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WORKLIFE PAGES
... in other words, where I've been lately ...

...   1   ...   2   ...   3   ...   4   ...   5   ...   6   ... this is the third page along this path, continued from the second worklife page, which is continued from the first worklife page... you can go there if you want to read the introduction and the previous week's installments of the rambles about work... and life... and whatever comes to mind...

this has kinda turned into a weekly letter to friends and anybody who cares to keep in touch and to anybody who wants to know (for whatever reasons) more about me... it also sorta keeps track of how many hours I work each week (though some work hours slip through the count each week for various reasons)... and I am still looking for a friends offline here in this area...

anyway, again I want to thank you for caring enough to want to keep in touch with me and read my thoughts about life, especially during this period when I have little time to play with you online (heck, I don't even answer email anymore... the best I can do is right here on the web)... I intend to update these worklife pages weekly (almost actually on time with that) and I still intend to update my main "Keep In Touch" Pages at least monthly (gotta do better with that)... and the life-pattern continues as the daily journal is not a daily journal, but I am determined to continue it too... now more than ever, your thoughts and responses mean a lot to me (more than words will ever say)... and in my continuing attempt to keep in touch with you (yes you, if you want to), you can let me know you want to be in my address book by subscribing to my mailing list... when I finally do get back to email, you'll hear from me... hope you want to :)

and just like before, click on the "week ending" links just below to read the what I had to share that week - or (I keep hoping, huh?) if you simply must read everything because you want to know everything because you are blessed and cursed with insatiable curiosity like me, just keep scrolling down the page J


week ending May 23rd... 125+ hours
week ending May 30th... 64.5+ hours
week ending June 6th... 72+ hours
week ending June 13th... 59+ hours
week ending June 20th... 77+ hours
week ending June 27th... 79+ hours
week ending July 4th... 65+ hours
week ending July 11th... 62+ hours
week ending July 18th... 64+ hours
week ending July 25th... 49+ hours




week ending May 23rd... 125+ hours

yes, you read right... and yes, I counted right... and yes, there were more hours than officially counted and this week I took fewer breaks and lunches than I ordinarily do... and yes, I am more exhausted than I've been in many years... it'll feel good if I can get some rest (still dreaming lam)... and yes, you can catch up on sleep... at least I can... I have before... I hope to again J

a rather huge job, a place called Dana Brakes, Division of Aimco Products, Inc... the factory makes brakes for cars... and tons of grease and metal shards as by products... they wanted their factory floors painted... we were told there was concrete under the blacktop... years of tow motor and heavy machinery traffic created a very durable coating on the floor... to paint, the floors must be clean... paint won't stick to grease, just to the concrete beneath... so... it took a while... it got done, with a lot of effort and time squeezed into a job that should have taken twice as long... a few guys walked out (some people just don't like hard work)... and life continues... at least worklife does...

so what else is new?... I'll try to update the journal and other keep in touch pages after I get some more sleep... the links are above... hope you're having fun and I look forward to time to read your responses... hope you respond... nite nite... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz J



week ending May 30th... 64.5+ hours

wow... felt like a vacation this week... so why am I still tired? LOL... alas, I did catch up on some sleep, but still worked this body hard... a few more months should be enough to put enough savings in the bank to be able to makes some life changes... one day at a time... so... what else is new?...

88 degrees yesterday... that's about 31 degrees for some of you, I think... I love heat... I should have been born on a tropical island... I love water too... and while I like to visit and play in snow, I do not like cold for long... so... the weather is a big smile for me... except that I'm stuck working a lot... and this little room is a mini-oven... and... am I in a grumbling mood?... kinda... gotta leave this body to be comfortable and happier these days (I'll be back ;)

. . .     . . .     . . .

there... I took a shower and left this world behind for a bit and I feel much better... even wrote a couple of new rhymes... there's just nothing like some serious shower therapy to clean out the grumps J

I'm even almost awake LAM... so what's new at work?... crew changes again... a half dozen or so people were fired, one new person hired... I'm told two new people start this week... revolving door management is as unproductive as squeaky wheel management and both are practiced most of the time at this place... so more new training of crews, more bumping heads as personalities and egos flex until they get comfortable with each other, more playing referree and teacher and counselor and so on... and they wonder why the focus isn't on the actual work quality... at least I wasn't high on epoxy paint fumes this week... anyway, that's worklife for this week... anybody wishing to drag me away from work for a few hours is welcome to try J



week ending June 6th... 72+ hours

more new people, more back to basics training, more boring time passing... I suppose the part of me that loves challenges is enjoying the challenge of trying to make this work and this life interesting enough to keep me from becoming depressed or numb, but this week I'm ready for a real vacation (read=change)... but... it would be wiser for me to pile up as much savings as possible before making any moves that would cut off income for a while, so... another few months... this may be one of the longest summers on record...

but who's counting? LOL... anyway, the heat working in the city is definitely not as much fun as the heat on vacation in Florida... I know, I spent 5 years on vacation in Florida this decade... foolishly, I cut it short in order to help others... oh ok, so it felt good... and one of these days, what goes around will finally come around to me and I'll know the old saying is really true... all I need to do is survive, right? (sometimes my sense of humor can irritate the more practical side of me... but then, why should I be left out... excuse me while I laugh at the sky)...

ok, so there is nothing grand to report about worklife except it continues... there is more stuff in the gardens (where the new stuff has been added can be found on the front page) and journal though... see ya next week, I hope J



week ending June 13th... 59+ hours

so another week passes... hear me yawning?... boredom... and heat... the humidity... I love the heat, but it's unhealthy and dangerous without some sort of cool down process (like access to water)... alas, I'm grumbling about waiting in line for the bathroom... of course I didn't have to come here to write while waiting in line for the shower... then I'd probably grumble about something else... like the dirt... the mood to grumble is indescriminent LAM...

so (again)... another week passes (again)... so you wanna know what happened?... work... what else?... more work... oh how I'd welcome an alien encounter or an x-file experience... something different... anyone different?... and someone to share it with... actually, that's what's missing... someone to share with... yes, still a call for friends offline... anybody out there?

aren't you happy I don't have time to email you individually these days? J

hopefully I'll be outta here soon... no offense intended, Buffalo, but I'd rather be somewhere else... especially since nobody here seems to be reading... and anybody who has happened along doesn't seem to want to meet offline... maybe it's me... s'ok... I like being me... and this is definitely not a healthy place to live for a number of reasons... but then, so many places are unhealthy...

see... told ya I'd find something else to grumble about LAM...

I suppose this means I'm closer to fitting in around here (you probably have to spend some time here to understand that fully)... I'm frequently told I must be from somewhere else because my attitude is too positive... fun huh?...

well... back to work... see ya next week J



week ending June 20th... 77+ hours

I must remember something, as time goes by... an old song... an old dream... an old friend... am I getting old? LAM... why am I laughing?... rhetorical question, of course, as the answer is for me to know and for you to know if you want to... it does feel better than wallowing in self-pathetic depression, really it does...

so what's new in worklife?... I was fired again... similar situation, ridiculous... and again my supervisor was reprimanded and now he's my former supervisor and I've got a much better supervisor and working situation... I'm not in Special Services anymore though... I'm not sure where I am... neither is anybody else... still lots of cleaning work, but part of a management team (I'll let you know when and if we figure out a job title for me... I kinda like being an enigma at work... it allows me much more autonomy and flexibility)... they want me to stay and grow with them... I don't know if it's enough to keep me in Buffalo... excuse me whilst I have my head examined for even considering it LAM...

anyway, being that work was getting rather boring and very monotonous and sometimes irritating, the change is definitely a blessing... new stuff to do... still not really challenging, but at least new :)

  and that's another week in the life of work... J



week ending June 27th... 79+ hours

it really must be time to wake up... I've been clicking my heels together for some time now... maybe I don't have on the right shoes... I mean, this is all due to a bump on the head, isn't it?... it couldn't really be real, could it?... ah, but this is how most of us live, isn't it?... I am asking lots of questions today, aren't I?... must be looking for answers... do let me know if you find any J

work, huh?... by the volume of mail I'm receiving, you must be fascinated by my babbling life... or perhaps amused by The Counterfeit Contessa... I should be out working... but I noticed that new Dax was in this film as the credits rolled by so I started watching a bit and now I am letting the fantasy absorb me for a while even though she has a very small part... I need more fantasy in this life... I haven't had nearly enough since I moved out of Disneyworld...

I'll just have to pack 5 hours work into 3 later and enjoy the visual fantasy now... see how boring life is?... somebody must want to rescue me from this... someday my princess will come, and all... hopefully she'll come again and again... get here, huh?...

songs play in my brain, but I miss music so much... but what has this to do with work?... nothing, so there's no new work news... I'll try to make next week less boring for ya J

  seriously, thanks for caring... and especially deeper thanks for letting me know (and you know who you are)...



week ending July 4th... 65+ hours

worklife, huh?... a lighter week, comparatively... but still, life is work and survival and little more... I don't know if it shows on my face or in my body language or posture or aura or whatever, but if anybody sees, they don't say anything... this whole area's aura is unhealthy... but then, people seldom approach beyond the surface in my experience in this world... there's so many layers of fear around them... and it seems they expect a substantial layer around others as well... and when someone doesn't have their own layers of fear, it's suspect or reason to fear even more... what fools, huh?...

anyway, another boring week of work... I gave 47 hours to two assistants since I got some flack for crossing the 70 hour mark two weeks in a row... like I can predict all the work all the time... another week closer to making a move... so everything is going according to plan... just boring monotony to pass through...

wait, I was supposed to make this week less boring for you, wasn't I?... I forgot?... the sun got in my eyes?... my dog ate it?... I miss my dog... alas, here comes those "I miss everything" blues again...

I miss my home
I miss my wife
I miss my kids
I miss my life
this is not the life I'd pick if I could choose
I've got those I miss everything I used to have blues
one more time

I miss my dog
I miss my car
I miss my world
I miss my star
I seem to have found a path that has no clues
I've got those I miss everything I used to have blues
it's a crime

when nothing seems the same
and nothing seems to change
and everything is boring
and everything is strange
there ain't no way around the feeling when you've got to pay these dues
you just can't refuse
and there ain't no winning
when you've got nothing left to lose

I miss my friends
I miss my fun
I miss what I miss
and now this song is done
cuz there is no point in singing when there is no new news
and when it always come back down to
these I miss everything I used to have blues

less boring?... well, I tried... it's not like I'm gonna make up something that didn't happen this week just to amuse us... this is the real life part of the web world I'm creating, after all... the dreams and fantasies and creative illusions are growing in the other parts of the gardens J

hey, when I forget how to inspire my own smile, then I'll worry... or when I learn how to fake it... so far, so good... and thanks for stopping by J



week ending July 11th... 62+ hours

bored again... that's the overall tone of this week... so why am I laughing?... one of my favorite survival techniques... in the face of adversity, stupidity, insult and injury (and the lovely challenge of salted wounds)... I laugh... I love to laugh, long and loud and clear... I love to laugh... it's getting better each year (a bit of a favorite song from a favorite film, done my way LOL :)

...every day it gets a little bit better in every way...

but before I get too carried away in gleeful giggles, hey - a serious thank you to everyone who's popped into my email box or ICQ the last week... like, wow - what happened? LOL... I mean, was there some surge of collective memory energy that slipped me into your minds at the same time?... I have my theories, but then, I'm not tellin... after all, what good is a good spiracy theory if it leaks out? (nudge nudge wink wink to all you blind bats out there... ya got me giggling again... so really and truly, thank you friends) J

but this has nothing to do with work, so back to the boring depression that you rush here for each week... until it's time for me to go (don't ask why of me)... some people actually understand, isn't that scary?... if you could read my mind love... love?... to sur... with love (what song references?... what typoes?... what albatross?... hey mavis, I think the drugs are kicking back in again)...

so once again there's nothing new to say about work... so once again you came here to be informed and you may have been amused, or not... next week will probably be very similar, though hopefully my mood will get better LAM J

see ya around J



week ending July 18th... 64+ hours

what a long strange trip it can be... even when it's mostly boring... and yet, maybe (understated maybe) it's all just a mater of perspective... for when I narrow my perspective everything is duller and more boring and even more depressing... and when I broaden my perspective ("starting to see a bigger picture, beginning to color it in" - The Waterboys), everything is so different I am inspired to laugh at my self-imposed exile through limited vision (there's humour in even the worst disaster once it's over and we know we've survived :)

no, the mad mad mad worklife is not over yet... but some more light is shining this week just cuz I got tired of wearing the blinders (and the only changes going on" - Harry Chapin)... don't worry, I'm not perfect yet LAM... I'm still a friend of Bill the Waterboy (and still giggling at the private jokes I find within my own mind... if you seek understanding, the journey begins at the blink of the eyes and passage can only be purchased with trust... honest love, ric J )...

and the coincidences... well... they're even more beyond literal explanation than ever... without inner security, they can inspire so much fear... yet with self-trust, it's amazing... some call it spiritual guidance... some call it cosmic or psychic or ethereal or some other energy... whether you follow or believe in or acknowledge a god or other guide... whether the inner journey of your life is new age, old age, or ageless... I hope you never stop broadening your perspective... I hope you never lose touch with your conscious awareness of self and being here (wherever you are)... and I hope you never let go of the hope that it is possible... minds are a wonderful thing to explore J

work?... oh yeah, this is the place for worklife babble... same game... won't be too long now before I have enough of it and feel financially secure enough to make a real change... I've learned a lot from choosing a severely subordinate place in the world for a while... and I understand why so many accept the belief that it's a cold, cruel world... cynicism flourishes at the bottom... but then, at the top too... for many negative perspectives flourish in loneliness and isolation... they don't have to, but then, it seems easy to let them... still, that's an individual choice...

 so...

 there's nothing new in the worklife...

hope you still found some worth in visiting J



week ending July 25th... 49+ hours

practically a vacation, huh?... well, not intended... I actually had time to rest and think a bit this week (just a bit) and get a little stir crazy... who knows, I may start having literary conversations with myself in newsgroups again LAM...

oh no, I'm not that desperate for attention (shall I include the incorrigible "yet"?)... I am in a good mood it seems... why?... I am not putting much into the get-the-heck-outta-here account this week... not good... so why am I so giddy?... must be cuz I am repressing the suppression of oppressive depression (an obsession of mine, often compulsively)... could also be the heat LAL...

so, what's new at work is... less... that's certainly new... and if it keeps up the idea of just picking up and setting off for a healthier place looks more and more attractive... of course there's the reality of driving an old car that needs work anywhere far during the hottest month of the year with less money than intended... compiled with the fact that I'd probably be heading for hotter places... with the added invocation of no air conditioning or radio in the car... ok, I'm not going anywhere until I fix the radio LOL...

it is another hot weekend... makes laying here writing sticky and physically uncomfortable... I mean, what good is perspiration unless you have someone to share it with?... we all need somebody to drip on... yeah, I'm ok... actually, I enjoy perspiring... I love being wet... and I love helping others get wet... who wants to be wet?... who is wet?... wanna get wetter?... come on over, the water's wonderful (anybody can have fine water)... let's get wet...

life should have me grumbling like crazy... so why am I so... so... so wet... LOL... am I?... really?... I think so... I mean happy, silly... checking pulse... yup, I'm happy silly... I think it's cuz I know I am succeeding in my sorta kinda not too well laid out plan to relocate... gotta figure out what to do with all the stuff in storage... and maybe decide on a direction... south or west are most likely... anyway, soon, no more lonely in Buffalo (thanks friend)... soon, lonely somewhere else (I just had to... I set myself up so well LAM)...

the search for the one shall continue elsewhere... after all, it is not work J


if you want to know more, it's time to wander on to the fourth worklife page...

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