Nyrial

I’m waiting for Enovia to quit being stupid in class today. As usual, I’m held up by technology that is supposed to make our lives easier. Keep in mind too, this is a classroom environment, where everything is supposed to be sterile, and work properly, but no, it has to be stupid.

I should be working on my final drawing for my perspective class, but I’m out of ideas and the whole thing is boring me. If I could afford to take the D I would, but Boeing wants a C, so I have to do it, just so I don’t have to pay them for the class. I don’t know why I thought pursuing concurrent bachelors degrees would be a good idea, it puts a lot on my plate. More than I should be eating Yes, I shouldn’t be eating this crap! I say that a lot lately. It’s been hard to put the stress eating on the back burner recently. Next term I don’t have any classes that will require me to do much critical thinking though. I am also planning on taking the summer off from my engineering tech classes. I need the break, it’s been too way much. I may take the summer off from the graphic classes as well, but that’s still up in the air, it’s all online.

I’m tired of being broke from only working 40 hours a week too. We get by, but my checking account is starting to cry, they should have left me in my old group where I was busy and productive, at least I was accomplishing something instead of staring at my computer attempting (unsuccessfully) to look busy, when all I was doing was playing on facebook or doing homework. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, as I was able to successfully complete my chemistry class without having to hurl myself off of a cliff, but I still wish I didn’t feel like I perpetually on the chopping block at work because my group doesn’t have a clear statement of work yet.

I wish I just cared. I don’t anymore.

Those of you familiar with my employment situation know that I work for a very large aerospace company based in the Puget Sound area. Last year was a contract year for both major unions. There are the “good ol boys” also known as the machinists union, and “The Wimps,” which would be the nerds.

Coming from a state which unions drove a stake into, crucified, and then threw in a hole full of tar and feathers, I was, needless to say, VERY unhappy with the fact that I would be forced into union membership. For reference, I am a member of The Wimps.

Last year, the good ol boys decided that the company offer wasn’t good enough, and struck for 57 days during the 4th quarter.  They finally came back, with no REAL progress in the new contract, and happily accepted a 5000 dollar, or 10% of their yearly salary (whichever was greater) bonus.  They ratified their new contract the day that our negotiations were to begin. Typically, I was told, we build on what they give the good ol boys, and get a bit more.

Apparently, this is not true.

Not only did we NOT get a signing bonus (their excuse, well, you guys participate in the EIP (more on that later (embedded parentheses)), our raises over the next few years are significantly lower than the good ol boys,. Basically, as my lead put it, we bent over and took it like good little engineers.

So last Wednesday, we post a 54 million dollar loss for the 4th quarter. BIG surprise, right? Since we didn’t work on or deliver any airplanes for 57 days. And now, the good ol boys union has the gall to say that it has absolutely nothing to do with the strike. Incidentally, Wednesday we find out that our EIP (employee incentive plan), which is tied to profits, has been cut to 6 days, rather than the 10 they got last year, because we lost money in the 4th quarter.But this has nothing to do with the strike! REALLY! Because you know, if we had delivered oh, one or two more planes, we would have made that money back.

So, thanks a lot you greedy machinists bastards for taking your fat bonuses and screwing me out of mine. I hope it was one of you militant bastards whose truck I dented in the parking lot the other day. By the way, there was NO dent in mine.

If I had a picture of me flipping the bird, it would be… here.

I’m not supposed to be doing this right now.

I don’t care.

I’m so tired of meaningless spreadsheets, and of doing things that other people are supposed to be doing, that I’m going to go apeshit on the next person that asks me what’s going on with Release Action A, or Change Order B.  If you people would just let me finish something before expecting me to start something else, I bet I could get a lot more accomplished.

 Although I’m quite sure that hanging around posting blogs isn’t helping my productivity much.

Its been almost two weeks since I had surgery and I have to admit, I’m feeling a lot better. My stomach still looks like a warzone, its all covered in bruises. My incisions are healing nicely, and I almost feel like eating something. Almost. It’s hard to remember to drink the fluids I’m supposed to be drinking, not only do I not feel like it, I just.. forget. I did find a rather nice way to stomach some protein powder though. I made sugar free cheesecake pudding, and I thin it out with milk so it’s drinkable, and I add unflavored protein powder to it. It tastes kind of like cake batter, which is way better than a protein shake. It’s so good, I feel naughty drinking it, like it’s bad for me or something. Sugar free Popsicles have also been my friend.

After I was discharged from the hospital last Wednesday, I had a couple relatively uneventful (albeit painful) days at home. I was just able to finally get myself out of bed two days ago, you wouldn’t believe how much your body depends on your abdominal muscles for basic movement until you can’t use them.  Up until two days ago my stomach was so swollen that I couldn’t even get my stretch pants on. Keep in mind I don’t typically wear these, unless I’m 8 months pregnant, or in this case, retaining so much water, I could pass for a beached whale. I am not making this up.

My mom and Dan have been complete saints about helping me and waiting on me hand and foot, and I want to thank them both publicly from my heart. (I miss you mommy!)

Back on track though. After last Wednesday things started slowly getting better. At the mall on Saturday however, I began some scary bleeding, and ended up back in the hospital for an overnight stay. I started in Everett, then got my first ambulance ride ever to Renton. Unfortunately I didn’t get the lights and sirens, but I did have a rather good looking paramedic driving the ambulance. I have yet to figure out why he was wearing shades at midnight. (Sorry Rina, he was WAAAY too young for you!) On Sunday when my bloodwork came back stable, I got kicked out of the hospital and sent home.

I’ve worked remotely all week, I attempted to go back to work on Wednesday, but when I took my medical parking pass request in to Boeing medical, they had a complete hissy fit about me being there and sent me home! I was like WTF! Its not like assembling the airplane myself! So because my job is so strenuous, I spent the week working in bed, with my feet on pillows, taking a nap time instead of a lunch time, feel free to hate me! I’m looking forward to going back on Monday though and waving my work release paper in their face though. Bastards.

Thats what we have here. I missed three days of work last week and burned all of my sick time because my sitter claims her son was ill for 2 days, and highly contagious. Then on Thursday night she called me and said she was flying to South Carolina because her mom was taken to the ER and was having surgery on Friday. That’s the last I’ve heard from her. So its been almost a week, and if I don’t hear from her tomorrow, we are searching for a new sitter. I can understand if her mom passed and she’s been under a lot of stress and grief, but you would think that she could at least let me know whats going on. I’m even willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she left my number here, so she can’t call me from South Carolina. But I really need someone to watch my kids. Majorly uncool, because we really liked her.

Work has been stressful at best, boring at worst. Either there is nothing to do or everything to do. Today I got an answer from the tech guy about a question I sent in on Monday. It read

“The reason A has B attached is because when they revised A, they left B on it”

No shit. I could so do your job.