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Monday, Nov. 04, 2002 - 8:03 p.m.

I have a confession to make- I did a bad thing at work today��

Yes, I am here to bare my soul to you. I did something unforgivable at work today.

It all started after I finished a little housekeeping around the office area. I haven�t put much effort into cleaning things the past few weeks. My reasons were honorable: with everybody in the yard getting the old trucks in our fleet ready for the winter season, I thought it was more important that I be available to get supplies for the guys than if the porcelain was sparkling in the restrooms.

Since that is now in the past, I spent the morning catching up. We are now up to full strength (24 employees), so there are more people to throw their sandwich crumbs on the floor, track in mud on the soles of their shoes, and drop candy wrappers in the hallway than in the recent past. Sanitation is the least-exciting part of my job duties, but one I must do none the less.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the terrible thing I did at work��

After lunch, I decided to sign onto the �new thin client� in the office (aka the computer terminal). I had a weeks worth of fuel tickets to input, and I wanted to check my email too. After checking out the Webcams at the State capitol building (blurry, as always) and at the State University down south (Aw..the trees are in full color down there right now!), I settled in to create another inventory list for the lead workers.

Last week, I played around with Word� until I figured out how to make a grid, cut out spaces for information, and put together a form for listing our snow fighting equipment. It included truck numbers, and the numbers for the plows, license plates, radio call letters, auger, TMA, V- and wing plows (when equipped), and any other bit of minutia that MOM could come up with for each truck. I didn�t really spend much time creating this, if you consider I am self-taught with the Word� program. Trial-and-error is my motto. Not much I could permanently damage, as long as I always saved what I had done before I tried something new.

Today�s form was similar, but didn�t involve tables and borders and such. My task was to create a list of all the off-road equipment. The purpose of this list was to post it around all the terminals, and make a few more for everybody�s desk. That way, they would have an easy-to-read list of equipment numbers to use while imputing the computer or filling out the worksheet. In my case, it would make it easier to put the right numbers on purchase orders.

We work for the government- anything that makes things easier is preferred, right?

So, after a few false starts (phone calls can throw we off, you know), I settled in to make my form. I took my time, cross-checking (no, not like in a hockey match) everything I typed to make sure I didn�t mix a few digits up. I finished up proofreading everything (and if I have ever posted anything in your guestbook, you know I need to do that with my hunt-and-peck typing;), and clicked on �save� . I wanted to take my break, and we have to sign off every time we leave the computer (to avoid anybody doing anything malicious while we are away).

One problem- it was 2:25 when I signed off.

Break time is from 2:00 to 2:15.

That�s right- I worked through my break.

I could have taken a late break, but since I was the only one there I just skipped it.

Yeah, that�s the unforgivable thing that I did- I skipped a union-fought-for break. I was so into what I was doing I lost track of what time it was.

Outside of plowing snow, this hasn�t happened more than a few times in my 20+ years of employment at the NDDOT.

Don�t worry- I won�t make a habit of doing this. We government employees have a low standard to live up to, and I don�t want to start a trend or anything.

Just promise me one thing: that you won�t tell anybody at work what I did.

That would be hard to live down���.


Just so you don�t think you�re getting your money�s worth from your tax-payers dollars, I have this bit of information for you:

We all get tomorrow off for the election.

Yup, that�s right: a paid day off.

It�s a throwback to the old days when anybody who worked for the State had their jobs due to a politician putting them in it (that�s not how I got my job 20 years ago, but it�s close). They were expected to drive little old ladies to the polls on Election Day.

Not any more. I plan on catching up on housework (if it rains. If not, I might try to catch a few White Bass).


You want my opinion on the election?

Sure you do!

It can�t be over quick enough for me. I am so sick of what campaigning has become. He who has the most money controls the airwaves. If I see a campaign ad tonight that isn�t negative, it will be my first this year (the ads started back in February for the primaries! The Democrat who is running for Governor this tiem has spent more money on this election than he would earn in 100 years, if he wins! Neither party has a good candidate, IMHO. It will be a lesser of two evils that gets my vote tomorrow).

I heard tonight that the polls opened today in parts of Florida (no kiddin�! Clickhere, if you haven�t heard about this) so that the �older� voters won�t have as many troubles as they did back in 2000.

If it�s too complicated for you to vote, maybe you should just skip it?

And one more (opinion) thing: if you use the commercials you see on the T.V. to determine who you vote for, please just stay home. Let the citizens who take the time to study what each candidate has done in the past, and what they plan on doing if elected, decide who holds these offices.

An example, you ask?

In the state of Illinois, the two men running for the U.S. senate have the following last names:

Durbin.

And.

Durkin.

Durbin is the incumbent, and should win easily. But, just to be sure, he has been running ads with children spelling his last name out loud for the past few weeks.

His ad?

�Remember, vote for D-u-r-B-in! That�s D-u-r-B-in, with a B!�

If you walk into that voting booth and can�t even spell the name of the person you are voting for, maybe you should just stay home and watch Jerry Springer instead��

Antique - Futuristic


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