Month: September 2008

History to repeat itself?

It’s always been said about me that I can irmprove a workplace by leaving it.

Several years ago I worked at a small start-up called “Blue Lobster Software”. I’d accepted a salary about $15K less than I should have, along with stock options, thinking I was going to make it big on the stock options like so many people were doing at that time. After a year and a half or so, they got bought by SAGA Software, a former division of “Software AG”, a German company (SAGA originally was an acryonym for Sofware AG America). “Finally”, I thought, “it’s going to pay off”. Well, the first disappointment was that the stock options ended up only being worth about $2K. The second disappointment was that the new owners immediately made us sign new contracts with them, at exactly the same salary as we’d been making before (but no stock options this time). I said “that’s bullshit”, and immediately left, getting a job at Global Crossing within a few weeks.

As soon as I left, SAGA sent out a memo to all the remaining employees saying that the initial contract we’d signed was just to tide us over until they could review salaries, and within a week or two they’d given everybody who stayed big raises. Nice of them to tell them that *after* I’d jumped ship, eh? A couple of the developers thanked me for pushing them to give the raises sooner rather than later.

So flash forward to the present, where there are 4 or 5 of us on contract here at Kodak who’ve been getting jerked around over getting permanent offers, and getting our contracts renewed month to month at the last possible minute. And I’m about to jump ship, coincidentally to Global Crossing again. Who wants to bet that before my notice period is up, they find a way to make permanent offers to the other people who are in this boat?

Is this a first?

I bet there aren’t very many other people out there who have turned in a resignation letter at their job the day they went to pick up a new car. Well, I’ve just done the resignation letter, and I pick up the car in a few hours.

Update I forgot to mention: as well as the offer from Global Crossing, I have another offer from Paychex. The Paychex one surprised me, because I’d only had a phone interview with them and I’m not used to getting a real offer without having a chance to meet people face to face, look around the facilities, etc. Because I was expecting it to lead to a face to face interview instead of an offer, I didn’t ask enough detailed questions about unimportant things like “where are you located?” and “what will I be doing?”

I’ll never understand the thought processes of stupid people

I got an email to the mailman administrator account from somebody claiming that the previous owner of his email address must have been a pilot, and he wants to be unsubscribed from the mailing lists because “they clog up my mailbox”. I run a bunch of lists for pilots, but none of them average more than one message a month, so I wasn’t initially inclined to be kind to him.
Continue reading “I’ll never understand the thought processes of stupid people”

A long one

In a probably futile attempt to get ready for the Long Lake kayak race, today I decided to duck out of work early and do a longer paddle. I wanted something not as fraught with power boats and wakes as Irondequoit Bay, and not as shallow and draggy as Irondequoit Creek. And the solution I came up with was the Genesee River.

I started at the Genesee Waterways Center, which is a boat house for rowing crews as well as a boat launch, and headed upstream. I don’t know why, but I started pooping out really early, but by alternating paddling and resting and paddling again, I managed to do 6 miles in 1:27. In spite of the fact that I was going upstream and into the wind, it actually took me 44 minutes to go up, and 43 minutes to come back. On the way up, first a single rower passed me by and continued upstream, but on the way back the river was full of 8s, coxed 4s, dual sculls, and motor boats with coaches. It’s too bad I was so bagged, I would have liked to hold my own in the level of effort if not the speed with all those boats.

Committed

As in, “I should be”, I think.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of participating in the Long Lake Long Boat Regatta kayak race. It’s a 10 miler (Dan says it’s closer to 9 miles, but I’m not sure I believe him). I was doubtful about doing such a long race, but he said that if I tried 3 times a week between now and then, I could do it. I was torn between trying it this year, or waiting for a year and giving myself time to get used to such a long distance. And there was a Hugger’s Ski Club clambake that same day – Vicki and I were doing that sort of “well, if you want to do A, I don’t mind skipping B” dance, and again I was thinking the clambake would be a good excuse to miss the race this year.

But at the same time, Vicki and I have talked about taking a couple of weekends away at a nice hotel or B&B. And then I discovered that the start line for the regatta is on the beach in front of the “turn of the century” Adirondak Hotel. Suddenly it seemed like things were swinging the way of doing the race – Vicki and I can have a nice weekend away at a nice hotel, and I can have my race, and Sunday Vicki and I can go for a nice leisurely paddle together. And they have a vacancy with the room with the queen sized bed and the private bathroom. SOLD! I just hope they have a hot tub to recover.

I wonder if Frank will let me borrow the Looksha?