Putting Aside Petty BS for the final chapter

My friend Dr. Yeagley is going through some serious challenges in the final chapter. At this point I chose to place aside our differences and reach out to a friend in the final chapter. I am still faithful to my concept of the big table of equals Americanism. This is and remains the concept of the America I love and serve faithfully.

In the real world friends disagree about all manner of things. In truth some of the views of friends are at time repugnant. The fact that those on the far left who have ranted about racism, are exponents of a criminal faith that is quite proficient in sowing death and mindless hate when expedient.

In offering my prayers for a friend, I don't change my views. My prayers are for a good friend who is facing great adversity that we all must face sooner or later. My brushes with death were brief and could be overcome with strong legs, luck and presence. Yet even in those fleeting encounters my life was changed. After a second brush with death, I decided public service would be my calling. Making numbers on a series of never ending ledgers was not enough.

All of us need to find grace in our last days.

Returned Home

In my effort to make as special a Christmas for my daughter, I did not anticipate the creation of wonderful memories of my own. Being there when my daughter unwraps a gift and the family enjoys the holiday were memorable for me as well. From the smallest detail of the Maltese dogs following me everywhere to the
amusement that the adult kids adopted some of my odd habits it was a memorable holiday.

I was rather amused that my adult son uses what I call man soap. The product has a pleasant smell and keeps bad odors at bay in a manly way.

The holidays were memorable, but I am so tired and sore.

Away from Home

I will not be at my office for a while. I have been selected for a serious job that requires my logistics training at work. Given my choice, I would rather be at my desk serving the public and doing. However, this job takes precedence and I was selected for it.

I am guessing this is a two month assignment and it will involve plenty of overtime. I generally don't work overtime but this work is a very special situation. I also will need help from some of my fiends while I am away. I am down around eight cases and some of my friends will have to help until I return.

Management, wants me to do more teaching then doing in the next year. I have amply demonstrated that I can produce at will. My job is now to spend more time helping others increase production and to solve a festering problem.

I will be spending Christmas with my Guyanese family. Of course my daughter and granddaughter will be there. My nephew Drumaster  will be visiting. Of course there two Maltese will be there and the very strange mix that looks like a Havanese will be there. We are having BBQ leg of lamb, with rack of lamb and spinach pie.

The kids will be doing crafts. I will be tossing  lamb bones to the dogs who will be in heaven. As much as my Maltese love me as soon as they see a lamb bone look out. Little Rex is known to jump on the table look me in the eye and grab a bone off my plate if I don't produce them fast enough.  When I sleep he gnaws at those bones at my feet. He follows me around stopping to chew that bone as soon as I rest. He still like a turkey drumstick or chicken neck, but lamb bones are the best.

I will be sleeping over and away from home for a while.

Merry Christmas and at least the frummies will not visit my Guyanese family.  

Who cares????

I do not watch Duck dynasty or plan to do so in the future. The comments were odious, but our First Amendment covers odious views. Gays should be upset with hypocrites who hold up this section of scripture and ignore all others. If we threw rocks at adulterers and people who masturbate we would run out of rocks quickly.

That being said Gays do a great job just being themselves and need to stop caring what low IQ types think. I doubt one persons views were changed by this drivel and if anything drawing attention to these stupid ramblings is pointless.

All of us need to just be ourselves and live comfortably in our own shoes. When I get my pile of rocks it will be for Commies who just don't get the concept of private property and are prone to treason.

The Tapestry of Irony

Life is very odd with its unexpected twists and turns. Those of you who have read this grasp I have survived a real nasty case of workplace bullying. Most people do not make it through as they move on or get fired . In my case I documented everything and prevailed over the psycho boss.

Those of you who read this also know my prior vocational training was in logistics. My degree is in the numbers side of business management. I will be spending more time teaching and mentoring new officers and helping experienced ones work smart not hard.

Oddly, I have been assigned as a consultant in the area where my former abuser works. I did advise top management that this is not a good idea. There is no doubt I can perform the task. However, it is tough to do so when the person you are advising has a blood vendetta against you. Top management assured me that this  has been considered. My own supervisor will be there covering my back and we are on the same page. There is a possibility this person will quit or seek a transfer rather than work with me. Of course learning from one's errors and completing the task at hand would be optimal. Serial Bullies tend to repeat their patterns and lack the human insight to grasp their errors.

Essentially, she has ruined my career. It is true that I could be promoted to a higher position, but I have lost invaluable time. Then again, I serve best as the oldest prisoner in the cell block. I teach the newbies how to get by and the old timers how to thrive. As a manager I would not be able to do this and those meetings are dreadful.

2013

This was the year my career turned around. Oddly, the innovation and techniques to survive the work place bullying paid dividends. My choice was meet impossible goals of production and quality or die. Rather then die, I developed techniques and systems to meet impossible goals.

Eventually, the bully found herself in a staff position away from line workers. The new boss found the time saving techniques important to achieving unit goals. Some of my custom applications found their way into other offices. I mentored brand new employees and got them on track quickly. I had been doing the mentoring for years. Now it was appreciated. Ideas we assumed all people were doing were not being used.

I will be doing more mentoring. Oddly, smarter long term employees who have been there for years took the opportunity to learn.2014 looks to be a better year.

The shoes of the Beakerkin

Drumaster is doing very well in his new assignment and has earned a five figure raise. He got interviewed as a quirk. Isn't that Beakerkin's nephew, and hit the ball out of the park ever since. If things continue at their current pace people will say isn't that Drummasters Uncle.

More fun doing then coaching

With the change in management has come a new focus. I prefer to hit heavy and go about producing in anonymity. My numbers are very good and I have fused ideas from unlikely places into my routine. I was a logistics man and familiar with sweatshops in my previous employment. I altered my work routines to include some logistics concepts, used technology creatively and am naturally decisive. Adopting the techniques doesn't ensure everyone is a star, but it does produce productivity gains.

I will be spending more time mentoring and working on projects. I still will do officer work, but the focus will be more on helping others to boost their output. Teaching is fun, but just the same I would rather do.

Christmas with Beakerkin

I will be with my family for Christmas. Lets do this slowly for those not familiar. A Jewish guy is cooking a
Christmas meal for his Guyanese Hindu family with Maltese dogs. Now if we added a Muslim this improbable ethnic joke would be complete. I remind those who think they know me that above all other things I am a father and grandfather.

We will have a special guest Drummaster. As my family is way out in deep Queens it will be the first time he has met this familiy. To date my parents have met my daughter a few times although, she calls my mother every week or so. Oddly, my mother insisted that my daughter be given a ballet tutu which the kid wore to death pretending she was a princess. I have never heard of West Indians being into ballet and when the daughter wants to go my niece will substitute for me.

Dispelling the myths about workplace bullying

Over the last few days, I have been floored over the ignorance of some people in my daily life.

1) "If someone bullied me at work. I would confront them and chew them out."

Reality: Unless you are Mr. Beamish, this tactic will get you fired and possibly jailed. The bully wants you to over react and frequently plans to get you when you do. Jobs are scarce and throwing away your career is not an option.

2) " I would form my own clique and show them"

Reality: You have become a pariah and people run from you. They may talk to you in private, but that is it. Your reputation has been smeared and people are now treating you like a disease.

3) "I would get witnesses".

Reality: People correctly fear for their career and won't risk their necks for you. If your abuser is high up the management chain they will bully you and join the crowd and look to promote themselves over the corpse of your career.

4) " I would go up the chain".

Reality: Even when the abuse is well documented, management is aware of the abuse and at least tacitly approves of this abuse. The sole exception is if someone high up knows you personally. In many cases the abuse is from a supervisor and you talk to their boss and get yelled at for violating the chain of command.

5) I would go to human resources or the companies mental health professionals.

Reality " Human Resources almost always side with management and will not even look at doccumentation. They are not called support staff for nothing". The mental health professionals can not be trusted to protect your confidence and will not risk jeopardizing their account for you.

6) I would go to the Union

Reality: The Unions can save your job if they wish. They also negotiate with management and at times are buddy buddy and make deals. If it suits them fine, but don't count on much. They are just as apt to turn on you as a noisy wheel and blame you for being bullied.

What you can do

1) Document everything. Send emails to yourself so that times and dates are not disputed.
2) Seek professional help
3) Try as best as possible to spend time with your family and on hobbies.
4) Remember, it is a war and you will lose most of the battles. It is frustrating but your goal is to be alive
at the end of the war.
5) Afterwards, be open about what happened. Do not forgive instigators and forgive followers as much as possible.

The Peasants and the Land Remain

There were many changes at work. It is tough seeing so many close friends I worked with move to another area. There will be new friends and a few old foes returning. I have remained in my office with a really great manager. Like the proverbial peasant and the land I remain in the area called the slums.

I always liked the slums and never wanted to leave it even when offered a window. It is an area away from most and i found peace there. For me it was a place to pass the years and serve the public. It is a short walk to the waiting room, fridge and copier. The vegan was there for a spell. A wonderful coworker I mentored who later became a beloved boss was there. A promising new rookie, I mentored, passed through likely on her way to bigger things. A new cast will be joining me soon including a person I went to training with and another who I had a good relationship with years back.

The landscape changes yet, I remain in the slums. Oddly, I have been in the same office longer than anyone else in my area. In the end the land and the peasants remain and the years pass.

I even joke about the peasants remaining while the world changes. We don't see Fonzie still at the garage riding the motorcycle while Richie has grown up with kids in 1970. Yet I am still in the same spot with artwork on the wall listening to surf music and preparing for another hectic day. Over years the lawyers appreciate my style and work ethic. Most don't forget their immigration officer and every now and then I get a thank you from people I have long forgotten about.

Part of me wonders if it would be a good thing to have moved with some of my old friends. Then again my office has become larger than me. The joke is the Yankees play in Yankee Stadium, The Giants play in the Meadowlands and still Playing at the Oasis in the Slums is Beakerkin. I remain in the Oasis a midst the art
and movie photos still cracking jokes. I will mentor a new cast and tell new jokes as time goes by.

I remember when an obnoxious type started up with me. I pointed out " I will be in that office long after you are gone and forgotten. This has turned out to be truer then I ever would have grasped.

New Assignment

My rehabilitation is complete. My reputation in the agency was quite bad for many years. I experienced a classic case of work place bullying. Special rules and procedures were invented for one employee only. It did not matter that the lawyers r with my work told top management that I was a superior officer.

I took the bad experiences and dedicated it to mentoring the new officers. I served as a mentor and friend to many. One of those I mentored became my boss and she rehabilitated my reputation. There are those who would be jealous that a person I mentored became my boss. In my case my career was over and I was glad she earned the promotion the right way through superior effort, integrity, and ability. I would have selected her over myself.

Over time I have got a reputation as an easy employee to manage. More enlightened management understood,  that I am a gamer. There are those people you can count on to produce and win it when the game is on the line. They know I never miss an assignment and am meticulous with preparation. I often can pick up workers who have fallen behind while knocking back my own work.

The more elite supervisors understand my nuances. They grasp I am frequently ahead of schedule. The one I mentored somehow knew how far ahead better than I did. I would say 20 minutes and she knew an hour. It is likely because she also knows I can pick it up when I need to.

My health hasn't been the best, but I never miss an assignment. When the game is on I still answer the bell and deliver. On days there are no interviews I rest a bit. I reminded some very new officers not to worry about my style. If one is prepared, experienced and above all competent then a touch of levity is to be expected. One of the things I stress is I help others when they ask, but I don't get involved in their business and I expect the same.

Having a good reputation is a huge advantage. When I explain that the job will take a touch longer to deal with because it has been reassigned the attorneys understand and don't rush me. I try to finish everything on the first day and keep everything on schedule whenever possible.

My current boss asked me what team I would like to be on. I specified that I prefer my current leader, but I have an excellent relationship with the new team leader. I got my wish and I was told that I would be going to yet another supervisor and I would be happy with my assignment.

In the old days my reputation was so bad that nobody wanted to manage me. Now I am considered a highly desired team member and several supervisors asked for me. In reality I owe my new found reputation to that new employee I mentored. I wish she stuck around to climb the chain, but like me her heart was in it for the right reasons. She wanted to work in a different branch of the service and she followed her dream.

I don't think I would be happy being kicked upstairs or to the more important areas. I am just happy in my own corner with the ordinary serving the public.


 

Quiet but effective

The family in Queens is very poor. Usually, when I cook I over-shop and the extras end up being used even if they are unlikely to be planned menu items. The items help out and believe me food does run short there.
I had to make an emergency visit as the daughter's cell phone had to be paid. God forbid her mother could pay the bill. I was way deep in Chinatown almost by the East River getting my CDS refinished. It is cheaper and more convenient to take the scratches out then buy new ones. The Chinatown buses have dirt cheap fares. I think Washington DC to Chinatown is 20 dollars but I still prefer Amtrak.

I run out with my daughter to charge her cell phone . I tell her on the way back we will stop in for shakes Chocolate, Vanilla Strawberry or Banana. The two year old granddaughter  yells out she wants a banana shake. I said I 'will get you strawberry. The kid says no banana. I get a large Vanilla shake and a small banana shake and the kid actually likes the stuff. My daughter in law just shook her head and said it really wasn't bad. The granddaughter eats odd things that frequently appear when I visit like spinach rolls or oddly kasha. I had a batch from the deli and the kid has learned to eat the stuff. I explain it is adult food, but it does not appear to register. Spinach pie is likely innocuous anyway.

True Christians

The efforts of the neighbors of AOW to build a ramp and decorate the yard are what the holidays are about. True Christians have been helping the neighbors long before the power mad progressives turned to a cult of theft. Give me a community of Christians over a community of progressives any day of the week.

Took Sluggo to my Diner

I happened to be across the street from the diner when Drummaster's sister visited. I decided to go for my special hot chocolate that is not on the menu. I showed her the cast of the diner and the famous lines that the regulars and staff use when I enter. The waiter does not have a Greek letter yet and is still a work in progress. However, he suggested animal fries which had the niece curious. Animal fries are french fries topped with meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. It is an ingredient in the monkey burger.

I have to pick up the CDs at Essex street. It is a very long walk from my office. It is somewhat easier with the M15 bus. CDs are expensive and if they can be salvaged with a treatment it is good. One of the CDs is Jay Black. and I have not heard that one in six months. I like his version of Walking in the Rain. I have other versions of it as well. I also preordered a Fabulous Wailers CD from Japan. Sadly, Gail Harris seems to appear only on the live album on two tracks.

Just Missed the Duck On the Gathering Storm

I was on the line waiting to Duck hunt when an attorney arrived for a conference. I am able to listen to the show and work at the same time. In that case, I was required to get a file from the courts and prepare the case for completion. I had two of them yesterday. The other one also required a trip to a different section.
Oddly, I had the file made interview ready when I shipped it out. I did not expect to see it again.

The Duck is complaining about government snooping. This is from a person who has defended countries with block associations and press control.

So called Progressives are professional liars. Our new Communist Mayor was largely elected on promising to stop Stop and Frisk. The business community and wealthy citizens express genuine concern over his Mickey Marxist baboon ideas and he appoints a Guliani police commissioner who pioneered the idea and expanded its use in LA. In LA I was one of the people stopped for questioning. NYC police are clever enough that they don't stay at crowded intersections looking for people who made it across a busy street when the light was yellow. In this stupid exchange lets see some ID. Oh officer X what are you doing in town
don't enter the street when its blinking even if you  can make it to the other side. In my case I planned to stop at a traffic island. This is normal behavior and having police do this outside of a Federal Office is stupid.

Stopping federal employees on their lunch break going to get a shwarma sandwich is not smart. To those in LA our street vendors in NYC actually sell better food than many of your restaurants. The place in NYC across the street seels better shwarma then the resturant across the street, Non NYC types thought this was exotic fare but in NYC almost everything is available anywhere.

I went with Drummaster to visit a new record store in Williamsburg. Rough Cut is a great experience, but I think the restaurants are a better reason to visit the area than  the stores. I stopped in for world class food at the Rosarita Fish Shack. It was the best food I have had in years. Actually the food and service were the best that I have experienced in a long time.

In fairness, I find one or two places I like and stay there. In Staten Island I pretty much live at the Greek Diner. There used to be a Chinese place that I used to visit. However, when the owner sold the new owner did not build a relationship. In fact the waiter did point out that I was a frequent customer. A smarter owner understands building ties to customers. The food was not as good and had the owner made a minimal effort i might have stayed. It was just easier to relocate full time to the Greek Diner where the food is always very good and the service is outstanding. The regulars tend to sit at the counter busting jokes. The families sit at the booth. When non regulars are at the counter then we tone the jokes down. Usually, the jokes are about the employees or the regulars.

Buying my tree tonight

Despite the fact that I am not Christian, I purchase my daughters Christmas tree every year. It is the odd spectacle of a Jewish father buying a Christmas Tree for his Hindu daughter. Last year the tree was too big.

Damned Coworker

One of my coworkers got me to try and whistle the notes from the three Graces Billy Boy. I can not hit those notes as much as I try. I am somewhat better at matching the claps at Hand Clapping Time by Gino and Johnny Greek. Now having a two year old grand kid imitate the Doo Wop noises was priceless