Colleague Misses Me Already

A co-worker / client, also known as my birthday buddy, said the funniest thing at lunch today.  He said he would miss me the most if I left and is not quite sure what he would do if I were to go elsewhere.

This came out of the blue, and seemingly for no reason at all.  Sort of.  My boss is leaving and he will him and said as much.  He also said he would miss me more.

I was shocked and could only think to stammer, "Thank you."

It makes me a little sad that this would upset him so much, knowing that it would likely, deeply trouble this person.

At the same time, it is good to hear that at least one person cares that much.

To Teach or Not to Teach

That is the question ...

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them”

- William Shakespeare

I am continually confronted by my own thoughts, "I was happy teaching.   I enjoyed doing what I was doing.  I was proud of what I was doing.  I had no drama.  I was motivated to go to work every day.  I looked forward to going to work every day, even when expecting the worst day, or after the worst day.  When I was asked, "what do you do," I typically responded enthusiastically, "I am a teacher!"

Let's review where I am.

Am I happy doing what I do now?

It is a job.  There is a level of solitude and associated indifference.  I am a cog in a machine.

Do I enjoy doing what I am doing?

It passes the time and pays the bills.  It is not rewarding. I am a cog in a machine.

Am I proud of what I do?  

There is a level of personal pride in accomplishment, but no longer with my role in the organization, society, or what I am contributing to the bigger picture.  It is not something where I proudly state my role.   I am a cog in a machine.

Is there drama?  

There was not, until two new people from a former sweat shop (Cerner) joined the organization.  Now we have drama.  Now we have politics.  Now we have gaslighting.  Now we have finger-pointing.  Now we have blame.  Now we have people minimizing the efforts of others to make their own efforts look more appealing.

Am I motivated to go to work every day?  

Only because I feel personally responsible.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to wake up every day.  This is a sure sign, for me, that this is no longer a fit.

Do I look forward to going to work every day?  

Yes, in that I can complete tasks and enjoy the company of some of those that I work with.  No, in that I do not enjoy the recent drama, politics, etc.  I also do not enjoy communicating and teaching those that refuse to learn for themselves, or generating analysis that mostly only serves to find fault with others.   Expecting the worst day, I would rather sleep in.  After the worst day, I would rather sleep forever.

When asked, "what do you do," now I respond that I am simply a bean counter and nothing more.

Some of the decision comes down to money and retirement.  Teacher compensation is awful.  However, my current compensation is not a whole lot better.  It does afford a higher level of existence. Or does it?  Is it really worth trading personal happiness for a few tens of thousands of dollars?

Add to all of this, I noted this morning that they again posted a role that I had hoped to take on, which was nearly promised to me in the beginning.  It has become increasingly apparent that I am not needed or wanted in such a role.  It is the same as ever.  Stay where you are and do what you do.  That is sufficient to their needs.  It is not sufficient to my own.

Talent Card Results

Documentation for a career opportunity sent me down a path to complete an assessment that was only supposed to take about 20 minutes, and ended up taking about 45.  It really was no matter though, as it is a fantastic chance to return to the GIS world.

I usually abhor these things, as they are not particularly accurate in their evaluation or the results they produce.  This turned out to be one of the few times that something like this was on point.

Offered by Talent+

New or Used or New Used Car Shopping

It is all that annoying and confusing at the same time.  New or used?  Used certified is relatively good as new.

Currently exploring, in no particular order, each have their own cost benefits (and fans), new or within the last couple of years.  Subarus give up gas mileage to get to the same equipment level of the Compass.  Subs are AWD, while the Jeep is 4WD.  All are automatic.

Subaru Crosstrek

Subaru Outback

Jeep Compass Trailhawk 

Storms from West Kansas

Another addition to the 500px collection shows off storms rolling in across the west Kansas prairie around harvest time.

Rabbitbrush Excerpt

One of the latest additions to the collection over on 500px, Rabbitbrush Swirl.  Testing out a different sort of macro lens on a typical shot.

Google Finance Fail

Google Finance has joined the ranks of other applications they have produced, which used to work perfectly fine and now are a completely useless mess.

Checking up on the value of some stocks lately, I noticed that some were losing as much as 60%.

I almost fell out of my chair.

It seems that Google no longer makes adjustments for things like stock splits.

That was the case in this instance, at least.

Shares of SCHD originally purchased on 1/24/2023 @ 76.30 were showing a share price of $29 today.

SCHD had split 3 for 1 back on 10/10/2024.

In the past, Google Finance made the necessary adjustments for calculations to appear accurately.

Some update of theirs in this past year has ruined all that.

This used to work just fine, like many of their other applications.

It has joined the ranks of worthless now.

Every time they make an "improvement," they invariably damage core functionality.

Arkansas Intermission

A super short weekend in Arkansas found them ready for the Christmas season.  The Stone County courthouse lawn stood fully decked out in an array of lights all around on the one and only night out and about.

The journey south was fraught with delays.  Multiple accidents in multiple locations necessitated multiple detours.  Some were more equipped to handle these scenarios, but they were not the type of situation I wanted to be involved with, given recent circumstances.  Add to that, steady rain south of Harrison, and the anticipated 7-hour trip took 9 hours.

Rain persisted throughout much of the following day.  Forecasters insisted it would stop by around 1:00 PM.  It did not and just about the time I hit the trail, it picked up again.  According to others, the downpour proved significant.  The remains of the canopy above Mossy Bluff Trail offered decent protection from a complete drenching though.  

It was actually quite a bit more peaceful than usual.  Water rushed all around, cascading down the streams intersecting the area, falling steadily over the the small falls that usually display little more more than a dribble, hushing all other sound invasions. Temperatures lingered near 18 °C a good portion of the day too, so it was not too uncomfortable. 

The return trip stood in stark contrast with the rest of the weekend.  Clear blue skies and 20 °C welcomed the ride homeward.  While our radar was tuned in to finding any potential oddity, nothing of significance appeared.  All houses seemed in good order, propped up against potential threats, with goat chicken defenses in place.

Pausing to reflect for a moment at Busiek State Forest and Wildlife Area found the place overrun with tourists.  The parking lot appeared full and it proved nearly impossible to get a moment alone with your own thoughts on the trail.  We ultimately abandoned the effort, content to continue the journey under the sun with windows down, until northern breezes forced us to abandon that cause as well.

A Cause of the Trump Win

A lot of folks are already asking themselves why President Trump won, when they were so certain of a Kamala Harris win.

This map and election maps before tell the story of a rural versus urban divide, but it goes only a little deeper than that.  A candidate cannot continually talk down to voters, disparaging their support of the other candidate, without some sort of backlash.

President Trump rarely, if ever, talked badly about those supporting Democratic candidates. He only talked about the DNC and their candidates.

When Senator Clinton lost the election to Donald Trump, she had continually characterized his supporters as "deplorable" and "uneducated."  Her followers did the same.

When President Biden won the election in 2020, he did not stoop so low as to talk negatively about those supporting President Trump.  He instead tried his best to win them over.

Vice President Harris followed the example set by Senator Clinton, continually talking about those supporting President Trump as if they were ignorant.  Additionally, the entire Democratic political machine followed suit, as well as all of her followers.   This is, of course, aside from the fact that she never really discussed any issues and constantly blamed President Trump for everything.

This is how you turn off a voter.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Watch it happen again and again in every election.

1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale for Sale

1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale - 350 4-barrel - 54,000 miles (odometer may have rolled over, but not certain) - runs perfectly well, driven about 5 miles a week.  Truck is a victim of a few break-ins by imbeciles. Broken leaf on driver side, passenger door window missing and associated internal mechanics of the door need repair or full replacement.  There are no cabin air controls.  gas tank replaced recently.  Gas gauge not working.  

Serious offers only ... leave a comment and I will get back to you.

If you are seeing this page.  The truck is still available.

Smashed Focus

Heading home for lunch to let the dog out for the afternoon ended in disaster.  An individual failed to yield, turned immediately in front of me and utterly destroyed the front of my vehicle, as well as that of another innocent driver that was simply waiting on a red light.

I had just left another intersection and had accelerated to the speed limit as I approached another intersection.  Another individual launched his car front of me, obviously attempting to squeeze through and smash!    

I had less than a second to react, having only enough time to slam my feet down on the clutch and brakes, while thinking "this is going to hurt."  It was not enough time.  My vehicle slammed into the side of this, throwing his against the over vehicle.

My air bags deployed, and I am pretty sure I lost consciousness for a moment. I could hear someone yelling if I were OK way off in the distance.  I opened my eyes and could hear the hissing of air and steam all around me, along with the fog of air bag dust in the air choking off my oxygen. My car was attempting to dial 911 and I tried to stop it, unsuccessfully.  My brain did a quick assessment and decided nothing was too damaged. I attempted to stop the car from dialing 911 three or four times before finally giving up and just opening the window so I could breathe.

I could still hear a person asking I were OK, but they sound much clearer.  I could see her now and responded, "I think so." I needed to get ahold of someone though, so called my comrade and told her that I was going to need some assistance.

Getting out of my car, I truly wanted to choke the individual in the other car but remained calm and simply asked if one person was the driver of the car I hit.  He confirmed that he was and I only asked if he was OK.  On confirmation, I turned to attempt contact with the insurance folks.  Someone said they had already called the police.

The police eventually arrived to sort things out.  Nobody got a ticket, but it was clearly the fault of the other driver.   He indicated that he thought he had a green light, and I believe that he did.  However, so did I and underneath his green light, a sign read, "Left Turn Yield on Green."

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in the ER, after beginning the trek home and starting to discover all sorts of odd little ailments.  Nearly everything on left side ached in one way or another.  My sight felt unaligned as well, and dizziness came and went. 

The ER checked and found I might have had a mild concussion and sent me home with  instructions on self-care.

Home finally arrived about 1830 hours.  It had not been a pleasant Halloween.

Teams for Two

Recently, a few folks have asked about creating a Microsoft Teams for themselves and one other individual.  They say that they need a Team to share documents and conversations back and forth, exclusively between one another.

There is nothing to do here. 

Quite literally, it is already done! 

Microsoft read your mind.

Using the Chat feature within Microsoft Teams makes this happen.

The moment you begin a chat with another individual, you are creating a Team in which only you and that individual are included.

Obviously, the conversation is only accessible to you and the other individual.

In addition, documents you share in that chat are only accessible to you and the other individual.

Access any of the documents and links you have shared through that chat at any time by clicking the “Shared” link that appears next to “Chat” at the top of the chat with that person.

Upload and collaborate on documents with that individual here too!

Nearly anything that you can do within a Team created for multiple individuals can be done in Chat too, even adding Apps to your chat (just click the “+” next to “Shared” at the top.

But wait, there’s more … You can even have a Team with yourself!  What?  Sure!  Just click your name at the top of the chat and make notes, upload files, or just test out how things work in the chat space.

Crazy, huh?

Street Mud and Gravel

The lawn care business continues to be a problem.  Should have taken photos of this sooner for documentation.  Mud and gravel all up and down the street and no effort to clean it up.  This photo was actually taken a few months after, in December, after it had a chance to wear down.

East of the Canal

A variety of points of interest lay east of the Kansas portion east of J.C. Hopper's Great Interstate Canal.  A slightly different path home offers a new view with every passing.

We slept well with the rain sprinkling over the Grain Bin Inn late overnight.  Looking out the next morning, you could see and smell that it had rained.  The air felt fresh and clean, but the earth remained parched from the summer drought this year.

Ellinwood, host of the annual After Harvest Festival, is but one of numerous little towns that dot the prairie.   Many of them cling to life, celebrating the highlights of their past through murals of more prosperous times.

A little further down the road, the Rice County Courthouse stands immediately and exactly in the center of the county, after beginning life in Atlanta.

The final resting place of this 1910 courthouse is Lyons, Some folks discovered Salt in 1887, while drilling for gas.  Not exactly what Vásquez de Coronado and his expedition were looking for in 1540, though it did enable the first major industry in the county.

Efforts by one of the architects of the Kansas capital building stands firmly in McPherson, showcasing his stonework designs leveraging Cottonwood Cotton limestone quarried just down the street in Strong City. Complete with Syrian arch, the then new 1893 courthouse, in this third and newer county seat, would preside over quieter times than its predecessors.

Before turning north, a break from the road found a one room schoolhouse loitering with a Mennonite Settlement Museum. The Kreutziger School formerly lived in a community by the same name near Canada, Kansas. As water filled the Marion Reservoir it formed an attraction with the museum complex located in Hillsboro.

That is the last thing we remember, just before joining the interstate.  When the drone of that became too much, we detoured again towards Lawrence, drifting off course.  We avoided conflict with the town itself, choosing a position to relax just south of there, near the Blue Mound of our ancestors, at Wells Overlook Park.  It is in a peculiar location, though appears well traveled and is the perfect jumping off point for backroads all the way into the city.

End of the Rainbow Grain Bin

A week that seemingly began under adverse terms had been filled with signs of hope on numerous occasions.  We were fortunate enough to have witnessed about six rainbows, which was about six more than we had seen in the previous six months.  One last showing of hope glowed brilliantly on the morning of our departure, doubling and tripling as we watched in awe.

On our way out of state, we stopped in to visit a registered state historic site known as the Koshare Museum & Trading Post, built by the La Junta Boy Scout troop in 1949.  Hosted by Otero College, the structure is, and remains, the largest self-supported log roof in the entire world, baffling many architects.  Artifacts are currently not on display, due to governmental interference, but the kiva is accessible, along with a multitude of original Native American art works.

There is still very little to note beyond that point.  Lamar offers quite a bit, though the side trip to the museum had consumed any extra time we might have had available.  Time-traveling east into future Kansas, we once again realized how beautifully wide-open it is in this part of the country. 

Ness City made an appearance sooner rather than later.  Storms were brewing all around, apparently forming in our rearview mirror without notice.  Our final destination for the day lay just four miles further east.  Thinking it best to wander those dirt roads in appreciation of daylight, prior to seeking sustenance, we did not linger for long.  Sunset was only 20 minutes away.

The Grain Bin Inn turned out much easier to locate, and on much better maintained dirt roads, than had assumed.  There were concerns about coming rain turning the situation to quagmire, but hunger drove us back into town, after we dumped everything inside.  The Cactus Club offered up a fitting meal to end the day, sending us back to our grain bin without assault from the weather.  Safe and snug inside, we enjoyed good quarters and comfortable evening, while the cattle suffered the downpour, we only heard through the tin roof.

Horsing around the Cañon

A rainbow stretched across the horizon, commending our efforts of the day, though the level of exertion really did not warrant such a fantastic display; or, did it?

The agenda for the day included a little shooting, getting some hairs cut, taking some people photos, and enjoying superior company and good food.  At the end of it all, a run into town for the latter to treat our hosts.  The first point on the agenda became somewhat complicated on the third point of our safety poster, however.  Interference lurked on the horizon.

The wind was the perfect sort of calm for our plans, although the weather man suggested it would not remain that way for much longer.  Attempting to wait out those loitering near the line of fire proved in vain. They were entirely too close for comfort though, so we set off on a mini-Safari to address the issue with those we did "not wish to destroy."

Out at the fence line, they were found amicable and cooperative enough, receiving our greeting with gifts with enthusiasm.  The choice became clear for them, in the course of conversations, that it would be preferable to linger in another space.  Snacks were plentiful and the grass just as green in this location as had been in their previous, so they stayed awhile.  Returning to our objective, we now had clearance to raise a little ruckus, further emphasizing the need, and encouraging them, to find an entirely different plain.

It is surprising how quickly time can pass when you are having fun.  The day seemed to evaporate as quickly as it had started.  Heading into town, I have to admit that I was a little perplexed at why our hosts would want no better dining experience than Doritos.  It seemed like an awfully light meal; at minimum, it seemed not a very diverse opportunity.  Tuning in to the language in use a bit more, Di Rito's turned out a rather pleasant experience in the end.  

Back at the ranch, we speculated as to whether the clouds would accommodate another viewing of Comet Tsuchinshan–Atlas.  Patience finally paid off and we were able to see the celestial body streaking towards the sun again for a few minutes before clouds finally enveloped the entire scene in that direction.  In the opposite corner of the sky, the moon came out loud and clear, shining almost as much light as had encompassed the day hours.  It had been a great day with good peoples.