Kingfisher Cove

Beyond Believable

Last time I wrote, I said I could cry. And it was for good reason. Never before in my entire work life doing what I’ve been doing in architectural/engineering marketing for nearly 30 years have I had such an impossible deadline for producing a proposal as I did today. I learned Friday morning that the proposal was due to the client at 3:00 on Monday. A proposal of this complexity typically takes a good 30 – 40 hours to accomplish. And I had 15 work-hours (plus the weekend) to complete it. (With a good portion of it at the mercy of others to provide their technical input). Total deer in the headlights.

So I worked over the weekend to accomplish as much as I possibly could, but I knew going into today that there were still a gazillion details and an equal amount of unknowns I would have to contend with because I needed to incorporate those technical aspects of the proposal that only the engineer could do.  And I didn’t get those aspects until well into today.

Oh man, you just wouldn’t believe the effort. The engineer in this case is one helluva sweetie and definitely engaged (most are not), but even so, all the last minute changes and his (necessary) focus on the pricing part of the proposal to the detriment of the technical part of the proposal had me the quintessential definition of a hand-wringer. I dared not pee. I hurriedly grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria downstairs, brought it back to my desk, and didn’t even notice eating it (other than a remote sense that it was last-week’s wheat bread). At a half hour before the drop-dead deadline*, there was still so much to do. More changes. More editing. More formatting. More writing. More adjustments to the org chart in Adobe Illustrator and then converting it so it would work in Word. (I hate Word more than a gazillion blazing white-hot suns). I dealt with computer issues. I dealt with the annoying office administrator who sits near me with her piercing voice that slices the air like a machete. I dealt with interruption after interruption. It was all pedal to the metal. It was absolutely nuts.

And at 4 minutes before the deadline, it was done. Four minutes. Four fucking minutes. Delivered. Accepted. Now we wait to see if we’re awarded the project.

*A/E marketing deadline = if not met by the exact minute, the proposal will not be accepted. S.O.L.

~~~~~

Different but related: I learned today that a 20-something young man not much older than Nate (he is someone that John knows) is a contract plumber (not at Boeing), and he earns three times as much per hour as I do. I know for a fact that I work at least equally as hard as he does and I’m probably smarter and I've been doing my job for 30 years. Obviously I do not fault the young man for this, but this just feels SO WRONG. I've wondered all my life why it is that so-called "men's jobs" have so much more value than so-called "women's jobs." Why is brawn so much more revered than brains? Gee, wonder who sets THOSE standards? /sarcasm

I Could Cry

After one hell of a tense, stressful week learning Monday that I had a proposal due on THURSDAY…and then scrambling and meeting that deadline and feeling such immense relief, I learned today (FRIDAY) that I have another proposal that is due at 3:00 on MONDAY. In essence: 12 work hours (ha!) to produce a very involved proposal that would typically take a good 30-40 hours to accomplish. Guess what this means? My weekend = suckitude.

I could cry. I am not in the mood for this, I am not UP for this.

Why is there suddenly such a maniacal, impossible turn-around for these proposals? And the degree and volume of tedious requirements…do these people who prepare these RFPs (Request for Proposals) have a clue as to what all is involved? Have they ever had to prepare one themselves? And deal with herding cats engineers in order to obtain the relevant and customized information that makes a proposal successful?

Did I mention that I want to cry?

This week has sucked donkey dicks, and I’m sorry if that’s abhorrent, but that’s just where I am right now.

~~~~~

The week had two high points.

The first started with a low point! I’d forgotten to watch “Mad Men” last Sunday night, or to DVR it. I was so “mad” at myself! Sunday nights ARE Mad Men night! How could I have forgotten? Well, luckily, my boss, Kristina, had DVR’d it and so she invited me to her place last night and we watched it together over a glass of wine. And proceeded to lift our eyebrows at each other on a regular basis. Very strange episode. (Heh heh, one of the ad agency’s founders [old fart] experienced LSD!) That show…I continue to love it/hate it. Oooh, the misogyny…It was a fun evening, and I enjoyed seeing Kristina’s young daughters. They are truly adorable, and although just 14 months apart (7 and 8), so incredibly different from each other. One long blonde hair and girly, the other short dark hair and a tom boy. Genes fascinate me.

Then, today while I was fighting off the sensation of “deer-in-the-headlights" with this fucking (yes fucking) proposal, and was totally absorbed in creating the org chart in Adobe Illustrator while simultaneously hunting down information for personnel resumes and writing narratives about pharmaceutical industrial processes that I know nothing about, my desk phone rang. It was…how can I even explain this?

Erik was my immediate supervisor (boss) at one of the most dysfunctional places I’d ever worked back in the early-to-mid 1990s (and I have worked at many truly dysfunctional places, as those who know me best will attest). Mostly it’s been my immediate supervisors (bosses) who were the dysfunctional catalysts in those situations, but Erik was my ray of sunshine, my avenue of hope in a dark world, my mentor making the dysfunction bearable. He was the boss-anomaly in my godawful work-life. And I have to admit: I have really had an impressively godawful work-life where just about every day has some element that makes me stop and stare in disbelief at the Twilight Zone insanity of my work environment. I would have left this industry eons ago, but I am very experienced, so in order to earn a half-way decent income, this is what I have to do. (And I will add, that in my current situation, there is definitely Twilight Zone crap that surrounds me, but I am ever so appreciative to be working with Kristina, who definitely sees those weird critters perched on the airplane wings, right along with me*).

I’d lost contact with Erik over the past several years. I assumed he’d retired. He must be pushing 70 now! He is native Norwegian and was educated in Edinburgh, Scotland and so he has a combo Norwegian/Scottish accent. And he looks—and sounds— just like Sean Connery, and I’m not kidding. That’s him to the right. See what I mean?

When the dysfunctional place started to spiral out of control and people were doing the mass exodus once the economy allowed for it (back in the mid 1990s), the best of the group (it was an architectural firm) left and formed their own firm, including Erik. Today they are extremely successful and he hasn’t retired because “I’m having too much fun!” Heh. He is a civil engineer (worked on the Disneyworld monorail in Orlando), but his joy is business development, which he has been doing for the past three decades. (He was also a print journalist at one time!) It was beyond wonderful to talk to him today! I loved hearing that familiar voice/accent. He was blown away to hear that Nate was almost 26 and in the Navy. “I remember that little red-headed cherub!” 

In spite of the crap of the day, talking to Erik was sure uplifting. Nice to have people like that in our lives.

*Er…it was a Twilight Zone episode. You might remember?

Crikey!

I am still laughing my lips off.  Just received a phone call from a young lady with a heavy Australian accent, that I couldn't hardly understand until she said, "Yire Nate's mum!" And then I got it. Heh heh. Then I talked to Nate -- big parade, dressed in their Whites, having the time of his life.

He’s enjoying (obviously…) his port-of-call in Darwin, Australia. Which is fitting. Hopefully he is mindful of his gene pool.

Lovely (Lucky) Weekends

This is an astronomical feat during the summer months, let alone April. Three weekends in a row of really nice weather. I mean really nice. Dry, sunny, warmish. Three in a row! With crap throughout the week days. I guess that’s where the “crap” belongs, but it sure made for nasty work commutes, especially in the Durango.

I finally got my car back today. (Oh, thank you!) A valve spring had busted and it’s a real puzzle because according to those in the know (read: John), it’s an anomaly. It probably wasn’t directly related to the previous repair, but maybe partially. Perhaps. It seemed fair to pay for parts and a portion of the labor. The shop is a one-man gig, Triple-A highly recommends them, and they genuinely seem to be on the up-and-up, providing us with all the worn out parts to look at. They appear to be a hard-scrabble middle-aged couple (she runs the front counter, he hides in the garage), and since they (she) was transparent in struggling what to do about charging us, it made it easy to compromise. (If only Republicans would learn that word). (I digress).

My previously beautifully clean Bug that I had the opportunity to enjoy it’s cleanliness for two days is now covered in yellow pollen. At least the inside is still good.

So, back to this past (lovely) weekend. Had a great Saturday at Camano Island visiting with my dad, walking on the beach (John found several agates! I found lots of beach glass!), visiting with my brother and my niece, lounging on the deck, and eating grilled rib-eye steaks (marinated in Stubbs marinade, oh-so-yummy!)  It was such a pleasant day. Well, except for the Mariners losing to a perfectly pitched game against the White Socks. Dad loves watching the Mariners, and it would sure be nice if they would step up and repeat the 1995 season, and then better. Maybe actually go to and win the Word Series! Jeeze, I might as well pine about winning Mega Bucks.

I got a new lens for my iPhone. It’s actually three lenses in one: Macro, Wide Angle, and Fish-eye. I had some fun with the fish-eye at Camano.

Hi, Dad!

Lookie at Mt. Baker! (click to embiggen):

 

Also got word that Nate will be home on leave from June 7 – 22nd! He’ll miss his birthday by two days, but at least he’ll be here to celebrate it. June is the Month of Birthdays for us – mine, Nate’s, John’s, my dad’s, and then Father’s Day. Thinking we’ll be having a big party! I also know that Nate is currently experiencing a port-of-call in Australia! Can’t wait to hear all his stories. (Knowing him, I’ll hear about the ones I probably would rather not hear about…) 

Kill (my car) Now

So I didn’t get my car back until that Wednesday, not Tuesday as they said (had to drive the f%$!ing Durango to work five whole days) and then…I completely fell back in love with my Bug. It drove wonderfully. I was rather peeved that they hadn’t at least vacuumed it out with that $2100 bill, but whatever. Last weekend I took it through the car wash and then spent over an hour at the vacuum station reaming out the inside. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I “detailed” it, but OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE. And I’m sure you all agree that a clean car (inside and out) drives so much better! My lil’ Bug was a’purring!

Until Tuesday of this week when I pulled into the driveway heading home from work and it abruptly started shimmying and shaking like an unbalanced washing machine. No warning. Nothing. John limped it back to the shop the following morning (in first gear the whole way, and in neutral at stop lights so it would keep running). Two full days now it’s been back in the shop and “they don’t know what the problem is.” Which I know is shorthand for “whatever is wrong, it has nothing to do with what we did before, so expect another huge bill.”

I can’t get over the rage I feel about this situation. I know I’m fortunate to have the (godawful) Durango to drive to and from work. No loaner car. I absolutely HATE driving it because it is such a beast, and it’s filthy, and the seat belt sticks to to the point where I believe every time that I will be stuck and wither and die because I can’t unbelt myself from the damned thing, and the side mirrors are SO HUGE that I’m just waiting to run over one of the gazillion brazen Seattle pedestrians because I CAN’T SEE THEM.

I am beyond frustrated.

~~~~~

At 4:30pm at work the day my car died (again), my cell phone rang and it was Nate calling from his ship! We talked for a good half hour! There was a bit of a delay and so that makes phone-talking kind of awkward, but it was so great to hear his voice. I hadn’t heard it since Christmas time when he called me from a taxi in Hong Kong! Close to a month from now, his deployment will be OVER. He’ll be back in San Diego! And his main worry about that? (I can’t help but giggle): His pickup is stored at an officer’s home out in the “desert” and Nate has an oversized vinyl cover over it to protect it…and he just knows he’s going to have to deal with THE WORST SPIDERS EVER in order to retrieve his truck. This is serious stuff. I will never forget the image of him having a spider fit in his sandbox in the back yard when he was little. PLUS, he was also bitten by a brown recluse when he was 5 or 6 years old and it was really nasty. Da kid has spider PTSD. No joke.

~~~~~

We now have our Harstine Island dream house Building Permit in hand. It’s a go. (Which required yet another several thousands of dollars…) April can bite me. Oh, and did I mention property taxes are due the end of the month? I really need to get me a hat of some sort and stand at the Seattle street corners, holding it out. The thousands of dollars of “out-go” this month have been beyond epic. I could just sob.

~~~~~

Heading to Camano Island Saturday to see my dad and family! Haven’t seen any of them since Christmas! The weather is supposed to be really nice, and I’m sure looking forward to a sunny Camano beach. It’s been a long time.

Well, Crap

So what’s up with my car, you ask? Timing belt. I had that happen before with my old Subaru – also going about 65-70 on the freeway and it abruptly died and I had to coast over to the shoulder. I remember it was expensive then (considering I was a single mom and money was ever-so-tight). This time? $2,000. God. The car is only worth about $5,000. Talk about a kick to the gut. I won’t get it back until Tuesday so I have two more work days dealing with driving the Durango to and from work. Ugh. That thing is just too big for the narrow streets of Seattle, and its over-sized side-mirrors make seeing the city’s ballsy pedestrians a constant heart-in-the-throat close call.

Oh, and then? We owe $1500 in taxes.

Just shoot me now.

~~~~~

We are at Harstine this weekend and it’s really nice! Sunshine! Not especially warm, though. Hoodies (yes! hoodies! I’m so dangerous!) and fleece are definitely necessary. Today, John’s folks and the dogs came by and we fixed a nice ham dinner, complete with sautéed fresh asparagus, scalloped potatoes, and my berry salad. We took a beach walk with five (yes, five) dogs of varying sizes and they were all very well-behaved.

And did I mention what a gorgeous day it was? The Olympics are stellar!

I have to work this weekend, though. I started my writing project (an article for the Daily Journal of Commerce) today, but I’m still several  hundred words short of my goal. Guess what I get to do tomorrow?

John will be busy tomorrow, too, with helping the neighbor clean up some of the godawful mess from January’s ice storm. Trees along our little private road cracked, broke, and fell like big match sticks every-damned-where. A bunch of them initially blocked the road completely, preventing any access, and the few folks who were around at the time had to attack them with chain saws. But it’s like a war zone along there and since the neighbor owns an equipment rental company, they will have a nice industrial strength wood chipper to clean it all up. Of course, I can’t get Fargo out of my head.

Awesomeness Followed by Suckitude

Tuesday I took the day off from work because of doctors appointments (I’ll be having a bunch coming up with a colonoscopy, mammogram, bone density…gah). And then later I met Margaret at the SO COOL Kent Station to see the movie “The Hunger Games.” We’d both read the trilogy and loved it, and last summer when we heard that they were making the movie, we made a pact to see it together when it came out. The movie was excellent, in spite of some of the elements that were left out (most of them — except one in particular — I was OK with due to time limitations), and also some added elements that I felt were mostly positive enhancements to the story. The casting was superb. Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss, exactly how I would imagine her. It is quite the story, and it hit me while I was watching the movie, as it did when I read the books, how very much it depicts what our country could easily become, and is on the track to becoming. If the republicans have their way, this is the perfect portrayal of the 1% (the coal-loving, well-fed, over-the-top excesses of the Capitol) vs. the 99% (the starving, utterly oppressed Districts). For as excellent of a movie as it was, the book (1st in the trilogy) was definitely better – almost always the case. The book has so much more depth and character development.

And what a joyful time with Margaret! We also did a little light shopping, got a bite to eat at the Ram, and talked and talked. (Well, not during the movie!) She has had such a rough 16 months with her husband battling cancer. I marvel at her strength, and yet I know that short of going through this with a child, this is the toughest thing anybody would have to endure.

Yesterday, on my way home from work, going close to 70 mph on the freeway (yup, I was sorta speeding, and it was a good thing), my car abruptly up and died. In the midst of going close to 70 mph. Utterly dead. No power steering, no power brakes, no engine doing ANYTHING. In many ways I was very fortunate because I was close to my exit and the momentum of my speed got me up it and with reefing on the steering wheel, it continued to get me into a shopping center parking lot. And then, it was done. I was sort of blocking, and so two very nice people pushed me and I again reefed on the steering wheel to position the car into a parking stall. And there I sat in a daze for a bit. I knew it was going to be an ordeal to get a hold of John because it was in the midst of his nap. We no longer have a landline, and he’s quite cell phone averse, but I needed to reach him so I punched in his number over and over and over again – I don’t know how many times. Dozens. At least. And yeah, he finally answered. Finally.

To make a long story short, I’m in LOVE with Triple A! Wow are they ever wonderful! The woman I talked to on the phone was so helpful and down-to-earth, and the tow truck driver was amazing! Really a nice guy, plus swift and skilled – and he highly recommended a relatively nearby repair shop that specializes in VW Bugs! We followed him there — the shop was closed, of course — and dropped my keys in the slot.

We still don’t know what the issue is — the shop wasn’t able to get to it today. I’ve had to drive the Durango to work. Ugh.

Ugly Sunday

Woke up in a foul mood, having slept like crap because the WIND kept waking me up throughout the night/early morning – man did the house shake! And get THIS lovely scenario: The dogs have been pooping on the deck. It has been soooo rainy lately and dachshunds really hate that, so the quicker they have to be outside, the better, according to their little pea brains. And the poop had piled up a bit. The wind blew our cooler that we take to Harstine across the entire length of the deck, and guess what? Said wind drug that cooler through (wet) dog poop. Do I need to go any further? It’s not a pretty picture…

Then, first thing I noticed this morning on Facebook was this post from Nate:

“Well I did it.... I destroyed my right shoulder in the gym..... looks like I'm getting out of the NAVY early.... Hopefully I still get the G.I. Bill..... Shitty.... Just typed all of this with one hand... took like 12 mins.”

I took great pause, as you can imagine, because the last Facebook chat we had was him signing off to head to the ship’s gym to work out. There were a whole bunch of comments under his post from fellow sailors and hometown friends expressing a lot of shock and grief. But then I realized what day it was. I commented: “April Fools? I hope!!!”

I haven’t heard a response one way or another to confirm that, but I’m 100% certain that’s the case. I mean, I do know Nate pretty darned well. He’s goooood. (Plus, if he were in dire straits, he’d be contacting his mama).

And then I had to work today. For 6 whole hours. Suckitude. What weekend?

At least “Mad Men” is on tonight. Off to watch it!