After several weeks of having to read Brigid and Tam brag about the smoked lamb bacon they are able to have in the Paradise they have label Broad Ripple, I decided to get motivated and do some looking around here for the same product.
No luck. In fact, no luck, and several crazy looks when I did get brave enough to ask about lamb bacon.
I'm not one to give up hope that easily though. One of my wife's friends has an in I've started exploiting...her in-laws own a farm up in Connell, where they raise lambs...and they actually sell their brand through a chain of local grocery stores, Yokes. Through the magic of social media, I asked her if she could talk to her in-laws about lamb bacon, and after she got looked at like she was crazy, I forwarded her a link to the Smoking Goose's webpage, showing tasty looking pictures of lamb bacon.
So...now the waiting game starts. Hopefully, my efforts have started some kind of ball rolling, and sometime in the next 5 or 6 years, I'll be able to try some smoked lamb bacon.
9.13.2013
9.12.2013
Like a kiss from a cousin.
Today, I accepted an offer for a new job position at work. No longer will I be a Radiological Controls Supervisor...I will now be a Radiological Work Planner/Health Physicist. As far as reality goes, for all intents and purposes, this is a lateral transfer. I am still working for the same company, and I am still working for the same boss, and I am not making a dollar more than I did last week, so, it's almost like a kiss from a cousin.
But...to me, and my mental well being, going from being a supervisor to what is more of a staff/paperwork position, it's a kiss from a 2nd cousin who happens to be a supermodel. The fact is, I am burned out being a supervisor. Being a 1st line supervisor is one of the most thankless jobs in the world. You catch the crap from each direction, and your job is to act as a poop filter in both directions. You have to filter and decide what is important to pass both up and down the chain. You can't just be a pipeline...you have to be a strainer.
I think I've always been really good at that part of the job. My bosses have always been pleased with me because I get work done, and I don't bog them down with silly stuff. The people that work for me have always seemed to appreciate the fact that I do a good job of only passing down what is important, and eating a lot of the stupid B.S. But...that kind of stuff eats at you. When you start deciding what is important and what isn't as a first line supervisor, you are assuming the risk. If something DOES go wrong, and some of the B.S. you decided was not important could have stopped it...well, prepare to be hung out to dry.
I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the emotional toll of being a good supervisor, and I'm tired of the 'baby-sitting' aspect of supervision...even when dealing with a good bunch of guys...and realistically, the guys I have had working for me for the last 8 months are as good a bunch as one could expect to find at Hanford.
So now, I will just be responsible for myself. I will have a list of procedures that need to be written and or reviewed, and work packages that need the proper radiological controls built into them. I will be responsible for finding my own satisfaction, and making the most of every day.
With 100% truth, in the end it will be a lot less stress for the same money. And who knows...maybe in a few years, my batteries will be recharged and I can go back to being a supervisor.
But...to me, and my mental well being, going from being a supervisor to what is more of a staff/paperwork position, it's a kiss from a 2nd cousin who happens to be a supermodel. The fact is, I am burned out being a supervisor. Being a 1st line supervisor is one of the most thankless jobs in the world. You catch the crap from each direction, and your job is to act as a poop filter in both directions. You have to filter and decide what is important to pass both up and down the chain. You can't just be a pipeline...you have to be a strainer.
I think I've always been really good at that part of the job. My bosses have always been pleased with me because I get work done, and I don't bog them down with silly stuff. The people that work for me have always seemed to appreciate the fact that I do a good job of only passing down what is important, and eating a lot of the stupid B.S. But...that kind of stuff eats at you. When you start deciding what is important and what isn't as a first line supervisor, you are assuming the risk. If something DOES go wrong, and some of the B.S. you decided was not important could have stopped it...well, prepare to be hung out to dry.
I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the emotional toll of being a good supervisor, and I'm tired of the 'baby-sitting' aspect of supervision...even when dealing with a good bunch of guys...and realistically, the guys I have had working for me for the last 8 months are as good a bunch as one could expect to find at Hanford.
So now, I will just be responsible for myself. I will have a list of procedures that need to be written and or reviewed, and work packages that need the proper radiological controls built into them. I will be responsible for finding my own satisfaction, and making the most of every day.
With 100% truth, in the end it will be a lot less stress for the same money. And who knows...maybe in a few years, my batteries will be recharged and I can go back to being a supervisor.
9.11.2013
I'm okay with this.
It's rare that my wife and I agree 100% on something. I would say we usually agree on about 70% of things...and even when we agree on things, we don't always agree for the same reason. The other day though, we came to complete agreement about Washington EBT cards...in particular, things we didn't like about them.
The conversation began at a gas station, when I must have walked out shaking my head after pre-paying for some gas. My wife asked me what was wrong, and I told her how I had been in line behind a lady that was buying 6 Slurpees(one for herself and each of her 5 kids), and she had been using her EBT card to pay for them. We rapidly both came to the conclusion that we both felt there should be limits on what type of food you should be able to buy with your EBT card. I've got a hard time believing that even Kennedy or Johnson intended purchases like that when they promoted food stamps programs. In fact...from the research I have done, it seems the first programs in the early 60's were to promote the consumption of surplus vegetables.
So...on the heels of that conversation, and maybe proving I am 'cutting edge' for once, the GOP have introduced a bill that would block food stamp users from buying junk food, essentially limiting them to food which meets the nutritional guidelines of the WIC program.
Yeah...I'm 100% okay with this. There was actually a 6-month period early on in my marriage where my wife and I qualified for, and collected WIC benefits...so, it would be very hypocritical of me to say 'destroy all these programs'. However...WIC was VERY specific about what you could purchase in their program, going to the extent of specifying certain types of cereals that didn't qualify(no Frosted Flakes!)...and that made sense to me, and it is a standard that would make sense to me now.
Heck...as my wife pointed out, I don't think either one of us have ever spent real money for something like a Slurpee...so, we don't have much sympathy for someone who would consider one a necessity.
The conversation began at a gas station, when I must have walked out shaking my head after pre-paying for some gas. My wife asked me what was wrong, and I told her how I had been in line behind a lady that was buying 6 Slurpees(one for herself and each of her 5 kids), and she had been using her EBT card to pay for them. We rapidly both came to the conclusion that we both felt there should be limits on what type of food you should be able to buy with your EBT card. I've got a hard time believing that even Kennedy or Johnson intended purchases like that when they promoted food stamps programs. In fact...from the research I have done, it seems the first programs in the early 60's were to promote the consumption of surplus vegetables.
So...on the heels of that conversation, and maybe proving I am 'cutting edge' for once, the GOP have introduced a bill that would block food stamp users from buying junk food, essentially limiting them to food which meets the nutritional guidelines of the WIC program.
Yeah...I'm 100% okay with this. There was actually a 6-month period early on in my marriage where my wife and I qualified for, and collected WIC benefits...so, it would be very hypocritical of me to say 'destroy all these programs'. However...WIC was VERY specific about what you could purchase in their program, going to the extent of specifying certain types of cereals that didn't qualify(no Frosted Flakes!)...and that made sense to me, and it is a standard that would make sense to me now.
Heck...as my wife pointed out, I don't think either one of us have ever spent real money for something like a Slurpee...so, we don't have much sympathy for someone who would consider one a necessity.
9.09.2013
I have a recommendation!
If the government really wants to fix a problem with excessive legislation, how's about they go out and create specifications for Universal Tin Cans? I spent more than a few frustrating hours this past weekend trying to rearrange the cans in my garage, and perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the whole exercise is the inability to be able to stack Old El Paso Refried Beans on top of Rosarita Refried Beans. Or put store brand veggies together with Del Monte veggies.
I can't abide by an unstable stack of cans...and the inability to securely go three cans high is crimping my style.
I can't abide by an unstable stack of cans...and the inability to securely go three cans high is crimping my style.
Who says dogs are better than cats?
Growling ‘guard cat’ helps foil Oregon break-in
The Associated Press
SILVERTON, Ore. — An Oregon woman says her cat’s growling helped alert her to a man trying to break into her home.
Rose Taylor says she was sleeping early Sunday morning when her cat Addy’s growling woke her. Then the cat, in her owner’s words, “Just flew out of bed.”
The Silverton woman tells KATU-TV she could see a man’s shadow and hear movement at a screen. She figures Addy heard the screen noise first.
Taylor says she jumped out of bed as well, started yelling, turned on a light and called 911. All the noise scared the man away and he was already across the street when she saw him next.
Taylor says police found some fingerprints at her house. She’s getting a new lock for her door and some tuna for her cat.
Silverton is south of Portland.
Man...I think my cat would do this for me. At the very least, he is so heavy that when he jumped off the couch to meow to be fed, the 'thump' of him hitting the floor would wake me up.
SILVERTON, Ore. — An Oregon woman says her cat’s growling helped alert her to a man trying to break into her home.
Rose Taylor says she was sleeping early Sunday morning when her cat Addy’s growling woke her. Then the cat, in her owner’s words, “Just flew out of bed.”
The Silverton woman tells KATU-TV she could see a man’s shadow and hear movement at a screen. She figures Addy heard the screen noise first.
Taylor says she jumped out of bed as well, started yelling, turned on a light and called 911. All the noise scared the man away and he was already across the street when she saw him next.
Taylor says police found some fingerprints at her house. She’s getting a new lock for her door and some tuna for her cat.
Silverton is south of Portland.
Man...I think my cat would do this for me. At the very least, he is so heavy that when he jumped off the couch to meow to be fed, the 'thump' of him hitting the floor would wake me up.
9.08.2013
How will people learn if you don't let them make mistakes?
Otto von Bismarck once said 'Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.' Along with this, there are several other unattributed quote about how an intelligent man can learn from his mistakes, but a wise man can learn from the mistakes of others.
I believe the gist of that to be true...sometimes you are only going to learn by making your own mistakes...and sometimes they really need to hurt to lean them well.
Apparently the fineNanny Staters public servantsback in D.C. have a different viewpoint on that than I do. The would prefer to legislate the ability to make mistakes out of existence, starting with introducing the idea of a 24-hour waiting period before you can get a tattoo or a body piercing.
Obviously...I don't like it for the whole 'nanny state' feel to it. You CAN'T legislate stupidity. The tattoo/body piercing industry in D.C. doesn't like it because one can assume a lot of their business comes from spur of the moment decisions by folks, and given 24 hours to think/sober up, you might not want a tramp stamp or ear gauging.
Just let people be dumb.
I guarantee you won't do it again though.
I believe the gist of that to be true...sometimes you are only going to learn by making your own mistakes...and sometimes they really need to hurt to lean them well.
Apparently the fine
Obviously...I don't like it for the whole 'nanny state' feel to it. You CAN'T legislate stupidity. The tattoo/body piercing industry in D.C. doesn't like it because one can assume a lot of their business comes from spur of the moment decisions by folks, and given 24 hours to think/sober up, you might not want a tramp stamp or ear gauging.
Just let people be dumb.
I guarantee you won't do it again though.
Must have a hybrid
I'm becoming convinced that at least one of our chickens is some kind of an experiment to cross-breed a chicken with an ostrich.
The egg on the right is what you could expect to find in normal dozen of 'large' eggs at the grocery store. The one on the left...I'm not sure. I once accidentally bought a dozen 'jumbo' eggs, and none of them were that big. In fact, I have never in my life seen a chicken egg that big.
I'm almost scared to open it without having my shotgun handy, just in case a Velociraptor comes crawling out of it.
The egg on the right is what you could expect to find in normal dozen of 'large' eggs at the grocery store. The one on the left...I'm not sure. I once accidentally bought a dozen 'jumbo' eggs, and none of them were that big. In fact, I have never in my life seen a chicken egg that big.
I'm almost scared to open it without having my shotgun handy, just in case a Velociraptor comes crawling out of it.
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