after a while at the free friday eve wine tasting up the street, we went downtown to this restaurant/event space. Boomtown Subterranea, as it's called, often has some sort of performance going on, so we payed a $5 cover charge, then sat and started looking over the menu. She ordered the puff pastry (stuffed with chicken and blue cheese). Salmon stuffed with lobster for me. Hers was much tastier.
so, on to the show. this group of improv performers called themselves "Mad Cowford" (Jacksonville's name waaay back in the day was Cowford). While introducing themselves they mentioned "who's line is it anyway," and said what they do is something like that. well, they set the bar a bit too high with that association. they did one skit that was funny all the way through - 2 lawyers each making a case for an audience member's favorite tv show - the simpsons and 24, respectively. the simpsons won.
while they're were a few other moments of hilarity, overall it was a rather awkward way to spend a couple of hours...
anywho, the gf is now spending the morning/early afternoon at the spa. my birthday gift to her...
i got coffee but no breakfast food. i guess i'll hold out til lunchtime and have grilled cheese and tomato soup, my current obsession. so, liberty i'm gonna play with some breuer ideas on sketchup and i'm listening to that cd right NOW after watching a bunch of Ziggy Stradust and Doctor Hook videos on YouTube. Sylvia's MOther now that was a great song.
grilled cheese and tomato soup ranks as one of my all-time favorite combos.
liberty, i am trying not to let my hopes get up too high, because it isn't a permanent position. also this week was hard simply because i had a huge learning curve to jump over to get to know the project, the drawing set, the office standards, the people, etcetera. but i actually really like the office (and the project) so far, and i'm really enjoying the challenge, so i'm hoping it turns into something more. don't want to think about that too much though!
talked to my bro on the phone. it is so cold and windy at his place. (just like here) as we were talking he said a squirrel was blown across the street. am finishing my grilled cheese and soup and loading up a dvd for some serious couch time...this afternoon...
oh, and myriam - we should have a new thread up within the week that includes a brief for the breuer library charrette, and other applicable info for submitting ideas etc.
I enjoyed the arts last night myself. The musical arts to be exact.
We went and saw The Rapture at an old theater-turned concert venue. It was wonderful for a number of reasons: a) The band frickin rocks, and I shook my ass a lot, b) this is the first concert I've seen since the no-smoking rules went into effect, and I didn't feel like I was dying inside when I left the place, and c) I was strategically placed about 3 feet from the bassist, which was perfect for watching, and picture-taking.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see why it's 53 degrees in my apartment. Ta ta for now!
oh, the rapture, cool! lucky girl. i need to get in on the concert happenins in chicago, but first i need to find an apartment!!! there is a winka dubbeldam lecture here this coming wednesday, however.
i'm currently desperately trying to get caught up on the breuer library thread. only on page 2!!!!
and wonderk--I was reading a news article from baton rouge this morning about how much the restaurant/bar business has SPIKED since january 1st when the no-smoking ban went into effect! All the businesses that complained about the law before it took place are now admitting they were wrong, because so many more people are coming out to eat now. apparently they're losing a bit of the bar money, but making way more on the food, so they're totally happy. funny, huh?
I wish chicago actually enforced its ban, instead of having a half-assed fake one. we went out to lunch the other day and when i got back tot he office i had a splitting headache from the smoke smell in my hair, all around my face. it was horrible.
woo! actually vado i am getting ready to head downtown and take pics of the frozen river and the bears hats on the art institute lions! ain't no 7 degrees gonna stop ME from having fun!!!
I fixed our broken washer. It is one of those fancy pantsy New Zeland Washers which works off of three magnets. There are spooze to be five moving parts, so you shouldn't have to worry about it breaking down. The thing they don't tell you is that it does have a computer board for operations.
This my second time under the hood, figuring what the hell damage could I do to a broken machine. My first adventure with this machine was just about a year ago when it wouldn't extract water from the drum. So I hand bailed the machine....turned off the water supply valves, then disconnected them. Moved the machine away from the wall and took a 2 gallon plastic bucket and set it about 2' back from the machine, then tipped the machine back on the bucket. Yup there was hardly anything under the machine with the exception of three hoses and a little mechanical switch gear which controls the valves for either recirculating water or evacuating the machine of water when the spin cycle is operating. Started pulling things apart figuring something was lodged in one of the pipes. Well once I had
everything apart and had dislodged the material blocking the drain pipe, I started to put it back together. I guess I had not paid enough
attention to what the hell I was doing cause I wasn't real positive about which hose was to be attached to which valve. So it was trial and error for a whole afternoon. At one point I took off the control panel hood on top of the machine, to only find a wonderful secret, which the store never told me about. It was a diagnostic manual
for figuring out where the problem might be located. It was truely a life saver. I did have it up and operational at the end of the day which made mrs architect a very happy woman.
It was the other day the machine broke down and I told the little lady, it would have to wait until weekend. It is the kind of job you
don't want clients calling and asking you if you can get them something. So this moring I tackled the job.....This time armed with
my digital camera, just so I could take pictures of everything before I tore it apart. From what I understood from the little lady was it was the same problem as before. So followed the same routine as last time, dispite suggestions from some one else. Damn nothing lodged in the lines, so I reassembled the system. Hooked the water lines back up and turned on the machine only to have it acting real wierd when you started a load.....at which I am informed, "That was the noise it was making." So I decided it was nothing like the last problem we had. So I once again read thru all the poduct literature.
Then proceeded to take the computer panel board off again. I pushed in all the connections and put the cover back on. Tried it and it didn't work. So I used the diagnostic manual to see what might be the problem. Before long I have figured out how to override the computer and make the machine fill manually. Only to discover I had hooked the hot and cold water backwards. So I disconnected them and re-connected them to the right valve. Low and behold, I turned on the machine and it worked.
I have not a clue what the hell I did, but I do know I saved a bucket of money having not to call the appliance service guy and pay not only for this time but most likely a whole new computer board.
So now I don't have to feel guilty about buying some beer for the Supper Bowl.
snooker that all sounds very complicated but congrats on getting the thing working again. if you could come over and have a look at our dysfunctional furnace, I would really appreciate it.....
We keep having to turn the darn thing off for 30 minutes at a time and then turn it back on to get it to warm the apartment. When it's 20 degrees outside with wind gusts of 30 mph, this is not fun. We did this when we got up and my cat actually went and sat in front of the room that holds the furnace and started whining at us in protest. That freaked us out a little.
beta- just because it's negative seven outside, doesn't give you an excuse to go all military porn on us... put that gun down and go back to studying for the ARE. nice and easy put it DOWN!
Okay, I finally have a prospective roommate who wants to give me a deposit on the rooms. Let's hope he doesn't change his mind, his check doesn't bounce, and that he doesn't get run over by a bus between now and tomorrow afternoon.
Okay so just came in from a little party at a neighbours house. It was great catching up, despite my obvious limitations. Everyone kept asking about the shoulder, and I had to tell the story a few million times...still no worries. The big problem was of course not drinking. I'm so used to having at least a drink, one drink when I'm things like this. None the less I endured.
But the greatest thing was watching my parents dance. 36 years of marriage, 5 years dating - it's wonderful have a dance partner for so long, but they were seamless in complete unison....amazing
I try to avoid brining my own office politics to Thread Central. However, I respect your opinions and want to bounce something off all of you. It's something that just is not sitting right with me.
My project manager recently told me that my current project was never originally scoped properly for this phase; the firm scoped the job low to win it in the first place. He implied that I can't have additional help because it would cause the project to be even more over budget. Everyone is on salary, so when I work overtime, it doesn't 'cost' the firm extra, but if someone else were to work on the project, the firm would need to pay the extra salary amount.
Working overtime after everyone else leaves is fine on occassion, but it has happened consistently to me for the past year and likely will for the next year, if nothing changes. This has anything to do with my level of efficiency. When I'm at work, I work diligently. Management's lack of planning/scoping is having a negative impact on my quality of life.
Is it wrong for me to think that this is not right? It's already a tough project to work on, but it's proving to be a good experience, in moderation. I love the firm's culture, but at what cost should I be willing to endure this current project?
well, if you don't think you can get it done on time even with overtime, then you need to make that clear now. tell the powers that be. this way if you miss the established dates you arent left holding the bag. and if you do get it all done yourself and on time you can raise the issue later and let them know they need to adjust their fees or find someone else to do their dirty work for them. sadly this is the norm rather than the exception...
i always liked that framed words of wisdom that were hang on the blueprinter's wall, it said;
"Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergengy for uS"
i would tell them to do something about it. just because they are paying you salary does not mean they own you with no limit. that is simply not lawful and ethical. if you were to sue them with enough evidence you'd win.
81 degrees in los angeles. just came back from a dog walk, sweating. all the windows are open in the house letting the warm air in. later on, tina is gonna send me to grocery store to get some onions and stuff.
just another day in fuckin' paradise.
Thanks for the input, vado and Orhan. The project is in CA, so I can imagine the higher-ups saying, "Well, just don't spend so much time reviewing shop drawings." That's not the problem, though... I barely have enough time to crack-open the shop drawings before they are due because of the other obligations I have to the project.
I love the saying about "the lack of your planning..." However, I have a hard time saying "no" or saying "I can't accomplish x task in y amount of time." I need to draw the line somewhere, though.
I really hope it doesn't come to a lawsuit; I'm sure you were speaking in the hypothetical, Orhan.
DCA, like vado and Orhan I think you need to be upfront with your concerns so later any delay can't be blamed on you. It doesn't need to be confrontational, just tell them matter-of-factly that you foresee falling behind schedule on your CA responsibilities unless you can get some help. Perhaps in the next few months some other job will fall through or be delayed and if someone has a little extra time they can be assigned to help you review shops and submittals. (I did this once for a week and a half at my old job). Those damn submittals really stack up if you aren't tenaciously on top of them!
You probably need to make a commitment to yourself to only stay late 1/3/whatever you can handle nights a week for a month or so, and see how far behind you really fall. You will burn out fast if you don't take some time for yourself to keep life in balance. If you find that you are terribly behind, then ask for help again. Or maybe suggest a biweekly project meeting with your boss(es) to keep them aware of your schedule, again, so that if someone else comes available to help you, they can be aware of it. You are right: although it will be educational for you and it's good to work hard to accomplish something, you shouldn't completely lsoe track of your "outside" life due to underbidding on your boss' part!
This is funny: remember the old sweet codpiece pic of the day thread? I got busted by it - husband called me a few days ago and asked "So you googled "Brad Pitt codpiece" on my Mac?!?" Oops!
If your boss is making commitments and then forcing you to meet them while he/she goes home, and you have no control over this situation, then you are Fucked. If your boss is making those commitments then your boss can jolly well work overtime with you. If your overtime is "free hours" for the firm then isn't his/hers?
Honestly that's just bullshit. Extra hours here and there is fine but to be *knowingly* scheduled --without your consultation-- onto a suicide-mission of a job is poor management and disrespectful to boot. Your boss needs to own up to the reality of this situation and help you out.
But, now that I've calmed down, I wholly agree with every bit of libertybell's advice. Speak up about the situation in a matter of fact way, and ask for help. Every office has a few people who can rotate around a bit as projects need them. It is not your job to make the office profitable, and that responsibility is not on your shoulders. Do not feel extra pressure on your shoulders to not ask for help because you are afraid the firm will lose money on the job. Leave that stress to the management--it isn't under your control, anyhow. It is your job to work to the best of your abilities and if you are satisfied that you are doing that, then you should ask for help, and ask to meet with bosses 2x a week to remind them of where you are at in the project. Keep lines of communication extra open. And good luck!!
I can always count on myriam to take my side - thanks:) (I was prepared for some tough love from the rest of you.)
I can be sweet and nice up to a point, but I think it's time for me to draw the line and start asking the tough questions, to point out that I consistently work longer hours than the average employee. Non-confrontationally, of course.
Construction began 3 months ago, and there are still a lot of things that need to be worked out with the client and GC (it's complicated. I admitted to my boss the other day that I'm in way over my head.)
liberty bell: I'm glad you reminded me to periodically ask for more help. There are others who worked on the CD's for this project, but regardless if they have other work or not, their help would contribute to the negative financial state of my project.
All of you confirmed my instincts - that my current situation is not normal or acceptable, and I should be proactive about it if I ever want to see my husband (who isn't in good health, which makes me even more sad about the entire situation).
DCA, I'm not going to be redundant to what they said, I think you know what needs to be done anyway, so I'll just leave it be, but....
I am really getting concerned about everyone's health. I would really like it if you all would drink some orange juice, take a multi-vitamin and call in sick one day sometime soon for a mental health day. Also please remember to wear your seat belts and get plenty of rest. We've got lots of work to do - you know, designing a library, getting new jobs, going to grad school, saving the world and what not - and we all need to stay healthy.
Also if you are anywhere NOT in SoCal or Florida this week, put your coat on. The high tomorrow in Cincy is a balmy 12 degrees.
i'm fit as a fish!...ran ten miles yesterday in some brutal cold michigan weather (12ºF, wind chill -6ºF & a 22 mph southwest wind) and still managed to hold a 7 min 32 sec pace. probably the toughest run i've ever attempted, even more challenging than a marathon. with that headwind it felt like i was climbing everest at times. supposedly it was colder today though so i just stayed inside this time...maybe tomorrow too...
i always hated running in the wintertime, puddles. don't know how you do it. imagine michigan is same cold as manitoba, but maybe the no-pants thing helps...?
dca, i always find your type of situation disconcerting. i haven't worked in an office that didn't pay overtime. my salary was huge in first job cuz of it, time and a half til 11 pm then double time after that, and same for weekends. also was paid more if i went on site visits. go figger.
at my other jobs the owners just wouldn't let staff work overtime. wasn't allowed. these were london offices, though, and they believed very firmly that weekends were not for working and late nights were not good for productivity.
i agree you should tell your boss politely that while you understand his fuck up means they can't put more people on the job, just what is it he sees YOU getting out of the deal? if he got nothing then he doesn't deserve much more from you either.
DCA, I like myriam's first post a lot too!!! Keep that righteous anger that she so eloquently phrased in your mind as you tell your bosses that you need to be a human. If they value you as an emplyee then they won't hold it against you if you can't clean up your mess. If you DO manage it all, of course, hit them for a hge raise and an additional paid week of vacation!
I don't even want to leave the house today - -4 degrees, and the thought of driving across town in the Miata on icy roads with people still drunk from last night's Super Bowl celebrations makes me veerrryyy nervous. Hope you made it home safe last night, Steven!
-10 here in Chicago, with a -30 wind chill. I left my apartment 20 minutes early, and still managed to be 20 minutes late to work thanks to Chicago's pathetic excuse of a third-world transit agency. And apparently one of our local sports teams lost some game last night.
Yeah, happy Monday indeed. When does spring training start?
beta - glad to hear that your car started too in this numbing minnesota weather. My garage door wouldn't open- so had to manually pry it up -damn cold for electronics to quit working.
myriam, I remembered that I wanted to ask if you had any luck during your job search finding firms that use Mac.
And I was reminded of it by farmer's post of this very funny rant in the news section. As I commented there, I like Macs more the more I use them, and mostly think the whole debate is ridiculous. But the article is funny. Please no Mac/pc flame wars on TC!
5 degrees here. It was 1 when I left this morning. My car almost didn't start and sounded very sad on the drive in. I am only spending about 30 seconds outside at a time but still wearing long underwear. I cannot handle this ricockulous cold.....
This is beyond what coffee can do for me. I think hot chocolate is in order.
i'm yawning my ass off today, I was awoken (whilst still on sick leave) by a contractor complaining about my staff not giving him the information. He ranted for an hour, I couldn't return to sleep. I come online and its my staff bitching about some other projects. This is after I clearly told them last week.."you'll have to sort it out yourself"
Anyway its been 4 weeks since my incident, 4 weeks since coffee, 3 weeks since i had a drink, 2 weeks since I've driven, and 2 weeks since seeing the neurologist and better f*cking give me a good diagnosis because I haven't had another seizure and i was a f*cking drink or a caf
Thread Central
I haven't been to an art exhibition in a while
the local school of art is supposed to be hosting their annual "next generation" which is usually an eye opener
And hopefully before the end of the month I am supposed to be taken the final year arch crit - fun times I hope. Must contain excitement.
my evening of the arts went a bit differently.
after a while at the free friday eve wine tasting up the street, we went downtown to this restaurant/event space. Boomtown Subterranea, as it's called, often has some sort of performance going on, so we payed a $5 cover charge, then sat and started looking over the menu. She ordered the puff pastry (stuffed with chicken and blue cheese). Salmon stuffed with lobster for me. Hers was much tastier.
so, on to the show. this group of improv performers called themselves "Mad Cowford" (Jacksonville's name waaay back in the day was Cowford). While introducing themselves they mentioned "who's line is it anyway," and said what they do is something like that. well, they set the bar a bit too high with that association. they did one skit that was funny all the way through - 2 lawyers each making a case for an audience member's favorite tv show - the simpsons and 24, respectively. the simpsons won.
while they're were a few other moments of hilarity, overall it was a rather awkward way to spend a couple of hours...
anywho, the gf is now spending the morning/early afternoon at the spa. my birthday gift to her...
*there were...
seems everyone went boozing on the free wine
i got coffee but no breakfast food. i guess i'll hold out til lunchtime and have grilled cheese and tomato soup, my current obsession. so, liberty i'm gonna play with some breuer ideas on sketchup and i'm listening to that cd right NOW after watching a bunch of Ziggy Stradust and Doctor Hook videos on YouTube. Sylvia's MOther now that was a great song.
grilled cheese and tomato soup ranks as one of my all-time favorite combos.
liberty, i am trying not to let my hopes get up too high, because it isn't a permanent position. also this week was hard simply because i had a huge learning curve to jump over to get to know the project, the drawing set, the office standards, the people, etcetera. but i actually really like the office (and the project) so far, and i'm really enjoying the challenge, so i'm hoping it turns into something more. don't want to think about that too much though!
3rd grilled cheese and tomato soup.
but i think i'm gonna make and almond butter and jelly sandwhich for lunch today...
glad to hear chi-town is going well myriam.
talked to my bro on the phone. it is so cold and windy at his place. (just like here) as we were talking he said a squirrel was blown across the street. am finishing my grilled cheese and soup and loading up a dvd for some serious couch time...this afternoon...
oh, and myriam - we should have a new thread up within the week that includes a brief for the breuer library charrette, and other applicable info for submitting ideas etc.
I enjoyed the arts last night myself. The musical arts to be exact.
We went and saw The Rapture at an old theater-turned concert venue. It was wonderful for a number of reasons: a) The band frickin rocks, and I shook my ass a lot, b) this is the first concert I've seen since the no-smoking rules went into effect, and I didn't feel like I was dying inside when I left the place, and c) I was strategically placed about 3 feet from the bassist, which was perfect for watching, and picture-taking.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see why it's 53 degrees in my apartment. Ta ta for now!
oh, the rapture, cool! lucky girl. i need to get in on the concert happenins in chicago, but first i need to find an apartment!!! there is a winka dubbeldam lecture here this coming wednesday, however.
i'm currently desperately trying to get caught up on the breuer library thread. only on page 2!!!!
and wonderk--I was reading a news article from baton rouge this morning about how much the restaurant/bar business has SPIKED since january 1st when the no-smoking ban went into effect! All the businesses that complained about the law before it took place are now admitting they were wrong, because so many more people are coming out to eat now. apparently they're losing a bit of the bar money, but making way more on the food, so they're totally happy. funny, huh?
I wish chicago actually enforced its ban, instead of having a half-assed fake one. we went out to lunch the other day and when i got back tot he office i had a splitting headache from the smoke smell in my hair, all around my face. it was horrible.
myriam turn off the computer and get outside and enjoy some chicago weather!
woo! actually vado i am getting ready to head downtown and take pics of the frozen river and the bears hats on the art institute lions! ain't no 7 degrees gonna stop ME from having fun!!!
You know I'm turning into an impatient bastard (might be because I'm immobile). But someone is 30 mins late and I'm going out of my f*cking mind
just took a two hour nap and may go back for more...
I fixed our broken washer. It is one of those fancy pantsy New Zeland Washers which works off of three magnets. There are spooze to be five moving parts, so you shouldn't have to worry about it breaking down. The thing they don't tell you is that it does have a computer board for operations.
This my second time under the hood, figuring what the hell damage could I do to a broken machine. My first adventure with this machine was just about a year ago when it wouldn't extract water from the drum. So I hand bailed the machine....turned off the water supply valves, then disconnected them. Moved the machine away from the wall and took a 2 gallon plastic bucket and set it about 2' back from the machine, then tipped the machine back on the bucket. Yup there was hardly anything under the machine with the exception of three hoses and a little mechanical switch gear which controls the valves for either recirculating water or evacuating the machine of water when the spin cycle is operating. Started pulling things apart figuring something was lodged in one of the pipes. Well once I had
everything apart and had dislodged the material blocking the drain pipe, I started to put it back together. I guess I had not paid enough
attention to what the hell I was doing cause I wasn't real positive about which hose was to be attached to which valve. So it was trial and error for a whole afternoon. At one point I took off the control panel hood on top of the machine, to only find a wonderful secret, which the store never told me about. It was a diagnostic manual
for figuring out where the problem might be located. It was truely a life saver. I did have it up and operational at the end of the day which made mrs architect a very happy woman.
It was the other day the machine broke down and I told the little lady, it would have to wait until weekend. It is the kind of job you
don't want clients calling and asking you if you can get them something. So this moring I tackled the job.....This time armed with
my digital camera, just so I could take pictures of everything before I tore it apart. From what I understood from the little lady was it was the same problem as before. So followed the same routine as last time, dispite suggestions from some one else. Damn nothing lodged in the lines, so I reassembled the system. Hooked the water lines back up and turned on the machine only to have it acting real wierd when you started a load.....at which I am informed, "That was the noise it was making." So I decided it was nothing like the last problem we had. So I once again read thru all the poduct literature.
Then proceeded to take the computer panel board off again. I pushed in all the connections and put the cover back on. Tried it and it didn't work. So I used the diagnostic manual to see what might be the problem. Before long I have figured out how to override the computer and make the machine fill manually. Only to discover I had hooked the hot and cold water backwards. So I disconnected them and re-connected them to the right valve. Low and behold, I turned on the machine and it worked.
I have not a clue what the hell I did, but I do know I saved a bucket of money having not to call the appliance service guy and pay not only for this time but most likely a whole new computer board.
So now I don't have to feel guilty about buying some beer for the Supper Bowl.
snooker that all sounds very complicated but congrats on getting the thing working again. if you could come over and have a look at our dysfunctional furnace, I would really appreciate it.....
We keep having to turn the darn thing off for 30 minutes at a time and then turn it back on to get it to warm the apartment. When it's 20 degrees outside with wind gusts of 30 mph, this is not fun. We did this when we got up and my cat actually went and sat in front of the room that holds the furnace and started whining at us in protest. That freaked us out a little.
Wonderk....suggestion have a professional look at it. Sounds like you have a fouled nozzle.
beta- just because it's negative seven outside, doesn't give you an excuse to go all military porn on us... put that gun down and go back to studying for the ARE. nice and easy put it DOWN!
Okay, I finally have a prospective roommate who wants to give me a deposit on the rooms. Let's hope he doesn't change his mind, his check doesn't bounce, and that he doesn't get run over by a bus between now and tomorrow afternoon.
snooker why are you watching the super bowl when the 6 nations are on?
Okay so just came in from a little party at a neighbours house. It was great catching up, despite my obvious limitations. Everyone kept asking about the shoulder, and I had to tell the story a few million times...still no worries. The big problem was of course not drinking. I'm so used to having at least a drink, one drink when I'm things like this. None the less I endured.
But the greatest thing was watching my parents dance. 36 years of marriage, 5 years dating - it's wonderful have a dance partner for so long, but they were seamless in complete unison....amazing
*deep breath*
I try to avoid brining my own office politics to Thread Central. However, I respect your opinions and want to bounce something off all of you. It's something that just is not sitting right with me.
My project manager recently told me that my current project was never originally scoped properly for this phase; the firm scoped the job low to win it in the first place. He implied that I can't have additional help because it would cause the project to be even more over budget. Everyone is on salary, so when I work overtime, it doesn't 'cost' the firm extra, but if someone else were to work on the project, the firm would need to pay the extra salary amount.
Working overtime after everyone else leaves is fine on occassion, but it has happened consistently to me for the past year and likely will for the next year, if nothing changes. This has anything to do with my level of efficiency. When I'm at work, I work diligently. Management's lack of planning/scoping is having a negative impact on my quality of life.
Is it wrong for me to think that this is not right? It's already a tough project to work on, but it's proving to be a good experience, in moderation. I love the firm's culture, but at what cost should I be willing to endure this current project?
well, if you don't think you can get it done on time even with overtime, then you need to make that clear now. tell the powers that be. this way if you miss the established dates you arent left holding the bag. and if you do get it all done yourself and on time you can raise the issue later and let them know they need to adjust their fees or find someone else to do their dirty work for them. sadly this is the norm rather than the exception...
i always liked that framed words of wisdom that were hang on the blueprinter's wall, it said;
"Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergengy for uS"
i would tell them to do something about it. just because they are paying you salary does not mean they own you with no limit. that is simply not lawful and ethical. if you were to sue them with enough evidence you'd win.
81 degrees in los angeles. just came back from a dog walk, sweating. all the windows are open in the house letting the warm air in. later on, tina is gonna send me to grocery store to get some onions and stuff.
just another day in fuckin' paradise.
Thanks for the input, vado and Orhan. The project is in CA, so I can imagine the higher-ups saying, "Well, just don't spend so much time reviewing shop drawings." That's not the problem, though... I barely have enough time to crack-open the shop drawings before they are due because of the other obligations I have to the project.
I love the saying about "the lack of your planning..." However, I have a hard time saying "no" or saying "I can't accomplish x task in y amount of time." I need to draw the line somewhere, though.
I really hope it doesn't come to a lawsuit; I'm sure you were speaking in the hypothetical, Orhan.
DCA, like vado and Orhan I think you need to be upfront with your concerns so later any delay can't be blamed on you. It doesn't need to be confrontational, just tell them matter-of-factly that you foresee falling behind schedule on your CA responsibilities unless you can get some help. Perhaps in the next few months some other job will fall through or be delayed and if someone has a little extra time they can be assigned to help you review shops and submittals. (I did this once for a week and a half at my old job). Those damn submittals really stack up if you aren't tenaciously on top of them!
You probably need to make a commitment to yourself to only stay late 1/3/whatever you can handle nights a week for a month or so, and see how far behind you really fall. You will burn out fast if you don't take some time for yourself to keep life in balance. If you find that you are terribly behind, then ask for help again. Or maybe suggest a biweekly project meeting with your boss(es) to keep them aware of your schedule, again, so that if someone else comes available to help you, they can be aware of it. You are right: although it will be educational for you and it's good to work hard to accomplish something, you shouldn't completely lsoe track of your "outside" life due to underbidding on your boss' part!
This is funny: remember the old sweet codpiece pic of the day thread? I got busted by it - husband called me a few days ago and asked "So you googled "Brad Pitt codpiece" on my Mac?!?" Oops!
liberty bell, I love that thread. Thank you for bringing it up again. Tell your husband you were doing it for me.
There is a particular picture that I am thinking of which needs to be added to that thread. Do I, or don't I? Hint: I took it in Los Angeles. Hmmm....
DubK I think that is totally appropriate.
If your boss is making commitments and then forcing you to meet them while he/she goes home, and you have no control over this situation, then you are Fucked. If your boss is making those commitments then your boss can jolly well work overtime with you. If your overtime is "free hours" for the firm then isn't his/hers?
Honestly that's just bullshit. Extra hours here and there is fine but to be *knowingly* scheduled --without your consultation-- onto a suicide-mission of a job is poor management and disrespectful to boot. Your boss needs to own up to the reality of this situation and help you out.
But, now that I've calmed down, I wholly agree with every bit of libertybell's advice. Speak up about the situation in a matter of fact way, and ask for help. Every office has a few people who can rotate around a bit as projects need them. It is not your job to make the office profitable, and that responsibility is not on your shoulders. Do not feel extra pressure on your shoulders to not ask for help because you are afraid the firm will lose money on the job. Leave that stress to the management--it isn't under your control, anyhow. It is your job to work to the best of your abilities and if you are satisfied that you are doing that, then you should ask for help, and ask to meet with bosses 2x a week to remind them of where you are at in the project. Keep lines of communication extra open. And good luck!!
I can always count on myriam to take my side - thanks:) (I was prepared for some tough love from the rest of you.)
I can be sweet and nice up to a point, but I think it's time for me to draw the line and start asking the tough questions, to point out that I consistently work longer hours than the average employee. Non-confrontationally, of course.
Construction began 3 months ago, and there are still a lot of things that need to be worked out with the client and GC (it's complicated. I admitted to my boss the other day that I'm in way over my head.)
liberty bell: I'm glad you reminded me to periodically ask for more help. There are others who worked on the CD's for this project, but regardless if they have other work or not, their help would contribute to the negative financial state of my project.
All of you confirmed my instincts - that my current situation is not normal or acceptable, and I should be proactive about it if I ever want to see my husband (who isn't in good health, which makes me even more sad about the entire situation).
oops...I only read your first post before I started typing mine, myriam. I liked the first one better :)
DCA, I'm not going to be redundant to what they said, I think you know what needs to be done anyway, so I'll just leave it be, but....
I am really getting concerned about everyone's health. I would really like it if you all would drink some orange juice, take a multi-vitamin and call in sick one day sometime soon for a mental health day. Also please remember to wear your seat belts and get plenty of rest. We've got lots of work to do - you know, designing a library, getting new jobs, going to grad school, saving the world and what not - and we all need to stay healthy.
Also if you are anywhere NOT in SoCal or Florida this week, put your coat on. The high tomorrow in Cincy is a balmy 12 degrees.
WonderK: that's the best idea I've heard all day (aside from vado's suggestion to stamp CD sets with "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" instead of "100% Set")
I just complimented my vitamins with milk. A double dose of goodness.
its always warm if you r the champions!!!!
i'm fit as a fish!...ran ten miles yesterday in some brutal cold michigan weather (12ºF, wind chill -6ºF & a 22 mph southwest wind) and still managed to hold a 7 min 32 sec pace. probably the toughest run i've ever attempted, even more challenging than a marathon. with that headwind it felt like i was climbing everest at times. supposedly it was colder today though so i just stayed inside this time...maybe tomorrow too...
i always hated running in the wintertime, puddles. don't know how you do it. imagine michigan is same cold as manitoba, but maybe the no-pants thing helps...?
dca, i always find your type of situation disconcerting. i haven't worked in an office that didn't pay overtime. my salary was huge in first job cuz of it, time and a half til 11 pm then double time after that, and same for weekends. also was paid more if i went on site visits. go figger.
at my other jobs the owners just wouldn't let staff work overtime. wasn't allowed. these were london offices, though, and they believed very firmly that weekends were not for working and late nights were not good for productivity.
i agree you should tell your boss politely that while you understand his fuck up means they can't put more people on the job, just what is it he sees YOU getting out of the deal? if he got nothing then he doesn't deserve much more from you either.
DCA, I like myriam's first post a lot too!!! Keep that righteous anger that she so eloquently phrased in your mind as you tell your bosses that you need to be a human. If they value you as an emplyee then they won't hold it against you if you can't clean up your mess. If you DO manage it all, of course, hit them for a hge raise and an additional paid week of vacation!
I don't even want to leave the house today - -4 degrees, and the thought of driving across town in the Miata on icy roads with people still drunk from last night's Super Bowl celebrations makes me veerrryyy nervous. Hope you made it home safe last night, Steven!
That should be "can't clean up their mess", of course. Man my fingers are cold!
home and also cold!
internet connection not working at the house this morning, so i missed my coffee-and-archinect fix.
got in my car this morning and the gauge was dead on 'empty'. damn.
happy monday, everyone.
-20 on my car's dashboard temp, Saint Paul, MN...
-10 here in Chicago, with a -30 wind chill. I left my apartment 20 minutes early, and still managed to be 20 minutes late to work thanks to Chicago's pathetic excuse of a third-world transit agency. And apparently one of our local sports teams lost some game last night.
Yeah, happy Monday indeed. When does spring training start?
beta - glad to hear that your car started too in this numbing minnesota weather. My garage door wouldn't open- so had to manually pry it up -damn cold for electronics to quit working.
myriam, I remembered that I wanted to ask if you had any luck during your job search finding firms that use Mac.
And I was reminded of it by farmer's post of this very funny rant in the news section. As I commented there, I like Macs more the more I use them, and mostly think the whole debate is ridiculous. But the article is funny. Please no Mac/pc flame wars on TC!
5 degrees here. It was 1 when I left this morning. My car almost didn't start and sounded very sad on the drive in. I am only spending about 30 seconds outside at a time but still wearing long underwear. I cannot handle this ricockulous cold.....
This is beyond what coffee can do for me. I think hot chocolate is in order.
Hot chocolate with Kahlua, perhaps.
Good morning|afternoon
i'm yawning my ass off today, I was awoken (whilst still on sick leave) by a contractor complaining about my staff not giving him the information. He ranted for an hour, I couldn't return to sleep. I come online and its my staff bitching about some other projects. This is after I clearly told them last week.."you'll have to sort it out yourself"
Anyway its been 4 weeks since my incident, 4 weeks since coffee, 3 weeks since i had a drink, 2 weeks since I've driven, and 2 weeks since seeing the neurologist and better f*cking give me a good diagnosis because I haven't had another seizure and i was a f*cking drink or a caf
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