Pinion's workweek

[Pinion]

So here it is. Friday nite. I sit here at my desk and reflect up the past week and all that's been going on up here at the office.

1. Pinion got his yearly review.
2. Pinion got a raise. It wasnt the raise that Pinion wanted, or demanded. But given the state of the economy and business (ours), Pinion accepted the raise and let his boss know that things were going to have to change in the way of overtime if they expected Pinion to be ok with this raise.
3. Overtime for Pinion is pre-approved for 8hrs per week beginning in March and lasting until September. If Pinion wants to work +8 a week for those weeks, he can. If he chooses not to, it's on him.
4. Pinion got a promotion.
5. Pinion will be getting other job duties added to his new position. So basically Pinion gets a slight promotion (a manager in training) along with more new stuff and at the same time will be doing less of the usual stuff. So it's basically trading one for the other and getting a title that will carry some authority.
6. Pinion has been selected to "the man" if a new training program is implemented. This means that Pinion will have all kinds of authority and will be responsible for training techs for sure in Texas and possibly nation-wide. This also means that Pinion will potentially have to travel to Chicago a few times. Something Pinion is not ok with due to the means of transport being airplane. Pinion is like B.A. Baraccas. He dont fly...

So basically what all this means is that all these years Pinion has abused his body, verbally assualted his co-workers and supervisors, divorced 2 women, lived in hotels, tattoo'd his body, and been an all-around a-hole has finally paid off. It turns out, all this time they were listening to Pinion. But because Pinion wasnt in management, they didnt think he knew what he was talking about. Pinion was right.
Pinion was told point blank: "What the company needs is more people like yourself that are willing to look for solutions to problems we wont have until 5 years down the road".
Also Pinion was told: " I have no doubt you can do the work". And: "If they'll just let you do what you know how to do, things can change for the better". And: "If the people you're going to be in charge of can't learn the material, then we'll have to get people in there that can". And lastly: "You really made a 35year tech call you the Yard Nazi? crap.".

So all in all it's been a good week. Not just at work, but in my personal life as well. Therapy went well this week. I was told by an Xgirlfriend that she cant be around me because she'll want to have sex with me if she sees me. WTF? Why is that a problem? I got the chance to make both of my Xwives mad on the same day. And I got to hear from some people I havent heard from since high school.
And it's not even the end of the week yet... hahaha.

[F18mustang]

"You really made a 35year tech call you the Yard Nazi? crap."


:notworthy


Pinion in charge= crazy awesome. Congrats on the new gig.

Don't be a afraid of flying, Canada don't wanna mess with US Airways no mo.

[mad_fan]

So the 'Peter Principle' is still alive and well in corporate America...
:rolleyes:...

[JMSFan]

So the 'Peter Principle' is still alive and well in corporate America...
:rolleyes:...

Thats hilarious. :notworthy

[Pinion]

:notworthy


Pinion in charge= crazy awesome. Congrats on the new gig.

Don't be a afraid of flying, Canada don't wanna mess with US Airways no mo.

Ya. I have a terribad habit of going off when people wont listen. This guy was just being stupid. And I knew he was trying to get me mad. It worked. So I told him I was just going to order all the pieces to an engine and make him assemble it piece by piece in the customers yard. And no, I didnt care if it was 15F outside. He then changed his tune and started to sing my song. Then I said: "Now. Who'd the yard nazi?" And he says: "the what?"
me: "you heard me. Who's the yard nazi?"
Tech: "I guess. you are."
me: "say it. Say: Pinion you're the yard nazi".
Tech: "uh. well. this is aint right. you know it aint right"
me: "you can either say it or I'm thru talking and your parts are on the way"
Tech: "Pinion, you're the yard nazi. Now will you just ship me a complete engine?"
Me: "No problem. It'll be there in 4-6 business days. Thanks for calling and have a great day"


lawls.
Turns out, they were monitoring the phones. haha.. Not a big deal. Because it's been more than 3 months since I got caught being an a:Censor:hole to someone like that.

you can get like once foul up every quarter before they start to make a stink about it. This guy didnt even call back in to complain for some reason.
The last one went crying to his manager and his manager called my manager and I got to have a "phone conference" with everyone. I had to say "I'm sorry I made of you for crying and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings". Then I had to sign a thing stating that the next time I have a tech that becomes upset I'll pass the call off onto someone else and let them help him.

but ya thanks for the grats and stuff. It should be a lot of fun if everything works out with the training stuff. That'll be great. not just for me, but for the company as a whole.
I never understood why they stopped training anyway. It never made any sense to me.

I have another iron in another fire too that deals with technical writing. That would be a supersweet job to have. But I dont think the pay would be any better than what I'll end up making with the other. But it's nice to suddenly have several options on the table. Sometimes being the youngest one in the group has very distinct advantages. The 2 people that are more qualified than me for the manager in training stuff are both set to retire in next 3-5 years, so they lost out of the promotion.

[Pinion]

So the 'Peter Principle' is still alive and well in corporate America...
:rolleyes:...

you could say that..haha. But that's usually management anyway.

The reality is that I should have already been in this position. But when I left here in 2006 that screwed that up. When I came back they already had somebody else for the spot.
So what I did was make a big stink about wanting to go into this new program they're making and how grand life was going to be for me over there. Well, the guy in the position I just got suddenly decided he had to have position. So he transferred over to it. That freed up the spot I want.
And I really dont want the spot that I got. But I have to have it in order to get the actual manager spot. And I cant get that until that guy retires or whatever. Which is fine because by then, all the old guys over here will have retired too. The old guys dont like having me give them direction. Because they're all almost my dads age, they see me as a kid and they completely ignore my field experience, training, and overall crappy attitude.

One of the things I like about working here is the fact that I tend to flourish in the "coporate environment". Some people cant deal with it. I love it. It's just enough b-s drama to keep me interested and the work is something I know and can do. I'd rather work here than for any independant any day of the week.

[JMSFan]

Ya. I have a terribad habit of going off when people wont listen. This guy was just being stupid. And I knew he was trying to get me mad. It worked. So I told him I was just going to order all the pieces to an engine and make him assemble it piece by piece in the customers yard. And no, I didnt care if it was 15F outside. He then changed his tune and started to sing my song. Then I said: "Now. Who'd the yard nazi?" And he says: "the what?"
me: "you heard me. Who's the yard nazi?"
Tech: "I guess. you are."
me: "say it. Say: Pinion you're the yard nazi".
Tech: "uh. well. this is aint right. you know it aint right"
me: "you can either say it or I'm thru talking and your parts are on the way"
Tech: "Pinion, you're the yard nazi. Now will you just ship me a complete engine?"
Me: "No problem. It'll be there in 4-6 business days. Thanks for calling and have a great day"


lawls.
Turns out, they were monitoring the phones. haha.. Not a big deal. Because it's been more than 3 months since I got caught being an a:Censor:hole to someone like that.

you can get like once foul up every quarter before they start to make a stink about it. This guy didnt even call back in to complain for some reason.
The last one went crying to his manager and his manager called my manager and I got to have a "phone conference" with everyone. I had to say "I'm sorry I made of you for crying and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings". Then I had to sign a thing stating that the next time I have a tech that becomes upset I'll pass the call off onto someone else and let them help him.

but ya thanks for the grats and stuff. It should be a lot of fun if everything works out with the training stuff. That'll be great. not just for me, but for the company as a whole.
I never understood why they stopped training anyway. It never made any sense to me.

I have another iron in another fire too that deals with technical writing. That would be a supersweet job to have. But I dont think the pay would be any better than what I'll end up making with the other. But it's nice to suddenly have several options on the table. Sometimes being the youngest one in the group has very distinct advantages. The 2 people that are more qualified than me for the manager in training stuff are both set to retire in next 3-5 years, so they lost out of the promotion.

You wouldnt speak to me that way. And as far as the 2 older guys close to retirement, you are probably just a big joke in their eyes.

[F18mustang]

Ya. I have a terribad habit of going off when people wont listen. This guy was just being stupid. And I knew he was trying to get me mad. It worked. So I told him I was just going to order all the pieces to an engine and make him assemble it piece by piece in the customers yard. And no, I didnt care if it was 15F outside. He then changed his tune and started to sing my song. Then I said: "Now. Who'd the yard nazi?" And he says: "the what?"
me: "you heard me. Who's the yard nazi?"
Tech: "I guess. you are."
me: "say it. Say: Pinion you're the yard nazi".
Tech: "uh. well. this is aint right. you know it aint right"
me: "you can either say it or I'm thru talking and your parts are on the way"
Tech: "Pinion, you're the yard nazi. Now will you just ship me a complete engine?"
Me: "No problem. It'll be there in 4-6 business days. Thanks for calling and have a great day"

Haha, maybe hes jewish? :p

[mad_fan]

you could say that..haha. But that's usually management anyway.

The reality is that I should have already been in this position. But when I left here in 2006 that screwed that up. When I came back they already had somebody else for the spot.
So what I did was make a big stink about wanting to go into this new program they're making and how grand life was going to be for me over there. Well, the guy in the position I just got suddenly decided he had to have position. So he transferred over to it. That freed up the spot I want.
And I really dont want the spot that I got. But I have to have it in order to get the actual manager spot. And I cant get that until that guy retires or whatever. Which is fine because by then, all the old guys over here will have retired too. The old guys dont like having me give them direction. Because they're all almost my dads age, they see me as a kid and they completely ignore my field experience, training, and overall crappy attitude.

One of the things I like about working here is the fact that I tend to flourish in the "coporate environment". Some people cant deal with it. I love it. It's just enough b-s drama to keep me interested and the work is something I know and can do. I'd rather work here than for any independant any day of the week.


We could make it look like an accident...:ninja:

[Pinion]

You wouldnt speak to me that way. And as far as the 2 older guys close to retirement, you are probably just a big joke in their eyes.

I didnt post the whole conversation I had with the guy. But had youcalled in and was acting like he was acting, I would have still said the same stuff. They hang up on me if they dont like how I talk to them. I'm the nicest guy in the world until I catch them in a lie. Then that ends the nice stuff. I let them know that I dont appreciate being lied to and they either continue to lie and suffer the wrath or they come clean and we move on.

I'm sure the old farts see me as a big joke and that's fine with me. It's not the first time I've had to deal with oldsters. I just play along with their mess until their old-age demetia catches up with them. Meaning, I let them hang themselves.

I dont really have a problem with them for the most part. They just dont like having to answer to someone that's a lot younger than them. And I can understand that. But, if they'd have played their cards right when they were my age, they could have been the manager and never had to worry about it.
But really, I do get along with everyone on my team. I try to keep the peace amongst the guys I have to work with. Except Token. He doesnt belong here because he just doesnt know what he's doing. But that's soon to be taken care of. He was told he'll either learn the material we need to know or he'll be shipped to another department.

[Pinion]

We could make it look like an accident...:ninja:

hahaha.. nah. He's a kool old dood. He's up in his 60's. He was in the military for lots of years. He used to sit and eavesdrop on the BerlinWall during the Cold War. He drinks warm beer. Has a German wife..haha.. I wouldnt mess with him.. He's kinda frail looking, but I suspect he'd take your head off if he were cornered.. lol.
Besides, I have to learn his job from him so when it's my time I'll know it. Nobody else up here knows what he does. They only know that he gets it done.

[mad_fan]

I didnt post the whole conversation I had with the guy. But had youcalled in and was acting like he was acting, I would have still said the same stuff. They hang up on me if they dont like how I talk to them. I'm the nicest guy in the world until I catch them in a lie. Then that ends the nice stuff. I let them know that I dont appreciate being lied to and they either continue to lie and suffer the wrath or they come clean and we move on.

I'm sure the old farts see me as a big joke and that's fine with me. It's not the first time I've had to deal with oldsters. I just play along with their mess until their old-age demetia catches up with them. Meaning, I let them hang themselves.

I dont really have a problem with them for the most part. They just dont like having to answer to someone that's a lot younger than them. And I can understand that. But, if they'd have played their cards right when they were my age, they could have been the manager and never had to worry about it.
But really, I do get along with everyone on my team. I try to keep the peace amongst the guys I have to work with. Except Token. He doesnt belong here because he just doesnt know what he's doing. But that's soon to be taken care of. He was told he'll either learn the material we need to know or he'll be shipped to another department.

Care to define OLD FARTS???

[JMSFan]

I didnt post the whole conversation I had with the guy. But had youcalled in and was acting like he was acting, I would have still said the same stuff. They hang up on me if they dont like how I talk to them. I'm the nicest guy in the world until I catch them in a lie. Then that ends the nice stuff. I let them know that I dont appreciate being lied to and they either continue to lie and suffer the wrath or they come clean and we move on.

I'm sure the old farts see me as a big joke and that's fine with me. It's not the first time I've had to deal with oldsters. I just play along with their mess until their old-age demetia catches up with them. Meaning, I let them hang themselves.

I dont really have a problem with them for the most part. They just dont like having to answer to someone that's a lot younger than them. And I can understand that. But, if they'd have played their cards right when they were my age, they could have been the manager and never had to worry about it.
But really, I do get along with everyone on my team. I try to keep the peace amongst the guys I have to work with. Except Token. He doesnt belong here because he just doesnt know what he's doing. But that's soon to be taken care of. He was told he'll either learn the material we need to know or he'll be shipped to another department.

If you earned their respect, it wouldnt bother them at all to take direction from you.

[mad_fan]

hahaha.. nah. He's a kool old dood. He's up in his 60's. He was in the military for lots of years. He used to sit and eavesdrop on the BerlinWall during the Cold War. He drinks warm beer. Has a German wife..haha.. I wouldnt mess with him.. He's kinda frail looking, but I suspect he'd take your head off if he were cornered.. lol.
Besides, I have to learn his job from him so when it's my time I'll know it. Nobody else up here knows what he does. They only know that he gets it done.

Does she have to call you a Nazi???:rolleyes:
...
There's a lot to be said for warm beers and British girls...but I didn't spend any time in Germany when I was in the service...

[Pinion]

Care to define OLD FARTS???

hahaha.. people over 59 are old farts. They're kool and all. All meeting up at Cracker Barrel and kicking it over coffee at 5am.. lol.

[mad_fan]

hahaha.. people over 59 are old farts. They're kool and all. All meeting up at Cracker Barrel and kicking it over coffee at 5am.. lol.

Cool...I'm only 45...and we meet at Whataburger...at 5AM...

[Pinion]

If you earned their respect, it wouldnt bother them at all to take direction from you.

Well, that's the thing. As far as what we do, the actual job. I have their respect there. It's a seniority thing for them. Used to around here, in order to advance you just had to have in a lot of years. That was how they picked management positions. Almost strictly based on your years with the company. It's not been that way for about 10 years or so. Most of these guys have in 35 or more years with the company. They still think it should be like it used to be. Put in enough years and get to management.
Their 5 year plan is to make some form of management and then retire. My 5 year plan is to make some form of management (which i've basically done now) and then have plenty of years left to be in that position and make things work.
Basically they seem to resent the fact that I've been put in this position. But that's the only place where I have a problem with them. and part of it is also because I am not actually their manager. And I prolly wont ever be. They'll prolly all be retired before I get the actual management position.

I mean, I understand it though. I didnt like it when I was a field tech back in Louisiana and they hired a bank manager to be our tech manager. I was like "wtf?" A bank manager? She doesnt even know what we do. She's a pencil pusher. And she was. She didnt last long either.

Like today. One of the old guys comes over and wanted me to explain a transmission mount (for a hydro unit) and how the linkages all work with each other. We talked about it and he says "wow. They didnt have stuff like that on mowers 25 years ago". Nope. they didnt. or not for consumer stuff (very often). But then an hour or so later I go to the same guy and ask him to fill out this stupid survey/test on a class we had. Nope. Not gonna happen. he says: "I'll wait and talk to Neale about it. Because I have to account for my time and stuff". I tell him: "I've already taken care of that. It took me about 15mins to take the survey, you'll prolly get it done in less time because most of that stuff was not new to you". He says: "I'll just wait and talk to Neale on Monday and do it then. Why didnt he bring this around here to me when he was still here?" I says: "Because he wanted me to take care of it with the people who are here after 3pm. It's really a non-issue. Just log-in to the survey page and then click the MTD update link and answer the questions. It's not a big deal." He tells me: "I'll come in early and talk to Neale on Monday about it".
Ok by me. I dont care if he ever does it. haha. I didnt tell him that. I just told him to make sure he talks to Neale because the company wants us all to fill out the survey. I sent Neale and email letting him know I tried to get everyone that stays late to do it and that one wouldnt take it. He emailed me back (from home) and said not to worry about it that he was expecting that one to be a problem.

[CoveMom]

So the 'Peter Principle' is still alive and well in corporate America...
:rolleyes:...

That's funny....I was thinking that Pinion had successfully applied Pavlov's Theory......ON THE MANAGEMENT!


:D;)

[mad_fan]

I'll confess...
I was never man enough to try corporate America...;)
I'm not counting the summer stocking shelves at midnight for the Anti-Christ of Texas grocery stores...666...or HEB...whatever you call it...
Did the small biz thing...did the military thing...did the small biz thing...and then went out on my own...
I'm living proof...the Peter Principle works...

:rolleyes:...

[Pinion]

Does she have to call you a Nazi???:rolleyes:
...
There's a lot to be said for warm beers and British girls...but I didn't spend any time in Germany when I was in the service...

I've never talked to his wife. I'm certain she's real because he talks about her all the time. And most of it is stuff that couldnt be made up. lol.

I say warm beer. He says "room temperature" beer. He prefers "cellar temperature", but room will work.
He was telling me that when he was stationed in Germany that was the only way you could get beer. I dont know if it was because of the remoteness of the location or if that's just how they did it. He told me, but it's been 2006 since we talked about it. So I dont remember why it was that way. But he says he got used to it like that and since then cannot drink a cold beer. Says it's gross and ruins the flavor.

This dood has been here for about 20years or so. He's been in his position longer than I've been with the company (15 years). So it will take me about 3 years to just understand what all he does. And another 2 after that to really have a good understanding of why. He's very very territorial. Our boss doesnt even know whatall he does. And doesnt want to know. He just told me that he talked with the old guy and the old guy said that I was for sure trainable and the only reasonable person we have that would be able to the job as intended. I took that as a huge compliment coming from him. Anyone else, it would have been kool. but coming from this guy, it meant a lot to me.

[Pinion]

I'll confess...
I was never man enough to try corporate America...;)
I'm not counting the summer stocking shelves at midnight for the Anti-Christ of Texas grocery stores...666...or HEB...whatever you call it...
Did the small biz thing...did the military thing...did the small biz thing...and then went out on my own...
I'm living proof...the Peter Principle works...

:rolleyes:...

I dont think it's man enough. hahaha.. It's not for everyone though. I just seem to fit right into it for some reason. I never thought I would. But here I am. Company man-Pinion.

[SLC]

Well done Mr.Pinion..:notworthy

I hope this doesn't mean you are "to good" to get together and watch some HSF with me now....:D

[mad_fan]

I've never talked to his wife. I'm certain she's real because he talks about her all the time. And most of it is stuff that couldnt be made up. lol.


You do know old farts make people up???