The cobbler’s children have no shoes

Tuesday I had a meeting with a customer. When we scheduled the meeting I told him to bring I-9 documentation. I discussed some examples, and he said he would bring the appropriate items.  What does he bring me? A driver's license and a military ID, both list B items. I told him that, and he said "it will work since I have two right?". I said "No, you must have one each from lists B & C or one from list A." What does this guy do for a living? HR. I-9 documentation is an HR 101 type of item.

As soon as he left, my coworker said "The HR guy doesn't bring appropriate I-9 documents." It was exactly what I was going to say. I am not impressed with his HR knowledge. This is a classic example of the cobbler's children having no shoes.

Thank you 2013 self

Dear 2013 Self,

I know it was very expensive to repair your 4x4 vehicle when the clutch went out. Thank you very much for carefully considering your options, then sucking it up and forking over the money. If you hadn't done that, it would have meant using 2 days of PTO this week with our 5" snow. Your other vehicle, the rear wheel drive, high horsepower, low clearance sports car, doesn't like this type of weather at all. Thanks so much for making the right decision. It was well worth the money.

Sincerely,

Present self   

Be prepared

Dear Area Residents:

As you may have noticed, we got some snow this week. Yes, I heard it is the most snow in 8 years, but 5-8" is not that unusual for us. You acted like the world was ending. The grocery store shelves were stripped nearly bare. There has been no school for 3 days.The story is consuming local media. What do I want to tell you at this point? It is winter. This happens. Suck it up.

People have been griping that many area businesses haven't closed. I have zero sympathy. I work for the state. We basically don't close. Our office has been open normal time every day. My previous employer took the same view. We are grown-ups. This is not school. There aren't snow days unless you want to use your PTO to have them.

I am amazed at how ill prepared people are for what is basically normal winter weather. I saw several people out in the snow in tennis shoes. I mentioned the run on the grocery store. Do people keep no food at their house? Any time much snow is predicted, there is the obligatory news story of people rushing the hardware store to buy shovels, etc. To save yourself some drama, here are some basic preparedness things you can do.

1. Keep some food in your house

This seems like common sense, but from what I see, apparently not everyone does this. You should be able to eat for at least a week off what you have on hand. It can be expensive to build your stock. Instead of doing it all at once, buy a couple of extra items when they are on sale and build them over time. Try to maintain a minimum stock of essentials so that are never forced to go to the grocery right before a storm.

2. Have the appropriate gear

You need items that will enable you to deal with the elements- snow boots, waterproof gloves, long underwear, hat, scarf, etc. For your car- a small shovel & scraper at a minimum. 

3. Plan for commuting accordingly

If you refuse to drive in the snow, make sure you reserve some PTO. Not going to work is a choice. If you are nervous driving in snow, find a nice big empty parking lot and do some practicing.  When the snow hits, leave early, drive slowly, keep an eye on the vehicles ahead of you to help anticipate issues, and keep as much distance between you and other cars as possible.

Would I rather be on the beach in Hawaii right how? You bet! But since we're not, let's take the appropriate steps to weather the storm as best we can. Preparation is key.

Happy Valentine's Day

I decided I wanted to make a cast iron skillet chocolate chip cookie to take to work for Valentine's Day this week. I looked around on the internet, and this one from Martha Stewart's website looked good. I added my own tweak of red M&M's in honor of the holiday.

And how did it taste? Martha did not steer me wrong. It was very well received by my coworkers with multiple requests for the recipe. I loved it too. This is an easy, tasty treat to whip up for the special someone(s) in your life. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.

That took some nerve

This morning a customer asked our receptionist to see me. He said another customer had recommended me as someone who would be helpful with his job search. When I met with him, I was incredulous to find that the person who told him to come see me was his wife. I and other staff members had indeed put in lots of hours trying to help her find a job. However, as soon as she got the offer she went off the grid. She would no longer return my phone calls. We are required to get documentation when customers start work, and then the next quarter we have to ascertain if they are still working. Since she wouldn't communicate with me, I had to get the information from the employer. Thus, this customer has been on my bad list for some time. To think she then had the nerve to recommend her husband come see me for assistance!

Thankfully I was able to treat him professionally and not say "Your wife has some nerve. She refused to cooperate after all the hours of help we gave her, and now she's sending you to us for assistance? You are tainted with guilt by association." I didn't say it, but I wanted to.

Garden Veggie Shrimp

I ran across a recipe for garden veggie shrimp in the January issue of Better Homes and Gardens and thought it sounded delicious. I am unable to post a link to it as you have to sign to view it, but a Google search will lead to it on the magazine's page or on Pinterest. I made it yesterday for lunch. I did a few modifications to reflect my taste such as not using carrots. It was easy to prepare, and it looked beautiful when done.

It had a nice flavor as well. I ate leftovers tonight for dinner,and it tasted even better since the flavors had longer to co-mingle. Definitely a 2 thumbs up recommendation.

Some days I love my job

This is not my forever job, but it does have its moments. Yesterday was filled with them. When I arrived at 8 I quickly discovered that we had no internet or phones. However, the wifi was working great. :) This situation lasted until 3:30 when all the phones and internet finally came back up. It was delightful. All we could tell customers was "try back later". I read two magazines and a large portion of a book on my IPod. Some days I really do love my job.