Post SBD

The whole layoff thing has been super depressing, and I'm trying to make sense of it -- to find a narrative that works for me. I don't understand the layoff methodology. I don't understand getting rid of all of the managers in some departments, including the managers of the forklift operators, when forklift operating is what a forklift company does. It's in the company's name, for crying out loud. 

We're doing handoffs with people who were affected, including an archivist who is of the "making things globally better in the company" persuasion. Her projects are heady, important and involve people across departments. I am not motivated to continue her work, because the desire for making things better by means of large projects that I might also leave mid-stream just doesn't seem like the right thing to do. That said, I will need to continue to participate in handoff discussions in order to honor the departing.

I gave up on my own larger projects a long time ago. And in the months before the layoff I realized that even if I stayed at the forklift company for another two decades I would not get the opportunity to take care of some stuff that I think needs to be done. 

Case in point: there is a database that I've been looking at since 1999, when I was a contractor. It was a combination of data from several different databases pulled under one hood. I would love to do data cleanup, because there are project titles that nobody will know about without the brain of a longterm employee. I bring assets back by knowing what the records mean, but when I'm gone some of that access will be gone with me.

Someone once told me that I shouldn't care more than the company does. I never agreed with that, because I can't do my job if I'm not aiming higher and thinking about all of the ways that the things I collect will be used. On one hand maybe I was wrong all of those years, but on the other I helped make something remarkable. I'm going to concentrate on the latter, and try to tidy up before I leave.

Oh one more thing. This whole situation makes retirement so much more desirable. 

Musical Knives

Years ago when we were in Aukland, our friends took us to a restaurant called Musical Knives, run by a guy who had been Madonna's tour chef. I always wondered about the name.

Today I was served a spammy FB post about musical knives. Who knew? I did an image search, hoping to post the original here, and found really interesting information at V&A (love their cataloging!!) and you can listen to some of the music on the knives here.

2019 In Review

Mrs Guy is behind already, but she's been busy. Here's a review of 2019:

Great Stuff

• I got the baby in the King Cake at Mardi Gras
• Our lime tree started producing like crazy
• We had the kickoff meeting for my book
• I had some truly cozy times with the mama
• mrguy and I discovered that we really like Maui (more on that later)
• My sumo friend and I watched at least one match of every basho together this year, while drinking sake and eating snacks.
• My favorite Christmas Cactus bloomed
• I did a presentation at a fan fest
• I got to spend much quality time working in the archives with the founder of the forklift company
• I acquired a taxidermed armadillo that's wearing a cowboy hat and gun holsters
• Rode a mechanical rainbow unicorn and lasted 5 seconds

Bad Health

• A cousin, a workmate and an ex-workmate are all dealing with super nasty cancers
• We lost our sweet boy, Nose. On the other hand we had him for 23 amazing years
• I have reflux and it is super painful
• mrguy has a nickel allergy, of all things, and the diet is bad for him but clears up his skin eruptions

Good Health

• Ears does not have cancer
• Eyes has been given a (relatively) clean bill of health by her cardiologist, in large part due to the tender ministrations of mrguy
• I got invisalign. Is that good health or just maintenance?

Current Obsessions

• Are we related to our family or not?
• Grafting. Ask me about grafting citrus and camellias
• Sewing. I have only gotten as far as mending things, but that is a start

New Faves

• Rust Valley Restorers
• Repair Shop
• The new Mexican restaurant nearby
• My Tahitian uke
• Discovering that even on Maui we can have fun doing genealogy

Things To Look Forward To

• Germany in September
• Maui in October
• Next generation family gathering which hopefully will be a) going on without me or b) will have a different format entirely

We Finished / Are Going To Finish

• Suits (and mrguy just bought a box set of dvds)
• The Good Place

Best White Elephant Gift

• Dvds of Iz and Ferris Bueller, a VHS of H.R. Pufnstuf and an ipu

 Best Christmas Stocking Stuffer of the Season

•  Foldable mini cat-eye magnifying lorgnettes

 Poopy Stuff

• Irish Citizenship Office rejected my application and keeps saying they'll refund my money and they don't.
• All that health stuff above

A440

I'm an archivist, but at times I'm also a facilities gal, too.

This is a pile of earplugs necessitated by the guys who are tiling around the front door of our space.

The only way to get out of the building and to the taco truck for lunch is through the back stairwell and through the bowels of the first floor (think of a more well-painted version of that early scene from Spinal Tap).

Meanwhile, our building engineer has the HVAC guys doing our regular service while he replaces lightbulbs in the suite.

The front door, propped open for the tile guys, is sounding an alarm whose pitch I identified as A440.

Annoying.