THE ART OF COMPLAINT

 We all hear it and we all do it. Only the object of our frustration changes. Though it does seem we do a lot more of it these days. 24/7 news media provides us an unending feed. Not to mention the legitimate complaints about pandemic, unemployment, isolation, politics, etc., etc.

 I myself find pain adds to a grumpier outlook than normal. Though I walk up to nine miles a day, it is usually at least a mile or two before the ache in my hip dies down enough to get some speed up. Also it is quite a comedy act when I get up after even a short time of sitting. I stumble and creak for about ten steps until things "unkink" so to speak. Much like someone who had one shot too many, though for many alcohol does dull the pain both physically and mentally. Which makes it a most attractive vice. I'm not complaining; I just need to pop open more wine. I miss having company to pop wine with. Oops, see how that became another complaint.

One only has to look at the day's reported disasters to realize our compaints are often petty. Texas freeze comes to mind. First they cut off their power and heat; next the water gets contaminated and they instruct folks to boil it before use...with, ironically, no power or heat. But since the water pipes have frozen anyway they turn to the newly fallen snow heating it over a campfire or extreme candling in the house which then leads to a house fire. Power comes back, weather warms up and, ta da, frozen pipes unfreeze leading to flooded homes. Then to pop the cherry on the domestic sundae, everybody who is tied to the wholesale price of gas in Texas gets a February bill in the 5 or 6 digits, seriously. Socialism is looking pretty good right now, but as usual it is the poor and non-powerful who reap the worst of it. 

DIGRESS:  Speaking of socialism AOC went to Texas with $4,000,000 worth of aid for Texans who reportedly hate her and Beto O'Rourke (who lost to Cancun Cruz) organized volunteers and provided wellness visits and assistance to thousands of Texans affected by the disaster.

Ok. Probably will upset some folks, but in another who cares complaint is the parents who march in protest to get their kids back to... playing sports! There is so much that is bizarre about that I don't know where to start. For the 10% (I'm being generous) who get to play sports what about the 90% that are missing literally, everything else? The musician, the artist, the debator, the actor, the real genuine student who all miss instruction, venues, support for what they are losing? Why is one more important than the other. Well in the first case my guess is it's all about money both for the entity and the family. 

Another puzzler is the star athlete who is also in the honor society and top of their class.  Umm no, unless things have really changed or school has become a whole lot easier. In my time, you were either a "jock" or a "brain". Not that I'm saying one cannot be both but spare time was spent on homework or practice and games. For so many to be both, it's a little suspicious. Plus we had ONE valedictorian and ONE salutatorian not dozens. Some students were actually BETTER than others and the parents did not come in whining to give Susie or Jackie a better grade whether deserved or not. 

I remember in church, actually when they asked for good news to report and a local coach stood up and said how proud he was that his whole team was on the honor roll. I almost spit out my communion "cookie" (just kidding) as I recall an unimpeachable source telling me about how the "jocks" sat in the back of the room playing cards or whatever and got passed through.  My fervent wish is that none of these "made up scholars" did not end up doing anything that may affect my quality of life and limb like mixing concrete for a bridge, building a car or nursing my boo-boo.

Where is the honor or value when everyone gets the same award for just being present.We're not doing anyone any favors. Give me a roomful of legimately earned "C" students who actually know there are different levels of expertise. An example of the danger in inflating egos too soon involved some student interns hired for the summer. I walked into a conference room and found highly paid administrative assistants sorting and stuffing envelopes. Upon asking where the students were I was told "they didn't like doing that job"...  Really... Yes, I broke up that party and directed the minimum wage/experience folks in to do the minimum wage/experience work they had been hired to do. Hard-hearted woman that I am, I do not have a problem with grumbling as long as you keep it respectful and quiet enough so I can pretend I didn't hear. 

 If we can support our children with unconditional love which translates into rules, accountability and a little bit of yelling now and then it's all for the better. If we reward when it is truly warranted it means so much more. We don't usually get blue ribbons for doing our job but when a very difficult employee told me upon retirement that I was the best boss he ever had (he was brilliant but we had many woodshed moments) I definitely put that ribbon away in my mental trophy case to pull out when needed.

This one went off in a whole different direction...

THE ART OF PUTZING

 

When I first retired, I thought I would busy myself with projects. My first was to clean every room and discard the clutter. That didn't happen as I discover 1) I do not like cleaning and 2) am married to a semi-hoarder. To dispose of items which have not seen the light of day for decades I am forced to do it in the dead of night or when he is out of town, never admitting that I actually did so.

 I was forever silenced on the issue when during the "kitchen project" (following the living room project) the refinisher ruined one of my cupboard doors. As we contemplated which "pretties" to display in the gaping hole of a cupboard until a new one could be manufactured, Mr. Hoarder said "do nothing, I have an idea". Darned if he didn't go out to the shed and unearth a previously rejected (by me) cupboard from a previous kitchen project due to an unsightly wood defect. "It's just part of the wood grain!"  Umm no. To make it sweeter it was the EXACT cupboard door that had been ruined. This particular item had been lanquishing in the shed for 15 years! It's the old blind squirrel finding the nut now and then theory that preserves a whole lot of stuff for the ages because..."we might need it someday".

However it fits with my theme that there are those of us who putz and those who have projects. Guess who is which. I am happy as long as I have a trip to plan, a remodeling project to design, a lake house to find and purchase (I did all the work and the realtor still gets paid), a refinance to pursue. Without a life-altering emergency or experience to create, I am at extremely loose ends. The OH is excellent at "putzing". Banging occurs in the workshop, items are dragged out of the shed, little trips to hardware stores can assume entire days and weeks.

I have appparently continued with "work mode" into retirement. Because as I have been told "you have no hobbies". Forty plus years of pivoting from new projects to crisis to "no one ever tried that before" (in the case of the MIOSHA Training Institute) my work life was rather addictive and consuming. Sleeping, eating and "putzing" as a retiree does not seem to reside in my wheel house very comfortably. I can explode an afternoon reading (I usually have 2-3 books in play) but then feel incredibly guilty. 

Being President of the Michigan Safety Conference for two years has presented some great opportunities for decision making, writing and "kicking butt" on occasion so that's all good and continues my need to be of service. Having time to write in my blog should be an everyday thing, but I want to be sure its entertaining. Having unproductive time on my hands has led me to become more vehement about politics but happy to realize I am still the same fiscal-minded liberal I have always been. What a time to be vehement about politics. 

                                              

To cover the void when I am no longer President I agreed to be one of the hosts on the new Safety Conference podcast "Safety Spectrum" beginning in May. I definitely "have a face for radio". As an interviewer my job will be to assure the speakers provide conversation that is both lively and informative which means research and practice. 

I am looking forward to my sister's wedding in a couple of months which was postponed, thank you corona vi, as they have offered me the new challenge and honor of presiding over the ceremony. It will be a first for all of us LOL. In anticipation, I became a bona-fide ordained Minister of the Universal Life Church (me and Lady Gaga). Plus as her fiance wanted to honor all of our deceased family members I am working on a combined memorial/wedding that hopefully will be of both comfort and joy for all involved. 

I just love projects....

OH THE INSANITY OF IT ALL

When did crazy become the new norm? I realize that is a contradiction in terms, but what other explanation are we to believe? Our only hope is that the crazies do not end up running the asylum but it will not be for lack of trying.  A highly respected Congresswoman votes her own conscience, the constitution and her own EYES to vote on impeachment. Fortunately in a secret ballot she is resoundingly supported. Meanwhile a crazy who claims Jewish laser beams cause forest fires, tramatized survivors of school shootings are lying and, by the way, it is perfectly acceptable to "murder" your opponents is rewarded after a "fake" apology with a standing ovation. Huh? An apology which continues to attack and expound on more half-baked, half-assed conspiracies. Maybe they should have done a secret vote on the crazy as well. Sometimes the majority is not the loudest voice...

I have often thought that the uneducated, non-readers and non-travelers are way too insulated in their own little world. They have no understanding of other cultures, religions, customs and colors, etc. They seem to be most comfortable with following the lead of others as apparently it is too much work to research, learn and understand. They are afraid to step outside their little circle and take a stand. Much like one of the Gospels of John where he relates Jesus' lament that even though they see with their own eyes but do not believe. Going further he points out the real "truth" that many are afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue and not accepted if they travel in another direction from the norm. Standing up for what one thinks is right is often lonely and takes courage.

Reminds me of a job interview with the State when I was asked what I would do if a complaintant threatened to go to the Governor. First I said, "well we want to avoid that",  hold for laugh. 

Then I said if I was wrong after review I had to admit it and fix the issue, but if circumstances revealed I was correct I would go to the wall to defend it. Despite that indicator of "trouble maker" I got the job anyway. I am always surprised that there is so little humility, with some people, that even though they might, just possibly, be wrong but will never admit it even to their detriment.

One incident that comes to mind is a gentleman who injured his back, more than once, which always put him into light or restricted duty. I was the devil when it came to finding light duty-no one stayed home on my watch unless they were bedridden. Doctors, psychiatrists and physical therapists will agree it is better to keep people actively engaged in life as much as possible for the best outcome. If I am sitting home watching television commercials from work comp lawyers rather than showing up everyday and valued as an employee, I start to disengage with the whole workie thingee and start to think that a lawsuit is my only option.

I am not saying the light duty was always the epitome of wonderful job chores but it was real work. Ok - I had a crew of restricted workers whose job duty was to go to the recycle station and sort plastic from the recycle materials as it paid more if we did so. I also will admit they took a lot of grief from the other employees as they limped across the road after punching in. The gentleman I referenced earlier was a stubborn sort and after months of physical therapy, work hardening and actually bringing a therapist along on his first day back to full duty for coaching and feedback he still refused to follow any of her direction on how to perform the work. His explanation to me was he preferred to do it his way, which of course, led to more back injuries, therapy, work hardening, coaching, etc., etc.  His solution was to make him a supervisor of the restricted duty "plastic sorting" crew. Points for imagination.

The inability to look beyond one's basic beliefs and admitting limitations is a dangerous mindset when it comes to safety. It takes looking at situations from all aspects, getting down and dirty to understand the nuances, interviewing users, experimenting and changing design to assure that most if not all hazards are identified. It requires time and perseverance which is a luxury that many managers do not understand. Which probably what got me into trouble when I did not deliver on someone's else's timeline. Rebel that I am.

To illustrate, I had a situation where an entire rack came down as the employee climbed on it to reach items on a higher shelf. Right off the tendency is to blame the employee for being lazy. Or maybe:  there was no ladder or platform available; no secondary support system to assure the racks were stable and properly designed for the load; or perhaps, supervisory pressure (who themselves are under pressure) to just get the job done quickly. The engineer designing the system never walked the floor, did not understand the challenges, and did not talk to the employees impacted by the system. Safety should not be reactive, but often it is. "That never happened before" thinking is an accident.

Another serious accident occurred on a massive clean-up operation in a neighborhood. The refuse packers being used were under unusual stress with the constant operation of the machinery that packed the loads tightly into the box. The controls for the mechanism were stationed right next to, what turned out to be, a relief valve for the lubricant bathing the system which became unstable from the constant operation. As designed, when it reached a critical temperature, it blew -- right into the face of the operator. Thankfully he was wearing the eye and head protection that darn safety person insisted upon for the deparment. Painful burns but no loss of sight. Did it ever occur that the system could be under unusual pressure sometime and maybe controls located in the line of fire might be problematic? Overkill and redundance are the sweethearts of the safety world. 

I apparently went off on a tangent away from my original rant of the crazies ruling. Though it reminds me of another cra-cra moment. I fought worker comp or unemployment claims that I believed were bogus. Taxpayer money and all and damn it, it just wasn't right! One interesting situation was a discharge related to the drug and alcohol program I implemented for the CDL (Commercial Driver) employees. A gentleman applied for unemployment after being discharged for multiple alcohol-related incidents. As I explained to the Judge there was a six-pack of empties still attached to their plastic handle in the front seat of the truck before the accident. Yes there's always an accident.

 Rather than try to make the case that he picked them up that way, though who would throw away dimers (deposit) still attached to the plastic unless they were sipping as they went? His attorney, who apparently attended the same law school as the ones pushing the election fraud-devil voting machine theory, argued that beer truck drivers are allowed a six-pack in the cab. Really. No. 1, he is driving a refuse packer not a beer truck, and 2, they were empty, and 3, CDL or any driver for that matter can be busted for a sipping while they cruise. The Judge kept his cool, I did not. Slam and Dunk.

DISEASE OR NOT TO 'SEASE?

 

As I watch the debate over pandemic - hoax or not - as several hundred thousand die and 100,000s more overwhelm hospitals, I am thankful I came from intelligent, science-trusting parents. The irony of anti-vaxers blocking a vaccination center not cognizant that their blockade is denying people their rights while screaming about their right not to be vaccinated. Pathetically mind-blowing.

 I am eager to take my second shot of vaccine as one of the covid-19 pioneers. Do we know the long-term effects? Not yet, but we will. My thinking similar to my Mother's when she allowed my brother to become an early pioneer for the polio vaccine. What she knew for sure was seeing children dying or trapped in a body-encompassing iron lung and a President who could not walk because of polio. I will take the "bullet" for those who refuse to protect themselves and others. You're welcome.

Fortunately I have not been overly challenged from medical emergencies (knocking on wood, floor and head for good measure). Just the usual run of appendix, tonsils, rotator cuff, arthoscopic knee surgery.  The closest scare came when they found that pesky suspicious spot on the mammogram one year. 

Full disclosure: I was very lucky and did not come close to enduring what my friends and relatives have in the treatment of cancer. God bless them and I am in awe of their strength.

 In my typical attitude of toughness, however, I chose to say nothing about the issue to anyone until a few days before the biopsy. In my myopic thinking, "no sense both of us worrying about it for a month".  I was vehemently and justifyingly chastised by the OH who made it abundantly clear we are a team on these issues. 

The biopsy was not bad as I remember answering a question asked by one of the medical personnel when I was supposed to be in floaty floaty la-la land. They were not appreciative of an audience so my next memory was waking up in recovery. They are so uptight in these procedures. For example,  I remember myself being particularly hilarious during a colonoscopy. Well there was an audience of observers, though I don't know why my rear end was such a splendid teaching moment. In fact during labor and delivery (no drugs, my choice, dumb) I made note that music needed to be added such as "The Volga Boatman" song as that seemed to be the type of effort required. As I recall my Doctor directed extreme measures to keep me from continuing to make bad jokes. Well we all have our ways of coping while in pain. (His as well as mine). 

Works both ways. I was suffering acutely from the flu-the lay on the bed literally unable to lift my head sick- when I decided to take a Doctor meet. He cheerfully comes back with "I have good news and bad". Ruh oh.  "You're pregnant and I can't give you anything for your illness".  He looked sad and said he thought I would be more excited. Ok at this point I am slumped against the wall trying to stay upright and avoiding spewing bodily fluids due to afore mentioned flu. Yay. 

At any rate, I was somewhat surprised when my Doctor called after the breast biopsy rather emotional - ruh oh again. He said he was very sorry and did not expect it, but it was cancer. He apologized as he was going to be out of town for my first recheck and would meet with us when he got back. Decided to start a journal as you always hear how people cope with their treatment with journals.  First entry was why? I always liked broccoli and other cruciferous veggies that are supposedly bulwarks against the dreaded "C". 

Side Note: the nurse who took out my stitches cheerily informed me I would probably have a double masectomy as that is what she did with the same diagnois. Doctor was not happy with that armchair diagnosis and treatment plan.  

When I did meet with the Doctor he made mention of tamoxifen in a precautionary treatment plan as the tissue removed was in situ (encapsulated). After research - yes I do research-I felt that perhaps the "precautionary" use of "tamo" could cause further and more severe problems.  Amazing.They have the education and experience but it is your duty to do the research and make the decision. At any rate, we agreed he would "yank" any suspicious spots in the future and test them. Long story short - it did not progress and several needle biopsies in the Doctor's office were challenging but small discomfort considering what treatment could have been.

So yes, I will take my vaccination like a good soldier against the dreaded covid and pray we will end this awful pandemic in the foreseeable future. I feel a little selfish going ahead of the younger folks so I plan on continuing to journal so my grandson knows what being bold and protecting others is all about. I know I feel better....