(no subject)
Nov. 23rd, 2003 08:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ebony14Well, things are doing moderately well, thankfully. Friday was the last day of the training at work. On Monday, Kevin (the other new guy) and I start performing without a net, so to speak. I'm not sure I follow Verizon's logic in this whole thing, but here's how I interpret their actions:
a.) Verizon is spending too much money on its employees, so it offers them a separation package. A number of them take it (60 out of about 150 at my location), leaving them very short-handed.
b.) Since they still need to perform the services that they provide to their customers, Verizon hires temporary workers from various temp agencies in the Metroplex. These temps are given 2 weeks of hurried training and then turned loose upon the world of Internet Yellow Pages and associated Web sites.
c.) At the same time that they are training the temps, Verizon announces that there are full-time positions coming available and that the temps have first crack at them.
I see this ending in this whole cycle repeating in about six months. It's very weird. Not that I mind the work; it's right up my alley and keeps me busy enough that I don't do something unwise like nap at my desk. Still, I hope that this plan isn't indicative of Verizon management thinking. It doesn't strike me as particularly wise.
Friday night was D&D. I must say that I take a certain amount of satisfaction at playing a cantankerous halfling mountain man. Kerchak "Troll-Skinner" is just a fun character to play. And the interaction with the "big folk" among the party is most amusing. I must stop rules-lawyering. It's pretty bad when you're annoyed by your own bad habits.
Saturday: Got some work done and watched my new copy of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." I got the boxed set last week. I found it to be a pretty good copy. The sound on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" seems a bit weird, though; the music overwhelms the dialogue in a few spots. I think I might have had the tuner set up wrong though.
Went to a ConDFW meeting. For those who came in late, go to http://www.condfw.org and read up on what is turning out to be the most laid-back convention I've ever been to (and I've been to a lot of conventions). Although, in reflection, SMOGcon was more informal. Of course, that's not so much a convention as an industry gathering. And it's on the Strip in Vegas, a place that I believe couldn't be laid back on a bet.
Anywho, some things were hashed out and some things were not. Those things that were not were mostly because some of the con officers were lazy slugs and couldn't be bothered to make it to a meeting. I can understand that Woodchuck didn't show; Gaming is a minor department, and most of his work is done beforehand. But Dealers' Room and the hotel arrangements are approaching the critical phase. Lotus and Christy could've showed.
After the meeting (and a brief period of roommate-bashing ... more on that later), trucked out to Arlington Convention Center to poke around Wizard World. I felt like I was back at the last Summer Dallas Fantasy Fair. One giant Dealers' Room, complete with local Playmate over in the corner. Not a good sign. I hope that the staff catches a clue and does something about setting up stuff that isn't about selling comics. Assuming that they aren't completely mercantile monkeys ....
Afterwards, I helped set up and run the CBLDF Karaoke Show. CBLDF, for those not in the know, is the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. They can be found here, http://www.cbldf.org. Good group of folks. Last night was to raise funds to help Jesus Castillo, the manager of a local comic shop (where I happen to buy my comics), with his legal fees and fines. It seems that he was arrested for selling a pornographic comic to an adult.
Take a moment to parse that last sentence. Yes, I wrote it correctly. It seems that Jesus sold a comic to an undercover cop. The comic was marked as being "For Mature Readers" and Jesus checked the man's id before selling it to him. The comic was behind the counter and not out where minors could get at it. And yet, Jesus was arrested. Now, when I explain this situation to my folks, they've responded with "Well, there's probably something involved that you're not aware of." That may be true, but I haven't seen anything about it in my (admittedly cursory) examination of the facts. Could somebody explain this to me? Am I missing something, or are the obscenity laws that fucking vague?
Anyways, last night was to raise money for Jesus and his boss, Keith. Karaoke by the comic writers, artists, and related folks. It was amusing and entertaining for a while, especially when the Editor in Chief of DC and another guy did "I Got You, Babe."
And then they dragged Jason Mewes (Jay of Jay and Silent Bob) up there and made him sing "Copacabana." Then it was fucking hilarious. He got into it too. It was a shame when they made him stop.
The absolutely most amazing thing was that Top Cow Comics put up $1400 dollars to make Jim Lee sing "Achy Breaky Heart." I was mightily impressed by these folks' charity.
After that, there was a bit of drinking, and then the CBLDF gang broke up (that's gooch14 and his two roommates, Gambit and Dan) for the evening. Headed home and fed my noisy cat.
Sunday: Woke up this morning to the sound of a roommate finally realizing that most of the mess in the front room was his and cleaning up. Fed cat and went back to sleep for a few more hours. Got up, ironed work clothes while watching "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and then did dishes while roommate put on an ad DVD that he'd picked up at Gamestop (episode of Battlestar Galactica with promos for the new miniseries that is coming in December). Then caught up with some of my web forums. Then wrote this.
Tomorrow, we find out if I can solo without crashing. Again, look for news reports of somebody doing donuts through the center of a Verizon office in Coppell. That'll be me.
a.) Verizon is spending too much money on its employees, so it offers them a separation package. A number of them take it (60 out of about 150 at my location), leaving them very short-handed.
b.) Since they still need to perform the services that they provide to their customers, Verizon hires temporary workers from various temp agencies in the Metroplex. These temps are given 2 weeks of hurried training and then turned loose upon the world of Internet Yellow Pages and associated Web sites.
c.) At the same time that they are training the temps, Verizon announces that there are full-time positions coming available and that the temps have first crack at them.
I see this ending in this whole cycle repeating in about six months. It's very weird. Not that I mind the work; it's right up my alley and keeps me busy enough that I don't do something unwise like nap at my desk. Still, I hope that this plan isn't indicative of Verizon management thinking. It doesn't strike me as particularly wise.
Friday night was D&D. I must say that I take a certain amount of satisfaction at playing a cantankerous halfling mountain man. Kerchak "Troll-Skinner" is just a fun character to play. And the interaction with the "big folk" among the party is most amusing. I must stop rules-lawyering. It's pretty bad when you're annoyed by your own bad habits.
Saturday: Got some work done and watched my new copy of "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." I got the boxed set last week. I found it to be a pretty good copy. The sound on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" seems a bit weird, though; the music overwhelms the dialogue in a few spots. I think I might have had the tuner set up wrong though.
Went to a ConDFW meeting. For those who came in late, go to http://www.condfw.org and read up on what is turning out to be the most laid-back convention I've ever been to (and I've been to a lot of conventions). Although, in reflection, SMOGcon was more informal. Of course, that's not so much a convention as an industry gathering. And it's on the Strip in Vegas, a place that I believe couldn't be laid back on a bet.
Anywho, some things were hashed out and some things were not. Those things that were not were mostly because some of the con officers were lazy slugs and couldn't be bothered to make it to a meeting. I can understand that Woodchuck didn't show; Gaming is a minor department, and most of his work is done beforehand. But Dealers' Room and the hotel arrangements are approaching the critical phase. Lotus and Christy could've showed.
After the meeting (and a brief period of roommate-bashing ... more on that later), trucked out to Arlington Convention Center to poke around Wizard World. I felt like I was back at the last Summer Dallas Fantasy Fair. One giant Dealers' Room, complete with local Playmate over in the corner. Not a good sign. I hope that the staff catches a clue and does something about setting up stuff that isn't about selling comics. Assuming that they aren't completely mercantile monkeys ....
Afterwards, I helped set up and run the CBLDF Karaoke Show. CBLDF, for those not in the know, is the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. They can be found here, http://www.cbldf.org. Good group of folks. Last night was to raise funds to help Jesus Castillo, the manager of a local comic shop (where I happen to buy my comics), with his legal fees and fines. It seems that he was arrested for selling a pornographic comic to an adult.
Take a moment to parse that last sentence. Yes, I wrote it correctly. It seems that Jesus sold a comic to an undercover cop. The comic was marked as being "For Mature Readers" and Jesus checked the man's id before selling it to him. The comic was behind the counter and not out where minors could get at it. And yet, Jesus was arrested. Now, when I explain this situation to my folks, they've responded with "Well, there's probably something involved that you're not aware of." That may be true, but I haven't seen anything about it in my (admittedly cursory) examination of the facts. Could somebody explain this to me? Am I missing something, or are the obscenity laws that fucking vague?
Anyways, last night was to raise money for Jesus and his boss, Keith. Karaoke by the comic writers, artists, and related folks. It was amusing and entertaining for a while, especially when the Editor in Chief of DC and another guy did "I Got You, Babe."
And then they dragged Jason Mewes (Jay of Jay and Silent Bob) up there and made him sing "Copacabana." Then it was fucking hilarious. He got into it too. It was a shame when they made him stop.
The absolutely most amazing thing was that Top Cow Comics put up $1400 dollars to make Jim Lee sing "Achy Breaky Heart." I was mightily impressed by these folks' charity.
After that, there was a bit of drinking, and then the CBLDF gang broke up (that's gooch14 and his two roommates, Gambit and Dan) for the evening. Headed home and fed my noisy cat.
Sunday: Woke up this morning to the sound of a roommate finally realizing that most of the mess in the front room was his and cleaning up. Fed cat and went back to sleep for a few more hours. Got up, ironed work clothes while watching "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and then did dishes while roommate put on an ad DVD that he'd picked up at Gamestop (episode of Battlestar Galactica with promos for the new miniseries that is coming in December). Then caught up with some of my web forums. Then wrote this.
Tomorrow, we find out if I can solo without crashing. Again, look for news reports of somebody doing donuts through the center of a Verizon office in Coppell. That'll be me.
