Saturday, February 28, 2009

Water, Water Everywhere

Today has not been as good as last night. I went down in the basement to get something and noticed water by the freezer. In fact there was water in the hallway by the freezer and in the bathroom and in the bedroom. This is the second time in two months there's been water in the basement so there is obviously a problem. I'm guessing the condo maintenance people will have to pull off the paneling to find the crack and then seal it.

Renae and I spent about an hour getting up the water, but I think it's still coming in. I think I'll have more water to get up tonight.
Last night was good night. My friends Glenn and Renae went to a local high school to see the Ohio Rolling Hoopstars play in a regional tournament. Bill, the former girls basketball coach at my school in OH, is the team's coach. It's the first time I've watched wheelchair basketball, and it was really fun to watch. The circling around in chairs, the defense, the shooting, etc. was impressive. I leaned over to Renae and said, "I don' think I'd have the upper body strength to do this." She just laughed.

It was great to see Bill and his wife Debbie as well. Too bad they played at 9:00 this morning or I may have made a second game.

It was good to see that Bill hasn't changed--still riding the refs, still getting technicals, still Bill.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Thankful Thursday

I’ve had a rough few days; the economy and its fallout within my company have been weighing heavily on me. I’ll admit my response hasn’t been very biblical—instead of reworking budgets and remembering that if God has the hairs of my head numbered and cares for the birds of the field that He will take of me as well, I reworked budgets and melted down.

Then earlier in the week I sent a birthday card to my Leap Day niece and wrote the verse that I write on all the birthday cards:

I Samuel 12:24--Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

And I realized that I wasn’t thinking about the great things He has done for me. My Thankful Thursday list has been developed all week long.

1. I’ve been home three evenings in a row this week. I don’t know when that last happened. I needed it, and even though I, of course, didn’t get everything done I wanted to, it was good to get done what I did.
2. This week I found out one friend from Illinois’s mother died a couple of weeks ago and talked with another friend whose father is expected to die anytime. It made me thankful for how healthy my parents are.
3. It’s funny that after my sister posted on her blog about having dinner with a friend that she doesn’t see very often, but when they do see each other they pick right up as if there had been no absence. That’s pretty much what Mary Claire said last night—it’s great to have a friend who you can talk to freely even if there isn’t a lot or regular contact.
4. The weather was very, very foggy this morning on the drive to work. I realized that I could miss the exit because even though it’s only one exit further to work I don’t really know the curves, etc. on the highway yet, and I could see only about 2-3 car lengths ahead of me. I didn’t miss the exit and I got to work safely.
5. My pre-work for month-end either tied or had an easy fix.
6. And many other things I thought of at the time but can’t remember now.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Monday Morning Commute

Seeing meats such as olive loaf, braunschweiger, polish sausage etc. usually makes my stomach turn. Needless to say when I saw a truck for this company with most of the meats in the picture shown on the side of the truck, I almost had to pull over. It wasn’t a good way to start the week.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

A Great Reminder

My sister Ann had a great reminder here.

It's All Where You Live

Yesterday Mary told me that Haley had her first outdoor track meet of the year.

Yesterday we got over 5" of snow.

The thought of being outside in a track uniform gave me frostbite.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Observations in a new building

I work in an open office plan. My “office” is three sides built on 120 degree angles. Since we have moved into the new building there have been people who leave their office for a phone call only to walk over by my office or sit in the empty one beside me and make their phone call. It has been distracting for others besides me so our question is, “Why if you don’t want others around you to hear your call do you think it’s ok for us to hear your call?”

My other observation that made my head turn. Yesterday I walked in the restroom where two women were speaking in a different language—Russian I think. They continued talking as before; however, when a co-worker came in they seemed to continue their conversation but in English. As I left the two were standing outside without the co-worker and were speaking in the other language again.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Surely, Shirley

Today I was talking with an AP processor from one of the dealers. She is always a lot of fun. This week I asked for her to send me corrections for the AP vouchers that we store on-line. She actually had very few corrections to make which really surprised her.

She said, “Surely, this can’t be all.”

I said, “Actually my name is Rhoda and not Shirley.”

Ba-duh-bum.

Another rant

Disclaimer: If you are tired of reading about my rants on customer service regarding my name then you should quit reading now.

I’ve written before about how the bank branch that I typically use always wants to send me on my way with a “Thank you, Rhonda.” I usually correct them when they do that and thank them when they say Rhoda. In fact once a teller did it correctly, and when I thanked her she kind of laughed and said, “I’ve been corrected on it before so I’m not going to make that mistake again.”

On Friday I went to a different branch and the teller said my name correctly (remember I don’t need my name said—they are not my friends so I really feel it is a false familiarity that they use my name anyway), and I complimented her on it.

Yesterday I kept getting a call from an unknown number so I ignored it twice and then finally answered it last night. It was a survey from the bank regarding my last visit which was to the branch I’d never been to before. I’ve done this survey several times and typically I complain that they can’t get my first name correct and if they add an extra letter to my name would they just please add a “0” before the decimal in my deposit instead. I was all prepared to tell them how I was rating this branch so highly since they got my name right, and when we got to the end of the survey after just having questions with responses such as excellent, good, not good, bad and there was not comment section I asked. Don’t you want to know why I had such a good experience? The surveyor, who I realize was just working off a script and didn’t really care about my answers as he just got paid for finishing a certain number of surveys, said, “I guess not. There’s no place for comments.”

Yesterday I ran an errand at lunch at lunch and stopped at the Speedway for a drink. The clerk pulled off my rewards program slips (I’ve earned another free drink!) and said, “Thank you Rhoda.” I complimented her on getting the name correct and told her what really good customer service it is to get a person’s name correct and that it’s very important to people. As I walked out I thought of what I should have done. I wish I would’ve just said really loudly, “Where’s a manager?” When the manager came over I would have said, “I just want you to know that this girl gave me really good customer service, and I’m coming back here because of her. She’s a great clerk, and I want you and her to know it,” turned around and walked off. Well, I probably would sneak a glance to see them pick their jaws up off the floor.

I did a similar thing at Red Robin. I asked the server for the manager, and I could see her mind churning with what she could’ve done wrong. The manager came over and the server stood apart trying to appear as if she was doing something else but obviously want to know what the “problem” was. I pointed to her and told the manager and said, “She is a great server. She has been prompt with serving us, she remembered any special things we asked for, she has been pleasant, and she’s been attentive without being overbearing. She’s the kind of server you want to keep. Please make sure she knows this.” (knowing she had already heard it) It was obvious he didn’t get many positive comments, and I’m glad I could make both of their days.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Is stress good or bad for you?

My work team leader sent me a link to a Newsweek article on stress and found this interesting.

In the 1970s and '80s, Salvatore Maddi, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, followed 430 employees at Illinois Bell during a companywide crisis. While most of the workers suffered as their company fell apart—performing poorly on the job, getting divorced and developing high rates of heart attacks, obesity and strokes— a third of them fared well. They stayed healthy, kept their jobs or found others quickly. It would be easy to assume these were the workers who'd grown up in peaceful, privileged circumstances. It would also be wrong. Many of those who did best as adults had had fairly tough childhoods. They had suffered no abuse or trauma but "maybe had fathers in the military and moved around a lot, or had parents who were alcoholics," says Maddi. "There was a lot of stress in their early lives, but their parents had convinced them that they were the hope of the family—that they would make everyone proud of them—and they had accepted that role. That led to their being very hardy people." Childhood stress, then, had been good for them—it had given them something to transcend.

I'm not a parent but it certainly makes me look at parents who try to take away stressors from a child's life. I'm reminded of the butterfly illustration that when a butterfly is trying to emerge from the cocoon if someone opens the hole and makes it easier for the butterfly to emerge, that the butterfly isn't able to fly. The work (stressor) of working through the hole, making the hole bigger, and rubbing it's wings against the hole does something that allows the butterfly to fly. Without that work, the butterfly is apparently just butter since it can't fly.

Humility excerpts pt. 3

More excerpts from Humility True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney

REFLECT ON THE CROSS
Martin Lloyd-Jones:
There is only one thing I know of that crushes me to the ground and humiliates me to the dust, and that is to look at the Son of God, and especially contemplate the cross.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Carl Henry: How can anyone be arrogant when he stands beside the cross?

An ungrateful person is a proud person. If I'm ungrateful, I'm arrogant. And if I'm arrogant, I need to remember God doesn't sypathize with me in that arrogance; He is opposed to the proud.

And now you need to read the rest of the book.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Humility excerpts pt. 2

What is the biblical definition of true greatness? serving others for the glory of God. Mark 10

It's possible to admire humility while remaining proud ourselves. If there's ever going to be a meaningful transformation in our lives, if we are to make progress in restraining pride and manifesting humility, there must be the purposeful application of truth.

John Stott: In every step of our Christian growth and maturity, and throughout every aspect of our Christian obedience and service, our greatest foe is pride and our greatest ally is humility.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Ice

Ooo-la-la. I just found out the ice in the ice machine in our new building is crushed! How exciting.

Seeing Mary

Joey and Mary will be in Detroit for an extended layover. I'd drive to see them, but I'd probably end up wandering in one terminal looking for them while they'd be wandering another terminal looking for me.

After a long time of looking we'd probably both end up calling Mom/Dad at different times telling them we couldn't find each other. In fact, I would be so frustrated that I'd break down on the phone to my mom, "I CAN'T FIND MARY!!!" "Well, she can't find you."

Then three hours after we were supposed to meet we'd finally realize we needed to page each other in other terminals and eventually meet up.

This sounds so familiar from 1990 when Mary flew into Chicago for a few days before we went to Mark/Molly's wedding. I admit I don't remember if that was 1990 or 91. Someone help me please.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Jayne from handbells pt. 2

Just giving my weekly shout out to Jayne.

Humility excerpts pt. 1

A few thoughts from Humility True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney, a book on humility that I've read recently.

God. . .gives grace to the humble (James 4:6) Contary to popular and false belief, it's not "those who help themselves" whom God helps; it's those who humble themselves.

Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness.

Pride not only appears to be the earliest sin, but it is at the core of all sin. "Pride," Johnn Stott writes, "is more than the first of the seven deadly sins; it is the essence of all sin."
Indeed, from God's perspective, pride seems to be the most serious sin. From my study, I'm convinced there's nothing God hates more than this. God righteously hates all sin, of course, but biblical evidence abounds for the conclusion that there's no sin more offensive to Him than pride.

Why? Pride is when sinful human beings apsire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence on Him.

The author said that he learned that instead of confessing to God that "I was proud in that situation," he learned to say instead, "Lord, in that moment, with that attitude and that action, I was contending for supremacy with You. . .Please forgive me."

Some more thoughts later.

A recession proof business

Click here to watch an interesting segment.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

At Least It's a Place to Sit

Until today this has been one of my work areas for the last week:




Imagine if I didn't work for the 89th best company that makes office furniture!


Last week they took out the Ethospace "hut" that all of this equipment occupied so it was sitting in the middle of a very large open area. I kind of felt like a refugee.

Today was our first day at the Greenhouse. It's a nice place, but it's very different from Marketplace so there will be various things to get used to.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Jayne, again.

I've mentioned Jayne from handbells after the last two Sundays. And while I don't have any great and exciting stories to tell about church yesterday, I'll just say that Jayne brought me the newspaper article about Pat Summitt's 1000th coaching win.

There, now it's been three weeks in a row. And I'm not renaming the blog rk2j.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Found the four vehicles I'd consider buying when I start looking again.
The Ford Taurus X. I like the look and it felt good inside. I actually think my parents should look at this when they get ready to switch from their Freestar.




The new design Honda Fit. I wish they had this color in the sport model when I bought the Fit, but it came only in the base model which didn't come with cruise control. That was a deal breaker. I like that it has a more rounded look than the 2007 model and the new lines on the side and on the hood.


The Honda CRV. I love the new design of this vehicle, and I like two colors for it: the glacier blue metallic and the green tea metallic.



I have loved the Honda Element since it came out, and someday I will get one. The new ones are not quite as edgy, but people either love it or hate it. There is no middle ground on this one. I drove one for a weekend in 2004, but so many people didn't like it. I actually didn't buy it because I thought I didn't want to drive up and have people say, "Oooh, ugly vehicle, oh it's Rhoda."

Reality is that except for the Fit the gas mileage on the others are basically 19 city/24 highway. The Fit is 28 city/33 highway, and I don't think I'm willing to give up that much mileage.
And thankfully, I'm not seriously looking right now.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Thankful Thursday on Friday

A belated Thankful Thursday

1. Free tickets to the auto show tonight.
2. The pot of soup I made on Saturday was good; however, a crock pot full is too much.
3. I've worked in a really nice building for the last 4 1/2 years. I will miss it, but I like my placement in the new building. We stopped by there today, and while some are not happy I am.
4. Mom's second eye surgery went well.
5. Joey and Mary had traveling mercies from Huntsville to Detroit today.
6. A mom who reminds me to be thankful!!!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Happy Birthday

Glenn, Renae's husband has wanted to go to the auto show for several years. I decided I'd buy tickets as a birthday gift for him. Today I stopped at the dealer I bought my car from and asked for discounted tickets. The sales manager said he had some left and wondered how many I needed. I asked for three. He came out said that he did have some discounted tickets, but he thought I would like the ones in his other hand better. They were free!

You got to love a birthday gift that is free. And who would appreciate that more than Glenn!

OK, I'm not totally cheap. I'll buy at Red Robin.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

They Will Find You

This is just too scary.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Weather

Almost a direct quotation from the weather reporter on the news at 7:15 a.m. today:

In January we had 7 hours of temperatures above freezing. As of now, we have had more hours above freezing than in January.

On a side note, she said January had 6-7% sunshine. That's just depressing. About Thursday I was ready to make a run for it.

Humility

Last week after church I was talking to the guy who heads up a book table and the minister about one of the books from the table I had read titled Humility. I told them that I could've written it better.

This morning Jayne leaned over and told me that I'd been quoted in Sunday School. Apparently Todd told that story in his Proverbs but didn't tell them I was the one who said it.

I went to him after church and said that when he's telling stories about me and humility that I want my name attributed to the things I say!!!