Category Archives: work

Apr26

no work?

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meeting of some sort

with a group of people

who i don’t know

outside of my classroom window

engineers, landscapers, randoms, arborists, cement people, pokemon go players?

here to meet about ?

the lawn, the building, weather, cafeteria menu, fantasy football, favorite colors?

ideas?

 

—

“we are going to continue having these meetings, every day, until i find out why no work is getting done.”

*richard moran

*Richard A. Moran is a San Francisco based speaker, investor, venture capitalist, author and president emeritus of Menlo College. He is known for his series of business books beginning with, Never Confuse a Memo with Reality that established the genre of “Business Bullet Books.”

Dec19

no sleep ’til christmas.

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this tired penguin duo is not unlike the first two people i met out in the world today

—

stopped by the store at 9am

for a simple return

 on my way to the rest of my day

the only other human i saw

 was a slow-moving young employee

who began our encounter

by telling me he was sorry

for accidentally spraying a lot of cologne on himself

when mistaking the top of a bottle for the bottom

 shared that he was really tired

 worked until 11pm, closed the store at 12am

came in early at 6am, opened the store at 7am

 in between

he drove home, ate, calmed down,

 tried to get a few hours of sleep in

(no time for a shower, maybe explains his ill-fated cologne mishap)

we talked about how busy it would be as the day continued

when another employee arrived

  who began her conversation with him by saying:

“don’t even talk to me, i’m going on break.”

his not unexpected response:

“but, you just got here.”

she quickly shot back a:

“i told you to not even talk to me”

when i left i thanked him for working

knowing they both

still had a very long day ahead.

—

“i finally got 8 hours, of sleep. it took me 4 days, but whatever.”

-author unknown

Jul3

belt.

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while at the airport waiting for a flight to arrive

 the voice of a cheerful tsa agent came on the intercom:

” attention, attention, all in the terminal!

if you are walking around

with your pants falling down around your knees

come back and see us at the tsa checkpoint,

we have your belt right where you left it!

—

 i figured this guy

 working a double shift this weekend

 dealing with a lot of unhappy, delayed, and cancelled customers

has a boss who’s putting out fires

or off for the log off the long holiday

 just wants to have fun and make the best of things

bravo.

—

“my belt holds my pants up, but the belt loops hold my belt up.

i don’t really know what’s happening down there.

who is the real hero?”

-mitch hedberg

May9

workspace.

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sign above the desk:

“hello customers, welcome to the garage. i am your 4th floor guardian m-f after 4pm.”

–

we happened upon this happy workspace in a most unlikely place

with a comfy swivel chair occupied after 4pm

a christmas card that says ‘joy’

a boom box

a tiny desk

a plastic plant that dances

an air freshener

a snow globe

a piece of hanging art

and a welcoming sign

what a wonderful workspace

everything someone would need

what a special person

who welcomes you

watches over you

 keeps you happy and safe

on the 4th floor

a safe haven in the world.

 

—

“i’ve got a theory; if you love your workspace, you’ll love your work a little more.”

-cynthia rowley

 

 

 

Feb8

qwerty.

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not me, but someone from back in the day 
who is frustrated by the illogical order of the keyboard.

have you ever wondered why the letters on the keyboard are organized the way they are? while it seems like the letters were randomly strewn across the keys, this method of organizing the keyboard was developed as way to slow down typists. back in 1872, typewriter users were typing too fast and causing the typewriters to jam. so, the QWERTY method actually kept the machines from breaking down and is still used today.

 

—

“wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast. ”    

-william shakespeare

 

 

—

source: mental floss, noam

 

Feb3

the pitch.

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brilliant pitch on our local townie site:

FREE SNOW SHOVELING CLASS: This Thursday Feb 3rd, I will be holding a FREE snow shoveling class at my place. Come and join the class and learn about the proper ways to shovel!

Reviewed techniques will include the scoop and throw method, the down and push method (AKA the plow technique) as well as the upside down scraping technique. 

Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to enhance your snow lifting techniques without throwing your back out! I will provide the driveway to ensure your training is conducted in the most life-like situation. I only ask that you bring your own shovel. 

PM me for additional details and times. Spots are limited and handled on a first come first served basis. Hurry, don’t delay!

as always, i loved the responses and they did not disappoint:

Is this for credit or just a certificate program???

Is this one of those Huckleberry Finn/ Tom Sawyer type classes where you have us shovel for you??

Now That’s What I Call marketing baby! Makes me want to get a shovel and throw on the parka and Boots!


Yes my place as well for the master class!

After can we repaint the fence?

You stole my idea!!!!
Now, why didn’t I think of that!!  

Best AAT snow post EVER! 

—

“i like work, it fascinates me; i can sit and look at it for hours.”

-jerome k. jerome

 

 

 

—

credits: ann arbor townies

Jan22

quit.

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the ever-sweet, caring, overworked, underpaid, and passionate manager
of the local dollar store
left this sign as he headed out
for one last time.
(below is what i wrote about him in a post a couple of years back)

when one local dollar tree store closed

my favorite enthusiastic manager

moved to the new location

and judging by my recent visit

he has not lost one bit

of his dollar store fervor and expertise.

this was a conversation between bob (the manager) and evelyn (my cashier) as i was checking out:

E: “bob, you’re really good at remembering all of the balloon numbers to ring up and knowing each one of them without looking.”

B: “well, i’ve been doing it a long time. once in a while a number will change or a new shape will come in, like a unicorn, but it’s part of my job to keep up with it.”

E: “when i worked at the grocery store, i knew all the prices for the cucumbers, the peppers and tomatoes. the easy ones”

B: “some are trickier, like avocados, and for some of those things you only see sometimes it’s harder to remember the all the plu’s.”

E: “it’s really a skill, bob. to be able to do that.”

customer john interrupts:

J: “hey bob – so this is where you’ve got up to – how are you liking the change?”

B: “hey, john. good to see you. it’s great. every day is great. i’m so lucky to be here.”

and how lucky is dollar tree to have bob as a manager?

a man who truly loves his job

takes pride in all of it

is always smiling and helpful

knows exactly where every item in the store is located

and who happily learns the number for the new unicorn balloon.

“so tired you want to quit, then you get more tired, and forget to quit.”
― charles bukowski,