SlaveToTheGrind
Cyburbian
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Quote in your comment attributed to WSU MUP Student, not me. Don't want to steal WMS's thunder.
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RTDNTOTO 🐻 Random Thoughts Deserving No Thread Of Their Own 20 (2025)
- Thread starter JNA
- Start date
Blame it on the solar flare?
WSU MUP Student
Cyburbian
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- 14,289
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We get the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve off as paid holidays. When I first started here, Christmas and Christmas Eve were only paid holidays they fell on a workday, but every year it one or both of them fell on a Saturday or Sunday, the County Executive would propose to the board of commissioners to give us the federally observed day off for Christmas and then the day before or after for Christmas Eve and every year the BOC would approve it for us with pay. From what I gather, that had been going on without fail since the '80s. Six or seven years ago the county finally passed a resolution that guarantees us two paid holidays for Christmas Eve and Christmas day regardless of what day they actually fall on. They would always do the same thing with New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as well so now those are enshrined as holidays for us too.
Looking at the calendar, I see that January 2 is a Friday. I WFH on Fridays but if I were in the office that day I'd probably be the only one there. It will definitely be crickets. Our office always stays really quiet through the entire first full week of January. We do a lot of work with a lot of large industrial developers and commercial brokers and folks in the automotive industry and a lot of them seem to take that first full week of the year off so it gives us a nice quiet way to ease in to the new year.
Back before we had kids and when my wife was working in corporate finance, she always had to go in to the office in the mornings on Black Friday and I always had that day off. At the time, we live in an apartment complex right behind the one of the parking garages for the largest or second largest mall in the state. I am not a Black Friday shopper but since she was at her office those mornings I would walk over to the mall right after they opened for the day and get a coffee and walk around for an hour or two to do some people watching. Besides my short stint in retail those were the only times I ever went to the mall on a Black Friday.
This year I'm taking off from December 22nd through the 31st, as well as every Monday and Tuesday and every Friday in December and a random Thursday and a random Wednesday... plus the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. After next week, I have 8 days of work left in 2025 - plus, I'll be out of town at a conference on November 20th and 21st! This is always my favorite time of the year!
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- 38,213
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- 78
I am a strong believer in "Winter Mondays." Since we have that long stretch of time between President's Day and Memorial Day without a holiday, I like to take a random Monday off in March and April, so that I have a three-day weekend to look forward to every month. I discontinued this when I was working 4/10's with Tuesdays off, but since I am your standard M-F 8-5 at the new jurisdiction, I will be resurrecting this policy in 2026.
Things tend to be in very low gear between about December 20 and January 5 or so at any office, especially in government, based on my experience.
zman
Cyburbian
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- 43
Someone cooking popcorn in the break room reminded me of a coworker from long ago.
This woman would overcook popcorn, releasing the acrid smell of burnt popcorn through the office. When asked she proudly informed the team "I like my popcorn cooked that way. This woman would also let out silent farts in meetings, or at her desk if you came up for a question or to work through an issue. I didnt like her.
Im also pissy today... going as far as pausing with a deep breath when two staff members brought an issue to me then saying: "I need a minute before I go off on you two..."
Happy Wednesday, I guess.
This woman would overcook popcorn, releasing the acrid smell of burnt popcorn through the office. When asked she proudly informed the team "I like my popcorn cooked that way. This woman would also let out silent farts in meetings, or at her desk if you came up for a question or to work through an issue. I didnt like her.
Im also pissy today... going as far as pausing with a deep breath when two staff members brought an issue to me then saying: "I need a minute before I go off on you two..."
Happy Wednesday, I guess.
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Dear baby Jesus...give me the strength...
The Terminator
Cyburbian
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- 44
Todays an awfully nice day to go bus ridin!
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Back years ago, I was playing indoor soccer at a place near downtown Louisville (the one in KY, not CO). The folks at the snack shop burnt a whole huge roaster of popcorn during our match. IT WAS RANCID!
Faust_Motel
Cyburbian
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Spent the morning getting told off by two angry residents in a meeting that included my boss. Ugly stuff. Boss supported me totally though (I knew they would) which was nice.
I've been known to go into the bathroom and let a nice big one rip if I need to . . . I feel better afterward.
We have a "no popcorn or fish" policy, but, most people go home for lunch anyway so it's moot. We have two breakrooms and neither is used much. (I eat in one since it would take me 40 minutes to get home on a good day. About once a week I go to the sandwich place down the street.)
I wish I had a commuter bus to ride to work on. :-(
My wife's cousin got murdered in a road rage incident over the weekend, in front of his family. Wifey is heading down to California for a few days.
Won't share the details because they are graphic, but someone is now dead over a simple misunderstanding that neither person can let go. Makes me appreciate my "drive on and ignore it" policy I have on the road.
www.ktvu.com
Won't share the details because they are graphic, but someone is now dead over a simple misunderstanding that neither person can let go. Makes me appreciate my "drive on and ignore it" policy I have on the road.
'Never going to get him back': Father of 9 killed after fight stemming from Castro Valley road rage crash
The victim who died after a fight stemming from an alleged road rage crash in Castro Valley over the weekend was identified as a father of nine.
WSU MUP Student
Cyburbian
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I could take the bus but it would turn my 15 minute commute into about 2 hours.
Our county offers a program that provides veterans free bus rides and they even have free pre-scheduled point-to-point rides. The guy who set the program up and administers it sits in the office right next to mine. Every time he complains that the program isn't getting utilized enough I tell him I should start using it for days I'm at the office to help juice the numbers!
When I rode the bus to Carson City, my commute time was 60 minutes each way (as opposed to 45 driving), but I felt like I was gaining time since I had time to read or write while commuting.