Get Some Guts

Employers, managers, superintendents and other so called supervisors; do your job! All I wanted to do was come into your store and buy a soda after filling my gas tank. As I wait in line, the line builds behind me, from other customers waiting to pay for gas or buy items, as your clerk chats on their phone while slowly using their other hand to scan items. While this is going on, several customers place their products back on a shelf and walk out of your store, very soon, I follow their lead and walk out as well. My second adventure of the day was walking into a real estate office to get a key for a project I was going to bid on, for repairs. The front desk person was entranced with their phone, texting someone, as I waited for them to look up. When they finally noticed I was standing directly in front of them, they offered a friendly smile and asked if they could help me. I asked for the key to the project, they got up from their desk to retrieve it. When they finally returned with the key, they had the phone stuck to their ear in an in-depth conversation. They sat down and moved in slow motion to get a receipt book, for me to sign for the key. They paused their conversation, only to ask for my business card, and continued on with their conversation as I walked out the door with the key.  My next stop was a supply house to pick up products to deliver to a working project. As I paid for the load of lumber, the clerk asked; do you need help loading your truck? I welcomed the help, the clerk called over the PA system for a loader, as I wheeled my cart of lumber out the door towards my truck. I started loading the lumber into the back of my truck, looked around for the assistance I was asked if I needed; nobody was walking in my direction. I continued loading my truck, as I was about to load the last three pieces of lumber into the back of my truck, a young man was walking towards me with his phone in his hand texting or playing video games, not sure which, put his phone in his pocket just before he got within ten feet of me; need some help he asked? I looked down at the last piece of lumber on the cart and then back to him; I believe I can take it from here. He shrugged his shoulders, reached into his pocket, retrieved his phone and walked back towards the building.
I have really had enough of today’s technology and the addiction which goes along with it. I’ve also had enough of the gutless supervisors, who watch this going on around them, who say nothing to the employees about their personal business on company time. We hear the complaints of low wages for these service related positions, given their lack of focus on the purpose of their employment, they are being paid entirely too much as well as their direct supervisor. If you have an addiction to technology; seek counseling. If you are in a position of authority and have difficulty supervising those who you were hired to oversee; get some guts!

I Screwed Up

I screwed up; yes, it’s true, I screwed up. Who would have known, someone actually followed my instructions for doing preventive maintenance around their home and I happened to leave out a simple piece of information. I will be the first to admit, I don’t always follow my own recommendations for home maintenance. I am no different from my dentist friend, who recommends flossing and doesn't do it himself. I've seen the high number of visitors, on the most popular page on my website, “My Home Doctor”, spend an average of five minutes reading content that is all about helpful hints to guide you in the right direction when doing home maintenance. I once appeared on our local TV station, during the evening news, giving advice on what to do when buying a home that has been sitting idle for years and yet I screwed up and left out a sort of important procedure when applying preventative maintenance to plumbing fixtures. I assumed those who visited my website, understood where the important disconnects to your home were before you started doing maintenance; I was wrong.

It all started when, someone was trying to be a responsible homeowner and stay ahead of the maintenance by checking the shutoff valves to the sinks and toilets. The owner applied to much pressure to a frozen valve and snapped the PVC pipe it was connected to and they had no idea of where the main shutoff valve to the home was located. After several phone calls to plumber’s answering service, (it was a Saturday afternoon), they found a plumber who talked them through the process of how to locate the shutoff as the water was now flowing out the front door. What the plumber assumed, the home owner knew they needed a tool to manipulate the valve; he as wrong. After the homeowner located an adjustable wrench and screwdriver to be able to turn the main shutoff valve, the water had flooded the entire house. The good news, they were insured, the bad news; they probably won’t be calling me for the restoration. So here is a note to myself; write step by step instructions when writing tips, but then again, most guys won’t read them anyway.