Grateful?

I've been doing my job for eight years, and work orders for fifteen. Kept the customer happy, pulling off miracle after miracle despite putting up with negative circumstances. Never invited to congratulatory banquets, golf tournaments, or retirement dinners for people I've worked alongside for 28 years (I was given a golf ball). I get to go to Chattanooga to answer questions while everyone else is on vacation for Thanksgiving - while all my regular work piles up. 

I can do without the banquets and the golf. It would be nice to not be taken for granted (and maybe get a raise every decade or so). Next I'm wanted in Charleston the week after I get back from Chattanooga. No matter what I say people don’t listen or understand. If I’m not at my desk working to resolve the next week’s potential problems there’s gonna be trouble. I can’t do that when I’m hundreds of miles away. The Ogre understood. So did my old boss Steve Apollo. 

Now that I've my little pity party - not even mentioning all our troubles at home - there's this: my family isn't the only ones sailing rough seas.

RH needs a new roof. Their driveway is settling, which is effecting the foundation of their house. They have one son in college and another who just got his driver’s license and a used BMW. Think of their auto insurance bill. And they just had us over for dinner.

LE’s son had another wreck. This after buying a second used car after the first was a lemon. Plus two kids in college. SW’s co-worker has cancer. My brother is out of work. One co-worker has to manage the affairs of an elderly relative in Florida. Another co-worker has to take dialysis every night. He’s on the list for a kidney transplant. His health is not good. And all I do is sit around not exercising.

Speaking of Steve Apollo, he had been very sick. He is retired and living down in Melbourne Beach Florida, surfing every day. Cancer had run in his family, and he came down with a cancer that attacked his immune system that put him in intensive care. He couldn’t receive visitors, which sucked because he’s such a people person. Finally he got well enough to go home.

A manager at work is having to pitch in with the clerical duties. It takes most of the morning for him to do one part and most of the afternoon to do the rest. That’s in addition to his regular 11 hour a day job. Other co-workers have it bad, being on the road plus more work than they can handle. At least I get paid overtime. Others co-workers also keep getting responsibilities heaped on their already overflowing plates. I rarely hear complaining, yet I complain all the time.

Climbing down the ladder: I used to be a manager with people reporting to me. Not any more. Down the road I could see me getting busted down to being a plant supervisor. Oh to be the beat writer for the Braves or Hawks or Falcons or Tech or Georgia. But those jobs require long hours and travel.  

At least I’m not one of those poor people in Paris.

Going to Chattanooga Monday morning. This morning I was checking on line to see where various restaurants are located near the plant and hotel. Where to stop on the way up and on the way back. Disappointed to learn the Dalton Fuddruckers has closed. Monday and Tuesday night I’ll probably have to eat out at a nice restaurant with several co-workers. Want to come?

Wednesday: The storm was passing over the office right at 6 pm when I was going to leave work. I wound up staying until 6:20. Traffic was so bad I stopped for gas to make sure I wouldn’t run out. Drove through Dunwoody to get home and made good time, though I was driving extra slow because of the rain and dark. Was turning right and waited to make sure a car with its left turn signal on actually made the left. It didn’t. Had I pulled out it would’ve creamed me.

Ceil cooked spaghetti and spinach. Watched Jeopardy and The Middle. For the second straight night I drove to Alpharetta to pick up Matthew. Tuesday was his Bible Study. Last night his school choir had sung downtown. Came home and watched Blackish and Seinfeld. We’re having a cleaning person come. I may have to take a vacation day to clear out all the junk so she can clean. Last night I discovered another hole cut in the wall – in the downstairs bedroom closet. The closets are empty and everything is out in the room. We have a bunch of Will’s stuff with nowhere to put it. Not sure how much he wants to keep. I doubt he’ll take everything to Oklahoma, so we’ll hang on to it until May.

After the Andrelton trade fans are madder than ever. You’d think they’d figure out the team is rebuilding like the Royals and Cubs and Astros did – playoff teams all. But most fans don’t read the articles. That would require effort. Much easier to complain on social media. The Cubs rebuilt, made the playoffs, and this week won manager of the year, rookie of the year, and the Cy Young Award. The Braves were never going to win the World Series with Uggla, BJ, Justin, Chris Johnson – even Andrelton and Gattis are one-dimensional.