Mother bitch session

My mother, bless her heart, is buying a car for #1 son. She has taken to subtle comments, aimed at me no doubt, such as "well everyone seems to be kicking the poor boy while he's down, so I thought I would help him."

I guess I'm the one who's kicking him while he's down.

There's a widower my parents know who has a '91 Buick that was his wife's. He has decided to get rid of it, so my mother has bought it and is having a mechanic go over it. She will then allow #1 to make payments to her.

I'm certainly not opposed to him getting wheels, or to her helping him, but he will wind up not making payments, she will call me complaining about it, and I will have to tell her she made the deal with him and it is between them.

Why am I so negative about this? I have lived/known her for 43 years, and him for 19. I know with fair certainty how this will go down.

And she is enabling his behaviour, by making this easy for him. Now he will have more money for drugs and alcohol.

Progeny Bitch Session

Things are going well for #1 son at work. His boss is happy, his boss's boss is happy, the owner of the company talked with him at length yesterday then told me last night he was a firm believer in nepotism and that #1 was obviously bright enough that we should put him in management training.

So why am I bitching? I pick him up at 6:30 every morning. For a long time now, if I wake up early I will go on to work and have incredibly productive hours at before everyone else gets in. Now I wait for him. Several times I was done at 6:00 or 6:30 in the evenings, but his machine is still running so I wait till 7:00 or 7:30.

And really, I'm o.k. with it since it's a chance for him to get ahead. All I asked of him was that he save $300/month towards a car of his own. He was bringing home $340/2weeks on his old job, now he brings home $350-$365 every week. Last Thursday, the first milestone date we had agreed to, he showed a ticket from the ATM showing $305. Today I asked him if that money was still in his account, since he is supposed to have $600 by June 1. He went off on me, about how I'm trying to control his money and have since he first went to work at Taco Bell 3 years ago. All pissy because I made him pay his own car insurance. My deal to all the boys was/is I will provide a car for 18 months so they can save and buy their own, and I will pay insurance 3 months so they find a job and get started. If they keep a 3.0 GPA, I'll pay their insurance past that. He never achieved a 2.0 GPA, and blew the hell out of his money. 18 months in, all he had was his most recent paycheck.

Bottom line- he does not still have the $300. My deal with him was I would provide transportation for 90 days. Realistically, he should be able to save $1500 in that time. he will have nothing. I will quit giving him rides, and he will lose his job. It's 18 miles from his apt to the plant, a little far to walk.

And somehow, once again, his travails will be my fault. I guess in essance he is right. I failed to teach him what he needs to make it in the world.

Boss Bitch session

I would love to bitch about my boss, and his habit of "recycling" paper by printing on the back side of old reports and the confusion it has led to this week when the wrong side of the paper is looked at, but I probably shouldn't

The Preacher would be saying "SHIT" right about now

Sleeper B just ain't getting it. He walks off for a smoke break at bad moments, and when co-workers come over to help him in a bad moment (they all do that for each other) he steps back to let him have the trouble, or he steps out for a smoke. I have observed this myself, and so have his foreman and supervisor. He says everyone's out to get him. I am about to fire him again.

SHIT!

They aren't all bad

Lest I fall into the trap of the mainstream media and only report bad news:

Carl is 22, he came in as part of the 2nd wave, last August (the recent hirings are 4th wave). I knew he was going to be a father, he's been excited about it since he found out. Carl has been on time every day except when he asked to go for an ultra-sound with his girl friend 2 months ago. Monday I overheard a conversation between him and some of the guys from the other part of the plant in the canteen.

"Man, what'd you go and get married for. Now she won't get no money from the State"

"I don't care, he's going to have my last name on his birth certificate"

"Man, you stupid. Just shack up then she can get money from the State"

"I don't want money from the State. I want to be married"

"Man, you stupid"

Tell me at least part of the problem in the black community isn't cultural.

(Relatively) painless

O.K. All hired up and fully staffed after just 3 days of interviews. As mentioned earlier, sleeper B is back for a second chance, and one more young man was hired. He had the complete 2 year automotive course in high school, so maybe he can move up into a mechanic's spot later. Also hired- 1 young lady with computer skills. She's starting out in the testing laboratory, but she may wind up as a clerk for the production area.

The others are all 35 years old (+). One guy has what can only be described as contagious enthusiasm. He worked one job for 14 years, before the plant shut down. He then got his liscence to drive trucks, but didn't like being away from home. 2 other woment were hired as well for quality control and/or the testing laboratory.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh yeah this will do....

Interviewing again- I generraly trust my secretary to "pre-screen" applicants, but she occasionally lets one get through. Remember the young man with the hoodie covering everything but his eyes and nose?

So, she interupts my lunch saying she has one I "really need to talk to." O.K. I tell her to bring her on down. It turns out to be an extremely pulchritudinous young woman wearing a halter top and low riser jeans. She has enough metal through holes in her ears, lips, cheeks, and eyebrows to make a new machine for the plant. Tattoed on her right forearm in large letters is "Bossy", on her abdomen just above her jeans is "Delicious", in the back partially obscured by the elastic of her exposed thong is "Lickit". I give her the tour of the plant just like I do all the other applicants who make it past Lauri, and it becomes apparent she is acquainted with several of the guys on the floor. As we walk past each work area the guys stop to watch. "O.K. I'll have to fuss at the guys" I think. It's their problem, not hers.

Until we are walking out of the department and she stops at the door, leans forward to put her hands on her knees, and grinds her hips for about 1.5 seconds.

It took me 30 minutes to get the guys back on task. I'm afraid she might be a disruption.

I asked Lauri what the hell she was thinking. She implied she owed me one for something but was vague about it.

I didn't hire the young lady because she didn't have the computer skills I was looking for.