PING: ~Patches~

Pennyaline said:

One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is that I
can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

Then you are doomed to working class or lower middle management. After many years in
the work force I came to realize that the people who get ahead are the people who kiss
ass or those who make themselves look better that others, usually by running them down
behind their backs.

Pennyaline said:

Dave Smith said:

sf said:

I was appalled to watch some show.... 60 Minutes maybe? That
interviewed some young people about their jobs and watched them say
with big smiles how much they "love" their jobs, would put in 24/7
for
the same amount of pay etc. etc. etc. Boy, is that going to come
back
and bite them in the butt! I hope they understand someday just how
ridiculous they sounded.

If you have financial stake in the company (even decent bonuses),
work
your tail off... but when you're just an hourly waged cog in the
wheel
that nobody gives a damn about - look out for #1 and don't donate
your
time.

Isn't it sad that our society has produced a generation of brown
nosing SOBs who will say something like that because they are afraid
to tell the truth, afraid to stick up for themselves, afraid to
insist on being treated with a little dignity.

I liked my job. I would not have minded staying on a few more years
except that there were some changes planned that I had no use for,
and I had a 3 month window to bail out with with an early
retirement. If I stayed longer I would have been locked in for
another 5 years.

<pith remains>

One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is
that I
can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

This is probably why I lost my job. The woman managing the department(s)
expected everyone to cower, kneel down and kiss her ass when she walked
through. Sorry but I don't play that game. I could do her job in an
instant but no way could she have done mine. She didn't like that, not one
little bit.

Jill

Glitter Ninja said:

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and
posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Perhaps in India? Since all such jobs have been outsourced to there.
Everyone I used to work with have jumped ship or been layed off. My
dad is actively encouraging me to move to Gallatin, TN to seek
employment selling insurance with the Farm Bureau. (sigh) Oh dear.

I used to work for Farm Bureau, until I quit last July, thanks to
understaffing and reduced benefits and forgotten raises. It was in
another state, so it wasn't officially affiliated with Tennessee FB,
but I don't recommend working in insurance in general.
You, however, might be heartless and cranky enough to thrive in the
business. I say that with love in my heart.

Gee, I take that as a compliment! Frankly, I have never used my insurance
license for anything but went back to school for it based on Dad's
conviction that I get it back after letting it lapse in 1990 and never
actually used it for anything. He seems to think it's supposed to end all
my troubles.

Jill

Dave Smith said:

Pennyaline said:

One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is
that I
can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

Then you are doomed to working class or lower middle management.
After many years in the work force I came to realize that the people
who get ahead are the people who kiss ass or those who make
themselves look better that others, usually by running them down
behind their backs.

Then I am doomed. I dare the woman who fired me to do the job I did. She
couldn't. I've always been of the opinion that those who manage others
should be able to step into their shoes and do the job they expect their
employees to do. Unfortunately, that isn't the case these days.

Jill

elaine said:

" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

jmcquown said:

The food was never good food, either! Sorry, but I'm a middle aged
woman
who refuses to be on call 24/7. I do like to sleep, thank you. This is
probably why I can't find a job; I'm not 22 years old and I expect more
than $18,000 a year to cover my bills.

I was appalled to watch some show.... 60 Minutes maybe? That
interviewed some young people about their jobs and watched them say
with big smiles how much they "love" their jobs, would put in 24/7 for
the same amount of pay etc. etc. etc. Boy, is that going to come back
and bite them in the butt! I hope they understand someday just how
ridiculous they sounded.

Yes, 60 minutes this Sunday. It was a husband and wife team they were
interviewing.

Really riduculous!

Thanks, Elaine... I walked in late and it was so appalling that I
couldn't stay in the room to listen to any more than I heard.

The only thing I can come up with is that they are children of
privilege who still don't understand what it actually means to
*support* yourself without mommy and daddy kicking in something extra
every month. If they are married, then obviously they have no life
outside of work.... so that's a savings. LOL
--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

Dave Smith said:

Then you are doomed to working class or lower middle management.
After many years in the work force I came to realize that the people
who get ahead are the people who kiss ass or those who make
themselves look better that others, usually by running them down
behind their backs.

I will disagree with this. I know many people at my company who got
ahead by being hard workers and caring, dilligent managers. That your
work experiences have been different is too bad for you.

There are those who do get ahead by being suck-ups, but it's sure not
everyone.

Brian
--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Dave Smith said:

Pennyaline said:

One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is that I
can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

Then you are doomed to working class or lower middle management. After many years in
the work force I came to realize that the people who get ahead are the people who kiss
ass or those who make themselves look better that others, usually by running them down
behind their backs.

No, I've done better than that. But even in a good position where I can
call most of the shots and enjoy a healthy autonomy, there is always
someone, could be new to the organization or with years of tenure, who
feels they deserve a little peck on the booty and are willing to smooch
away at whomever might get them to their goal.

These people give themselves away right away, and quickly become the
bane of the workplace. Nothing stops them from trying to ingratiate
themselves to whoever is topmost in the organization or barring that, a
step or two down... a particularly diabolical tactic that either fails
explosively or succeeds brilliantly by pitting administrators and
managers against each other from the lower level. It becomes a win/lose
situation for management instead of a question of the employee's worth
and, whether the employee succeeds or fails, it is guaranteed that the
lesser member of administration will lose a chunk of job security.

The saddest thing is that anyone can be sucked into one of these battles
without even knowing it, as manipulative kissers and kissees
industriously line coworkers up against each other. Heed my advice: when
you hear that first rumor, don't take it lightly. Get out of range and
cover your ass, if only to stop someone from kissing it!

jmcquown said:

Then I am doomed. I dare the woman who fired me to do the job I did. She
couldn't. I've always been of the opinion that those who manage others
should be able to step into their shoes and do the job they expect their
employees to do. Unfortunately, that isn't the case these days.

In the days of free enterprise and small business most of them probably
could. I had a boss who was such a twit that it became his nickname, even to
his face. There were some areas of the regulations that we had to deal with
that I had developed a bit of expertise in, and I knew that he was totally
lost. I always had a question about some aspect of those regulations ready for
him so that whenever he called me the first thing I would do would be to ask
him my question. It got him so messed up that he would forget what he called
me about. It was as bad as the "nose trap" that I use on my dogs. Like them,
he fell for it every time.

sf said:

The only thing I can come up with is that they are children of
privilege who still don't understand what it actually means to
*support* yourself without mommy and daddy kicking in something extra
every month. If they are married, then obviously they have no life
outside of work.... so that's a savings. LOL

I'm sure they'll completely change their tune when the wife gets pregnant.

Bob

Bob (this one) said:

Blair P. Houghton said:

Bob (this one) said:

~patches~ wrote:

>Sad, sad, sad. No cookie for you either.

WHOOOOOOOOOOSHHHH.

You want me to explain it for you?

As if... <LOL>

You sure made a big deal of it sailing over your head.

--Blair

~patches~ said:

About 3 weeks ago my Mac decided to do something funny. It would boot
up as far as the apple then the screen would go black with 2 lines of
white text jiggling up and down. Believe me I had "high expectations"
that the Mad "tech support person" would solve my problem 😉

The tech support management system has gotten the idea that customers
are "served" if they merely get a "response" within a few hours of
indicating a problem. But I can't tell you how many times my reply to
the "response" was "THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM. MY PROBLEM IS CLEARLY
STATED IN MY PROBLEM REPORT. DO NOT SEND ME BOILERPLATE THAT BARELY
APPLIES TO ONE OR TWO WORDS THAT YOUR TEXT MATCHING PROGRAM HAPPENED TO
FIND IN MY EMAIL. FIX THE PROBLEM I DESCRIBED."

That usually gets me a fix. They have the stonewall only partially
built. Which indicates that by the time they actually do provide
either real service or a full stonewall, the price of outsourced help
will be about the same as the price of local help.

Quoted message said:

ObFood: Broiled salmon steaks are delightful! I sprinkle them with a
little salt, pepper and paprika then brush with melted butter. I turn
them once while broiling and finish with a splash of lemon juice.

Either buy or make some of Emeril's original cajun/creole seasoning.
It's got salt, pepper, and paprika in it, but several other things to
give it more depth. The recipe is/was in the FoodTV database, and I
know I've posted it so it should be in the Google archives as well.
It's 8 or 9 very common spices. But of course the commercial version
is readily available in most groceries. Killer on salmon or trout.

--Blair

Blair P. Houghton said:

~patches~ said:

About 3 weeks ago my Mac decided to do something funny. It would boot
up as far as the apple then the screen would go black with 2 lines of
white text jiggling up and down. Believe me I had "high expectations"
that the Mad "tech support person" would solve my problem 😉

The tech support management system has gotten the idea that customers
are "served" if they merely get a "response" within a few hours of
indicating a problem. But I can't tell you how many times my reply to
the "response" was "THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM. MY PROBLEM IS CLEARLY
STATED IN MY PROBLEM REPORT. DO NOT SEND ME BOILERPLATE THAT BARELY
APPLIES TO ONE OR TWO WORDS THAT YOUR TEXT MATCHING PROGRAM HAPPENED TO
FIND IN MY EMAIL. FIX THE PROBLEM I DESCRIBED."

That usually gets me a fix. They have the stonewall only partially
built. Which indicates that by the time they actually do provide
either real service or a full stonewall, the price of outsourced help
will be about the same as the price of local help.

I think that is what surprised me about how easy it was to deal with Mac
tech support. I've dealt with other tech supports where you have to
explain the problem to 5 or 6 people as they pass from one tech to the
next 🙁

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ObFood: Broiled salmon steaks are delightful! I sprinkle them with a
little salt, pepper and paprika then brush with melted butter. I turn
them once while broiling and finish with a splash of lemon juice.

Either buy or make some of Emeril's original cajun/creole seasoning.
It's got salt, pepper, and paprika in it, but several other things to
give it more depth. The recipe is/was in the FoodTV database, and I
know I've posted it so it should be in the Google archives as well.
It's 8 or 9 very common spices. But of course the commercial version
is readily available in most groceries. Killer on salmon or trout.

Thanks for the tip. I search the foodtv site and google. We eat a lot
of salmon so I'm always looking for different ways to do it up. A lemon
dill combo is nice on salmon especially when grilled.

Quoted message said:

--Blair

--
Theft of someone's digital images is copyright infringement contrary to
DMCA of 1998. A two faced thief in rfc steals others digital images for
harassment. Sarah Bennett, another rfc thief is worse. She steals pics
then tries to sell them as her own. Some here condone this behaviour.
Shame on you!

jmcquown said:

Dave Smith said:

Pennyaline said:

One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is
that I
can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

Then you are doomed to working class or lower middle management.
After many years in the work force I came to realize that the people
who get ahead are the people who kiss ass or those who make
themselves look better that others, usually by running them down
behind their backs.

Then I am doomed. I dare the woman who fired me to do the job I did. She
couldn't. I've always been of the opinion that those who manage others
should be able to step into their shoes and do the job they expect their
employees to do. Unfortunately, that isn't the case these days.

Jill

That's ok if you're working on a factory line or something, but once
you're in a specialized field -- what's the point? If your manager can
do your job, what are you there for?

I'd rather work for a company that supports its employees by
hiring/training managers who can actually manage people, and that
understands that just because you're very good at a particular job
doesn't mean you should be promoted to managing people. (This is a big
problem in IT -- engineers get promoted to management because they've
been there a long time and they're really good engineers. They are
rarely good managers, however, as this is a whole different skill set.)

Michelle

"jmcquown" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

The food was never good food, either! Sorry, but I'm a middle aged
woman who refuses to be on call 24/7. I do like to sleep, thank you.
This is probably why I can't find a job; I'm not 22 years old and I
expect more than $18,000 a year to cover my bills.

No kidding. Especially when you are used to making 4 times that. I made a
lot of money but never had time to spend it. I don't miss it at all.
Fortunately Steven makes a very good income and his position is very secure
so I could afford to take my part time job. Which I love BTW.

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

sf <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I was appalled to watch some show.... 60 Minutes maybe? That
interviewed some young people about their jobs and watched them say
with big smiles how much they "love" their jobs, would put in 24/7 for
the same amount of pay etc. etc. etc. Boy, is that going to come back
and bite them in the butt! I hope they understand someday just how
ridiculous they sounded.

If you have financial stake in the company (even decent bonuses), work
your tail off... but when you're just an hourly waged cog in the wheel
that nobody gives a damn about - look out for #1 and don't donate your
time.

Oh, we had perks. We could buy as much company stock as we wanted at a
discounted price. I'm glad I didn't invest a lot in the company stock.
After 9/11 I would have lost a bundle. From what I understand, the company
has greatly changed and I wouldn't work there anyway. The people that are
sticking it out are staying because there is no IT work anywhere else.

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

Pennyaline <[email hidden]> hitched up
their panties and posted news:[email hidden]:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is that
I can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

My position was one of power but we had a team of 6 Domain Admins. No one
kissed our asses and we didn't kiss anyone's ass. I liked it there. They
started laying people off. They were going to lay off 500 people all at
once and then another 500 in 6 months. I took the voluntary option and got
a very generous severence settlement. Those poor people that thought they
were irreplacable stuck it out, got layed off, and pretty much got nothing
but unemployment benefits. I bailed because I knew they were going to lay
people off based upon salary, not skill set. Pretty sad.

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

<[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I'd rather work for a company that supports its employees by
hiring/training managers who can actually manage people, and that
understands that just because you're very good at a particular job
doesn't mean you should be promoted to managing people. (This is a big
problem in IT -- engineers get promoted to management because they've
been there a long time and they're really good engineers. They are
rarely good managers, however, as this is a whole different skill set.)

I know of a guy named Peter who might have something to say
about that.

I got lucky in my later years that I reported to people who knew
to just say what they needed and go away. The group took care
of the job. Management that knew, just keep the abusers away
from the people who were actually going to get the job done.

I sure went through my share of bozos, though, people who had no
business being in management in any way, shape or form.

nancy

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

but unemployment benefits. I bailed because I knew they were going to lay
people off based upon salary, not skill set. Pretty sad.

The only thing sadder was when they lay off based on vesting. I worked
with a guy like that. He spent 17 years working for a big company
(Agilent, used to be HP but HP sold off all their profitable operations
and just kept the losers). Another year and he would have been vested
for lifetime health benefits. Since he was laid off, he got almost
*nothing*.

--
Dan Abel
[email hidden]
Petaluma, California, USA

Dan Abel said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

but unemployment benefits. I bailed because I knew they were going to lay
people off based upon salary, not skill set. Pretty sad.

The only thing sadder was when they lay off based on vesting. I worked
with a guy like that. He spent 17 years working for a big company
(Agilent, used to be HP but HP sold off all their profitable operations
and just kept the losers). Another year and he would have been vested
for lifetime health benefits. Since he was laid off, he got almost
*nothing*.

I've worked for companies that did that on a smaller scale with
retirement benefits. In health care, and especially in long term care,
it is rare that an employee stays for any appreciable amount of time --
and I don't mean up to ten years, I mean more like gone in two.
Companies would offer retirement plans which would be vested after three
years of continuous employment. Sure enough, when it got close to that
three year mark, the ax would fall.

Oh, in case you're wondering, turnover is go high in health care because
the only way to get a decent raise is to get a new job. Not to mention
that health care facilities aren't very nice to their employees in terms
of benefits, job security, etc.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

jmcquown said:

Dave Smith said:

Pennyaline wrote:

> One of my problems with the traditional work environment is that I'm
> unable to kiss ass to any degree. One of my other problems is that I
> cannot tolerate those who kiss ass. I guess my biggest problem is
> that I
> can't abide people who want their asses kissed.

Then you are doomed to working class or lower middle management.
After many years in the work force I came to realize that the people
who get ahead are the people who kiss ass or those who make
themselves look better that others, usually by running them down
behind their backs.

Then I am doomed. I dare the woman who fired me to do the job I did. She
couldn't. I've always been of the opinion that those who manage others
should be able to step into their shoes and do the job they expect their
employees to do. Unfortunately, that isn't the case these days.

Quoted message said:

That's ok if you're working on a factory line or something, but once
you're in a specialized field -- what's the point? If your manager can
do your job, what are you there for?

I'd rather work for a company that supports its employees by
hiring/training managers who can actually manage people, and that
understands that just because you're very good at a particular job
doesn't mean you should be promoted to managing people. (This is a big
problem in IT -- engineers get promoted to management because they've
been there a long time and they're really good engineers. They are
rarely good managers, however, as this is a whole different skill set.)

Yeah. Still, the manager may not be an expert at doing everybody's
jobs, but they need to know enough that when it comes time for
evaluation, hiring and firing, they know enough about the job to do
*their* job of managing their employees.

I retired last August from a job of 25 years. I did the same thing the
whole time, working for the same boss. I didn't have to kiss ass, and
knew that I never would. I'm just not management material and I know
it. I'm not interested in failing, and had no interest in being a
manager anyway.

--
Dan Abel
[email hidden]
Petaluma, California, USA