Today's music?



My Photographs

You like photos? I love taking them. Click here, if you wanna see some of my work


Is a photo missing on an older entry? Click here to find it at Photogra!



The Other Links

Back Issues

Now

About Me

Notes Are Good!


Andrew's Baby

Favorites and Rings are now here!


The life you save might be mine!



Tuesday, Jan. 07, 2003 - 8:46 p.m.

Never underestimate the stupidity of a middle-management government employee�

You would think that after 20+ years of employment at the NDDOT, I would expect strange behavior out of our management that would never happen in the real world.

Case in point: the $7.97 antenna I bought yesterday for our TV.

Now, I could have bought this inexpensive item with my pocket cash. Sure I could have, but I didn�t want to spend my own money on a replacement part for a piece of equipment that belongs to the state.

Since the folks at London sent a broken antenna with the monitor (what a great sense of humor they have down there!), I didn�t think it would be any big deal to replace it with a new, bottom-of-the-line antenna.

Late today, Beavis came into my toolroom while I was talking to a vendor about a large yearly order. When he has something he just can�t wait to say, he stands about 18� away form my desk, sporting a goofy little smile on his face. I knew what the conversation would be even before he opened his mouth.

I asked the person on the phone if I could put them on hold, and then I asked Beavis what he wanted.

�You will have to return the antenna to the hardware store. The people in London won�t stand for this purchase�, he said, enjoying ever word he said.

�Why do I have to return it? They sent us a broken antenna, so they must want us to be able to pick up television signals, right?� I replied.

�How does this antenna benefit the State? You can�t buy something that benefits YOU with State money!�, said Beav.

�How about when there is a tornado warning, sirens blaring, going on? The DNT that the State gives us for weather forecasting only updates once every 15 minutes. Tell them that when the sirens are going off, we can turn on the local ABC station and find out immediately where the tornado is heading. Might even save some of our guys on the roads life. Tell them that!� I said, raising my voice.

He left the toolroom after that. Eric the shop monkey was standing behind Beavis the whole time, and cracked up laughing after our brave leader left.

Damn, this little exchange pissed me off! I try my best to spend the taxpayer�s money like it�s my own money. I buy products on sale, I shop for the best price, and I never buy more than we need if I can avoid it.

Even with that kind of effort, Beavis can�t get enough backbone (ok, I said balls when Eric and I were talking about the incident moments later, but you know where I am coming from) to stand up for such a small, justifiable purchase.

Sometimes, I don�t know why I even try�..


Just before I went home, I told Beavis I would just pay for the cursed antenna.

I wouldn�t want him to have to stand up for his employees or anything.

He said he would try to send the bill through, but didn�t think the bean counters in London would pay it.

For that to happen, one of them would have to leave the 35� TV in their break room long enough to do their job.

Might happen. You never know�


Tonight was supposed to be chilidog night.

Codeman called me at 3, and told me he was eating dinner with Chelsea.

Change of plans. Since that was the only thing I had ready to cook in the fridge, and the reason why they were on the menu for tonight was because Codeman asked for them, I had to come up with something else.

We could have just dined out, but neither one of us were in the mood for that tonight. I had an Illini game to watch at 6 (won by the good guys 76-70, even though they didn�t play very well), and Lease wanted to watch Buffy at 7.

I threw together a pot of soup with ingredients that we had in the house. Here�s what I came up with:

One large chicken breast

One can of Black Beans

One can of Italian-style tomatoes (with garlic and spices)

One sweet onion, diced

Several small shallots, chopped fine

Three cloves of garlic, pressed

One green bell pepper, diced

One zucchini (almost forgotten in the veggie drawer-I had to cut a few spots to use it), chopped

One large carrot, cut diagonally

� cup of pasta (star shaped- I like this for soup because it doesn�t blow up too big)

Three cups chicken broth (made from powder)

Salt, pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper powder, oregano, and celery flake (didn�t measure these- I usually don�t)

I browned the onions, garlic, shallots, green pepper, and chicken first, added the rest of the stuff and let the pot simmer for about 45 minutes.

It turned out ok. Sorta like the Pasta e Fagioli soup that the have at The Olive Garden (minus the white beans, and with chicken instead of ground beef- I guess it wasn't really like their soup after all).

Beats a can of Campbell�s any day�..

Antique - Futuristic


powered by SignMyGuestbook.com


Have You Read These?

A hot day for a wedding...9:26 p.m. - Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009

So bad - but so funny, too.10:33 p.m. - Saturday, Jun. 13, 2009

Evil Black Walnut Tree from Hell!- times up!6:41 a.m. - Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009

My next door neighbor was on the Today Show?8:57 p.m. - Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009

This qualifies as a "oh crap!" moment:9:55 p.m. - Monday, Mar. 30, 2009

Back to top