it's been a while ...

since I've posted anything.

Took a short trip to Florida to meet my sister & discuss the health situation of our parents ... we accomplished a few things, but there's still more to do for them. It's tough to see your parents get so frail ... even our Dad is showing his 89 years. And there's much to do around their house & they really don't see it ... we washed windows, planted flowers, trimmed bushes ... but ran out of time.

Florida is not my cup of tea ... too flat, too hot ... and it's like rows and rows of masoleums, no one around during the day, and very few in the morning & evening either.

But it's the weekend again ... and Mother's Day as well! We'll have fun!!

looking ahead ...

Well ... the union meeting was last night, and it was the typical dysfunctional gathering. The initial presentation was pretty good (regarding civil service rules about a reduction in workforce). But then the floor was opened for questions and comments ... and it's apparent that those in charge (at the union) aren't really interested in hearing views/opinions that differ from their own. And then you could feel the discord between those employees who've been working for the state for quite a while and the 'newer' crowd.
What did we learn? Not a whole heck of a lot! But if there are any layoffs, it's going to be quite a while before anything comes to pass ... like in November or December. And then there may be choices to be made rather than accepting a layoff. Who knows? We'll just have to wait and see.

I am fighting a head cold ... the past two nights have been really rough, with my head plugged up despite the use of nasal spray. I'm taking amoxicillin now and that seems to be helping out.

Signed my evaluation this morning ... MT told me that I'm off probation now. Definitely good news!!

Saturday is supposed to be our first canoe jaunt of the season ... and it's supposed to be warm & sunny! Warm as in 80 degree temps! wow. It'll feel good to get out like that and enjoy the water.

it's freezing in here!

Okay ... much of the winter it was very cold in the office because the heat was never up very high ... and now the air conditioning is on, blowing cold air everywhere. And it's rainy, cloudy, and chilly outside. Amazing.
And to top that off I'm not feeling all that well ... went to bed last night feeling like I was coming down with a cold, and sure enough, that's what I have now ... stuffy nose, slight headache, general run-down feeling. At least it's supposed to get warm and sunny by the weekend so I'll be able to bake whatever bug is in me!
Tomorrow is our union dinner ... this should be interesting. The union president answered my email ... but his response seems to indicate that he only read part of the letter, or pretty much ignored the other things I said. But what else could I expect? Apparently the union doesn't take criticism very well.

I wrote a letter ...

to the union last night ... sent it right to the top guy, Mr. Ken. I'm sorry, these guys aren't representing the bulk of their members, only themselves and a handful of long term employees who could care less about anyone but themselves. And for a union that's supposed to be representing professional people, the attitude and tone of the union honchos is unbelievably low brow. It's ridiculous. And now we have a union dinner meeting next week, in the cafeteria no less, so we can voice our opinion, and the union can review the civil service layoff process. Apparently they've already resigned themselves to a layoff rather than a negotiated compromise with the governor. Great. Just great.
Anyhow, on a brighter note, it's going to be moving day on Saturday for S & C, into their new home. We should be able to get the grand tour on Friday night after their closing. Awesome.
The weather has been great this week, very springlike indeed. We've been able to walk at the canal every day so far ... so that's a good 2 1/2 miles a night at a brisk pace ('cause of the dogs). Tonight we ran into a large snapping turtle that was crossing the trail ... the dogs went ballistic of course! We think "she" had been laying eggs and was returning to the deeper portion of the old canal.
That's it for tonight!!

is the ax about to fall?

Everyone received a letter in their email today from our good governor ... basically stating that he had no choice but to order layoffs across the state. The two agencies with the biggest hits? OMH and OMRDD. This whole thing is a big tug of war between the unions and the governor ... and it's not very pretty.

So by the looks of things I'll be out of a job come July.

And no prospects in sight. No one is hiring anyone, anywhere. Especially someone my age. Or with my education and job experiences.

This is definitely going to freak J out something awful.

Ah, but life goes on.

another weekend passes by & another budget meeting

Fast weekend, almost like it never happened! Saturday was shopping here and there for stuff, and then Capital Steps at Proctors in the evening. Very funny, a good time for all! Sunday was a hike up Buck Mtn at Lake George under sunny skies. In fact I overdressed for the hike up the mtn, didn't really need long underwear ... I'd dressed warmly because it was still cloudy and misty when I left home but the skies were clearing when I arrived at the trailhead. Windy at the top though, and chilly. The views were great, like they always are. Seemed like a tough slog up the mountain, took lots of quick breaks along the way.
Back to work this morning ... budget meeting first thing ... agency budget is in good shape but nothing definitive about layoffs. One thing for certain, no layoffs this summer because the layoff process is very involved, and it will take much longer to sort things out. We shall see!

Friday, Spring, and Capital Q

A nice sunny day ... so off we went for lunch at the Capital Q. The BBQ was great, as it typically is. There was a different guy behind the counter, and he was much more efficient than the last guy we had a couple weeks ago. We ate outside on the picnic table, very nice indeed!

I asked directly about layoffs ... and I was told that there would be NO layoffs at Central Office, and not to worry. Most feel that it's a political move by the governor to try and back the unions into some concessions, but who knows? Everything about the NYS budget is so secretive, all done beyond closed doors and then suddenly there will be this budget before the legislature.

Wii Fit ... I have to admit that it's addictive. I've skipped it on some weekends and I've actually felt guilty about doing that! Usually I've skipped it because we've been doing something else during the day as a substitute. And that tune from the step program, it just sticks in your head.

Facebook. I've been able to connect with several people from high school days, and that's kinda wild. And wow, have some people changed. Some people I don't really know, although they seem to know who I am ... I was in a pretty small circle of friends in high school, and some of these folks were the "popular" ones, ones who wouldn't have given me the time of day back then. Again, go figure. And there are a few who seem to be pretty computer challenged, and that surprises me. Next year will actually be the 40th anniversary of high school graduation, and that seems so far away, so long ago, and not all that memorable either.

Tomorrow we might go hiking. Maybe up near Lake George. I think there will still be snow on some of the trails, especially on the shaded, northern sides of the mountains. We shall see. Sunday is supposedly a rainy day, so maybe it's movie time again.

The volcano is still erupting in Alaska ... this time ash is falling on the Kenai instead of being blown further north and west.

that's it for today!