No final decision from our west coast kid about travelling to the frozen tundra of Minnesota. He is still not back in LA, but we are following a couple different flight options that should it still work out, he could book quickly. I'm not sure how much I'd want to travel after being gone for work for weeks, so I let him know whatever he decides, and for whatever reasons-Covid, work, tired from being away and just wanting to stay put and play video games, I'm totally fine. (see Saturday's post). If he took a peek at our weather, I'd not blame him a bit if he wanted to stay put and plan a time to travel later in the year, maybe come for a long 4th of July.
"Cold front! Sunny, Turning brisk. High 23,
falling to teens late PM, Wind NW 10-20mph PM"
Sounds just peachy. I think even pup will be happy to take a quick walk, do his business, and turn tail back to the house. December has already been a crazy month weather wise. Horrendously awful tornadoes, flash flooding, and now the semi normal freezing temperatures after having days earlier in the month where we were near 60. Please don't give me baloney that climate change is not a thing. Or, if it is a thing, it's all totally natural and man has had no impact on it. Nothing we can do immediately to resolve but watch our consumption of natural resources, conserve energy. I say that as we enter the week of over indulgence and creation of lots of added waste. Hypocritical I am, I know.
I've already got a good chunk of my work day started. I had a feeling, and was proved right, that the project/budget and policy proposal I worked on last week would be bound to have additional edits and details needed that someone determined was necessary. Yes-waiting in my in-box from last night was the proposal, with two additional charts inserted for completion. Now thinking ahead, I had 90% of the details ready to go as my hunch was the document was incomplete wihtout this information, and someone would notice, even if insistent not to include in the first pass. I swear one of the best skills young people in college should be learning is planning for the yet to be requested details. There have been a few times when y over preparedness has been unwarranted, but more often than not, if I spot a gap someone else will as well. It just makes sense to be ready with the hole filling material rather than having to cram for the information later. Think of a road being ready for repaving. The construction crew has the supplies available to filling and level the ground before putting on the new surface. They don't wait to order more gravel or back fill after they come to a sunken spot in the road, do they? Back to my proposal, I had the added information completed and sent back to my boss by 8:00 this morning/
It's also Time Sheet Approval Day. Every pay period I chase down 1-2 on my team. I really don't get it. Wouldn't that be the one thing you would always do-make sure you are going to be paid? We even have standard calendars that are posted on our Intranet for the completion dates, plus our office support puts holds on calendars the previous Thursday. I've got two I've sent urgent messages. Now the Payroll guy is reminding us that due to Friday's holiday he needs these loaded by 12:00 today. Of all the things I hate about management and supervising people, tracking down times sheets is the top of that list. But hey, we actually have a third pay check this month-December 31. Sadly, I think this means there are only 25 pay days in 2022 though.
I managed to get all the chocolate treats completely don. I'm not happy with the Nutter Butter Truffles-I think because DH bought me real Nutter Butter and not the generic or store brand peanut butter sandwich cookies. The cookie part is too dense, so I should have used about 20 less. The filling just wasn't nearly as creamy as the Oreo version, or version I've made in the past. Still, for those that are Peanut Butter and Chocolate fiends, these will hit their sweet tooth. My Mounds didn't turn out the best either. Oh, they are delicious, but I think as opposed to the Nutter Butter, thee needed more coconut than I used, and I already put more in than the recipe called for. Perhaps the coconut was too fluffy. I just really struggled getting them chilled enough and firm enough to dunk, so most are quite misshapen. They are sugar so no doubt they'll be eaten but will look a bit wonky. No one will doubt my chocolates are home made. My daughter is stopping by tonight for the football game and I'm having her fill a plate for her work. I'll snap a picture of my "rustic" homemade confections.
I'm really on the count down now. I still need the ingredients for my potatoes for Christmas Day, but will go to the local grocery store, plus use their liquor store for a few bottles of wine and a liquor gift on behalf of my son for his name draw-he got his cousin in-law. I'm freezer space shy to fit in a couple bags of potatoes, but I'm a little leery of waiting until Thursday. If my daughter has freezer space I could ask her to hold, but she's got a couple bags of vegan meatballs for me. DH and DD2 have the whole day ahead of them. Yesterday, neither got out of their pajamas before 1:00. I hope you stay warm-or stay cool depending on where you live.
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Hi Sam, I wasn't aware that you could freeze potatoes. But why would you need to anyway, if you are making them next week? By the way, home made confections and baking are supposed to look homemade--I am suspicious that homemade things that look perfect won't turn out to taste very good.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Well my candies definitely look like they were made with love. The potatoes I make are made with the frozen hash brown potatoes, which are not supposed to be thawed for long before cooking-I generally won't let them sit uncooked for more than 1-2 days at most, and will be cooking them Sunday morning to bring for Christmas lunch. If I made true home made with potatoes tat need to be peeled, I wouldn't[worry about it so much, but I am taking the easier route.
DeleteI had a few bosses that I worked for long enough that I was always able to anticipate their needs - I was like Radar O'Reilly in Mash, but on steroids! It was very satisfying too but it takes a few years of getting to know someone too doesn't it!
ReplyDeleteManaging your boss is a real skill. I have one staff I am trying to help learn that skill. I worry that as her career develops, she will increasingly be at logger heads with other bosses that don't understand why she isn't more prepared for things.
DeleteAAAAARGH, another rant brewing--climate change. The other response I get, even from people who understand climate change is at a critical point (and has been for two decades) is "It doesn't matter what we do because of China."
ReplyDeleteI simply can't understand why people in this country believe that scientists, professors, journalists, economists, climatologists and medical professionals etc. have devoted their whole lives' work to lying to them, but will buy the crap coming out of a heavily monetized/partisan news station look-alike (whose very defense against libel was that it was not news but "non-literal commentary") and the garbage strewn by a former president who made a name for himself by defrauding others.
I am set for Christmas--I hope to get some time today to make more peanut butter cups, and pour some more beeswax tea lights. The former we will keep for ourselves, the latter will be gifts. The only thing I need to do is get our rib roast. I went to pick one up this weekend, but the sell by date was 12/21, so I will wait. If DH is up to it, we may drive to the butcher to get some pepperoni sticks we splurge on during Christmas. If we do, I will check their roasts/price.
We have a newer cheese and meat shop that has been selling a the farmers market for a few years, now with a store front. You reminded me I want to get some "peppy sticks" as we fondly refer to the pepperoni sticks. I just bought sliced pepperoni for the Stromboli. Rant away, my friend. We are of similar minds on the Climate Change discussion.
DeleteIt seems our cold weather is heading south...though there is more than enough here to last me the whole winter! Stay warm.
ReplyDeleteI won't add to Meg's rant because she's said it best. Our idiot Premier (Governor in the States), did away with a solar grants that were available to homeowners. We're so freaking reliant on O&G though there are some who have converted to geothermal where they have the space. I wish it were an option here.
I don't miss the days of chasing people for their work and their timesheets. AND then correcting said items. My favorite was always the one who recorded worktime when in fact, she'd taken vacation time for one thing or another. She was fortunate that our organization allowed for this, as other places I've worked, we had to book our vacation in week blocks.
I know people get busy with their work day but yesterday was ridiculous. They know a holiday week we lose a day processing, and then I couldn't reach one to get hers fixed. Stay warm.
DeleteOh-besides the chasing down time sheet, I had to work with one to fix his hours, and another with a wrong billing code-and she was AWOL for hours this morning. I hate this every two weeks.
ReplyDeleteIt’s been warm here but we woke up to very cold weather, not Minnesota cold though. LOL
ReplyDeleteCold is cold when you're used to warmer weather. The dog was agreeable to getting home.
DeleteBrr, that's cold! Good on you for being prepared for the anticipated request! I am much the same - if my boss asks for info, I don't just collect it, but I also do the statistical analysis or provide some percentages or numbers to help him with the feedback. Your paving analogy is awesome.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I also have to do timesheets! I approve them for a couple of VPs as part of my Exec Assistant duties, and I'm always boggled by the lateness of everyone - do you not want to be paid??
Your desserts sound amazing!! Who cares what they look like - put them in my mouth! hee hee!
Our office support specialist is starting to build anticipatory skills and it's so helpful to have documents waiting for me instead of the other way around. Rustic Treats may be my trademark.
DeleteOh, budgets are always a huge pain, and I am sorry to say I never turned in my time when I worked for the University. I really did not need the money and money was only something I needed when I paid bills. If I had enough to pay the bills, I just did not turn it in. Boy am I different now.
ReplyDeleteThat puzzles me. How could you work without pay? I like my job as well as the next person but I value my time too much to not be fully compensated.
DeleteThe weather being as it is now, you could probably leave the potatoes outside!
ReplyDeletePossible- but I'd need to figure out a secure way critters don't help themselves.
DeleteFor several years, I had to mail my hours to a college 25 miles north of where I taught. There was no option for the internet posting back then.
ReplyDeleteOne week, I did not get my time sheet mailed, so I drove it to the college and barely made it before the secretary would leave. She was shocked I came in. She informed me that even though today was the deadline, five or six teacher who were always late, were late yet again. I think not getting paid one pay period would be preferable to handholding for years.
Remember, I live in a red state, ultrareligious, and there is no discussion that does not quickly escalate to nastiness. So, I stay out of discussions unless the other people are likeminded.
I get the brunt of not having time sheets done in time. Some places I'll keep my mouth shut, but my opinions rule on my blog.
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