The Rain Will Kill Us All

Opposite of Dog cuts executive pay, freezes hiring, offers buyouts

When I first read this I was disappointed because I'm not going to get a raise in 2009 no matter how well I perform. I'm also not going to get about 8% of my bonus pay in 2010.

Then I was afraid I was going to lose my job at some point. I've got five years now with the company so the cuts would have to go pretty deep to get to me.

I'm going to DEFCON 1 though as far as internet usage and general productivity levels. I don't want any reason to be gotten rid of.

Then I found some opportunity in this. They are going to buy people out if they want. Tomorrow I plan on polishing the old resume and sending it to every large engineering company in Wisconsin. I only have until Jan 12. The odds are I won't even get an calls, but wouldn't it be tits if I got like $32K to leave Opposite of Dog and a new job in Wisconsin? It's a long shot, but why not try?

The Only Thing I Ever Really Loved was Hate.

Looks like all the dudes working overtime at the office are the ones who aren't getting laid.

Furthermore, a study at the University of Gottingen in Germany found that people who do it less often tend to take on more work to compensate for their frustration. And the increased labor results in—you guessed it—even less sex.

I like any excuse to rip on those idiots who are working excessive unpaid overtime.

Is being forced to take vacation on a certain day Fascism?

On February the Second I'll be going to the Peoria Civic Center to see a little band by the name of Slipknot. I'm expecting a sweet show. If it's not better than a Marilyn Manson or Rob Zombie show I'll be highly disappointed. Any spectacle with a guy in a clown mask beating a beer keg with a baseball bat is worth my time.

Here's a little tune of theirs.

I Keep it All Up Here So I Can't be Replaced

As the economy continues it's downward spiral into oblivion, Opposite of Dog is taking measures to continue making money. Kind of freaks me out. Back when I got hired it was kind of on the upswing of the 9-11 economic downturn, and I there were some times when we cut back on travel and hiring, but now they are doing things that concern me, getting rid of contract scum (and I say that lovingly), reducing or eliminating raises for promotions or developmental moves, checking cell phone records to make sure you're using it at an appropriate level. I'm guessing internet usage is next, that's why I'm posting this on a Sunday morning. I've made a concentrated effort to reduce my at work internet time.

I've also decided to block the Opposite of Dog IP addresses from this blog. I'm using toolator.com, and I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but it worked blocking my home IP so it should block the Opposite of Dog IP.

Some people are having less work to do, or are getting shuffled to other programs as certain programs get their budgets taken away or reduced. Luckily I work on a product that is high volume and high profile. It's one of those linchpins to future success. I've got tests planned out for me through 2009.

On a non-end-of-days note, I scored my first B-League goal (maybe that's not true, I can't remember if I scored at all during summer league?) during our second win of the season. It felt pretty good. I always feel like I'm being judged and evaluated while playing even though this is a fucking rec league.

The Hardest Working Man in Engineering

My wife was cleaning out a cabinet and found my daily planner from my last semester in college. I was paging through my daily life from exactly five years ago in awe of all the shit I did compared to now.

I don’t really like having to go to the store at night after work now.

Back then I was a full time student, had two part-time jobs (High School Tutor and Hospital Janitor on second shift), was interviewing for a real jobby-job, was designing my tattoo machine for the university invention competition, getting ready to graduate, getting tattooed, going to concerts, and was married.

Here was my interview travel schedule.

11-5-03: Drive to Beloit, WI
11-6-03: Interview with Fairbanks Morse. Drive back to Madison at 4:00
11-13-03: Drive to Milwaukee, WI
11-14-03: Interview with Harley Davidson. Drive back to Madison at 3:00
11-18-03: Drive to Milwaukee, WI Interview with Bucyrus Erie. Stay in Milwaukee
11-19-03: Interview with Modine Manufacturing. Drive back to Madison at 4:00
11-30-03: Fly to Akron, OH
12-1-03: Interview with Goodyear. Fly to Madison at 6:50
12-2-03: Drive to Peoria, IL
12-3-03: Interview with Caterpillar. Drive back to Madison at 5:00 pm
12-4-03: Fly to Seattle, WA
12-5-03: Interview with Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
12-7-03: Fly back to Madison

In a month I traveled over 5000 miles, had 4 flights including connections, took 4 road trips, and was in ten different cities (including connections). All this fit into a school and work schedule.

I took any second interview. It was a way to make extra money. The mileage and meal allowances were a third job. I had interviewing down to a science.

I got offers from Harley, Modine, Goodyear, Caterpillar, and Puget Sound. I paid my bills. I got AB’s and B’s and graduated. I got fourth place in the invention competition.

How the fuck did I do all that?

I’m the Warm Little Center that the Life of the World Crowded Around.

We won our first hockey game of the year last night. We were playing the “best” team in the league. They had something like 2 goals against in their first four games. Their team was composed of a bunch of ex-Bradley players and other A-league players who got split up since there weren’t enough players for an A-league. We also only had two lines. We didn’t really have that high of hopes coming into the game.

We ended up beating them 6-5. It was pretty nice. They all had salty looks on their faces as we shook their hands after. I had two sort of chances I would have liked to have gotten goals. I was standing in front of the net, and one of our guys shot the puck. The goalie was on the far right side of the net. The puck came squirting out the left side. I had a wide open net, and position on the defensemen. The defensemen grabbed my stick and held it so I couldn’t take a shot. I could have kicked the damn puck in there was so much time from when it came out and the goalie actually realized where it was. I did draw the penalty.

The second, I was in front of the net, and I had a sweet tip from a shot from our defensemen from the point. It was about hip high and rising and I knocked it down. It bounced on the ice perfectly and ended up going between the goalies legs, but he dropped on it fast enough to cover.

After the first period I stepped on something and it jacked up my right outside edge. It made it so I couldn’t power turn to the right. I was playing left wing which made it incredibly hard to play the rest of the game. I couldn’t turn back the correct way when I had to transition from offense to defense. It really took away from almost all the other parts of my game. I was too preoccupied with thinking about compensating for that bad edge to effectively stick handle, shoot, or pass. I just tried not to fuck up too badly and cost us a bad goal.

I’ve got this nasty claustrophobic feeling at work now. I need to wear headphones more to just pretend there aren’t way too many people around me.