We’re all familiar with the alleged textbook definition of insanity and what it might imply about one who repeats certain actions. I’m back in Cleveland for my second rotation of working Catastrophe duty and it really shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m back to feeling completely spent. It was about this same point in my last rotation where I hit the proverbial wall and it appears that today I’m back on the wrecking ball and swinging away at it.
I’m more physically and mentally drained this time. Mercifully, this trip has been less emotionally taxing. I’ve really only had two moments where I had to step away after hearing some harrowing story from a customer in Joplin. I’ve also been balancing out my moments of stress and homesickness with the knowledge that I shouldn’t get too stressed out, because after all, we are living in the End Times.
The day that I drove back here was the day that had been proclaimed as The End of the World by some nut job. And while some may argue that clearly didn’t happen, it does seem like it was about this time that the globe exploded in storms, earthquakes, volcano eruptions and general geological and meteorological chaos. I now hear there’s a hurricane ‘a brewin’ and I’d just imagine we’re due for a good oil spill or tsunami about any day.
If I learned anything from my Baptist, Liberal Arts education, it was that the Bible isn’t necessarily meant to be taken literally. For instance, the 6 days that the world was allegedly created in might not directly translate to 6, 24 hour spans of time. A “day” on Heavenly Father Standard Time (because we all know Daylight Savings is from the devil) might be anywhere from a millennium to an eon. So, I’ve taken to believing that while the End of the World might not have happened, it could be we’ve just reached the beginning of the end.
First off, we have to acknowledge that Oprah is off the air. The fact that the woman who had the power to elect a president has now decided to leave us to fend for ourselves has to be a bad omen. We now have to decide what to read, what to eat, how to exercise and what’s an acceptable level of overweight on our own. The vacuum she’s left is surely a sign of the apocalypse. Oh sure, she has her own network now, but we aren’t going to learn anything from watching The Judds except how much is too much mascara and red hair dye.
We have Sarah Palin running for President again, a guy named Weiner exposing himself without a hint of irony, and even the winner of American Idol was a good ol’ wholesome American boy who continuously sang a song about having sex. I can’t imagine the message America’s impressionable youth got from hearing “lock the doors and turn the lights down low” every week.
If all of these in tandem aren’t a sign that Jesus is comin’ for to carry us home, then I don’t know what is. So, bearing this in mind, I’m living it up. I’ve been eating and drinking well. I carelessly rode a roller coaster that took me 410 feet in the air at 120 miles per hour and I’m regularly driving in traffic with Ohio drivers. I stuck my bare feet in Lake Erie. I may even get careless and throw a match in the river after work.
I’ll be back home on Friday and we’ll see if my hedonistic living continues. The boyfriend may not appreciate my philosophy that Armageddon is nigh. We did go to the same college though, so maybe it won’t be too much work to convince him that we can use my few days off before I return to regular work to build an ark or at least go to J. Crew for a new rapture outfit. Baptist college also taught us that one would want to look their best when checking in at the pearly gates.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Hitting the Wall
After Day 16, I’ve hit the wall. I was informed as such this morning. I’ve heard this expression used for people who are running a marathon or doing some other kind of athletic activity that would instantly break my leg or dislocate my shoulder, but never in terms of work. Especially when the most physically taxing part of my work is adjusting the height of the desk chair that keeps sinking. You may soon read a tweet that says “send Dramamine”.
To catch you up to speed, I’m working 21 days straight to assist with the onslaught of auto insurance claims across the South. I’m working 745am to 7pm daily. I get 45 minutes for lunch and I’ve had one day off. I’ve been part of our “Catastrophe Reserve Team” for about as long as I’ve worked for the company. I’ve helped out after hurricanes and nasty hailstorms here and there. I get a little extra pay for it and it’s a chance to shake up my work life a little. Thankfully, we have people who do this all year ‘round for their permanent job and I just get “called up” when things get bad.
It was one of those “Permanent CAT” employees who informed me that I had, in fact, hit the wall. After about 2 hours of attempting to focus on my computer screen and finding myself increasingly hostile to the people on the other end of my phone, I announced “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!!” My words weren’t as effective as the Gipper’s.
I remain kind of brain dead. I’ve seen photos of houses and cars reduced to nothing discernable and talked to their devastated owners. I’ve heard harrowing stories of people inside Ford Excursions being picked up and thrown 20 feet into sycamore trees. I’ve had customers tell me that we need to inspect their cars in the afternoon, because their relative’s funeral was going to be that morning. I’m emotionally spent. If I am, I can’t imagine what the ones going through it first hand feel.
I’ve also learned that when in the line of impending, near death storms, finding cover is not always the first priority for some. There are those for whom adding insurance to their 1988 Cavalier becomes pertinent. For others, they take their laptops to cower in the bathtub and lower their deductibles online. That’s the team I’m working on. We are investigating what’s fraud and what’s just good planning, even if personal safety is thrown out the recently blown out window.
After 16 days of this, my mind has turned to mush. Thankfully, I only have 4 more working days to get through after I complete this one. I don’t think I will ever be so glad to see Cincinnati and know I’m soon crossing back into the Bluegrass. Until then, I’ll slug through and hope I stay on the West Berlin side of the proverbial wall.
To catch you up to speed, I’m working 21 days straight to assist with the onslaught of auto insurance claims across the South. I’m working 745am to 7pm daily. I get 45 minutes for lunch and I’ve had one day off. I’ve been part of our “Catastrophe Reserve Team” for about as long as I’ve worked for the company. I’ve helped out after hurricanes and nasty hailstorms here and there. I get a little extra pay for it and it’s a chance to shake up my work life a little. Thankfully, we have people who do this all year ‘round for their permanent job and I just get “called up” when things get bad.
It was one of those “Permanent CAT” employees who informed me that I had, in fact, hit the wall. After about 2 hours of attempting to focus on my computer screen and finding myself increasingly hostile to the people on the other end of my phone, I announced “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!!” My words weren’t as effective as the Gipper’s.
I remain kind of brain dead. I’ve seen photos of houses and cars reduced to nothing discernable and talked to their devastated owners. I’ve heard harrowing stories of people inside Ford Excursions being picked up and thrown 20 feet into sycamore trees. I’ve had customers tell me that we need to inspect their cars in the afternoon, because their relative’s funeral was going to be that morning. I’m emotionally spent. If I am, I can’t imagine what the ones going through it first hand feel.
I’ve also learned that when in the line of impending, near death storms, finding cover is not always the first priority for some. There are those for whom adding insurance to their 1988 Cavalier becomes pertinent. For others, they take their laptops to cower in the bathtub and lower their deductibles online. That’s the team I’m working on. We are investigating what’s fraud and what’s just good planning, even if personal safety is thrown out the recently blown out window.
After 16 days of this, my mind has turned to mush. Thankfully, I only have 4 more working days to get through after I complete this one. I don’t think I will ever be so glad to see Cincinnati and know I’m soon crossing back into the Bluegrass. Until then, I’ll slug through and hope I stay on the West Berlin side of the proverbial wall.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Average For Me
If nothing else, my time in Cleveland has been an education in my insulation. I feel like I run with a pretty dissimilar crowd. We have singles, married folks, gays, straights, regular church goers and professed atheists. We have dog lovers and cat lovers, foodies and those of us who like to eat, but can’t really cook. We span a couple of generations in age and hit all kinds of income levels. While there isn’t really any racial diversity (save a half Mexican who doesn’t speak Spanish), we don’t necessarily feel like a homogenous group.
However, after spending 2 weeks with people from all across the country, I’ve learned that we’re all insulated snobs. My apologies to my friends if you weren’t aware. It just turns out that the truths that we hold to be self-evident are actually not the general suppositions of what I now understand to be the “average American”. I suppose somewhere while we were laughing at Sarah Palin and listening to public radio, the rest of the country was sucking down Cheez-Whiz and putzing around on YouTube.
Don’t get me wrong, for as snotty as some of what I might say sounds, it isn’t that I’m being judgmental. If the food at Olive Garden doesn’t taste like microwaved freezer burn to you, then more power to you. But I want to ask my fellow Cleveland travelers why in Chef Boyardee’s name would you opt for that, when there’s a whole district called Little Fuckin’ Italy? (The addition of “Fuckin’” being my own). And for what it’s worth, a meal can be had in both places for roughly the same price.
I’m also learning that for as much as I feel like these people are traveling around in a fog and missing out on the good things in life, it’s really more of my own lack of recognition that my own day to day life isn’t how most people live. My co-workers have decided that they want to go to a sports bar/pool hall for dinner tonight. Their plan is to consume cheap, light domestic beer out of a bottle or can and watch “the game”. I have no idea what game there is to watch and I feel further removed from these people by the fact that they all seem to know exactly what sporting event is being referenced. Alternatively, I plan to go to a cocktail bar I’ve been eyeing and trying a drink with some flavors I’ve never had before.
Contrary to what you might think, it isn’t an issue of money spent. I plan to have one drink. That, with tip, might barely break $10. I’m sure they’ll all at least hit $15, even if it’s happy hour. I also recognize that they would feel as out of place in my surroundings as I’d feel in theirs. However, my lack of interest in their outing has me labeled as “anti-social” and “snotty” and while I tend to reject that, I wonder if there isn’t some truth to it. I’d certainly feel more at home by myself thinking about the flavors swilling around in my rocks glass than figuring out if I should hold a pool cue like a majorette’s baton or more like I’m jerking someone off.
Or maybe the single activity is less an indicator as their quantity of beer consumption versus my single drink gets more to the point. It really may come down to appreciating quality over quantity. Someone here was horrified when I said I hated the food at The Cheesecake Factory. (Same deal, it all tastes like cardboard freezer burn). My outstanding memory there is that food comes in huge portions with a giant menu and none of it comes out very tasty. The more is more thesis also holds for the way they watch TV, drive their cars, and select their McMansion. The more they can consume, the better they feel the experience is. And while, I don’t judge them for the way they think, I really want to teach them how much better their general life experience can be.
However, I don’t assume that people will take well to me telling them their beer tastes like badly flavored water and that their houses are obnoxious. I’m sure I’d get the same look as when I’ve tried to teach them that you don’t need to say “number” after saying “VIN”. So, I’ll let them go their way and I’ll go mine. I’ll go to the bar and ask questions about how my drink is made while they go ask why “the game” isn’t on the TV by their pool table. They’ll continue to think I’m being judgey, while I feel like a citizen on the Island of Misfit Toys. But if nothing else, I might pay attention to how I grip the martini glass this evening so as not to send any signals to the guy at the other end of the bar.
However, after spending 2 weeks with people from all across the country, I’ve learned that we’re all insulated snobs. My apologies to my friends if you weren’t aware. It just turns out that the truths that we hold to be self-evident are actually not the general suppositions of what I now understand to be the “average American”. I suppose somewhere while we were laughing at Sarah Palin and listening to public radio, the rest of the country was sucking down Cheez-Whiz and putzing around on YouTube.
Don’t get me wrong, for as snotty as some of what I might say sounds, it isn’t that I’m being judgmental. If the food at Olive Garden doesn’t taste like microwaved freezer burn to you, then more power to you. But I want to ask my fellow Cleveland travelers why in Chef Boyardee’s name would you opt for that, when there’s a whole district called Little Fuckin’ Italy? (The addition of “Fuckin’” being my own). And for what it’s worth, a meal can be had in both places for roughly the same price.
I’m also learning that for as much as I feel like these people are traveling around in a fog and missing out on the good things in life, it’s really more of my own lack of recognition that my own day to day life isn’t how most people live. My co-workers have decided that they want to go to a sports bar/pool hall for dinner tonight. Their plan is to consume cheap, light domestic beer out of a bottle or can and watch “the game”. I have no idea what game there is to watch and I feel further removed from these people by the fact that they all seem to know exactly what sporting event is being referenced. Alternatively, I plan to go to a cocktail bar I’ve been eyeing and trying a drink with some flavors I’ve never had before.
Contrary to what you might think, it isn’t an issue of money spent. I plan to have one drink. That, with tip, might barely break $10. I’m sure they’ll all at least hit $15, even if it’s happy hour. I also recognize that they would feel as out of place in my surroundings as I’d feel in theirs. However, my lack of interest in their outing has me labeled as “anti-social” and “snotty” and while I tend to reject that, I wonder if there isn’t some truth to it. I’d certainly feel more at home by myself thinking about the flavors swilling around in my rocks glass than figuring out if I should hold a pool cue like a majorette’s baton or more like I’m jerking someone off.
Or maybe the single activity is less an indicator as their quantity of beer consumption versus my single drink gets more to the point. It really may come down to appreciating quality over quantity. Someone here was horrified when I said I hated the food at The Cheesecake Factory. (Same deal, it all tastes like cardboard freezer burn). My outstanding memory there is that food comes in huge portions with a giant menu and none of it comes out very tasty. The more is more thesis also holds for the way they watch TV, drive their cars, and select their McMansion. The more they can consume, the better they feel the experience is. And while, I don’t judge them for the way they think, I really want to teach them how much better their general life experience can be.
However, I don’t assume that people will take well to me telling them their beer tastes like badly flavored water and that their houses are obnoxious. I’m sure I’d get the same look as when I’ve tried to teach them that you don’t need to say “number” after saying “VIN”. So, I’ll let them go their way and I’ll go mine. I’ll go to the bar and ask questions about how my drink is made while they go ask why “the game” isn’t on the TV by their pool table. They’ll continue to think I’m being judgey, while I feel like a citizen on the Island of Misfit Toys. But if nothing else, I might pay attention to how I grip the martini glass this evening so as not to send any signals to the guy at the other end of the bar.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Homophobia in the House
I’ve never liked the word ‘homophobic’. It’s just always seemed so accusatory and hostile. And though I guess it’s the point, it seems like it’s a word that has an implicit insult. I’ve never particularly felt that it was ok.
I grew up around people who most would consider homophobic. They don’t support gay marriage and even though they’ve always had gay people around, they don’t understand it. They assume it’s a choice. They believe it’s a sin. They’re pretty sure all the gays are going to hell. Ultimately though, they’re good people who are just doing what they believe the Bible tells them. They love, but they don’t understand. It just doesn’t seem right to insult them when we only have a difference of opinion.
That’s the lens that I’ve seen homophobia through until the past few weeks. I’ve had a parent be unhappy and disappointed in me because I’m gay. I’ve had coworkers who’d still use the “f” word around me, but then apologize and still be fantastic to me. I went to a baptist college and encountered plenty of people who would be openly hostile to gays. However, I never felt wronged. I just felt like people didn’t understand. They were still nice to me. They weren’t bad people; we just didn’t agree. Kind of the same way that people who think we need to own guns and I don’t agree.
However, I can now say without reservation that my landlord is a homophobic bastard.
I’ve blogged before that despite being a good tenant, when I told him that my boyfriend had moved in with me, he immediately asked me to move out. This was strictly because he doesn’t like two men living in the same apartment. He has two straight couples living in the building, but he keeps telling me that “he doesn’t allow more than one person to live in the apartments.” Our plan was for the boyfriend to get a job and then we were going to move out.
The landlord hadn’t said a word since our initial conversation. He hadn’t forced the issue and due to the boyfriend’s unemployment, we weren’t really in a position to move out.
I then found myself in line at the car rental place in the airport about to leave for 3 weeks for work. It’ll be a bit of extra money and I’m hoping provide some cash to help us move. While standing there, I got a call from the landlord. He’s now forcing the issue. He wants us out. I explained that I was literally about to leave. He said he’d give us the month of May, however, he wants me to call him with our plan to get out when I return.
So yeah, I now believe in homophobia. I guess it’s like believing in ghosts. You believe it when you see it.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Fat in Cleveland
For me, to mention the city of Cleveland always conjures almost biblical images of rivers on fire. It's cold, it's gray, it's industrial and quite frankly there isn't a hell of a lot there. So, you might imagine when I learned that I'd be spending three weeks in Cleveland for work, I was less than thrilled. I'm presently on day 3. I'm going to be working 12 hour days and I'll only get one day off while I'm here. Sure, it'll be a decent amount of extra money, but it's also going to be a lot of alone time.
I started out by eating fast food. I figured that if I was going to eat alone, then I'd just grab something and bring it back to the hotel. I didn't want to be the weird guy by himself in the restaurant. I felt too self-conscious. But, I think it was the Chik-fil-A on Day 2 that did me in. I suddenly had awful visions of eating fast food every night for the next month. The thought of grease and not so tasty food was almost enough to make me want to give up the extra cash and come back home, nevermind the 15 pounds I was going to gain.
Then, last night I made a decision. If I was going to be fat and gain the 15 pounds while I was here, I may as well eat decent food. So, instead of having crappy drive-thru, I went out. Proper going out. I decided not to feel weird about eating out alone and find myself some good food. So, I followed the call of my ancestry and decided I was going to Little Italy. I did a quick internet search and decided on the first place I came to, La Dolce Vita. After 15 minutes looking for a parking space, I finally got in, found a spot at the bar and had a delicious meal. I started with a glass of chianti (my favorite) and the mastroianni salad. It was roasted red pepper, goat cheese, arugula, and black olives over a bed of romaine with a light drizzle of olive oil. I actually let out a bit of a moan when I dug into it. I don't even like black olives, but their saltiness with the peppery arugula and creamy goat cheese was a near spiritual moment.
For my entree, I had gnocchi. The menu said I got to choose the sauce, so I asked the bartender, my waitress, what my options were. After her long sigh and while she launched into the exhaustive list, I interrupted to ask if they could just do a vodka cream sauce. She said they didn't usually, but she'd ask the chef if he would. I continued on with my salad and after what seemed like an obscenely long time (I'd almost finished my glass of wine...but maybe I just drank it a bit too quickly), she came back and said he'd be happy to. She then poured a cup full of vodka and ran it back to the kitchen. Before I could even ask for a refill on my wine glass, the smell of tomato cream and basil hit me. A giant bowl of delicious was sat down in front me. Round 2 of chianti was poured and I tucked into a made fresh (not in house, but in a pasta company in town) gnocchi in a made just for me vodka cream sauce. My little part-Italian heart nearly exploded. I finished with a house made tiramisu and a glass of port.
Yes, I have boxes of leftovers.
I thought I was going to have those for dinner tonight. However, a co-worker reminded me that Iron Chef Michael Symon is from Cleveland and has a few restaurants across town. Just one street up and a few blocks over from my hotel is his burger joint called B-Spot. Being a fan of just about any kind of burger, I decided this was going to be my culinary conquest for the night. So, on a busy Saturday night, I found a spot at the corner of the bar and enjoyed 2 very different and very good beers and a "smack yo' mama so hard yo' grandmammy can feel it" bacon cheeseburger. And this says nothing of the onion rings fried in lard. Yes. Lard.
I'm now back in the hotel room about to go to bed. I'll probably find food that's a bit lighter for the next couple of days, but contrary to what the Chik-Fil-A cows encourage, for the next 2 and a half weeks, I'm not going to eat more chikn.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Impending Spring
On my way home today, I had a rare moment of optimism inspired by the sudden shower. I came home, wrote a quick poem and decided to post it. It's about 10 minutes old, so forgive that it isn't revised or edited. I'll resist the urge to explain more, but I will admit to heavily referencing my favorite poem, "The Waste Land".
roll up the window
the shower came suddenly,
as jolting as mud
on the windshield
thrown up by the semi
now taillights are misty
brake lights blurred
but even the thunder said "shanti"
spring may cruelly impend
but blossoms and buds bring more
than the wishes made on
the lap of a phony Santa Claus
in merry December.
roll up the window
the shower came suddenly,
as jolting as mud
on the windshield
thrown up by the semi
now taillights are misty
brake lights blurred
but even the thunder said "shanti"
spring may cruelly impend
but blossoms and buds bring more
than the wishes made on
the lap of a phony Santa Claus
in merry December.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Vent
I’ve always thought that the people who say “God only gives us as much as we can handle” are out of their minds. On the off chance that there is any truth to that saying, then God must think I’m a strong son of a bitch. I’m sitting in my office at work and I’m shaking and turning red from stress. Coincidentally, I was at the doctor earlier this week for what appears to be an ulcer.
I’d been doing reasonably well with managing work stress. Having changed a little bit about how we do our jobs, mine had actually become far less stressful. However, the company I work for being what it is, they found a way to pile the stress back on. It’s currently 2pm. I haven’t moved from my chair since I sat down at about 9am. No food, no bathroom breaks, just me getting call after call of people yelling at me about situations that are beyond my control.
I know. I’m whining. If you’re already exhausted with me, stop reading now.
My awesome employer has also decided to cut my pay. This isn’t related to a performance issue. It’s just I’ve been working on the weekends and getting paid a premium to do that. They’ve decided to recalculate that premium and it results in significantly less money for me.
Right about the time all of this happens, I tell my landlord that the boyfriend has moved in with me. I’ve lived in the same apartment for 6 years. I don’t cause problems. I fix stuff myself and he’s always gotten my rent on or before when it’s due. However, because I have my boyfriend living with me, he wants us out. We’re now looking for a new place to live.
The other small issues to consider of an ill boyfriend who is also trying to find a job in this crummy job market, an ill mother whose car is about to fall apart and will likely require my finding some way to help her replace it, and making some attempt to take care of myself are just the other brief things I’ll need to attend to today.
Thank GOD I have plans for drinks after work. And maybe through a prayer of thanks for bourbon, he’ll take the hint that I’ve really, really had enough.
I’d been doing reasonably well with managing work stress. Having changed a little bit about how we do our jobs, mine had actually become far less stressful. However, the company I work for being what it is, they found a way to pile the stress back on. It’s currently 2pm. I haven’t moved from my chair since I sat down at about 9am. No food, no bathroom breaks, just me getting call after call of people yelling at me about situations that are beyond my control.
I know. I’m whining. If you’re already exhausted with me, stop reading now.
My awesome employer has also decided to cut my pay. This isn’t related to a performance issue. It’s just I’ve been working on the weekends and getting paid a premium to do that. They’ve decided to recalculate that premium and it results in significantly less money for me.
Right about the time all of this happens, I tell my landlord that the boyfriend has moved in with me. I’ve lived in the same apartment for 6 years. I don’t cause problems. I fix stuff myself and he’s always gotten my rent on or before when it’s due. However, because I have my boyfriend living with me, he wants us out. We’re now looking for a new place to live.
The other small issues to consider of an ill boyfriend who is also trying to find a job in this crummy job market, an ill mother whose car is about to fall apart and will likely require my finding some way to help her replace it, and making some attempt to take care of myself are just the other brief things I’ll need to attend to today.
Thank GOD I have plans for drinks after work. And maybe through a prayer of thanks for bourbon, he’ll take the hint that I’ve really, really had enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)