Monday, November 18, 2013

Looking Back – Three Amigos



Below are a few stories going back to around 1982-1986 from my career in Wichita when I tried my hand as a Second Line Manager supervising people.  Some very interesting times.  Some of the names have been changed to protect the guilty!!!

Feedback From Mr. T
I wish you the best on your continued journey down this new path.  I do want fries with that.
It was a pleasure working with you.   I learned a lot from you…about Billing systems…about what to do…and about what not to do.   J
You sense of humor is gift and I hope you continue to spread that gift to those around you.
One of my fondest memories – first week on the job in Wichita, I had somehow made Arlene angry.  You came down to my desk at 7pm to show me a list of names, on which Arlene’s name was crossed off.  You said, “This is a list of everyone of everyone in the Data Center.  I am going to start crossing off the names of all the people you piss off, one by one.”  Your managerial skills were amazing.  Good times.
I also enjoyed that exercise class we took at the YMCA.  You didn’t tell me that everyone else in the class was an expectant mother.  They all loved us.  Good times.
And of course, the late night breakfast at the Nifty Kitchen with you, me and Miss B.  We did not get stabbed or shot.  Good times.
Good luck!!   Enjoy your retirement.

Reply to Mr. T:
Thanks for the two great stories!!!  I kind of remember the exercise group.  NOW, that was pretty funny. 
I don’t remember the Arlene story but I do remember how Arleen was.  I think that was a pretty good management style approach.  I hope I was not too threatening.  J
You, Kurt, and Kathy were three of my “success” stories even though I really can’t take credit for much of anything relating to your development.  You all had the tools you needed and so were pleasant to work with.  Kathy got a bum rap at the beginning but it did not take long for her to show others what she could do.  Those were probably some of the “toughest” talks I had to have with an employee but Kathy took everything I said to heart.  One of the “proudest” memories of my early careen was when abut a year or so after I took over Evening Shift, Mr. DR came to me and asked it Kathy could work for him.  That was a great feeling and those types of successes were few and far between.
So, thanks again, for the memories.

Feedback From Mr. R
well congratulations!!!  I have to say that you were one of the best bosses throughout my career!  And glad you were my first boss (I don’t count M…;-))  I also have to say you taught me to hang sheetrock…and it did come in handy in my later years.
I also have so many fond memories of my short time in Wichita…Our scavenger hunt was really fun!  Evening shift with Ms. V “smoking” in her cubby…illegal now!  Unbelievable it wasn’t illegal then…shows our age.  But she always had time to “help” me so I would always have to go to Kim.
Arlene always threatening to “box my ears”…I guess for trying to re-code some of her JCL…not really sure.  Sneaking into Gus’s desk with Karen to find out if we were going to OKC or St. Louis prior to official announcement!  Occasionally working night shift and catch Steve sleeping!  Poker with Dean, Gary, Mark, and Scott…I was horrible, but was happy to be included!  Weekends at Kathy’s house on back porch looking at the “lights of Thailand”.
Great times!

Feedback From Mrs. B
I’m going to do a more proper response tomorrow when I’m back in the office … but what a perfect place to write to the three of you, because I am now sitting in downtown Wichita!
Kim, this company is going to be so much duller without your special brand of humor in the office!  You are right, if it weren’t for you, I am sure I would not be here at AT&T.  I think DR never forgave me for leaving work at 5:30 one day to go to a concert with my friend who was meeting me at my apartment (those days were before cell phones).  He thought I should have stayed with the woman who came from St. Louis to work with me.  If JS didn’t have her baby two months early I wouldn’t have been in that spot!  When he told me, “Don’t make plans after work,” I seriously thought I had misjudged the work world.  But when my one year appraisal time came, and you stuck your neck out for me and then said, “Just keep doing the same things you’re doing and we’ll ride this out,” (or something along those lines) it was such a great relief and honestly those days formed some of my best memories.

Every year when I review the Code of Business Conduct, guess what work environment comes to mind?  Jokes that pushed the line (and many times crossed over) – thank you, Kim.  Work-appropriate clothing (thank you Sherri ? of the see through shirts).  Smoking at work – trying not to get hit by MC’s cigarette ashes as she talked with her hands and I watched the tip of her cigarette get longer and longer with ash.  And I must mention cologne – when I was back on days, we always knew Kurt had arrived because of the waft of cologne that came with him!  Put in a full day of work – do you remember when JK was an evening shift supervisor and he let LM join a bowling league during hours she was supposed to be working?  Oh the memories go on!  Of course the Nifty Kitchen and the joy of identifying a working girl…  And working strike duty that first year, before Mark transferred in or Kurt started, when RP had his wife bring some beer to a park where we all met at 7:00 a.m. because we were getting off our 7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m. shift.  I don’t think that’s something you were involved in Kim, but it’s another of those crazy Wichita memories.  Most of all I remember your laugh and how loyal you were.  I owe a lot to you in helping me get going with this company, and in how you made it fun and challenging, too.  I am so glad that we can all still find each other after all these years.

Original Retirement Email To Folks
It's Official!!!!  I decided to pull the trigger today.  I just hope I am not shooting myself in the foot!   J 
Feel free to pass this along to anyone you feel might be interested….
And as always……
YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!!  J
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1 comment:

PreacherMan2000 said...

Three Amigos??? Who do you think you are Steve Martin??? You are luck to have even known three people over these last 35 years who will even admit they know you much less worked for you and survived to tell about it!!! I am surprised you lasted this long. They should have booted you out of AT&T long ago! Geeeees! YOU ARE PATHETIC!!!

November 20, 2013 at 3:51 PM

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Colonoscopy - Written by Dave Barry

So here's the story.

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.

Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep.

You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic.. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothe s and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep.. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald. On the subject of Colonoscopies... Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!

2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'

3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'

4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'

5. 'You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married.'

6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'

7. 'You put your left hand in; you take your left hand out...'

8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'

9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!

10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'

11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'

12. Now I know why I am not gay.'

And the best one of all.

13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'



Inspirational Stories

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room She said: 'How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?' The surgeon said, 'I'm sorry. We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it.'

Sally said, 'Why do little children get cancer? Doesn't God care any more? Where were you, God, when my son needed you?'

The surgeon asked, 'Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university.'

Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. 'Would you like a lock of his hair?' the nurse asked. Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, 'It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 'I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom.' She went on, 'My Jimmy had a heart of gold.. Always thinking of someone else. Always wanting to help others if he could.'

Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car.

The drive home was difficult. It was even harder to enter the empty house. She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.

She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. She lay down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.

It was around midnight when Sally awoke. Lying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. The letter said :

'Dear Mom,

I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say 'I Love You' . I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me. He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of His pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. Jesus, Himself, took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important. That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.. God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked: where was He when I needed Him?' 'God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. He was right there, as He always is with all His children.

Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. I'm sure the food will be great.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I don't hurt anymore the cancer is all gone.. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. The Angel said I was a Special Delivery! How about that?

Signed with Love from God, Jesus & Me.

When Grandma Goes To Court

When Grandma Goes To Court
Don't Jack With This Lady!