The weather has been pretty nice the last few days. I have been fairly busy at work and I guess I wore my computer out! The thing crashed on me 4 times in the past couple of days. The first time was Tuesday and after it shut down and I rebooted my air card wouldn't hold a signal. I could dial in and connect but then it would disconnect after 30 seconds. I called the help desk and was on the phone for about 2 1/2 hours while he removed and reloaded programs to get me going. Wednesday morning it worked just fine but crashed around noon and the air card started acting up again. This time I was on the phone for 4 hours but I think it's finally fixed. At least it didn't crash today.
Wednesday, after my marathon phone call with our IT Support, we headed to Lebanon on the bike. The weather was cool (63*) so we bundled up for our ride. We both have leather jackets and I wear leather chaps. Rudee wears her rain suit pants and after putting on our gloves and helmets we stay fairly warm. We had a nice ride and had 23 people show up at the restaurant. The food was really good and I think everyone liked their meals. Rudee and I tried a crawfish dip appetizer that was really good as well as sharing a steak dinner.
We enjoyed being able to ride the bike but I think our riding days are numbered for this year. The weatherman says it is going to rain for the next 2 days and turn cool again. We will be going to Charla Rose Campground in Waynetown this week end for a group camp out with some of our motorcycle friends. The weather has us convinced to leave the bikes at home but we are looking forward to nice relaxing week end even if we can't ride. I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
not "warm and fuzzy"
Well we are back at the grind. This week is shaping up to be a little busier for me. Monday I was told to be at a meeting in our office at 2pm to meet the "new boss". I had already scheduled 2 inspections and was trying to make contact to set up a 3rd one when, at 10am, my supervisor called me and said the meeting had been changed from 2pm to 11am. Geez, thanks for the notice.
The meeting was different than I expected. Not only did we meet our new Regional Claims Manager but the VP of Claims was there as well as a rep from HR. The whole office had a look of doom when they introduced themselves. The RCM gave a presentation on what was going to happen in the next several months. They are going to combine our office with their existing office which was really no surprise. Why pay for 2 buildings. He also announced that there are almost 400 duplicate personnel between the two companies. We each have to take and pass screening and certification tests and then we will be evaluated individually and, if you are good at your job, there is a company need for additional people in your position and enough work, you can keep your job.
Suffice it to say I didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling leaving the meeting. They did a lot of corporate cheerleading which was almost laughable. Here is a room full of people who have been going to work every day expecting it to be their last and these folks are talking about how the company has it's own production studio to make in house training movies and how many perks the "home office" has. Pitiful.
Well I guess the good news is I still have a job. My testing is scheduled for sometime in February and will be after the supervisors take theirs, so I should be OK for a few months anyway. Rudee and I have been going over our options and are getting a plan together in case the "sky falls".
Today was cloudy, cool and damp here. The leaves are really falling and our patio carpet is covered. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little better. We are leading the ride to the restaurant for our Wednesday night Goldwing get together. We are going to a restaurant in Lebanon so it wont be much of a ride but will be nice to see our friends. I'll keep you posted.
The meeting was different than I expected. Not only did we meet our new Regional Claims Manager but the VP of Claims was there as well as a rep from HR. The whole office had a look of doom when they introduced themselves. The RCM gave a presentation on what was going to happen in the next several months. They are going to combine our office with their existing office which was really no surprise. Why pay for 2 buildings. He also announced that there are almost 400 duplicate personnel between the two companies. We each have to take and pass screening and certification tests and then we will be evaluated individually and, if you are good at your job, there is a company need for additional people in your position and enough work, you can keep your job.
Suffice it to say I didn't have that warm and fuzzy feeling leaving the meeting. They did a lot of corporate cheerleading which was almost laughable. Here is a room full of people who have been going to work every day expecting it to be their last and these folks are talking about how the company has it's own production studio to make in house training movies and how many perks the "home office" has. Pitiful.
Well I guess the good news is I still have a job. My testing is scheduled for sometime in February and will be after the supervisors take theirs, so I should be OK for a few months anyway. Rudee and I have been going over our options and are getting a plan together in case the "sky falls".
Today was cloudy, cool and damp here. The leaves are really falling and our patio carpet is covered. Tomorrow is supposed to be a little better. We are leading the ride to the restaurant for our Wednesday night Goldwing get together. We are going to a restaurant in Lebanon so it wont be much of a ride but will be nice to see our friends. I'll keep you posted.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Giddy Up
Wow, this week has been a blur. We were able to ride the bike to the Goldwing meeting Wednesday night. The tempeture was a bit cool for the ride home, but not intolerable.
Thursday and Friday were typical work days and besides meeting Steve and Trish for dinner Friday evening, nothing exciting happened.
Saturday morning I was up at 4am again. I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep :-(. We were planning on getting up early anyway. Rudee had organized a trip to the horse track in Anderson Indiana for the motorcycle group. The weather was pretty cold and dreary. Good thing we had reservation in their clubhouse/restaurant. Rob and Jany Runyon had invited us to meet them at Flapjack's for breakfast which was good as usual. We met the rest of the group and car pooled for the hour drive to the track.
There were 19 of us present. The club house has terraced style seating right at the finish line of the track. Every table had a nice view of the track as well as a TV showing the race broadcast. The races started at 12:30 and we were able eat our meal, watch the races and, of course, place our bets right in the club house. I did venture out into the cold for a couple of quick shots. Here they are coming down the stretch.
and the winner. (NOT the one I bet on :-0).
Rudee and I didn't do too good on our bets. I think I lost a total of $40 and Rudee lost $35. I would study the program and try to find "the" horse (like I know what I'm doing, ha!). We also did a quick walk through the attached casino but didn't stay long, too noisy.
We had a great time even though we didn't hit it big. We made it back home around 8pm and I headed to bed shortly afterwards. I was one tired old Dude.
Sunday we had agreed to take Rudee's Dad and Mom to Terre Haute to see her brother who was in town. Jerry and Diane are fulltime Rvers who live in their Carriage 5th wheel. The rig and Diane are back in Colorado where she is working. Jerry made the drive back to Indiana for this visit solo and was staying at his step daughters home. We got a call from Rudee's Mom just as we were leaving the 5th wheel and she said she was not feeling well. She was having pains in her chest and back and was congested. She said she felt like her pleurisy was acting up. We headed to Plainfield and took her to the hospital to get checked out. Well needless to say that took most of the day. They finally decided she had the start of pneumonia and admitted her for treatment. Hopefully she will feel better after they give her some antibiotics and she gets some rest.
We picked up a pizza on the way home and made it back around 7pm. Like I said, this week has flown by. I have a meeting at work tomorrow to meet our new Regional Manager. They have set aside 1 1/2 hours for the meeting so I'm not sure what will be discussed, heck fire, I didn't even know we were getting a new R/M. I wonder what happened to the old R/M? Guess I'll find out tomorrow and maybe get some insight on my future as well. I'll keep you posted.
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