Look What The Cat Drug In

Here's where we go to kick back after the races with our pals. Pour a tall one, punch a few buttons on the jukebox, and relax...
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WildcatOne
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby WildcatOne » Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:32 pm

Thanks, guys...I will maintain all schedules and committments...I'm adding 10 hours to each day in doing the job at GRI (1 hour driving to and from work plus 1 hour for lunch) but like I did before, I'll just do my gigs and make my graphics, keep it all going. I have this unbearable feeling that everything is going to work out great.

My buddy Colin sent an email to me over the weekend that he is moving back to Houston after living in LA doing pro audio sound for the last 20 years. He is tired of it, he's saved up a fortune (he made a lot of money there doing independent movie and television sound) and he decided to move back home and start his own company. I recommended my wife to run his office and he thought that was great. They have always been friends. She's in Missouri right now helping her uncle but when she comes back in a couple of weeks I'll let her know if she's interested, she's got that gig. Will miracles never cease?

I will have to pace myself. 22 months ago I was running like hell constantly, staying up for days, not eating or resting right, and I fell flat on my face...things will be different this time...thanks for reminding me of that, ProZ. Cheers, WC1
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby WildcatOne » Tue Nov 30, 2010 9:39 pm

I don't know how it happened, but I seem to have lost the post about me getting called back to work at GRI. I started yesterday...it's been 22 months...I stayed in touch, remained friends, went in for spot duty here and there, finally they got their budget worked out and I got hired back on payroll. My unemployment runs out in December. It did what it's supposed to do and it got me through a very dark tunnel. I am thankful to the Lord for carrying me most of the way.

I made this graphic Sunday while listening to 2 ball games and doing the laundry. It's Vance Hunt's Top Fuel Dragster team, I think it was 1968, Grand Prairie, Texas.
I Photoshopped it to become a welcome graphic for the band's website some time in the future. Enjoy! WC1
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby draglist » Tue Nov 30, 2010 10:11 pm

That's great... now how the hell did we lose that post? Need to keep an eye on this board... we lost a few yesterday when the server went down... everyone keep an eye on it and let me know if you see something weird. bp
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Billy Mac
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby Billy Mac » Wed Dec 01, 2010 10:14 pm

I see something weird everyday, BP...specially when i look in the mirror :oops:
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby WildcatOne » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:45 pm

Yesterday was a weird day for me. It did end up as a revelation of truth in my life, but sometimes facing the truth is not the easiest thing to do. Yet the truth will always stand whether we want to accept it or not...

I went in to work at 7 AM. There are a few big jobs that have to get done by Monday morning. I spent the first 4 hours trimming laminated book covers. Word came in at 11:15 to stop what I'm doing and come over to the bindery. I stopped what I was doing and went over to the bindery. I only had 4 covers left to finish, but I know to do what I'm told, when I'm told to do it, the way I'm told to do it, don't ask questions, just do it.

I got over there and it was an assembly line for the rodeo booklet. My boss showed me what the process is and I got on it. I couldn't keep up the pace with the rest of the guys doing it...they were lapping me every other pass...after a few minutes, my boss walked up and said John, you're in the way. Go punch out and go home. Thanks for the work you did earlier, but you're making this take longer and I don't want you here. I said OK, went over and punched out and left.

I was embarrassed at first, my feelings were hurt. My pride had taken a hit. But then I reminded myself of what I told my boss when he brought me back to work in another part of the company...scanning, indexing and archiving...I can't keep up with those guys. They're 20, 30, even 40 years younger than me. They fly around me in there. They treat me like I'm stupid and that pisses me off, because I come from another world altogether that they don't now and never will know anything about that minimizes their experience, knowledge, culture and ethics. But that's beside the point, and it would never make any difference if they were made to stand one day in my shoes. Here's the bottom line...

I've lost a step, both mentally and physically. I'm slowing down. WAY down. I'm 61, heading to 62 in a hurry. I'm no stranger to hard work, but I don't have the stamina, strength or capacity to handle high-stress situations anymore. I just fall behind and get mixed-up, sometimes I go completely blank while the younger guys are talking behind my back, reaching over me and running circles around me to get their work done. I just don't belong in there. Although this type of work is not my particular area of expertise, that incident served as the catalyst for this realization and it exacerbated the situation I've found myself in. It's very clear to me now. I'm almost hoping that when I show up at work tomorrow, they let me go, even though I don't have unemployment benefits and my Social Security checks are still 7 months away. I don't want to end my career as a top-flight worker, designer and process engineer in a downhill slide. I watched others in other fields who are (or were) my equals try to keep up the pace and still win and they fell flat on their faces and were disgraced by what they did. That's not for me.

I still have creative and technical skills. I still have full control of my musical and artistic abilities and I am well-known and solid in that business. I have a full lifetime of experience working in my favor in that direction. I am thinking I should work towards expanding my involvement in that area and do what I can to make a living as a musician and graphic artist and give up the rat race I'm unwillingly caught up in. I know my boss was right. I would have said and done the same thing he did if I was him. He's been a good friend to me...but yesterday he was a better friend than he probably knew he was.

I'm still searching for the perfect tone. I'm still searching for the perfect riff. I'm still searching for the perfect picture. It's just taking me a little longer to find and produce than I thought it would...it could be that it's time for me to back off the throttle and coast through the traps on this pass. Cheers, WC1
Last edited by WildcatOne on Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:57 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby draglist » Sun Feb 20, 2011 2:50 pm

I hope he lets you work where your experience is best used. It seems to me he tried to use a linebacker as a wide receiver and of course, you couldn't keep up with the cornerbacks. You don't need to be on a mindless assembly line of putting booklets together. You need to be designing the work, and then letting the young guys do the assembly work... I had the same feeling when I went to play poker with some folks who had played for years. It's not like you see on TV with all of them taking their time, talking, pondering the next move, etc. These guys I was playing with her taking literally five to ten seconds for their respective turns, and then it would absolutely come to a halt when it got to me. I thanked 'em and got out of there in a shortly thereafter. Not my interest (I hate cards), but I thought I'd pitch in and try to be part of the gang for once. Big mistake. I hope your deal works out... bp
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby WildcatOne » Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:33 pm

Thanks for what you said there, BP. I could have been left alone to finish trimming the book covers and I would have gone home with my dignity intact at the same hour. The card game reference hit home. I compared what I was doing in there to me playing in a card game...I also hate cards...everybody else in the game is shuffling, dealing, fanning and playing the game while I'm still trying to figure out what card wins and what to do when my turn comes up.

Being humiiated like that can be made into a positive experience on the other side of the incident. I don't know what's going to happen, but I do believe that I have proven my worth to them no matter how many times a 22-year-old guy passes me on an assembly line. In other words, I have a clear conscience and a positive outlook no matter what happens. I just think I need to make adjustments according to what I know my limits are now, and I need to be realistic in my expectations of my own potential at this stage of my life...I have no doubt it will all work out for the best. WC1
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby pro70z28 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:18 pm

I agree with BP, if your boss was smart he would utilize his employees in the most efficient way possible. Let the young guys use their backs. let the experienced guys used their minds. Hope it all works out for you WC.
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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby Maritime Drag Racing » Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:31 am

Being the same age(61) I know exactly how you feel. Repetitive tasks are the very worst thing you can do when you're our age. Stuff cramps up, the brain rebels at the monotony of the task and it just takes a lot out of you. In other words it's perfect work for those youngsters. It's "training" for them but punishment for us. While a positive attitude means a lot you still can't treat a 60+ year old body like it's still 21 and indestructible. My hands are a lot slower than they used to be, I have to think about how I'm going to lift something to avoid injury, everyone younger than me does everything faster, etc. Don't forget that the quality of life itself has improved since they were born. Let's give those people the same injuries and lifestyles we had at their age and see how well they work.....

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Re: Look What The Cat Drug In

Postby WildcatOne » Mon Feb 21, 2011 6:47 pm

Thanks...I needed to hear this.

I have this job because the contract I was hired to work on in another department as the QC tech was unexpectedly dropped. They laid everybody off except me from that project. I'm making 10 dollars an hour. The money I make on gigs supplements this deal...They've been great friends and they have given me employment when I couldn't find a job anywhere else. But at this point I'm struggling to make it there...both my body and my mind are telling me that this isn't good for me at all.

I am looking forward to receiving Social Security payments next September. If I'm still working there, I might decide to go ahead and fully retire and let the chips fall where they may.
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