(no subject)

Last night I had nightmares about houses I could have purchased but did not. I think they were all dream houses though - like the one beside Nation with the club still up and running (though I recall the bathrooms in Nation, which I was in for some reason, were disgusting, and I thought since they're closing I could understand not keeping them up). Somehow I knew the future but while I was in the past it wasn't a time travel dream. But I was showing a friend a home I didn't buy, and there was a giant party in the place (probably hipsters, definitely young 20s) raging. While that made it easy to get in, seeing the giant open shower in the middle of the bedroom, or the glass-doored room overlooking the street, all made me sad I hadn't bought the place for a steal because it was such a bad neighborhood. Someone tried to rob me on the way in though, so it was still "transitional."

Dreams are stupid, but this had an obvious theme.

Sometimes I forget I'm supposed to be living somewhere else. Meridian Pint advertised brunch specials if the government closed, it did and they did (have them). That could be my life but it is not.

Instead I haven't heard from my contractor, and I didn't mention some time ago he sent a borderline nasty email that he hadn't budgeted for same-day responses to emails...seems odd as I haven't sent him more than an email every other week, I don't fuss when he doesn't reply, and the dude walks around with an iphone and bluetooth on. I've talked to my guy about it, and am in a holding pattern for now. At least I may be able to move furniture somewhat when and if there is a move-in date?

HVAC, no really I'm going to talk about it.
So with the below zero cold snap air imported from Siberia, I've been reminded my heat pump needs replacing. Some time ago the a/c worked terribly, and I realized the heater coils were coming on. The tech took forever to diagnose it, but found the issue - cable installers had punctured a hvac wire group which resulted in the heater coils engaging when the a/c solenoid triggered. Now the "aux heat" barely works, and a heat pump isn't terribly efficient under 30...so if I lower the temperature, the hvac can't get the temp back up. It gets into a loop - the aux heater coils engage, but this seems to shut down the heat pump, but the heater coils are mostly dead and the result is spinning air of at or about room temperature. As long as the thing thinks aux heat is on, nothing much happens. If, however, I make it think the temp is mostly reached, it will engage the heat pump and maintain temp. So I can keep the place at 70, but if I lower it to 67 then 67 it will be...if I try to raise the heat from 67 to 70, it will fall to 66, 65...it gets ugly. Luckily I have learned to supplement with a portable heater.

That leave me 2 issues, 1) I am so fucking looking forward to moving into my home with the new insulation as this old condo has no insulation in the walls or ceiling at all, and 2) I'd like to replace the heat pump (and remodel the bathroom, install new windows) before I rent the place out, but due to tax lack-of-benefit, those repairs might not be recoverable...while if I wait to rent out, those are in some cases repairs which come off income dollar-for-dollar, others are at least improvements that can be depreciated. I'd rather have a maintenance free place to rent out, but I'm crazy enough to tell renters about the issues and set up a repair while they live there (like if they go on travel).

But an insulated home - the very idea is exciting to me. That's the kind of dull I am.

The truth is I do network

I have yet another EEO case by someone who is clearly mentally disturbed. They actually declare they are smarter than everyone around them, though there isn't much evidence to support their theory. Many work in small towns and their isolated experiences show through their accusations - expecting the FBI to burst in the doors and investigate whether a manager in a slaughterhouse does drugs, or smokes indoors, seems to show a general lack of perspective. This makes my job both easy and entertaining, though it doesn't make the complainant feel any better. I try to figure out what makes some of these people tick as knowing that makes it easier to predict and beat them in litigation (sooner, faster, cheaper) but I also try to pass along observations - super low pressure and beyond my obligation - to try and help them see other perspectives that might leave them less angry.

I hate to dress and act like an adult. I don't wear pants when I don't have to (fuck winter). Shirts without cute designs piss me off too. What I hate worse than that is social networking, linkedin up close and personal. I will not-hit people in the office and do not think my obligations extend beyond that.

Though I do network, it's just what I do is not for the purpose of networking. I just talked to yet another frustrated manager who can't believe that such a raging nutjob gets to generate so much work for allegations that are obviously not true, important, or legal. I've dealt with similar complaints before, and can give fairly honest explanations for why things are this way, what we can do about it, and for the huge waste of resources I sort of sympathize without agreeing that the problem needs fixing. I have to cool them down, because with anger comes the risk of showing frustration - and there are cases where an email stating "this is really frustrating" has been called discrimination. So I try to do the best I can to win them over, or at least see another side to why the process is the way it is. I'm not sure they buy it, but they do seem to calm down. Perhaps it's because I first listen to them; perhaps because I give suggestions about how to handle it. By the end though, I have a work-friend who feels supported and understood.

I have a huge advantage for having worked in this Agency since 2002 (two thousand fucking two man, wow). I know our culture sure, I know our industry, and I can talk our language. Bigger is the fact that every District Manager in the country knows who I am - I'm not sure they all like me, but they've all seen me work for them (usually stupid looking hours as they see me on the road). While the DMs are fairly removed from the day-to-day, I also know many Deputy DMs, front-line supervisors, and regular managers and employees across the country. If anyone talks about me in a work group, somebody there is bound to know me and my work. I usually win. I probably get more credit than I should, an effect amplified by the fact I don't take much credit for my work. I mean what I say but the humility is often taken as evidence I'm stupendous.

I also say things "a certain way." When things are not a rush, I say "this isn't a rush." Crazy, right? When things are a rush, I explain why and give tips on how to make the work easy. I always end with "Do you have any questions for me at this point?" and always leave the door open to follow up any time. For someone that deals with sheer drudgery, I'm pretty nice and easy going.

The what or how isn't what I'm thinking of though - it's the why. I don't ease people's concerns because I have to or because it'll help me in my career - I just like to. I realize that by doing it, and the way I'm doing it, will impact my career here. But I don't work hard or send emails at all hours to be liked or look like I'm working hard - I do it because that's what I think I should do. I know I have created a reputation in this organization, and I'm often aware of how I act will affect that reputation, but it's not something I do to create the effect.