“Well I never seem to do it like anybody else, maybe someday, someday I’m gonna settle down. If you ever want to find me I can still be found, taking the long way, taking the long way around.” – Dixie Chicks
Notes, trivia, tidbits, and claptrap from yours truly, diligently manning the Guam Desk……….
-Two of my friends recently got hired by one of our competitors in the telecommunications bidness here. One was my awesome ex-supervisor, who got hired into a position that will take full advantage of both her experience and knowledge of how my company operates, and I’m really happy for her. In fact, it was Topic of Discussion #1 in my office today, and the entire shop feels the same way I do. The other person simply got a better offer and quit. In both cases, it’s my company that loses, and our competitor gains a ton. I’m happy for both of these wonderful women, and a little sad for our company.
There’s a lot of uncertainty going around where I work. In our company, the HR department sends out an email to all hands whenever someone leaves the company, if they get canned or quit, regardless. It seems that these emails are coming at a fairly regular rate, and that’s disturbing in a company our size. At last count, 22 people have either been fired or quit in the first 90 days of 2010 (yes, I’m tracking it). It causes some uncertainty and fear within the workforce, especially when there is no feedback from management about all of it. In fact, we rarely hear from our leadership, other than a certain troll who feels that they are above all of us working stiffs. Just feels weird at work, and not the fun place I’ve grown accustomed to spending the majority of my life at. It used to be I would wake up and could not wait to get to work, see what new challenges were waiting for me. Now, it’s more like “fuck, I have to go to that place again today and deal with these assholes.” You can see the fear in people’s eyes, and that’s never a good thing. Screw it – they can’t fire all of us.
I have applied for another position within our company that is vacant. Do I think I have a chance at getting it? I’m qualified, but what I think will happen is that they will farm out the work that this person used to do to other people in that section and try not to fill the position for as long as possible. I’ve already made up my mind that, if I hear nothing in the next 30 days either positive or negative, I will be making an appointment to see the CEO of the company and have a little chat. He’s a reasonable man more or less, and I think he will listen to what I have to say and not take it negatively. Hope springs eternal in the heart of a middle aged techie like me.
-It has been 9 days since my brother-in-law was taken away at gunpoint, and still no word on his whereabouts or whether he is alive or dead. The in-laws remain hopeful, and I’m trying to think positive thoughts as well, karma being what it is. The Gorgeous One actually apologized to me the other night on the phone. She has been carrying the weight of her family these last 9 days, and the stress has been pretty bad for her. Consequently, she has treated me a little badly since it happened; short tempered, impatient, and sometimes a little mean. I understand this, and she really didn’t need to apologize to me. I know that she still loves me, but she’s going through a world of shit right now, and that can make even the most wonderful people a little ill-tempered. She’s handling it a whole lot better than a lot of people I know would handle it, and it’s just another reason that I love her so much. To say that I miss her terribly would be a gross understatement.
-Because Guam is one of the most Catholic places on earth, our company is giving us Good Friday off as a paid holiday. I have absolutely no plans and no idea what I’m going to do with three days off, but I’ll probably end up spending some of it at work. Better to be productive than at home in an empty apartment bored out of my mind.
-Still plugging away on my book. So far, it’s a combination of an autobiography and “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” from a soldierly perspective. It’s actually been fun thinking about some of the shit that happened, but a little hard at times to put it all in the correct chronological order. My memory sucks sometimes. I mean, I remember the events, but don’t remember what order they happened in. The years 1985-1986 were fun to think about and put down on paper, and there were others that had equal impact. I don’t believe there is a chance in hell that it will get published, but I will be distributing it to friends and family, just to hear what they think. “Holy shit” will probably be a common reaction.
-I’ve lived here for 3 years now, and all this time I didn’t know that there was a Planned Parenthood related clinic near where I work. It now explains all of the anti-abortion protesters a little better. While their numbers aren’t huge, usually just 1 or 2 people, they make an appearance at least once a week with their little signs. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, as long as they’re not assholish about it.
-Buy one get one free is something I can really get behind, especially when steak is involved. My local grocery had that on shoulder steaks, and I had to give in. Pound the hell out of ‘em, fry ‘em up and tuck in. Mighty tasty.
That’s it from here in the Marianas Islands, where the women are strong, the men good looking, and the children are all above average.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sometimes It Gets Darker
Just when you think that things are weird enough as it is, something happens to turn weird into a completely different thing.
My wife is still in the Philippines, trying to get her surgery scheduled. Since our insurance isn’t going to cover any of it, we have been going around scraping to see where we are going to find the money. I applied for a loan with one of the local banks, and we are still awaiting word on whether or not that loan is going to be approved. My wife has also been looking around to see if she can find some money there as well.
Because of this, the wife has been stressing out pretty badly, and this stress has configured itself into our relationship. It used to be that we would have nice, pleasant phone conversations. Lately, she has been curt and almost unkind to me. I understand that she’s stressing, from the surgery issue, and other things, and I’m trying to be patient and understanding and do everything possible to relieve some of that stress.
The events of Monday night changed our focus completely and took things to a completely darker, evil level.
Around 8:30 Monday evening, a van pulled up in front of my brother-in-laws house, which is right next door to my mother-in-laws place. Four heavily armed men jumped out of the van, located my brother-in-law, put him in the van, and rolled away. While they were grabbing him up, some of their party pointed guns at various family members and told them to stay back.
As the van rolled away, my sister-in-law was able to get the license plate number of the van. They immediately reported what happened to the local police, the city government, and basically anyone who would listen. In the first 24 hours that he was gone, the family did everything possible, to include making posters and hanging them everywhere. Basically no one in the family slept for 24 hours, desperate to find out anything. My mother-in-law, who always viewed this son in particular as her favorite, nearly lost it completely, and had to be comforted throughout the night to remain calm.
It turns out that the van he was taken away in was stolen from a province in the northern part of Luzon. Other than that, there has been no news from any government agency. Discreet inquiries have also been made with those associated with the local criminal element, and they too have no knowledge of what happened to him.
On Wednesday, my wife and her sister contacted the local TV and newspapers as well as ABS-CBN, one of the largest TV networks in the Philippines, telling the story, hoping that they would get the word out about what happened.
It has been 72 hours since he was taken away, and so far, nothing. No word from the people who took him, and no word from the police on anything they have found out. As much as I hope he’s OK, at this point I’m afraid that he’s probably dead. It’s not like a kidnapping, where a monetary demand is made for the return of someone. My brother-in-law is poor, as is most of the family, so there really is no money to be had. It’s pretty much common knowledge there that I am what could be considered a lower middle class white guy, so I don’t have any money either.
What I am thinking is that he did something that pissed someone off so badly that they took him. A debt that no one else in the family knows about or maybe he slept with someone’s wife and the guy found out. Either way, it’s unusual even for central Luzon that something like this would happen. Usually, if you screwed someone over with a debt or sleeping with the wrong person, they just shoot you in the street or do a drive-by at your home. No, this is something totally different and more ominous.
Needless to say, my wife’s stress level is completely off the charts. I have been trying to be supportive and encouraging, but she’s definitely feeling the strain, and our conversations are usually very brief. She doesn’t have time to deal with me, and I’m trying hard to stay out of her way.
I hope that whoever took my brother-in-law brings him back in one piece, or even back a little beat up. It would be a far better thing than for him to just disappear off the earth. He has two daughters that definitely need their father back.
Sometimes when you think that shit is really bad, it gets worse.
My wife is still in the Philippines, trying to get her surgery scheduled. Since our insurance isn’t going to cover any of it, we have been going around scraping to see where we are going to find the money. I applied for a loan with one of the local banks, and we are still awaiting word on whether or not that loan is going to be approved. My wife has also been looking around to see if she can find some money there as well.
Because of this, the wife has been stressing out pretty badly, and this stress has configured itself into our relationship. It used to be that we would have nice, pleasant phone conversations. Lately, she has been curt and almost unkind to me. I understand that she’s stressing, from the surgery issue, and other things, and I’m trying to be patient and understanding and do everything possible to relieve some of that stress.
The events of Monday night changed our focus completely and took things to a completely darker, evil level.
Around 8:30 Monday evening, a van pulled up in front of my brother-in-laws house, which is right next door to my mother-in-laws place. Four heavily armed men jumped out of the van, located my brother-in-law, put him in the van, and rolled away. While they were grabbing him up, some of their party pointed guns at various family members and told them to stay back.
As the van rolled away, my sister-in-law was able to get the license plate number of the van. They immediately reported what happened to the local police, the city government, and basically anyone who would listen. In the first 24 hours that he was gone, the family did everything possible, to include making posters and hanging them everywhere. Basically no one in the family slept for 24 hours, desperate to find out anything. My mother-in-law, who always viewed this son in particular as her favorite, nearly lost it completely, and had to be comforted throughout the night to remain calm.
It turns out that the van he was taken away in was stolen from a province in the northern part of Luzon. Other than that, there has been no news from any government agency. Discreet inquiries have also been made with those associated with the local criminal element, and they too have no knowledge of what happened to him.
On Wednesday, my wife and her sister contacted the local TV and newspapers as well as ABS-CBN, one of the largest TV networks in the Philippines, telling the story, hoping that they would get the word out about what happened.
It has been 72 hours since he was taken away, and so far, nothing. No word from the people who took him, and no word from the police on anything they have found out. As much as I hope he’s OK, at this point I’m afraid that he’s probably dead. It’s not like a kidnapping, where a monetary demand is made for the return of someone. My brother-in-law is poor, as is most of the family, so there really is no money to be had. It’s pretty much common knowledge there that I am what could be considered a lower middle class white guy, so I don’t have any money either.
What I am thinking is that he did something that pissed someone off so badly that they took him. A debt that no one else in the family knows about or maybe he slept with someone’s wife and the guy found out. Either way, it’s unusual even for central Luzon that something like this would happen. Usually, if you screwed someone over with a debt or sleeping with the wrong person, they just shoot you in the street or do a drive-by at your home. No, this is something totally different and more ominous.
Needless to say, my wife’s stress level is completely off the charts. I have been trying to be supportive and encouraging, but she’s definitely feeling the strain, and our conversations are usually very brief. She doesn’t have time to deal with me, and I’m trying hard to stay out of her way.
I hope that whoever took my brother-in-law brings him back in one piece, or even back a little beat up. It would be a far better thing than for him to just disappear off the earth. He has two daughters that definitely need their father back.
Sometimes when you think that shit is really bad, it gets worse.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Notes From The Guam Desk
Thoughts and observations on the human condition as seen from The Guam Desk…………..
-We all have those days at work that we really don’t feel like doing anything productive. We’re still going to draw a paycheck, but we’re going to do as little as possible if we can get away with it. There are also those days when you go to work and really feel productive, feel like you want to accomplish something, make a difference, actually earn your money. Today was one of the latter for me.
Even though I worked most of Sunday, I went to work this morning with the mindset that I wanted to get shit done. It turns out that I did get a lot accomplished today, and by the time I drove home, I felt really good about myself. I can look at that face in the mirror knowing that I put forth my best effort in everything I tried to do. Progress was made, projects got completed, problems got solved. I feel almost justified, and if my bosses don’t appreciate the effort, then that’s their problem.
-I walked into a conversation the other day where one of my male coworkers was talking about his “inner female voice”. This got me thinking that maybe I my own self have an inner female voice. The problem is that I can’t really hear her because she’s a nymphomaniac lesbian.
-There are two truths to anyone who lives on Guam and drives a Lexus SUV on a regular basis. Truth #1 is that they have some serious coin to purchase and then fill with gas one of these beasts. Truth #2 is that every single person who operates said vehicle will invariably drive it like a retard on downers. If you happen to be driving on this fair island and get stuck behind one, a word of advice: change lanes immediately. In fact, you may want to consider taking an alternate route to save yourself some frustration.
-Every once in a while, I start to gain more faith in humanity as a whole. Someone will do something that is unexpected in a good way, and I’ll start to think that maybe my cynicism might not be justifiable. Just as soon as this happens, however, someone will come along and ruthlessly crush said faith.
-A lot of people get sucked into this thing called “March Madness”, also known as the NCAA Basketball Tournament. A lot of them are sucked in because they have made more than a few wagers on this tournament. I personally don’t enjoy watching basketball at any level, so I pretty much ignore ESPN unless it’s hockey related, which is rare.
-Homemade spaghetti can be a wonderful thing. I made a big pot of it last night, and even took some with me to work today for lunch. It’s invariably better the second day than it is when you first make it. My problem is that I always make too much, and I’m sure that by the time Thursday rolls around and I’m still looking at a big bowlful of the stuff, I will be sick of it.
For now, in the words of the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, that is all ye know and all ye need to know.
-We all have those days at work that we really don’t feel like doing anything productive. We’re still going to draw a paycheck, but we’re going to do as little as possible if we can get away with it. There are also those days when you go to work and really feel productive, feel like you want to accomplish something, make a difference, actually earn your money. Today was one of the latter for me.
Even though I worked most of Sunday, I went to work this morning with the mindset that I wanted to get shit done. It turns out that I did get a lot accomplished today, and by the time I drove home, I felt really good about myself. I can look at that face in the mirror knowing that I put forth my best effort in everything I tried to do. Progress was made, projects got completed, problems got solved. I feel almost justified, and if my bosses don’t appreciate the effort, then that’s their problem.
-I walked into a conversation the other day where one of my male coworkers was talking about his “inner female voice”. This got me thinking that maybe I my own self have an inner female voice. The problem is that I can’t really hear her because she’s a nymphomaniac lesbian.
-There are two truths to anyone who lives on Guam and drives a Lexus SUV on a regular basis. Truth #1 is that they have some serious coin to purchase and then fill with gas one of these beasts. Truth #2 is that every single person who operates said vehicle will invariably drive it like a retard on downers. If you happen to be driving on this fair island and get stuck behind one, a word of advice: change lanes immediately. In fact, you may want to consider taking an alternate route to save yourself some frustration.
-Every once in a while, I start to gain more faith in humanity as a whole. Someone will do something that is unexpected in a good way, and I’ll start to think that maybe my cynicism might not be justifiable. Just as soon as this happens, however, someone will come along and ruthlessly crush said faith.
-A lot of people get sucked into this thing called “March Madness”, also known as the NCAA Basketball Tournament. A lot of them are sucked in because they have made more than a few wagers on this tournament. I personally don’t enjoy watching basketball at any level, so I pretty much ignore ESPN unless it’s hockey related, which is rare.
-Homemade spaghetti can be a wonderful thing. I made a big pot of it last night, and even took some with me to work today for lunch. It’s invariably better the second day than it is when you first make it. My problem is that I always make too much, and I’m sure that by the time Thursday rolls around and I’m still looking at a big bowlful of the stuff, I will be sick of it.
For now, in the words of the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, that is all ye know and all ye need to know.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Gibberish and Brain Farts
Another day in this beautiful place we call Guam, “Where America’s Day Begins”.
-One of the hot, important, pressing issues facing our beloved Legislature this week was the name of the island. Some folks have proposed that the island be renamed back to its old Chamorro name, which I believe is Guhan or Guahan. I don’t know what it is and to be honest I could give a shit. I just find it funny that the Leg has time to debate this trivial nonsense, like there aren’t more pressing issues that they could be discussing. There are real problems here, from infrastructure issues to the proposed military buildup, but they have to waste time on this. Yeah, we have a great government here on Guam. Like someone once said, the politicians should be required to wear the same kind of uniforms that NASCAR drivers wear; that way you could tell who bought and paid for them.
-As I was standing in the rain working at one of our cell sites this morning, one of my friends called me wanting to chat. Since he and I both have tendencies to be Full Bore Assholes from time to time, it was a nice chat and set the tone for the entire day. The main reason for the call was that he was looking for a piece of test equipment, which I happened to have in my hand at that moment, but it turned into one of our usual conversations about the state of our employer. He also reminded me that, since our supervisor was unceremoniously canned a few weeks ago, we really have no boss right now. It’s not like our old supervisor did a lot of “do this, do that” stuff, because she knew that we knew what needed to be done and did it without a lot of input from her anyway. Just seems weird to not have a boss.
-I’ve come to the realization that the only good reason to watch CNN anymore is because some of their newscasters are beautiful women, which I fully support. There is no good news anymore, and hasn’t been for about 20 years. Mostly I just tune in to see who in government slept with someone or something they shouldn’t have. Why bother with standup comedians when we have an entire Congress filled with them?
-It only takes one quick look in my refrigerator to realize that, if told I had to go on a vegan diet, I would probably die. It’s a little known fact that vegetables scream horribly when cooked or eaten raw, it’s just that human hearing can’t identify the noise. They suffer terribly, and salad bars in particular are the modern day equivalent of The Killing Fields. Potatoes and rice also react horribly to being devoured, but I’m basically immune to their suffering. Once again, let me remind all who are reading this that Pigs Are Tasty Animals. I’m already thawing out the sausage I intend on devouring tomorrow morning to accompany the biscuits that I normally eat for breakfast. There is also some bacon in there somewhere that won’t make it through the weekend either.
-A great but short talk with my incredible daughter today. She just wanted to touch base and attempt to get my granddaughter to say hi to me. Instead, the grand decided that the moment was right for a screaming fit, because Mommy would not allow her to climb all over the furniture. The grand is now 14 months old, and I was reminded how much fun kids are at that age. Everything is new to them, and they also want to see how much they can get away with. From the sound of it, my daughter is an awesome mother, and that makes me happy. I knew she would be, and she’s proving me right at every turn.
-The wife is still in the PI and we are still dealing with some financial issues relating to her health care. When we spoke earlier today, she and her family are in the process of getting ready for the local fiesta, which means cooking a ton of food. Looking now at mid-April before she’s back on island. Needless to say, I miss her a lot.
Winning the lottery tonight, even if only 4 figures, would solve a lot of problems. Just saying.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“I’ve had a wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”-Groucho Marx
-One of the hot, important, pressing issues facing our beloved Legislature this week was the name of the island. Some folks have proposed that the island be renamed back to its old Chamorro name, which I believe is Guhan or Guahan. I don’t know what it is and to be honest I could give a shit. I just find it funny that the Leg has time to debate this trivial nonsense, like there aren’t more pressing issues that they could be discussing. There are real problems here, from infrastructure issues to the proposed military buildup, but they have to waste time on this. Yeah, we have a great government here on Guam. Like someone once said, the politicians should be required to wear the same kind of uniforms that NASCAR drivers wear; that way you could tell who bought and paid for them.
-As I was standing in the rain working at one of our cell sites this morning, one of my friends called me wanting to chat. Since he and I both have tendencies to be Full Bore Assholes from time to time, it was a nice chat and set the tone for the entire day. The main reason for the call was that he was looking for a piece of test equipment, which I happened to have in my hand at that moment, but it turned into one of our usual conversations about the state of our employer. He also reminded me that, since our supervisor was unceremoniously canned a few weeks ago, we really have no boss right now. It’s not like our old supervisor did a lot of “do this, do that” stuff, because she knew that we knew what needed to be done and did it without a lot of input from her anyway. Just seems weird to not have a boss.
-I’ve come to the realization that the only good reason to watch CNN anymore is because some of their newscasters are beautiful women, which I fully support. There is no good news anymore, and hasn’t been for about 20 years. Mostly I just tune in to see who in government slept with someone or something they shouldn’t have. Why bother with standup comedians when we have an entire Congress filled with them?
-It only takes one quick look in my refrigerator to realize that, if told I had to go on a vegan diet, I would probably die. It’s a little known fact that vegetables scream horribly when cooked or eaten raw, it’s just that human hearing can’t identify the noise. They suffer terribly, and salad bars in particular are the modern day equivalent of The Killing Fields. Potatoes and rice also react horribly to being devoured, but I’m basically immune to their suffering. Once again, let me remind all who are reading this that Pigs Are Tasty Animals. I’m already thawing out the sausage I intend on devouring tomorrow morning to accompany the biscuits that I normally eat for breakfast. There is also some bacon in there somewhere that won’t make it through the weekend either.
-A great but short talk with my incredible daughter today. She just wanted to touch base and attempt to get my granddaughter to say hi to me. Instead, the grand decided that the moment was right for a screaming fit, because Mommy would not allow her to climb all over the furniture. The grand is now 14 months old, and I was reminded how much fun kids are at that age. Everything is new to them, and they also want to see how much they can get away with. From the sound of it, my daughter is an awesome mother, and that makes me happy. I knew she would be, and she’s proving me right at every turn.
-The wife is still in the PI and we are still dealing with some financial issues relating to her health care. When we spoke earlier today, she and her family are in the process of getting ready for the local fiesta, which means cooking a ton of food. Looking now at mid-April before she’s back on island. Needless to say, I miss her a lot.
Winning the lottery tonight, even if only 4 figures, would solve a lot of problems. Just saying.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“I’ve had a wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”-Groucho Marx
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Part and Parcel
Some more gibberish, just for the sheer hell of it…………..
-There are days when you get up out of bed and really don’t feel like going to work. That inner voice inside your head tells you to crawl back into bed and spend the day there, with occasional trips to the bathroom and the kitchen to meet the biological needs of the body. Today was one of those days for me. Naturally, I ignored that inner voice and came to work anyway, early in fact.
-There is one person in my company who, if asked the secret of their success, should answer it this way. “Nepotism and fellatio. My cousin’s brother-in-law’s aunt’s second cousin knows someone high up in the company. My son also goes to the same school as the CEO’s kids do. That and that fact that I lost my gag reflex a long time ago. Sometimes, you have to suck a lot of cock to get ahead, but the trick is to suck the right cock. I’ve done that and more. Knee pads and Altoids also help.” Of course, this person would lie and say something about hard work and determination, but the truth is nepotism and fellatio are the real reasons. While I normally don’t try to hate anyone, karma being what it is, it’s really hard not to loathe this person. The person in question is also a racist (hates white people unless you’re an executive) and an utter swine.
-Every once in a while, I wear a wristband at work that wraps around my thumb and holds the wrist secure. Sometimes my wrist and the area around my thumb hurts, and the wristband helps a little bit with the pain. Part of getting older, I guess. Naturally, I get shit about it at work by my coworkers, the usual accusation being that I masturbate too much. Yes, we eat our own where I work, but in a good way. If they weren’t giving me shit, then something would be wrong. Of course, I give just as good as I get, which is why they feel it’s OK to do it.
-The Gorgeous One and I are still having issues with her medical treatment in the Philippines. Since the doctor in Manila screwed us over with the insurance company, she has taken all of the test results to see a doctor closer to her family home in the hope that this doctor can take care of what needs to be taken care of without costing us a fortune. The wife visited her yesterday, and this doctor said she cannot do the surgery due to none of the hospitals in that area being equipped to do the surgery. This doctor has now referred The Gorgeous One to another specialist, but the bottom line is that the surgery will have to be performed in Manila anyway, just not at the hospital we originally went to. Since we have no money to pay for a huge hospital bill, my wife is borrowing the money from her family. This hurts my pride pretty badly, because I want very desperately to be able to meet all of my wife’s needs without having to go to anyone for help. Because of the divorce, my credit sucks, so borrowing money is kind of out of the question.
-This afternoon was just fun. For those of us who do what I do for a living, there is nothing more challenging and enjoyable than wrapping your head around a technical issue and trying to figure it out. Troubleshooting and fault isolation can be hard on some people, but I love it. The reward is when you do figure it out and whatever it is that you’re working on starts to work the way it should. Forget about thank-yous from coworkers or bosses; the joy is in the doing.
Other that that, it’s a beautiful day here on the island of Guam, where the women are strong, the men good looking, and the children are all above average.
-There are days when you get up out of bed and really don’t feel like going to work. That inner voice inside your head tells you to crawl back into bed and spend the day there, with occasional trips to the bathroom and the kitchen to meet the biological needs of the body. Today was one of those days for me. Naturally, I ignored that inner voice and came to work anyway, early in fact.
-There is one person in my company who, if asked the secret of their success, should answer it this way. “Nepotism and fellatio. My cousin’s brother-in-law’s aunt’s second cousin knows someone high up in the company. My son also goes to the same school as the CEO’s kids do. That and that fact that I lost my gag reflex a long time ago. Sometimes, you have to suck a lot of cock to get ahead, but the trick is to suck the right cock. I’ve done that and more. Knee pads and Altoids also help.” Of course, this person would lie and say something about hard work and determination, but the truth is nepotism and fellatio are the real reasons. While I normally don’t try to hate anyone, karma being what it is, it’s really hard not to loathe this person. The person in question is also a racist (hates white people unless you’re an executive) and an utter swine.
-Every once in a while, I wear a wristband at work that wraps around my thumb and holds the wrist secure. Sometimes my wrist and the area around my thumb hurts, and the wristband helps a little bit with the pain. Part of getting older, I guess. Naturally, I get shit about it at work by my coworkers, the usual accusation being that I masturbate too much. Yes, we eat our own where I work, but in a good way. If they weren’t giving me shit, then something would be wrong. Of course, I give just as good as I get, which is why they feel it’s OK to do it.
-The Gorgeous One and I are still having issues with her medical treatment in the Philippines. Since the doctor in Manila screwed us over with the insurance company, she has taken all of the test results to see a doctor closer to her family home in the hope that this doctor can take care of what needs to be taken care of without costing us a fortune. The wife visited her yesterday, and this doctor said she cannot do the surgery due to none of the hospitals in that area being equipped to do the surgery. This doctor has now referred The Gorgeous One to another specialist, but the bottom line is that the surgery will have to be performed in Manila anyway, just not at the hospital we originally went to. Since we have no money to pay for a huge hospital bill, my wife is borrowing the money from her family. This hurts my pride pretty badly, because I want very desperately to be able to meet all of my wife’s needs without having to go to anyone for help. Because of the divorce, my credit sucks, so borrowing money is kind of out of the question.
-This afternoon was just fun. For those of us who do what I do for a living, there is nothing more challenging and enjoyable than wrapping your head around a technical issue and trying to figure it out. Troubleshooting and fault isolation can be hard on some people, but I love it. The reward is when you do figure it out and whatever it is that you’re working on starts to work the way it should. Forget about thank-yous from coworkers or bosses; the joy is in the doing.
Other that that, it’s a beautiful day here on the island of Guam, where the women are strong, the men good looking, and the children are all above average.
Racism in the Marianas
This has been on my mind for a long time, and I think it’s finally time to get it out and get it said.
Anyone who believes that there is no racism here on Guam is living in denial. It’s sad to say that in the Year of Our Lord 2010 that racism is still prevalent, but it’s unfortunately true. A person doesn’t have to look very hard at all to see it.
Stereotypes abound here and are frequently used. Chamorro’s are thought to be fat and lazy food stamp recipients. Chuukese are all criminals. Chinese are viewed as sneaky and thieves. White people are all rich. Filipino’s are lazy. Japanese tourists are viewed as living breathing ATM machines. Koreans own all the small businesses and are only interested in money.
I’m not saying that everyone has these views. For the most part, people get along fairly well with each other, tolerating the faults of others. But, with that said, it’s not hard to see the racism that hovers underneath the surface. All that one has to do is listen and watch, and it’s easy to see.
I my own self have been a victim of racism, on many occasions. In once instance, I was in a local hardware store picking up a few things, when a woman approached me, telling me that she was having problems with her car and needed some help. I told her that I’m not very mechanically inclined but I would be willing to help. She then told me that, no, she didn’t need a mechanic, but needed money for gas. The fact that I was standing amongst a Chamorro man and a Filipino, and she failed to ask either one of these guys is something that I brought up with the woman. She replied, “Well, you’re white. You have money.” Like there is no such thing as working class white people on the island, and we all are loaded down with cash that we must immediately get rid of because of White Guilt.
Unfortunately, one of those instances happened in my workplace. I was undergoing some mandatory training at our corporate HQ, sitting in a room with about 20 other people. The table I was sitting at contained 3 white guys and 2 Filipino’s, all of us from the same department. We were all talking quietly amongst ourselves before the training started, the usual kind of conversation that happens amongst friends, cheerful, relaxed. No one was getting belligerent or loud, and no one was doing anything wrong. The next day, an email goes out from my supervisor, telling the three white guys who were at that table that the CEO was furious with us and that we had embarrassed the entire department. She had been told by someone higher up that we had gotten loud and disruptive at the training and had used obscene and profane language. Of course, none of this was true, and the fact that the two Filipino’s who were sitting at the same table weren’t mentioned at all, only the three white boys who happened to be in the room. In fact, when this was mentioned to some of the other people who were in attendance, they all said that same thing, that they didn’t remember any disturbance or bad language at all. The fact was and is that the person who raised the complaint happened to be a senior person in the company who hates white people (at least that’s the perception I have gotten).
These are just two of many examples of racially related shit I have dealt with. While these are small, they still happened and still happen at least once a month. You try to believe that the things aren’t racially motivated, but sometimes there is no denying it. I’ve always thought that people sometimes play the race card too eagerly, but sometimes there is no other explanation.
Since I have friends of all different races, I have heard the complaints before about others. I have a Chamorro friend who once told me that some of the people from the smaller islands like Chuuk and Truk act as if they crawled out of the trees last week. A couple of my Filipino friends have talked badly about the Chinese workers. Koreans talking bad about the Chinese. One group can always find something bad about another group if they try hard enough.
I’m not going to say that there aren’t white people who have negative views about others here, because I’ve heard it come from their mouths as well. In fact, I have yet to encounter one ethnic group that doesn’t have members that won’t trash talk another group.
What I am saying is that I know what it feels like to be in the minority and to be prejudiced against because of my skin color. Unlike others, I’m not so fast to play the race card unless there is no other choice but to play it, and every time I bring it up it’s with great trepidation.
It is my contention that judging anyone by the color of their skin or where they were born is the stupidest way to judge anyone. You have to take people one at a time, as individuals, and not lump a group all in one pile. The fact is that there are both assholes and good people in all ethnic groups, and most people that fit somewhere in the middle.
Yes, racism is still alive and well, and won’t die the death it’s so desperately entitled to.
Anyone who believes that there is no racism here on Guam is living in denial. It’s sad to say that in the Year of Our Lord 2010 that racism is still prevalent, but it’s unfortunately true. A person doesn’t have to look very hard at all to see it.
Stereotypes abound here and are frequently used. Chamorro’s are thought to be fat and lazy food stamp recipients. Chuukese are all criminals. Chinese are viewed as sneaky and thieves. White people are all rich. Filipino’s are lazy. Japanese tourists are viewed as living breathing ATM machines. Koreans own all the small businesses and are only interested in money.
I’m not saying that everyone has these views. For the most part, people get along fairly well with each other, tolerating the faults of others. But, with that said, it’s not hard to see the racism that hovers underneath the surface. All that one has to do is listen and watch, and it’s easy to see.
I my own self have been a victim of racism, on many occasions. In once instance, I was in a local hardware store picking up a few things, when a woman approached me, telling me that she was having problems with her car and needed some help. I told her that I’m not very mechanically inclined but I would be willing to help. She then told me that, no, she didn’t need a mechanic, but needed money for gas. The fact that I was standing amongst a Chamorro man and a Filipino, and she failed to ask either one of these guys is something that I brought up with the woman. She replied, “Well, you’re white. You have money.” Like there is no such thing as working class white people on the island, and we all are loaded down with cash that we must immediately get rid of because of White Guilt.
Unfortunately, one of those instances happened in my workplace. I was undergoing some mandatory training at our corporate HQ, sitting in a room with about 20 other people. The table I was sitting at contained 3 white guys and 2 Filipino’s, all of us from the same department. We were all talking quietly amongst ourselves before the training started, the usual kind of conversation that happens amongst friends, cheerful, relaxed. No one was getting belligerent or loud, and no one was doing anything wrong. The next day, an email goes out from my supervisor, telling the three white guys who were at that table that the CEO was furious with us and that we had embarrassed the entire department. She had been told by someone higher up that we had gotten loud and disruptive at the training and had used obscene and profane language. Of course, none of this was true, and the fact that the two Filipino’s who were sitting at the same table weren’t mentioned at all, only the three white boys who happened to be in the room. In fact, when this was mentioned to some of the other people who were in attendance, they all said that same thing, that they didn’t remember any disturbance or bad language at all. The fact was and is that the person who raised the complaint happened to be a senior person in the company who hates white people (at least that’s the perception I have gotten).
These are just two of many examples of racially related shit I have dealt with. While these are small, they still happened and still happen at least once a month. You try to believe that the things aren’t racially motivated, but sometimes there is no denying it. I’ve always thought that people sometimes play the race card too eagerly, but sometimes there is no other explanation.
Since I have friends of all different races, I have heard the complaints before about others. I have a Chamorro friend who once told me that some of the people from the smaller islands like Chuuk and Truk act as if they crawled out of the trees last week. A couple of my Filipino friends have talked badly about the Chinese workers. Koreans talking bad about the Chinese. One group can always find something bad about another group if they try hard enough.
I’m not going to say that there aren’t white people who have negative views about others here, because I’ve heard it come from their mouths as well. In fact, I have yet to encounter one ethnic group that doesn’t have members that won’t trash talk another group.
What I am saying is that I know what it feels like to be in the minority and to be prejudiced against because of my skin color. Unlike others, I’m not so fast to play the race card unless there is no other choice but to play it, and every time I bring it up it’s with great trepidation.
It is my contention that judging anyone by the color of their skin or where they were born is the stupidest way to judge anyone. You have to take people one at a time, as individuals, and not lump a group all in one pile. The fact is that there are both assholes and good people in all ethnic groups, and most people that fit somewhere in the middle.
Yes, racism is still alive and well, and won’t die the death it’s so desperately entitled to.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
The Pipe Dream
I think we all have, at one point or another, had “The Lottery Pipe Dream”. That dream that crosses our minds every single time we line up to buy a lottery ticket, considering what we would do if we hit the big one. I my own self had those same thoughts tonight as I stopped by the local grocery store to buy my ticket for Saturday nights draw.
By no means am I greedy. A million five would cover all of my desires fairly well. It would start off with a trust fund for my granddaughter, so that college would be paid for before she enters kindergarten. My lovely daughter would also get a hefty sum to use in whatever way she wanted, along with the usual new car and other stuff. This would all take place within the first 48 hours of me taking custody of the cash lump. The ex-wife would also get a deal as well; 5 years of spousal support in advance, in cash, and we call it good. I don’t have to do this, but it just feels like the right thing to do.
By then, the small amount of stuff I have here on Guam that I would want to keep would be on its way to the Philippines. Stop by the office on the way to the airport to say goodbye to friends and to turn in my resignation. The thought of walking in to one of the managers offices, handing him my resignation, then taking a dump on his desk is intriguing, but probably won’t happen. Although it’s a nice thought, even I can’t be that big of an asshole.
The wife and I would then be doing some traveling, to Texas to meet my granddaughter and son-in-law, hang out for a week or so and let everyone get acquainted. A quick side trip to Missouri so that The Gorgeous One can meet the rest of my family, and for me to take care of a couple of things there. A few days after that, on to Colorado for some back porch time at my dad’s house, and to pay off his mortgage.
Of course, none of this travel would be in coach. No, those days would be over and done with, thank you ever so much. The Gorgeous One and I will be riding up front, the cabin crew doing their level best to meet our every need and kissing our asses. From Denver, we wing our way across the Pacific to Manila, to kick start the rest of our lives.
In my mind, I picture a piece of land on a hilltop just on the outskirts of Olongopo. This is where we will build our house, with enough land surrounding it to be comfortable and not have to worry about the neighbors. A decent view of Subic Bay, with some fruit trees on the property and room for a garden. Close enough to the in-laws that they can come visit every now and then, far enough away so that they have to make a little bit of an effort to do so. I love my in-laws, but I also love my privacy.
The nephews and nieces get their high school paid for. We start a couple of small businesses in the Subic Industrial Zone, nothing crazy, but big enough to generate income well into our retirement years. Just enough stuff to give me something to do without being required to really do anything. Let The Gorgeous One indulge in some spoilage of her own. My wife is one of those people who almost never buys anything for herself, so I will be forced to lavish some stuff on her.
After that, it’s pretty simple. Enjoy the quiet life, with as little stress as possible. Live modestly, but by the same token, not having to clip coupons or look in the marked down section at the grocery store. The spare time would be spent on writing the couple of books I have running around in my head and hanging out with the wife and having some more kids.
Like I said, nothing lavish or overblown. A simple life, all our basic needs and desires taken care of, with ample cash put away for emergencies and those times we get the urge to get on a plane and go to Oktoberfest in Munchen or the ice festival in Sapporo.
It’s a pipe dream, but when we stop dreaming, we start dying. Dreams give us something to hope for, and without hope, however slim, we have nothing.
By no means am I greedy. A million five would cover all of my desires fairly well. It would start off with a trust fund for my granddaughter, so that college would be paid for before she enters kindergarten. My lovely daughter would also get a hefty sum to use in whatever way she wanted, along with the usual new car and other stuff. This would all take place within the first 48 hours of me taking custody of the cash lump. The ex-wife would also get a deal as well; 5 years of spousal support in advance, in cash, and we call it good. I don’t have to do this, but it just feels like the right thing to do.
By then, the small amount of stuff I have here on Guam that I would want to keep would be on its way to the Philippines. Stop by the office on the way to the airport to say goodbye to friends and to turn in my resignation. The thought of walking in to one of the managers offices, handing him my resignation, then taking a dump on his desk is intriguing, but probably won’t happen. Although it’s a nice thought, even I can’t be that big of an asshole.
The wife and I would then be doing some traveling, to Texas to meet my granddaughter and son-in-law, hang out for a week or so and let everyone get acquainted. A quick side trip to Missouri so that The Gorgeous One can meet the rest of my family, and for me to take care of a couple of things there. A few days after that, on to Colorado for some back porch time at my dad’s house, and to pay off his mortgage.
Of course, none of this travel would be in coach. No, those days would be over and done with, thank you ever so much. The Gorgeous One and I will be riding up front, the cabin crew doing their level best to meet our every need and kissing our asses. From Denver, we wing our way across the Pacific to Manila, to kick start the rest of our lives.
In my mind, I picture a piece of land on a hilltop just on the outskirts of Olongopo. This is where we will build our house, with enough land surrounding it to be comfortable and not have to worry about the neighbors. A decent view of Subic Bay, with some fruit trees on the property and room for a garden. Close enough to the in-laws that they can come visit every now and then, far enough away so that they have to make a little bit of an effort to do so. I love my in-laws, but I also love my privacy.
The nephews and nieces get their high school paid for. We start a couple of small businesses in the Subic Industrial Zone, nothing crazy, but big enough to generate income well into our retirement years. Just enough stuff to give me something to do without being required to really do anything. Let The Gorgeous One indulge in some spoilage of her own. My wife is one of those people who almost never buys anything for herself, so I will be forced to lavish some stuff on her.
After that, it’s pretty simple. Enjoy the quiet life, with as little stress as possible. Live modestly, but by the same token, not having to clip coupons or look in the marked down section at the grocery store. The spare time would be spent on writing the couple of books I have running around in my head and hanging out with the wife and having some more kids.
Like I said, nothing lavish or overblown. A simple life, all our basic needs and desires taken care of, with ample cash put away for emergencies and those times we get the urge to get on a plane and go to Oktoberfest in Munchen or the ice festival in Sapporo.
It’s a pipe dream, but when we stop dreaming, we start dying. Dreams give us something to hope for, and without hope, however slim, we have nothing.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
To Coin a Phrase
Every so often, I’ll hear or remember a phrase that stops me dead in my tracks. Sometimes, it will be a phrase that I’ve heard countless times, but for some reason takes on a new meaning or makes me expend some of my limited brain power to examine a little closer.
Take the phrase “hopeless romantic” for example. We’ve all heard it a million times, on TV, in movies, and in our day to day lives. “Oh, never mind her. She’s a hopeless romantic.” To me, it seems that this phrase contradicts itself. I think there is never any hopelessness in romance. On the contrary, there are times when romantic feelings help us to renew our sense of faith in humanity when we’ve lost it. When it seems that everyone in the world is lining up to shit all over us, a simple romantic gesture can turn the tide of negativity into something positive and meaningful.
I’ve always been a romantic at heart, and I hope I never lose that feeling. Of wanting to surprise my wife with flowers, for no reason. “Why the flowers babe?” “Just because, sweetheart”. Reminding her often that I think she’s the most beautiful woman on the planet, even if she doesn’t believe it to be the case. Leaving little notes on the kitchen table before I leave for work, just to tell her to have a great day.
Romance isn’t dead. Sometimes it may be lying dormant, but it’s still very much alive and well, and still filled with hope.
++++++++
“Common courtesy” is another one of those sets of words that seem to be out of place with each other. Like they don’t belong together. In this day and age, there isn’t anything common about courtesy. Addressing people as “ma’am” or “sir”. Holding a door open for a woman or an older person. Helping someone carry a heavy load of groceries up a flight of stairs. There are, in fact, a lot of people walking about using up oxygen who have no clue how to go about treating others with simple basic human respect and dignity.
A few years back, I was in the market for a new computer while visiting my parents in Denver. The first store I went to, the salesman kept addressing me as “dude”, and treating me like I was some kind of joke, which I found offensive. The next store I visited, I was addressed as “sir” and treated like I was someone of importance, someone worth investing some time in. A salesman who listened to what I had to say, and went out of his way to find the solution I was looking for. Not only did I buy the new computer at the second store along with a bunch of other stuff, I also found the salesman’s boss and told him I thought his guy was an incredible salesman who knew his job really well.
No kids, courtesy is not common, not by a damn sight. It seems to be that this world would be a much better place to be if we all tried a little bit harder to treat everyone else a little better. Sometimes it’s difficult, but in the end it’s worth it. It’s really hard to be nice to people that you really don’t like, but most of the time I think it’s worth the investment. I sometimes struggle with this, especially with those who I have no use for, but it’s one of those things I at least try to work on.
For some reason, these two phrases kind of registered in my brain today, and gave my noggin something to chew on when it wasn’t occupied with work and the other stuff going on in my head. It’s as if my psyche was telling me “forget about the work and your troubles for a few moments, and think about this”. Sort of a mini vacation for the brain, letting the intellectual side focus on something different.
Weird how the brain works – at least how mine’s been working lately. And with that said, being that I’m a public service kinda guy, here’s a phrase that you your own self can chew on for a while. I saw it as graffiti painted on a wall today, and it literally stopped me in my tracks.
“We’re All Fucked Up. Some of Us Just Manage It Better Than Others”
Let your gray matter deal with that for a few moments today.
Take the phrase “hopeless romantic” for example. We’ve all heard it a million times, on TV, in movies, and in our day to day lives. “Oh, never mind her. She’s a hopeless romantic.” To me, it seems that this phrase contradicts itself. I think there is never any hopelessness in romance. On the contrary, there are times when romantic feelings help us to renew our sense of faith in humanity when we’ve lost it. When it seems that everyone in the world is lining up to shit all over us, a simple romantic gesture can turn the tide of negativity into something positive and meaningful.
I’ve always been a romantic at heart, and I hope I never lose that feeling. Of wanting to surprise my wife with flowers, for no reason. “Why the flowers babe?” “Just because, sweetheart”. Reminding her often that I think she’s the most beautiful woman on the planet, even if she doesn’t believe it to be the case. Leaving little notes on the kitchen table before I leave for work, just to tell her to have a great day.
Romance isn’t dead. Sometimes it may be lying dormant, but it’s still very much alive and well, and still filled with hope.
++++++++
“Common courtesy” is another one of those sets of words that seem to be out of place with each other. Like they don’t belong together. In this day and age, there isn’t anything common about courtesy. Addressing people as “ma’am” or “sir”. Holding a door open for a woman or an older person. Helping someone carry a heavy load of groceries up a flight of stairs. There are, in fact, a lot of people walking about using up oxygen who have no clue how to go about treating others with simple basic human respect and dignity.
A few years back, I was in the market for a new computer while visiting my parents in Denver. The first store I went to, the salesman kept addressing me as “dude”, and treating me like I was some kind of joke, which I found offensive. The next store I visited, I was addressed as “sir” and treated like I was someone of importance, someone worth investing some time in. A salesman who listened to what I had to say, and went out of his way to find the solution I was looking for. Not only did I buy the new computer at the second store along with a bunch of other stuff, I also found the salesman’s boss and told him I thought his guy was an incredible salesman who knew his job really well.
No kids, courtesy is not common, not by a damn sight. It seems to be that this world would be a much better place to be if we all tried a little bit harder to treat everyone else a little better. Sometimes it’s difficult, but in the end it’s worth it. It’s really hard to be nice to people that you really don’t like, but most of the time I think it’s worth the investment. I sometimes struggle with this, especially with those who I have no use for, but it’s one of those things I at least try to work on.
For some reason, these two phrases kind of registered in my brain today, and gave my noggin something to chew on when it wasn’t occupied with work and the other stuff going on in my head. It’s as if my psyche was telling me “forget about the work and your troubles for a few moments, and think about this”. Sort of a mini vacation for the brain, letting the intellectual side focus on something different.
Weird how the brain works – at least how mine’s been working lately. And with that said, being that I’m a public service kinda guy, here’s a phrase that you your own self can chew on for a while. I saw it as graffiti painted on a wall today, and it literally stopped me in my tracks.
“We’re All Fucked Up. Some of Us Just Manage It Better Than Others”
Let your gray matter deal with that for a few moments today.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Shitstorm Cometh
“When the Going Gets Weird, the Weird Turn Pro” – Hunter S. Thompson
If the last 48 hours are any indication of how weird this week is going to be, then boys and girls, I am in for a world of shit.
When I left for work Monday morning, I knew for a fact that it was going to be a busy day. Lots of little projects on my plate, and the day didn’t disappoint. I also knew that I would be coming in later that night to do some work I had scheduled about a week in advance. In the Communications Bidness, we have what are known as “maintenance hours” when we are actually authorized to do preventive maintenance and network changes that would normally affect a lot of customers.
Knowing that I was going back to work a mere 5 hours after I left, I tried to get some rest when I got home. Rest wouldn’t come for some reason, and I ended up watching TV and eating junk food until it was time to go back to work. The work I had scheduled was routine, firmware upgrades on some of the equipment scattered throughout our various communications sites. At first, it started off routine, easy, predictable. Around 1:30 AM, I was thrown a serious curve, and had to go out to one of our relay sites to do some hands on work. There’s nothing like crawling around atop a 14 story building at 2 AM in the rain to put a damper on a guy’s mood. I finished that little piece of work with no problem and went back to my office to continue with the project.
Around 5 AM, another snag with some equipment located a good distance from my office. It was working, but it wasn’t working the way it should. Since everything else was done, I packed my stuff and headed down to the site in question. This time, I’m standing around in kind of a lonely place, opening up an equipment cabinet and getting my laptop out and ready to do some troubleshooting. Naturally, it starts to rain again, and now I’m tired, wet, and a little pissed off. I had also slipped on some wet grass and landed on my ass. Now add muddy to the equation. After an hour, I realize that I can’t fix it before everything has to be buttoned up and back on the air, so I pack my shit and head home, stopping by McDonalds to grab one of their famous greasy $1 breakfast sammiches. Inhale the greasy goodness, a quick shower and in bed. The plan is to grab 4 or 5 hours of sleep, then back to the office. More shit that has to be dealt with, in an attempt to keep a certain Oriental gentleman from crying like a 4 year old girl with a skinned knee.
At 8:30, as I am just getting to sleep, the phone rings. Someone asking me a routine question that could have waited 5 hours. Two minutes later, another phone call, same person, another question. Five minutes later, another asshole, another question. I finally get to sleep, but wake up at 10:30. Grab something to drink, throw some clothes on, and back to work.
A couple of hours later, the wife calls me from the Philippines. There is a problem with the insurance company and the surgery that she is supposed to have this week. Now the insurance company is telling us, because of the nature of the surgery, they won’t cover it, and we have to find a way to shit $5K to pay for it. Money that we really, really don’t have. I send emails and make phone calls, and the results are still the same. The Gorgeous One’s doctor has already talked to the insurance assholes, and they are standing firm. I feel like a real dirtbag asshole that I don’t have the cash or credit to pay for the surgery, which my wife needs. While it’s not life threatening, she needs the surgery to improve her quality of life. I can’t shake the feeling that I am letting her down and disappointing the woman I love so very much.
A couple more phone calls with the wife, and she starts discussing options. She plans on visiting a doctor at a hospital closer to her village to see if she can have the same surgery done there at a less expensive hospital. Same level of medical care, less cost. My darling wife is noticeably tired, has a headache, and is very frustrated. In the last 24 hours, she also had to take her sister to the emergency room, and spent the night with her in the hospital.
As I sit here in my living room in front of this keyboard, I just have to wonder, what the hell is next? What part of life is going to throw us another curve this week? What karmatic event is going to shit all over me? Maybe I’m just overtired and a little frustrated. Maybe I should just have a couple of beers and take my ass to bed and see about getting 6 or 7 hours of sleep.
Who knows, maybe it will all look a little brighter tomorrow morning. I have some serious doubts about that, but who knows?
If the last 48 hours are any indication of how weird this week is going to be, then boys and girls, I am in for a world of shit.
When I left for work Monday morning, I knew for a fact that it was going to be a busy day. Lots of little projects on my plate, and the day didn’t disappoint. I also knew that I would be coming in later that night to do some work I had scheduled about a week in advance. In the Communications Bidness, we have what are known as “maintenance hours” when we are actually authorized to do preventive maintenance and network changes that would normally affect a lot of customers.
Knowing that I was going back to work a mere 5 hours after I left, I tried to get some rest when I got home. Rest wouldn’t come for some reason, and I ended up watching TV and eating junk food until it was time to go back to work. The work I had scheduled was routine, firmware upgrades on some of the equipment scattered throughout our various communications sites. At first, it started off routine, easy, predictable. Around 1:30 AM, I was thrown a serious curve, and had to go out to one of our relay sites to do some hands on work. There’s nothing like crawling around atop a 14 story building at 2 AM in the rain to put a damper on a guy’s mood. I finished that little piece of work with no problem and went back to my office to continue with the project.
Around 5 AM, another snag with some equipment located a good distance from my office. It was working, but it wasn’t working the way it should. Since everything else was done, I packed my stuff and headed down to the site in question. This time, I’m standing around in kind of a lonely place, opening up an equipment cabinet and getting my laptop out and ready to do some troubleshooting. Naturally, it starts to rain again, and now I’m tired, wet, and a little pissed off. I had also slipped on some wet grass and landed on my ass. Now add muddy to the equation. After an hour, I realize that I can’t fix it before everything has to be buttoned up and back on the air, so I pack my shit and head home, stopping by McDonalds to grab one of their famous greasy $1 breakfast sammiches. Inhale the greasy goodness, a quick shower and in bed. The plan is to grab 4 or 5 hours of sleep, then back to the office. More shit that has to be dealt with, in an attempt to keep a certain Oriental gentleman from crying like a 4 year old girl with a skinned knee.
At 8:30, as I am just getting to sleep, the phone rings. Someone asking me a routine question that could have waited 5 hours. Two minutes later, another phone call, same person, another question. Five minutes later, another asshole, another question. I finally get to sleep, but wake up at 10:30. Grab something to drink, throw some clothes on, and back to work.
A couple of hours later, the wife calls me from the Philippines. There is a problem with the insurance company and the surgery that she is supposed to have this week. Now the insurance company is telling us, because of the nature of the surgery, they won’t cover it, and we have to find a way to shit $5K to pay for it. Money that we really, really don’t have. I send emails and make phone calls, and the results are still the same. The Gorgeous One’s doctor has already talked to the insurance assholes, and they are standing firm. I feel like a real dirtbag asshole that I don’t have the cash or credit to pay for the surgery, which my wife needs. While it’s not life threatening, she needs the surgery to improve her quality of life. I can’t shake the feeling that I am letting her down and disappointing the woman I love so very much.
A couple more phone calls with the wife, and she starts discussing options. She plans on visiting a doctor at a hospital closer to her village to see if she can have the same surgery done there at a less expensive hospital. Same level of medical care, less cost. My darling wife is noticeably tired, has a headache, and is very frustrated. In the last 24 hours, she also had to take her sister to the emergency room, and spent the night with her in the hospital.
As I sit here in my living room in front of this keyboard, I just have to wonder, what the hell is next? What part of life is going to throw us another curve this week? What karmatic event is going to shit all over me? Maybe I’m just overtired and a little frustrated. Maybe I should just have a couple of beers and take my ass to bed and see about getting 6 or 7 hours of sleep.
Who knows, maybe it will all look a little brighter tomorrow morning. I have some serious doubts about that, but who knows?
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