It is over. I left Progressive to become the baddest Lit manager in Farmers history. Now after anout a year I am no longer the Litigation manager. Now I get to see if I will enjoy my new career or just confirm I've made the miggest mistake of my life. Well, not the biggest mistake. That no-interest derivative mortgage jumbo loan I invested the ward's tithing money in last week seems to be a bad decision as well. Who knew. It seemed like a lock for big money.
I cleared out my desk and wiped all the dust bunnies off of my desk and piled all my stuff in a corner. I will be working out of the Vancouver office for the next week. Then I can't decide if I will work from home or find another office I can plan in. I like the idea of getting up and not getting out of the jammies, just turn on the laptop and act like I'm working. Oh sure, about 11 or so (after Price is Right) I will get serious and ruin some poor adjusters life by auditing the living poo out of a file or two, then it's nap time. You have to pace yourself. No reason to burn out too early. Or perhaps I have no idea just how seriously busy I will be. Likely the latter. I will, of course, let you all know what I decide on the blog. The tuxedo'd Pup will let you know.
The one thing I will miss from the litigation position is all the ridiculous allegations in the complaints filed. There was one suit - Mom died and left her two sons a parcel of land, which she split downn the middle. There was a garage that was on the property line. Son 1 wanted to sell his property, son 2 didn't want to but son 1 needed the garage thing resolved. Son 2 took took a chainsaw and cut the damned thing in half, right along the property line. Then, to provide the piece de resistence, took out a jack hammer and chiseled out his portion of the foundation. You just can't make up crap like that. There are a few more that are of a sexual nature that I will share in another setting. The tux Pup is not R rated.
Go Cougars. BCS busters - I hope.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Long time no blog
Well, I guess I really didn't kow what I was getting into when I said I would blog. I realize my life is ordinary but maybe I didn't realize just how ordinary I feel my life really is. I come home each night and think, "Did I really do anything blog-worthy today?" That is digno de blog for all of you in spanish land. I live an ordinary life. I go to work. I work. Then I come home and work a little more. I ride my bike in the morning. I eat my regular cereal and test my blood sugar twice a day. I take my shot of insulin at night.
There you have it. My entire life in a paragraph.
Replay it every night - that is my life.
OK a few new things. I was in San Diego last week for three day(4 nights). It was lovely. I went to the beach Sunday evening when I arrived and it was nice. Not a lot of people out because it waas a little chilly. It was only chilly if you live in San Diego. For us Oregonians it was the best weather ever so I hung out for about an hour. Then I finally got out of my meetings on the last day and went to the beachh again. It was even better because it was earlier in the day and I got to hang out a few more minutes. Warm weather and surfers and everything. I wish I could afford to live in San Diego - best weather all year long but a bit pricey.
When I was down in SD I was chillin' with my new audit people. We started the day at 8AM and we diligently talked about auditing until about 5PM. Then the people they were training went home and we, the managers, stayed for what I thought would be a few more minutes to wrap up some details. It turns out there were many details to talk about. Not only did we talk about them. We repeated them until I wanted to puke and watch my own head explode. These guys like to talk about audits. Go figure - auditors wo want to talk about audits. Since I'm the new guy on the block I can't really say - "Hey, let's go do something else." So I sat there and tried to keep the glossy lookk out of my eyes until I could get in my own car and scream , at the top of my lungs, "What the F*^&^%$$ is going on." I waited until I was far enough away that no one would see my eyes bugging out of my head. It did get better the next few nights but that first night I wanted to staple my knee caps.
Faye and I got new callings at church. She and I get to go to the singles ward for the next 18 months and fellowship inactive young adults. This should be interesting. I get out of my calling as Scout Committee Chairman and Faye is released from her sentence in the nursery. It will be interestiing to be away from our regular (it eats lot of roughage) ward but we will give it a shot.
So there you have it. I blogged. Yo Bloge.
See you all soon. Or not. Whatever.
There you have it. My entire life in a paragraph.
Replay it every night - that is my life.
OK a few new things. I was in San Diego last week for three day(4 nights). It was lovely. I went to the beach Sunday evening when I arrived and it was nice. Not a lot of people out because it waas a little chilly. It was only chilly if you live in San Diego. For us Oregonians it was the best weather ever so I hung out for about an hour. Then I finally got out of my meetings on the last day and went to the beachh again. It was even better because it was earlier in the day and I got to hang out a few more minutes. Warm weather and surfers and everything. I wish I could afford to live in San Diego - best weather all year long but a bit pricey.
When I was down in SD I was chillin' with my new audit people. We started the day at 8AM and we diligently talked about auditing until about 5PM. Then the people they were training went home and we, the managers, stayed for what I thought would be a few more minutes to wrap up some details. It turns out there were many details to talk about. Not only did we talk about them. We repeated them until I wanted to puke and watch my own head explode. These guys like to talk about audits. Go figure - auditors wo want to talk about audits. Since I'm the new guy on the block I can't really say - "Hey, let's go do something else." So I sat there and tried to keep the glossy lookk out of my eyes until I could get in my own car and scream , at the top of my lungs, "What the F*^&^%$$ is going on." I waited until I was far enough away that no one would see my eyes bugging out of my head. It did get better the next few nights but that first night I wanted to staple my knee caps.
Faye and I got new callings at church. She and I get to go to the singles ward for the next 18 months and fellowship inactive young adults. This should be interesting. I get out of my calling as Scout Committee Chairman and Faye is released from her sentence in the nursery. It will be interestiing to be away from our regular (it eats lot of roughage) ward but we will give it a shot.
So there you have it. I blogged. Yo Bloge.
See you all soon. Or not. Whatever.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Life as an auditor
I officially got the job last week. It even comes with a raise. I am pricing fur sinks as we speak. I officially start the job on October 1 but I get to go to San Diego (Del Mar) for most of the week of 9/22 for training and stuff. I sure wish I could stay in Portland and work my old job rather than having to spend a week in San Diego. For those of you who just aren't that bright, that last sentence was to be read with extreme sarcasm. Now read it again - out loud. I'll wait.
Uh Huh. Now, wasn't that much better. I thought so.
I also just realized (last week really but who cares) that I still have all of my budget for my last job. So, next week we are all going to Cheesecake Factory and ordering like maniacs. My boss specifically said we could spend it any way we like. I like cheesecake and I am ordering a big one. Or maybe two. Perhaps a trip to Guitart Warehouse for dessert?
Matt is off to school. While waiting in line two new students were in line as well. One asked Matt where he was from. "Oregon" he responded.
"Where's that?" was her retort. Matt thought for a while not knowing how to respond to a question the answer to was so obvious. He thought it was fairly obvious where Oregon was. The other roommate quickly told the other that it was a largish state just north of California. So there was learning in Rexburg even before school started. Good thing we weren't from Michigan of one of those difficult states. In her defense she was from Louisiana.
Blog off.
Uh Huh. Now, wasn't that much better. I thought so.
I also just realized (last week really but who cares) that I still have all of my budget for my last job. So, next week we are all going to Cheesecake Factory and ordering like maniacs. My boss specifically said we could spend it any way we like. I like cheesecake and I am ordering a big one. Or maybe two. Perhaps a trip to Guitart Warehouse for dessert?
Matt is off to school. While waiting in line two new students were in line as well. One asked Matt where he was from. "Oregon" he responded.
"Where's that?" was her retort. Matt thought for a while not knowing how to respond to a question the answer to was so obvious. He thought it was fairly obvious where Oregon was. The other roommate quickly told the other that it was a largish state just north of California. So there was learning in Rexburg even before school started. Good thing we weren't from Michigan of one of those difficult states. In her defense she was from Louisiana.
Blog off.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Church as a High Priest
It was inevitable. I became to old to stay an Elder and was moved into the High Priest group. It was lovely to be ordained by my father. One of those special experiences in life.
Then I went and met with the high priests. We had a discussion. Well, actually it wasn;t much of a discussion as a bunch of crotchety old men waiting for thier turn to "tell it like it is" to the rest of us. The poor instructor gets out the initial thought and then I watched as 16 men raised their hands to tell it like it really was. It was both hilarious and sad. I used to enjoy the discussions we had in Elders Quorum. This is like scriptural ambush each Sunday. It is lots of fun.
Matt is off to Rexburg on Wednesday. Faye is flying up to SLC with him so I will be alone at home for 2 nights. So I will need to get a few boxes of Cap'n Crunch and I'll be good. My inner bachelor comes out and I am ready to eat sugary ceral and fart at will. In fact, that second thing happens regularly(rim shot) at our house. So think of Matt and I'll light a match.
Then I went and met with the high priests. We had a discussion. Well, actually it wasn;t much of a discussion as a bunch of crotchety old men waiting for thier turn to "tell it like it is" to the rest of us. The poor instructor gets out the initial thought and then I watched as 16 men raised their hands to tell it like it really was. It was both hilarious and sad. I used to enjoy the discussions we had in Elders Quorum. This is like scriptural ambush each Sunday. It is lots of fun.
Matt is off to Rexburg on Wednesday. Faye is flying up to SLC with him so I will be alone at home for 2 nights. So I will need to get a few boxes of Cap'n Crunch and I'll be good. My inner bachelor comes out and I am ready to eat sugary ceral and fart at will. In fact, that second thing happens regularly(rim shot) at our house. So think of Matt and I'll light a match.
Friday, August 29, 2008
OK already - I'll blog some more
Well, It turns out I may be an auditing manager after all. I went to the interview on Monday and came away thinking these guys must think I'm a complete botard given the responses they had to my interview questions. However, the grapevine (it is extensive here at Farmers) seems to indicate I am going to be offered the job in a matter of days, as soon as the paperwork is cleared. So I will still get to work in Portland or at home or wherever, but will have to do a little more travel around the country. So I will start gathering frequent flier miles and see if I can cash in on some free trips in the future.
Matt finally got a job his last week in town. That is the good news. The rest of the story is that he gets to clean a bakery from 5:30 PM to 2:00 AM each night until Saturday. At least it is work and he is a trooper for putting up with it and working hard each evening. He willl now go into the Fall and Winter terms with a little more spending money and we sleep easier each night (without any kids in our house) knowing he has a few extra dollars to spend to keep the thriving Rexberg economy vibrant.
College football season is starting Saturday and, if all goes well, BYU will soundly trounce Northern Iowa Technical College of Secretarial Skills and Fruit Stand by a combined score of 1,301 to 4. I presume they will got both safeties in the 4th quarter. If, perchance, they lose, my life will be over and I will start rooting for some otherwise lame-ass team like Oregon or Utah. This is my favorite time of year. I love watching the rankings and the rivalries and the gret matchups. I used to think it was a purer game than the pros but that is rapidly fading. I still like it a lot. I like the fact that there are 117 division 1A schools and there are a zillion games each week.
So there - I blogged.
I will try to be more consistent in the future. This is kind of likemy journal. I start one and write consistently for a week. Then there is a two week gap and I wrote twice more. Then a year and one more entry. Then it sits in a box in the garage(car hole) with the other failed attempts to keep a valid journal. oh well.
Matt finally got a job his last week in town. That is the good news. The rest of the story is that he gets to clean a bakery from 5:30 PM to 2:00 AM each night until Saturday. At least it is work and he is a trooper for putting up with it and working hard each evening. He willl now go into the Fall and Winter terms with a little more spending money and we sleep easier each night (without any kids in our house) knowing he has a few extra dollars to spend to keep the thriving Rexberg economy vibrant.
College football season is starting Saturday and, if all goes well, BYU will soundly trounce Northern Iowa Technical College of Secretarial Skills and Fruit Stand by a combined score of 1,301 to 4. I presume they will got both safeties in the 4th quarter. If, perchance, they lose, my life will be over and I will start rooting for some otherwise lame-ass team like Oregon or Utah. This is my favorite time of year. I love watching the rankings and the rivalries and the gret matchups. I used to think it was a purer game than the pros but that is rapidly fading. I still like it a lot. I like the fact that there are 117 division 1A schools and there are a zillion games each week.
So there - I blogged.
I will try to be more consistent in the future. This is kind of likemy journal. I start one and write consistently for a week. Then there is a two week gap and I wrote twice more. Then a year and one more entry. Then it sits in a box in the garage(car hole) with the other failed attempts to keep a valid journal. oh well.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
My Kingdon for a temp job
Hello there. Long time no blog, eh?
I am frustrated. I have a child. He is a very large child and he eats a lot and still sleeps in my house. I would like him to work until he goes to college. He would like to work until he goes to college. No one out there in the real wage-paying world would like to hire him for the next few weeks to work and get money. He is frustrated. I am frustrated. Don't even get me started about how his mother is frustrated.
I mention the fact that he is essentially a hobo to everyone who will listen. I usually get then backed into some type of corner so they can't escape and I keep on talking about it. Well, I cornered Jim Muir ( in a corner) at a wedding reception (pasta/salad/mints/chocolate fountain) and he actually is going to have Matt do some sort ot beastly labor at his home for a few days. At least that is what he said. He actually called again this evening and said it again. So if he doesn't follow up I will be forced to say "Pants on fire" to him. I will keep you posted. I have a blog.
I have a garden at my house. I planted it. It is a very smll garden. It is actually two gardens since I have two very small parcels of dirt in my back yard that receive sunlight. The rest is hidden under the dense overgrowth of lodgepole pines in my yard. So I have tomatos, squash and pumkin plants in my two little plots. Lots of leaves and flowers on the squash and pumkins but no fruit/vegetables yet. I had one very small pumkin that was the size of an underachieving cherry tomato but it gave up and fell off the vine. "Oh little pumkin, don't leave your mother" I said to no avail. Stupid little pumkin. I will keep you updated on the veg froont as well.
I am a high priest. How did that happen? So anyway, I was in HP group this week for the very first time. In the Elders Quorum the lesson is a numbing experience with a teacher talking and very little interaction. The HP group is very different in our ward. With each topic, multiple hands shoot up to comment on the issue at hand. And each of them tells you what the real answer is. Topic - The Lord communicates with the church through his Prophets. Discussion - You know what the real issue is - Faith and fast offerings! I just sat back and wondered what I got myself into. It was clear these old guys had long ago been taught these concepts and they weren't about to be told that the Lord communicates to his prophets. They were going to take over the lesson at any cost. It should be fun. They should sell tickets.
Must run.
No diggety.
I am frustrated. I have a child. He is a very large child and he eats a lot and still sleeps in my house. I would like him to work until he goes to college. He would like to work until he goes to college. No one out there in the real wage-paying world would like to hire him for the next few weeks to work and get money. He is frustrated. I am frustrated. Don't even get me started about how his mother is frustrated.
I mention the fact that he is essentially a hobo to everyone who will listen. I usually get then backed into some type of corner so they can't escape and I keep on talking about it. Well, I cornered Jim Muir ( in a corner) at a wedding reception (pasta/salad/mints/chocolate fountain) and he actually is going to have Matt do some sort ot beastly labor at his home for a few days. At least that is what he said. He actually called again this evening and said it again. So if he doesn't follow up I will be forced to say "Pants on fire" to him. I will keep you posted. I have a blog.
I have a garden at my house. I planted it. It is a very smll garden. It is actually two gardens since I have two very small parcels of dirt in my back yard that receive sunlight. The rest is hidden under the dense overgrowth of lodgepole pines in my yard. So I have tomatos, squash and pumkin plants in my two little plots. Lots of leaves and flowers on the squash and pumkins but no fruit/vegetables yet. I had one very small pumkin that was the size of an underachieving cherry tomato but it gave up and fell off the vine. "Oh little pumkin, don't leave your mother" I said to no avail. Stupid little pumkin. I will keep you updated on the veg froont as well.
I am a high priest. How did that happen? So anyway, I was in HP group this week for the very first time. In the Elders Quorum the lesson is a numbing experience with a teacher talking and very little interaction. The HP group is very different in our ward. With each topic, multiple hands shoot up to comment on the issue at hand. And each of them tells you what the real answer is. Topic - The Lord communicates with the church through his Prophets. Discussion - You know what the real issue is - Faith and fast offerings! I just sat back and wondered what I got myself into. It was clear these old guys had long ago been taught these concepts and they weren't about to be told that the Lord communicates to his prophets. They were going to take over the lesson at any cost. It should be fun. They should sell tickets.
Must run.
No diggety.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
New Loan - bad bank
We completed the refinance of the house today. Lovely people and a good rate and all the things you expect from financial people. It was very quick as well. Just the week before vacation and we closed today. I hear it is a good thing but I'm never quite sure.
One small glitch - I needed to get a specific amount of money so I could buyu into the cabin. When we closed the specific amount I needed was a little short. In fact I was $127 short. It's like - Hey, I need $20,000 and you are giving me $19, 873. Is it just me or did you fall short of my expectations here pal. I know it is a little thing but, what the hell, I needed $20,000 and I am a bit short. Oh, well.
Now the bank. Diane wrote is a check for $150 and our bank only coded it as $50 and send us a snarky letter saying, in essence, "How dare you" and you need to come in and rectify this. So Faye went in and confirmed and convinced them that it was indeed $150. This is when the bank, US Bank for those of you keeping score at home, failed big time. Even though it was their fault they essentially said, deal with it - get your daughter to send another check for $100 and it will all be fine. Now, Faye had not had the best day ever. In fact, it was bordering on a relatively crappy day and this was one of the camel straw things and she was not taking any shit from this penciil-neck at the bank. So she told him she wanted something for her time. SHe wanted $5 for her time and trouble. I wish I was there to watch. She eventually shamed him into giving her $5 for ehr time and trouble. I an pondering whether or not I am going to pull a Colonel Orme and march in there and make this guy cry. I think it is time to change banks - any ideas out there?
So there. I have blogged again.
Work is fun. I have been recommended to become an auditor. How exciting it will be to be shunned at all company events. It moight not be that bad. I still have to interview for it so nothing is set.
Must go and watch the Olympics and see if Michael Phelps can get hsi 18th gold medal.
One small glitch - I needed to get a specific amount of money so I could buyu into the cabin. When we closed the specific amount I needed was a little short. In fact I was $127 short. It's like - Hey, I need $20,000 and you are giving me $19, 873. Is it just me or did you fall short of my expectations here pal. I know it is a little thing but, what the hell, I needed $20,000 and I am a bit short. Oh, well.
Now the bank. Diane wrote is a check for $150 and our bank only coded it as $50 and send us a snarky letter saying, in essence, "How dare you" and you need to come in and rectify this. So Faye went in and confirmed and convinced them that it was indeed $150. This is when the bank, US Bank for those of you keeping score at home, failed big time. Even though it was their fault they essentially said, deal with it - get your daughter to send another check for $100 and it will all be fine. Now, Faye had not had the best day ever. In fact, it was bordering on a relatively crappy day and this was one of the camel straw things and she was not taking any shit from this penciil-neck at the bank. So she told him she wanted something for her time. SHe wanted $5 for her time and trouble. I wish I was there to watch. She eventually shamed him into giving her $5 for ehr time and trouble. I an pondering whether or not I am going to pull a Colonel Orme and march in there and make this guy cry. I think it is time to change banks - any ideas out there?
So there. I have blogged again.
Work is fun. I have been recommended to become an auditor. How exciting it will be to be shunned at all company events. It moight not be that bad. I still have to interview for it so nothing is set.
Must go and watch the Olympics and see if Michael Phelps can get hsi 18th gold medal.
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