree. Beautiful. Clear blue skies. All worries of thunderstorms floated away. (The thunderstorms kindly did not arrive until 5:45pm, after I got home, to hit us.)
Six firms made reservations, and sent in Site Tour Release forms, but only two showed up, and one that didn't make a reservation at all, didn't send a Site Tour Release Form, nor brought the correct Personal Protective Equipment or reflective vest.
ME: Hello, who are you.
Contractor: AI Equipment and Painting.
Me (checking my attendance list): You didn't make a reservation or send in a form.
Contractor: I called you.
Me: No, you didn't.
Contractor: I got your name.
ME: I never spoke with you and never got an email. Also you aren't wearing a vest. (He didn't have a mask either - but I was willing to waive that - since it wasn't listed as a requirement any longer, we were outside, it was sunny, and warm. But the reflective vest is required. At least he was wearing safety boots.) I can't let you on the tour.
Contractor: Is this mandatory?
Me: No.
Contractor: Are all the stations visible like this one? (You can see everything through the barbed wire fence (which granted has seen better days).)
Me: Yes.
Contractor: Okay then, bye.
The site tour really wasn't necessary. I managed to talk the project team and the contractors who showed up out of visiting all of the sites. So, I cut at least three hours off of it. Instead of being from 10-3pm, it was 10-12 pm. And most of the time was spent on driving. It took an hour to get out there.
Anyhow, I got a nice tour of Long Island. You can tell a New Yorker from a tourist by how they refer to the geographical locations in New York.
There's "The City" - which is basically just the island of Manhattan. That's it. Then there's "The Island" - Long Island. And "The Boroughs" - Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx - although these are usually referred to by name. The Island is Nassau and Suffolk Counties, even though Brooklyn and Queens are located on it.
Upstate - is basically everything north of "the City". The City is kind of all encompassing, and really there's no need to give it a name - we all it's Manhattan and there's nothing to compare. Everything else is kind of towns in comparison.
Co-horts in the car with me, who are born-and-bred New Yorkers pretty much explained it thusly - "You are definitely a New Yorker if you refer to Manhattan as The City. Tourists and out of staters just don't get it."
They don't. Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and The Bronx may technically be considered part of The City, but they aren't located on it, and you have to cross a bridge to get from them to it. (A lot of New Yorkers consider Staten Island as part of New Jersey, which is amusing.)
New York is odd in another way. We pay the most in taxes, and give the most away - there's not a lot put back in our infrastructure - most of it goes to other states. Our federal taxes are higher than most states. As a result, the cost of living is very high in NY. You can get a three-six bedroom house in Texas for a fraction of what it costs to get a one bedroom house or apartment in New York.
Plus all the politicians in NY are corrupt and always have been - not that they aren't elsewhere, they just are more so, here. And if you don't have a strong, bullying Governor, nothing will get done, because the legislature doesn't agree on anything - except not doing anything.
It's nice out on Long Island, hilly, lots of trees, and beautiful homes. I can't afford it, plus it's not highly walkable. I need to find a rich significant other - who has a chauffeur.
For the most part, folks wore masks. I took mine off periodically - when outside, and briefly in the car to eat my energy bars and drink water (I was feeling woozy again, due to barometric pressure, dehydration, and low blood sugar or pressure. Menopause means I get overheated easily now.) But I was behind the guys in front, so safe. The Project Manager, while not vaccinated, had gotten COVID in March, and tested negative yesterday. I figured he was safer than I or the other guy were - we were both vaccinated.
***
Got back to crazy workplace. Found out during tour that everyone is fed up with crazy workplace. And people are leaving right and left. They are fed up in the office too.
Babs has had it with BYT (Bright Young Thing Manager). I'd feel sorry for BYT, but I've lost patience with her as well - so I decided to torture her with email overload. (Micromanage me at your own peril. I will gleefully overload you with details and information. Babs is the same way. We both do that. She kind of taught it to me. No, actually, I think we both learned it in law school - we both have legal backgrounds.) She pulled me aside today to find out why A was upset. I didn't know for certain, but my guess was what he'd told me the previous week - while we were commiserating over it.
I swear, I should teach a class on how not to manage people. Things you shouldn't do. I've only had one or two decent managers in my lifetime, and both lasted about a year each.
It's taught me that crappy people are like cockroaches, they refuse to go away permanently. And most of them for reasons that escape me, get promoted to management.
***
The subway shooting thing has gotten complicated. Apparently the person of interest, or the guy accused of this - turned himself in. He called them.
And his attorney's are claiming that he may be innocent of the crime.
Saw that on the news this morning.
I hope he's not. Because that means the bad guy is still out there wandering around. I have a feeling my fellow New Yorkers feel pretty much the same way. As does law enforcement - which is the problem.
Fair trial? Hmmph.
***
I intended to get up early tomorrow morning to do laundry, but I'm exhausted. So I may sleep in and do it in the afternoon instead.
***
There was a Helen Reddy song on my Iphone Apple Tunes the other day, that I really identified with..
Where Is My Friend?
It's a rarely heard song...
"Where is my friend, the friend that I lost at the fork in the road that led me to the life I live."
Where is my friend who knew me when - I'd love to meet her again..
Where is my friend, the friend that I lost at the fork in the road and never ever found again...
Well, I wonder what she'd say if we met again today, has she lost her way, and does she need a friend
And does she feel the same whenever she hears my name and does she wish we were together once again..
The road took a turn and we keep living...
But it gets lonely, oh so lonely...now and then...
Where is my friend, the friend that I lost at the fork in the road and never and never ever found again..."
It's a plaintive song...and haunted me one morning on the way to work.
I had a friend like that. I lost her at the fork in a road, not of my own choosing, way back when I was around 11 or 12 years of age. My parents chose to move to Kansas from Pennsylvania in the late 1970s. We corresponded for a bit, but...well, without visits (and my parents chose not to return for any), the distance drags, and we fall out of touch. I did see her once again about five years later. But time had taken its toll.
And the visit was far too brief.
I never ever saw her again.
We'd been best friends for about six years.
And I've had other friends like that over the years. My loss of friends is not due to fallings out or anything either of us have necessarily done, but logistics, and life.
I envy those who haven't had this happen. But my guess is they are rare and few between, or it would never have become a song.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-15 07:52 am (UTC)Yep, same here. My two best friends in my late teens and early 20's both moved away from where I live, one who job a teaching job offer in Kentucky, moved there, eventually met a woman, married, had a kid...
The other friend and his wife left because they got very nervous after the Three Mile Island incident, and moved to Tioga county, way up in northwestern PA.
I corresponded with both for several years, but they each got more involved over time in work and family, and we simply drifted apart.
I'm sure this is not at all uncommon, in that there are fewer and fewer folks who stay in the same place they were born for their entire life.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 01:55 am (UTC)My brother left because of his wife - she preferred NY. My parents left for Hilton Head because they preferred Hilton Head. We moved from PA to KS in the 1970s for my father's work.
My mother couldn't wait to live her hometown of Liberty - there was no reason for her to stay and she wanted to see the world.
And I can't say I loved Kansas, I kind of hated it and was more than ready to leave. There was no reason to stay. I've more ties to NY, actually.
So, it's not that fewer and fewer adults stay where they were born, but there's fewer and fewer reasons to do so. And it depends on the family. And connections and community of that place.
I wasn't born in PA or Kansas for that matter. I was born in Illinois. Both parents returned to their hometown birth spots, and neither felt comfortable there. The "fantasy" of returning to the place of birth or the hometown is television made or out of a romance novel. It's not real.
There's no hometown to return to - for either my brother or myself - we're New Yorkers now. Our town, our community is where we chose to live as adults, not wherever our parents chose to plant us.
And if I look back further? My great grandfather immigrated from Ireland. Another immigrated from Germany. And a great-great-great-great...immigrated from Scotland. My great-grandmother from Belgium. My family did not spring up from this land...we're not of Native American roots. And even the Native Americans - they immigrated here once upon a time from somewhere else.
People aren't plants or trees. We move and migrate. We've rarely stayed in one place for long. If we had - most of us wouldn't have been born in the US. We'd be living somewhere else.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-15 07:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-04-15 04:15 pm (UTC)Yes, this was a little confusing, because in the first news story I saw, he had been captured via calling a tip line himself. But then yesterday night's Daily Show featured a segment on a guy installing security cameras who had called police on him. But it seemed to be the same guy who turned himself in.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 01:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-04-15 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 01:41 am (UTC)