Sunday, February 25, 2007
Week Past 02/19-02/25/07
Mon 02/19 inventory in my department started at 12:00 am. Was done by 2:15 am. Went home, snatched some sleep and went back at 6:45 am to research on count and dollar discrepancies after the inventory result was printed. Finally was able to go home at 4:00 pm. Temp started to hit the 40's hurrahhh
Thu 02/22 drove W to the airport for her flight to Manila for a business trp. She'll be gone for over a week counting her travel time. It's good that she left midweek. Snowstorm forecasted this coming weekend beginning Friday evening well into Monday morning.
Thu 02/22 drove W to the airport for her flight to Manila for a business trp. She'll be gone for over a week counting her travel time. It's good that she left midweek. Snowstorm forecasted this coming weekend beginning Friday evening well into Monday morning.
Fri 02/23 night I peeked outside before turning to bed near midnight and there's not a trace of snow. Just strong gusty winds. Woke up Sat 02/24 and there's a white dusting covering the driveway. Not the thick snow I was anticipating. Nothing on the roof. I decided to shovel the driveway and it was not your fluffy or wet snow but ice. Like rough salt granules. But by noon it started snowing "seriously". Went to mass at 5:00 pm. The roads were bad. Because it was a Saturday and early in the evening the roads have not been plowed. Add the continuous snow fall. Even the traffic light in one of the intersection is confused. I was at the left turn lane waiting for a green. It already turned red for the vehicles coming from my right and left direction. Waited, waited and waited. It did not turn green. Instead the signal turned green again for the other vehicles. It happened twice. So the third time when I was sure all lights were red in all directions I took my turn. It'll take forever for that traffic light to correct itself bacause of the snowstorm. Sun 02/25 I had to use the snowblower to clear the driveway. To shovel is out of the question. It's wet, thick and heavy. The pics would speak for itself.
Pics top: before and after the snowstorm at the backyard. Center: before and after clearing the driveway with the snowblower (foreground right pic) as viewed from the garage. Bottom pic accumulated snow after clearing. Not that bad. "Normal" accumulation for Minnesotans.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Week Past 02/12-02/18
It's all about work...one task I don't relish or look forward to is sitting with your co-worker to "advise" him or her the need to "focus" more on their job responsibilty to "improve" their productivity. This is what I did Tue 02/13. Unfortunately that Tue was the third time meaning another or a fourth would mean termination. Fri 02/16 that co-worker just didn't show up for work. Quit. There goes my shift schedule. I still cannot understand why some people don't value their job yet go on complaining that they have bills to pay and need the money. Demand more hours yet don't perform their duties. Mediocrity. When they decide to quit they don't cut clean. And some have the grit to come back if they can't find a job elsewhere expecting to be re-hired. You've burned your bridges and there's a sign on the system saying "not eligible for re-hire". Reason: "We were burned". And this will be in all the company's subsidiaries. Then they'll start bellyaching when they are refused, as they often do about their job when they still had one. Attitude and values gone awry.
Sun 02/18 had to report to work at 6:00 pm to prepare for the inventory at 12:00 am.
Also Sun after mass, W and I checked out Village Market grocery store along HiWay 13. I noticed this kid with a small or kiddie shopping cart with a sign: "customer in training". It was full of groceries and he was following her mom. He was in hurry to catch up that when he made a turn he was not able to control the cart it fell on it's side. Good thing there was nothing breakable. And I said to W: "Just like the sign says the kid needs more training" :)
So Sun we were also looking (again) for a place to eat lunch. Try out the local food place we thought. So we peeked at TJ Houlligan's Pub and Grub. The moment we opened the door the smell of cigar smoke is what greeted us. Well what do you expect it's a pub, duh. But it's Sunday! So? The whole place was a smoking area so we beat a hasty retreat. We ended up at the Village Market's Cafe area. It's cool. They have this cozy nook overlooking the parking area where you could watch people go by. And they have the morning papers.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Week Past 02/05-02/11/07
Tue 02/06 it took me over two hours to get to work. Forecast night before said there will be snow in time for the morning commute. But nobody expected it to be that bad. It was a steady snowfall. More than enough to cause a lot of vehicular accidents in all the major roads snarling traffic. I took Hi-Way18 going towards 169N. About a mile or two from 169N exit traffic was at a standstill moving a few meters every five or so minutes. I thought it would clear up but I was wrong. That's where I "wasted" my first hour. I decided to go back and take Hi-Way13 instead. It was also slow moving but at least it was moving. I exited off 35W North where vehicular traffic was also crawling then off to 494 East. I reached our store at 10:09 am. I left home at 7:51 am. A total of 2 hours and 18 minutes on the road. Normal driving time: 25 to 30 minutes. Dejavu: Metro Manila only instead of rain and flood it's snow and freezing weather. I had to shovel snow in our driveway before I left home. When I got home that evening I had to shovel the driveway again. That's how heavy the snow turned out to be.
At the work front it was really slow because of the weather. So we started "cutting" hours. The "closer" in my department called that she'd rather not report for work with less hours. So I ended up closing. What a day. At least going home was a cinch.
Thu 02/08 was continuation of my "curtain call". With my "experience" the previous week and the window sizes smaller, (dinette and pantry area) it didn't took me that long to install the rods. Hanging the curtain itself is a diferrent story. W is doing that and I lost count on how many changes she made in our dining room and some of the bedrooms. She'd ask my opinion and I'd say that's okay or fine by me. Next thing I know she'll be asking me again with a different set of curtains. Then we have to take down the one she previously hang. For me they all look good so eventually I'd ask her the price and that helps me decide which one I'd "fight" for. The cheapest of course :)
The weather is still below average: below 0 deg F. Meteorologist are saying this is might be the longest streak of sub-zero temperatures. When you get to used to or should I say bear the unbearable weather, the 20's and 30's would feel like a heatwave. This is when I start reminiscing about the Philippines . Going to the province. Enjoying the view of Lingayen Gulf on a hill in Sual. Then enjoying a sumptous lunch under the shade of mango trees. Cool breeze gently brushing you. Temps would just be right this time of the year.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Week Past 01/29-02/04/07
For this week January is done. A month has gone by for 2007. February is the heart or red month. Another opportunity for retailers to earn big bucks with all the Valentine hype. Restaurants will be booked. Flowershops will swamped. In the Philippines "Tiyo Telmo" will have his hands full beginning day before and after Valentine :-). Amazing how through the years advertising or retailers come up with new ideas to further amplify the "reason" why we must celebrate these "special" occassions in a lavish manner. Score another interest on your credit card.
Thu, 02/01 was "Curtain Call". It was my day off so I did a "honeydue" project: install the curtain rods. It took me whole morning and part of the afternoon to work on eight windows of various sizes. At least we now have some privacy instead of like living in a fishbowl with all our windows bare and open from the outside.
Temps are still below zero chilled further by the wind. I maybe bundled up but my extremities can still feel the biting cold even with gloves and thick socks. I'll take the 20's anytime pleeeasssse.
