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Having fun with machinery… and living to tell about it…
It seems like Fred and I have been GOING GOING GOING for the past year or so.
I work my regular job Monday thru Friday and Fred works on the boat… day and night… then on the weekends I head to wherever Fred is or he comes home and we continue to work. If we aren’t working on the boat we are working on motorcycles, or cars, or like today, working on getting things cleaned up and put away.
I still have four (4) crates of stuff to unpack that we shipped down from Alaska… a total waste of money.
For goodness sake, if I haven’t used the items in the crates in the year that we have been here I could have left it all behind… seriously.
I should have used the philosophy I have when packing for trips… pack, remove 1/2 of the items, pack again, repeat removal of 1/2 of the items. If it can’t fit in one backpack then I don’t need it. That usually works for me… usually. I really should have done this when we were moving. As it was I sold enough stuff to pay for our trip down here.
It is all going to end up at a Thrift Store or at the dump anyway and I only have until the end of the month to get it out of here… per mom.
And she’s right (yes mom, I said that you are right, as in CORRECT!), we have to do something with it, and soon!
Today, mom rented a big @ss wood chipper and Fred and I spent the day chewing things up.
We went from this (and more!)
To this
With this (and there were no injuries or dismemberment’s today)
and then it was time for this… A nice hot bubble bath and soak in the tub.
And now it is time for bed.
I really do love physical activity. It makes me feel good. I’m exhausted and sore but that is okay.
At least we enjoy doing things together.
Tomorrow is going to be another busy day. We have more yard work to do and then we are off to pick up a motor home for Fred to live in while he is in Bellingham working on the boat… at least until the house on the boat is finished.
It looks like every weekend from now until November will be filled with work… And that is different how?
How do you spend your weekends? Is it all work and no play or do you find time for FUN, fun, fun?
Related articles
- Then the fun part of owning a boat begun, The running costs of the boat. (jstarboatservices.wordpress.com)
30 Days of Being Thankful – November 12
Thankful that my personal belongings are now COMPLETELY in my possession…
Took long enough.
Nothing, NOTHING, should take this long to resolve or go through this much to come to conclusion.
I finally was able to contact Reliable Transfer after I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). I doubt that this action alone prompted the resolution of the issue.
Better Business Bureau logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It still took a number of phone calls and follow-up on my part.
There really is no excuse for what happened here.
Today I provided additional information for the BBB. Even though I have my lift box in my possession, I will not be able to open it for a few weeks. Then and only then will I know for sure that this issue has been resolved.
Being that the box has been through so much, my concern is that my antiques are now damaged.
What did I learn from this experience?
Don’t let the business of life keep you from knowing your rights and responsibilities. Get your contracts in writing. Verify everything. And unfortunately… trust no-one… and that really is unfortunate.
Not only am I thankful that this “ordeal” is (nearly) over, I am thankful that I have learned to stand up for myself and not get rolled over.
I will say that the companies on this end did a good job. Once they understood what needed to be done they did a good job of maintaining communication with me.
If I do end up moving back to Alaska I can guarantee that I will NOT be utilizing the services of Reliable Transfer. Fool me once… never again.
30 Days of Being Thankful – November 5
I am thankful that I have the opportunity to vote… at all.
That I have choices (even if they are not always great ones)…
That the Presidential race only happens every four years.
Most if all I am thankful that the Robo calls, political ads and smear campaigns will be done tomorrow (at least for a little while).
Having moved back to Washington State, I no longer have to go to a polling booth. I just have to make sure my ballot gets to a collection box, or in the mail.
There is a lot to be thankful for.
I’m done… with being ignored…
I’ve been learning how to stand up for myself. It started with my divorce process and continues now with an issue I am having with Reliable Transfer in Juneau, Alaska.
As always, I am polite and constrained. Sticking to my standard that being nice gets you further than being obnoxious. Yes, I know, I get stepped on because I refuse to lower myself to behaviors that are abusive and disrespectful. I stick to the facts… I’m reasonable and seek solutions.
Not to say that I haven’t lost my composure – but I haven’t yelled at anyone or called anyone names. Losing composure for me? Being straightforward with what I will and will not accept.
In this case, I have reached my wit’s end and I am tired of playing “nice”. I’m not going to attack anyone here. I have a beef with a company, and now the company’s owner.
The organization has not been responsive and I am escalating the issue to the next level.
I contacted my attorney yesterday and filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau today after yet another day of “no contact/response” from Roger Calloway, Owner of Reliable Transfer in Juneau.
BBB Complaint filed 11/01/2012
My initial shipment arrived in April with no issues – other than the fact that one of my boxes was missing, and we didn’t realize this until July (you may remember that I moved back to “America” after my father died, then my mother fell and broke her neck, and then I started a new job – all while dealing with a horrendous divorce process). I’ve been trying to get this last box delivered since July and have had nothing but problems and issues with getting any type of response or resolution from Reliable Transfer.
I fully recognize that individuals within organizations do the best that they can. In this instance two of the gals at Reliable really had my back and I couldn’t have made it through the divorce move process without their support. The moving guys were awesome too… I’m not going to chastise or criticize them.
Why? Employees responses to issues reflect the attitude of their managers and supervisors or in this case the owner of Reliable Transfer – Roger Calloway.
About This Business
Provided by business
Specialties
At Reliable we focus on quality before quantity. Our devotion to quality service is unmatched. Most of our employee’s are long-term and have been with us for a number of years. We employ 35, full-time, year-around personnel. Our diversity allows us to maintain a steady employment base. All this translates to quality service. The US Coast Guard generally selects us to handle their upper management, including every Admiral that has been assigned to Juneau. We are also the delivery/removal carrier for Xerox for all of Southeast Alaska. We have obtained Xerox Corporation’s “Total Quality Management” certification, which meets and exceeds “ISO 9002″ and “Baldridge National Quality Award” standards, and have also been scored and graded as Xerox Corporation’s top carrier for North America and the Pacific Island for 1997 – 2007.
Well, isn’t this interesting… Quality? really? Any good manager/owner knows that you have to walk your talk. You can say whatever you want about your business but if you don’t put your money where your mouth is… well, the emperor has no clothes.
A few reviews on Yelp.com pretty much say it all… be sure to check out the filtered reviews because they are pretty much the same as what I have been experiencing. There is one good review, most likely a Coast Guard person. I will be adding mine to the list once this issue finally gets resolved. It WILL get resolved!
Part of my problem is my loyalty. I tend to be loyal to people, and to my detriment. I LOVE the gals in the office. I won’t get mad at them because I value their friendship. I was loyal to Reliable because they had done well for me previously.
I am guessing that Roger’s Coast Guard contacts are pretty much all that he worries about. The first time I used Reliable was 10 years ago when I moved to Juneau. We used them because my boss was an old Coast Guard buddy and they did a great job for us. I guess it is “who you know”…
Ignoring people when you don’t want to deal with the issues does not make them go away. In my case, I am escalating the situation… It is this easy, I WANT MY STUFF, that I’ve already paid for, delivered to my car port, as agreed upon. You know it is bad when Roger is not returning calls to the shipping company here in Seattle that has my stuff.
We aren’t talking pennies here either. The initial shipment in April was $7,986.00, then another $874.24 for the “missing” box that should have been included with the original shipment for a total of $8860.24, and now the shipper here in Seattle is telling me that they need an additional $500.00 to complete the transaction. NOT LIKELY!!!
So, I have emailed my attorney, seeking assistance/guidance for this issue. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau to get it on the record, and I have contacted a local “investigator” Jessie Jones from KING5 News here in Seattle.
All the while being kind and considerate. This is a great case study for business management.
Tell me, what would you do if you were in this situation?
A new perspective
Life happens… whether it happens TO YOU or whether you happen TO LIFE, really depends on YOU.
There have been a lot of changes in my life the past few years. Most of them a direct result of choices and decisions that I have made.
Most of those decisions based on the needs of others… mainly the needs of the WASband.
In 2007 I had an opportunity to advance my career. A leap into the “C” suite… my career goal of becoming a hospital CEO was getting closer to coming to fruition.
Knowing that this decision would impact the WASband, I asked him if it was okay for me to apply for the position… a mere formality… the CEO had asked me to come to work for him.
He said yes and I applied. A few weeks later the CEO called to see when I would be able to fly in to meet the rest of the executives and staff and to talk about my start date and relocation. It was then that the WASband announced that he didn’t want to move after all.
When I asked him why on earth he didn’t tell me that when I asked the first time he answered with this “I didn’t think you would get the job“…
Wow
It was at this point that I had to make a decision about my life and my career. I knew that everything that I had worked so hard to achieve would not be happening. By turning down the position I was essentially ending my career. If the WASband was unwilling to move, I would have to settle for redefining my career goals. There was no discussion. That door was closed.
One thing that I learned early on in my professional career was that in order to advance you had to be willing to move. I had a great job, but I advanced as far as I would within that organization. I could have chosen to go. I was the main income earner yet I knew from experience that the WASband would make life miserable. If he wasn’t happy, then nobody was happy.
Prior to 2008 I could have advanced at the organization I was in, I could even of had an opportunity to enter the executive level within the organization. Unfortunately, as often happens, management changed and the new CEO made it very clear that I would not have an opportunity for advancement as long as he was there.
What did I do? I recreated myself. I learned new things. Sought out new roles. Learned how to live my life with a new focus. I redefined my skill set and sold myself in a new way. I had skills and I knew how to use them.
2009 was a huge year for me. It was an awakening of sorts. I had attempted to salvage my marriage for so many years prior to that and finally determined that it was time to move on. A very difficult decision, on many levels.
This was the year that I left the healthcare profession. My dream of becoming a hospital CEO was gone. My only goal was to find a position that would pay the bills, provide some sort of satisfaction, and allow me more time to explore.
I remember a discussion I had with one of my brothers a few years ago. At that time we had a very different views of what “career” meant. He was very clear that his goal was to make enough income to assist in supporting his family but that he didn’t want a job that would interfere with his life over all. This was not a concept that I understood until recently.
Life is so different now as compared to two years ago. There is a lot to be said for dropping the whole “career ladder” frame of mind.
This year I chose to secure a position that did not require the use of any of my higher level skills. I am a clerical worker. A pee-on. Administrative support. I am loving it! Even with an earning level less than 1/4 of my previous income, I have never been happier. Work stays at work and I am able to enjoy living. Finally!
It has taken a lot of soul-searching and letting go to be okay with the fact that the degrees, licenses and professional certifications that I worked so hard to attain, are no longer relevant to what I am doing today. VERY DIFFICULT TO SWALLOW…
I’ve only been in my new position for a little over five months and I am loving it. Recently my employer announced that they would be merging with another company and a few days ago I was told that I was being looked at for a variety of roles within the new structure. This was news to me. Apparently there are a number of opportunities that would utilize my skills and experience more fully. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I immediately called Fred to seek his input. Why? Because, the choices I make will impact OUR future. We have plans.
The biggest difference is that I WANT his input. I WANT to know what he thinks and I WANT him to participate in planning our future.
He’s already made sacrifices for me. He moved from Alaska to be with me and help my mom after my dad passed in January. Leaving his family and the grand-babies behind… I miss them too.
I feel so fortunate to have this wonderful man in my life. Sharing my life. We are meeting our challenges head on. Together.
Who knows what the future will hold. One thing I do know? We’ll create it together.
Well, hellooooo old friend… Glad to have you back again
Have I told you the one about the classic Volvo?
My love affair with the car started when my very good friend dropped his 1967 Volvo 122s off in Montana, where I was living at the time, on his way out to New York, where his wife would be completing her medical residency.
I can’t remember the exact year I started driving it, but it was sometime around 1994 or 1995.
I drove it until 1999 when I moved back to Seattle and so did they… He’s had the car until this week when I became the proud “owner” again.
I LOVE this car… The sound, the smell, the look. It truly is a classic.
It is ALL his fault you know… my friend started my obsession with the Volvo 122s, also known as the Volvo Amazon. At one point I owned three (3) 66/67 122 Wagons… which I sold when I moved to Alaska.
But now I am back in “America” and back to driving my most favorite car of all (well, next to the one that my Grandpa sold me when I was 15).
There will be more posts about this topic – no doubt about that!
“Better to celebrate the sweetness of your life than be bitter!”
I posted the following on Facebook today -
I never understood why people celebrated when their divorces were final… I TOTALLY GET IT NOW… Hopefully mine will be official by the end of next week (fingers crossed). 19 months in the process, there is going to be some celebrating next week when it is finally done.
A friend responded with this -
It is bittersweet, but better to celebrate the sweetness of your life than be bitter!
and my response was this…
…some days I really struggle against the bitterness and resentment and then I look to my side and see the most wonderful person standing there with me.
He has been an inspiration and wisely guides me toward the sweet on those days when I am really struggling.
I am truly fortunate for what I have in my life now.
I was thinking about how my life has changed over the past couple of years and how much I have grown. Thinking on my LIFE LIST I decided last night that at least one thing is going to come off… as I get to the end of this divorce ordeal I realize that I am going to have to let go of some things (mostly emotional) in order to move on.
This has been a learning process and a lot of growth has occurred. I am actually thankful for that. I am a stronger person than I was 20 years ago (if that is even possible)…
First I had to let go of my sense of worth and value. At least from an external perspective.
In the marriage, a lot of that centered around my house… once the house did not mean anything to me, it was easy to let it go. It was the one thing that I could show for all of the years I spent in the marriage. There was no relationship and we had no children. At least I had a house…
Once I realized that my WASband was using what he thought was important to me to get back at me I was able to let it go.
I fought against having to sell the house… for a while, and then I didn’t care any more. It was a house… nothing more.
I fought against losing my hard-earned dollars and then realized it is only money.
I have had to leave a place that I love and people who I care about. Change my career, suffer losses, inconveniences, frustrations and more… yet, I am happier than I have ever been. Free from the stress and drama that was my life with him in it.
No matter what the WASband tries to take away, I have come to realize that I can start over.
Material things have no value. He is going to walk away with a large sum of cash from our union. None of which he earned and none of which he “deserves”… I am walking away with the debt.
No matter, it will all work out in the end.
Had he contributed even the slightest bit of anything to the marriage I would feel differently but alas, he is being rewarded for his poor behavior… and tonight… I have come to realize that I really don’t care any more.
I am with a man who has contributed more financially, physically and emotionally in one year than the WASband contributed in 20+.
It wasn’t that the WASband wasn’t capable of contributing, he chose not to and didn’t feel that he had to… be assured however that he took care of his own needs. Always.
So, Life List Item #2 – Finalize my divorce. This item is coming to fruition next week. One way or another, either by settlement or by court decision. Come next week I will be divorced.
Item #23 – Get MY NAME back… This has most definitely taken me longer than I would have liked but it hasn’t stopped me from using MY name again. Next week I’ll be able to start the process officially with all of the various entities that require a piece of paper to change it legally. I’m just thankful that I hyphenated my name to begin with… I won’t have to explain the name change, I’ve already dropped the second half where I can.
What is going to go? What will be removed from the LIFE LIST?
Item #8
Write a book about my experiences as a “caregiver” and
wifepaycheck – (that is what I felt like anyway). I wasn’t always resentful about this role in my life but have been more so lately. Maybe sharing my experiences will assist those who are in a similar role with finding support services or assist those who are being cared for in understanding that they are not the only ones affected/impacted by their health conditions/needs.
I thought long and hard about this last night. If my goal is to truly move on I need to let all of this past “stuff” go. If I truly want to forget the WASband I can’t think about him, at all. What is done is done. Writing about it, even if it could help others keep from falling into the same patterns, will not help me. He has been dead to me anyway for quite some time… letting this go, I will bury him away in the recesses of my past.
There is so much to be thankful for… my life changed drastically in 2009. It is as if I woke from a deep sleep. I started experiencing the world around me and really enjoying what it had to offer.
Life looks completely different from what it did just a few short years ago. I am redefining myself and my goals. Learning to live frugally and with much more joy and happiness. I feel richer than I have ever been. And oh, so fortunate.
So thank you Charlie for pointing out that “it is better to celebrate the sweetness of your life than be bitter!”
Life is sweet and getting more so each day.
Learning how to ride a “bigger bike”…
I never thought I would be riding a motorcycle by myself… much less a “BIG” motorcycle.
I have a few people to thank for getting me going… my biker chick girlfriend Cynthia and my main squeeze Fred. Without their encouragement and support I would never have even tried to ride.
I started on a Honda something – 250 when I took a rider safety course with Juneau ABATE. That is where I learned to ride and earned my motorcycle endorsement.
Then Fred had me ride his brothers Harley Sportster… I was too afraid to ride it for long but took a spin or two around the parking lot at 7 mile in Juneau. It didn’t help that the spark plug cable was shocking me in the thigh every time I moved… 
When we moved to “America” Fred found a Yamaha XS750 Special. He rebuilt the entire bike and I have been working on getting better at riding it… unfortunately we are having an electrical problem that is yet to be resolved… soon, I hope. I did ride it to work on my birthday though… that was pretty cool if I say so myself.
In the mean time Fred is concerned that the Special is too tall for me and has been encouraging me to ride his Honda Goldwing 1100.
Honestly, I was terrified… it seemed like it was too big – the Goldwing, not the Yamaha – power and not size. He kept telling me that it would be easier to ride than my “fast” bike and because it is lower to the ground I would feel like I had more control. He was right… but I am not giving up on my first bike, my first love, my Yamaha…
Here is some video of me learning to ride Fred’s Goldwing. Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to get the video to embed directly from SocialCam… may be time to post back again on YouTube.
Molly’s first ride on the Honda Goldwing 1100
I definitely have the bug… loving the two wheels and wind in my face.
Thank you baby for believing in me (you too Cynthia!)
Where do these people learn to drive?
I have been really struggling with “road rage” since moving to “America”… OMG, people are STUPID! Where did they learn to drive (as if you could call it that)?
It isn’t really that I have road rage as much as my vocabulary has become a lot more colorful since moving down here, as have my hand gestures. Granted I haven’t lived in “America” for over 10 years but still… I cannot believe that people are REALLY THIS STUPID!
Take for instance the following…
While driving down Bellevue Way this afternoon, I can see from NE 4th a fire engine coming toward Main from SE 10th… IT WAS THAT OBVIOUS… from 14 blocks away! I could see all of the drivers pulling over to the RIGHT to give the fire truck the right of way, as it should be, all except for the STUPID BEEEAAATCH in the white BMW who felt the necessity to beat the fire truck to the light on Main so that she could take a left… she sped up trying to stay ahead of the fire truck and they kept gaining on her, sirens blaring, horn blowing, and lights flashing. REALLY?!!!! What driving school did she attend, because she apparently missed the part about emergency vehicles having the right of way. Where are the police when you need them?
This is only ONE example of the stupidity I have been witnessing since moving back home. I can often be heard swearing under my breath and occasionally you will see me give someone the finger… like yesterday… when I was obviously pulling out of a parking space and some DUMB-ASS felt it necessary to swerve around me so that he could get into a space on the other side of me. Honking at ME… really?! Who on EARTH goes over 10 miles an hour in a parking garage?!!!
Don’t even get me started on the self-absorbed cell phone users… YOU DO KNOW THAT TALKING OR TEXTING ON YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING IS ILLEGAL IN WASHINGTON STATE. Don’t you?!!!!!
So tonight Fred and I took the motorcycle out for a spin. The temps were fairly warm and the weather beautiful. Very nice ride until a green Subaru Forester decides to switch lanes without looking to see if anyone was there (US, WE WERE THERE…), then they waved at us… like “thanks for letting us in”… we didn’t… Fred was the one flipping the bird that time… sorry ladies, but switching lanes again and rolling down your window sheepishly looking at us after nearly killing us is not an acceptable apology.
OR TWO!!!
Life changes… create…
…changing priorities.
As I was walking home from a training session for my new part-time job I realized just how much I was enjoying the changes occurring in my life.
Sounds kind of strange considering the amount of stress that some of these changes have caused but I am really amazed at how much more relaxed things are and how much I am really enjoying living… the warmth of the sun on my face didn’t hurt either.
For the past 20+ years I have been the responsible partner in my marriage. My life choices were driven by the need to support my WASband and to make sure that he had health insurance. I had to make sure that we had a roof over our head, food on the table, and everything else that we “needed”.
I came to believe that making MORE money would make us happy. I was trying to provide financial security… what I found is that the more money I made the unhappier I became. The more money I made, the more the WASband expected me to make.
For sure, I learned that material things DO NOT make me happy. Sure, money helps with a lot of things and life without money is a lot more difficult, in some aspects (but not most).
I’ve been broke, REALLY BROKE, like working three + jobs to make ends meet broke, shopping at the thrift store broke and eating at my in-laws house broke.
Sure, when I became more “successful” having money made life easier… in one sense… but it also made life a lot more difficult. I got caught in the rat race.
A rat race is a term used for an endless, self-defeating or pointless pursuit. It conjures up the image of the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape while running around a maze or in a wheel. In an analogy to the modern city, many rats in a single maze expend a lot of effort running around, but ultimately achieve nothing (meaningful) either collectively or individually. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_race
The happiest I had ever been in the marriage was when we made almost nothing. Before he got sick. It was difficult and we made sacrifices but things were simpler.
This past year I have been working to pay down the MARITAL DEBT and working on a cash basis. Essentially, if I couldn’t pay for something out right, I just didn’t get it.
This is difficult to describe really. When married, I felt that I had to provide my WASband with whatever he wanted. We had to keep up with the “Jones’s, the Smith’s” and whoever else we hung out with.
I was so desperate to make the marriage work that I thought buying him things and buying things to make our house a “home” would make him happy. They didn’t.
I think that another issue was that my WASband and I had different priorities. We were not on the same page. I don’t even think we were on the same continent. But that is another post all together (having to do with the role of care-giver and “patient”).
Things are completely different now…
I have been interviewing for different positions since my move to “America”. The job market is very tough down here and the biggest issue that I have had while interviewing is having potential employers understand that I am in a different place in my life and that while I was once on the corporate fast track I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in climbing the career ladder at this point in my life.
My priorities are different. My life is different. My relationship(s) are different.
I have an interview tomorrow. This is the second round of interviews for this employer. Out of six candidates selected for the first interview, two of us have made it to the next round. The first interview felt good. Really good.
The main question that they kept asking? Why are you not applying for management/administrative positions? Won’t you be bored in an “entry-level/mid-level” position?
Without going into too many personal details I politely explain that I am in a different place in my life and that my priorities have changed.
My family is more important than my job. My relationship with this absolutely FANTASTIC man who is in my life is more important than my job. My desire to work doing something that I enjoy but can leave at the office is more important than any potential for career advancement or income.
What do I need? I need to make enough to support myself and put a little money away for the future. Once the MARITAL DEBTS are paid off I actually need very little money to live.
For the first time in my adult life, and the first time in an adult relationship, I do not need to buy anything to be happy. My guy and I find satisfaction in what we do and what we like to do costs very little.
It is actually quite amazing to me how things have changed. I am happy. REALLY HAPPY and I am learning that by consuming less I am living more. I found the rat race video on a web site that advocates consuming less and learning how to live… I can’t say that I agree with all of their views but overall the message supports what I am trying to get across in this post.
It helps that I am in a relationship with someone who I absolutely adore. Someone who has taught me that I don’t have to buy his love… he shares it freely.
My current goal? Finding a job with less responsibility and little or NO overtime, regular hours and a lot less drama… I want to enjoy my life. Now that I have one!
