Pure Gonzo Engineering

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Lawryde gets excited about life, death, and work.

A lone gunman killed 33 people at Virginia Tech. So it goes.

“Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.”

After Vonnegut died, I read Slaughterhouse Five over the weekend. I’d read Man Without a Country, and enjoyed his writing style, but I’m just generally not much of a reader unless I really like the author, like Hunter S. Thompson or Chuck Palahniuk.

In Slaughterhouse Five, time is presented in the tenseless way. I’ve talked about this before, but it basically means that all time and events are already laid out like a mountain range. You’re always living all moments of your life from birth to death. We only think there is a past, present, and future because of the human condition. Einstein believed time was this way.

The more I think about it, the better that makes me feel about life and death. Not having Free Will doesn’t bother me. I’m far more comforted to think that I’ll be repeatedly living my life forever, not being able to change anything. You just focus on the good parts and try to understand them, and try to understand the universe.

Anyway, I’ll be switching positions within Opposite of Dog on July 1. I get to go out to the testing facility, which is basically a big sandbox with heavy equipment in it. I’ll be doing hydraulics testing, which should be both challenging and interesting. I’m excited. I need to go buy a bunch of jeans, polo shirts, and those long sleeve shirts that wick sweat away to hide my ink in the 95° Illinois summers. I’d like to hope that eventually I’d be able to go short sleeved in that kind of environment (not an office), but I’m not holding my breath.

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7 Comments:

  • You know, I have been reading your blog since like day one, when you chapped me for owning a BMW and being a Republican or something. Anyhow, since that time I have noticed a few things about you. I say this light heartedly, blog friend to blog friend... think of it as your conscience talking back at you but, you go out and get all these great tattoos and it seems to make you happy. A sense of achievement if you will. In a way, you are doing what you want with your hard earned dough and can create something special, almost artistic at the same time. Not many of us have the balls to do that. You know, create and then say here it is. Then on the flip side, you go Clark Kent and hide it from the world. I don't know exactly what you do at the "Tonka factory" but I'd like think it takes a creative person to be an engineer. The company you work for should know that. You should for the most part, have become pretty intangible to the company. And I bet they all know what you got under those sleeves. So why not let the cat out of the bag? They know engineers are creative people already... they'll probably dismiss it as some quirk and you'll just be Mr. L, the guy with the tats. Right now, they probably know that about you already and they probably refer to you secretly as the guy with the tats. Why not just come out? You can't get fired for it because you can always pull the "I pray to the tattoo God of Ink" or something. Companies, especially conservative midwestern companies need diversity and difference in their ranks or they'll never progress. (Yeah a Conservative Republican just said that) So what's the big deal. You'll need short sleeves in that 95 degree weather with all that humidity. Don't kill yourself over it?
    /soapbox

    By Blogger Steve, at 7:34 PM, April 17, 2007  

  • This isn't California Steve. You were shocked when you came to the Midwest and saw how different it was.

    If I was working on one of the coasts for some company I would consider it. Yes engineers are creative, but engineers at Opposite of Dog are told to be create within the parameters they tell us to be.

    This is an atavistic, Orwellian place where certain people in high ranking levels don't like change, and don't like people who are different. I'm not willing to jeopardize my financial future just yet. When I'm the boss, then I'll be like hey guess what I have a bunch of tattoos. How do you like me now?

    There are a large number of people who know I've got all kinds of ink, but there the cool people which make up about 10% of this company.

    I've also looked around to see if anyone has ever gotten away with the "I pray to the God of Ink", and they haven't. The bottom line is they are a private company and they can dictate what they want their employees outward appearance looks like as long as it doesn't discriminate against age, sex, race, or religion, and bein' tattooed aint a religion.

    By Blogger lawryde, at 8:34 PM, April 17, 2007  

  • What is the worst case scenario that could happen if you rolled up your sleeves?

    I guess I'm asking what the official company policy is. Sucks that they get to regulate you like that.

    For my bullshit summer job (manning the info booth at a tourist attraction downtown), I'm not allowed to have any visible tattoos or piercings (minus ears) -- but they're ALSO making me take off all my rings and bracelets, which I feel naked without.

    So while it's not at all the same situation, I can *kind of* empathize.

    By Blogger Sig., at 9:53 PM, April 17, 2007  

  • I'm all for sticking it to the man, but Lawryde's right on the policy there. This is a company that required that it's employees where only white shirts accompanied by dark colored pants and a tie until the early 90's!! Peoria is pretty conservative to begin with, but OoD is as conservative as it gets. Perhaps it would be different if Lawryde hadn't already caught shit for his free thinking attitude, but his folder has a big red (or maybe black) flag on it that says trouble maker. I always believe in pushing boundries, but not in this case.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 10:05 PM, April 17, 2007  

  • I agree with Sig. What are the bylaws of your company? Your company is like my company (though I never have indicated what I do to you), you have got to have some type of code of conduct documentation that you had to sign when you were employed or got promoted. I'll bet there is nothing in that code regarding tattoos.

    As far as financial reasons not to rock the boat though, yeah I guess you would not want to until you had the ultimate security. But I take from what you have said here on your blog that you are not in front of your company's customers making sales pitches. However, what goes on back at the drafting table has to be great, or you wouldn't be there. A marketer has an idea or you have the idea, your hands are just one stop in the process. Maybe it would be different out of the midwest. I don't know. There are cleaner and neater areas than the midwest. Stay out of Utah!!!

    By Blogger Steve, at 10:13 PM, April 17, 2007  

  • Tattoos fall under the dress code, which varies from business unit to business unit. It's not a company standard. Where I am right now, it says no visible tattoos that are either offensive (my right arm with the naked women), or excessive (both of my arms). Where I am going, I don't think they have such rule since it is more of a shop/mechanic type environment.

    We also have a diversity policy which polices the entire company that says you're supposed to love everyone no matter what, but I don't buy that for a second. I know how Ultra Conservative some people are, and those are the ones I worry about. Especially the ones that determine how much my raise is every year, and what my career path is going to be.

    By Blogger lawryde, at 6:56 AM, April 18, 2007  

  • Isn't it sad that diversity is only a theory, even when it's official company policy?

    Welcome to corporate America, I guess.

    By Blogger Sig., at 9:46 PM, April 23, 2007  

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