The Swamp

We went out and got hammered tonight. I behaved. Slotting her into "wing woman".

$10 and a Lifesavers Mint.

At some point, people are going to start asking where the attendant is.

When it gets up to $25, you should take the money and go buy a cheap cooler, a bag of ice and a case of beer and replace it with that.

So we had a guy working at the Institute as a technician. He was a contractor for about a year, and everyone liked him, and he was in the process of getting hired full-time.

About 2 weeks ago, he went home sick, and then called in sick the next day. And then has just disappeared. His boss has tried to call, email, text with no response. He's tried calling this emergency contact...no response. And the contractor agency can't get in touch with him either.

Rumor is that he was offended by the offer he got, but who knows? Very strange...

DaveInSeattle wrote:So we had a guy working at the Institute as a technician. He was a contractor for about a year, and everyone liked him, and he was in the process of getting hired full-time.

About 2 weeks ago, he went home sick, and then called in sick the next day. And then has just disappeared. His boss has tried to call, email, text with no response. He's tried calling this emergency contact...no response. And the contractor agency can't get in touch with him either.

Rumor is that he was offended by the offer he got, but who knows? Very strange...

Somebody needs to find him. I had a good friend who had a similar situation about five years ago. Called in sick a couple times, then nobody heard from him. Finally somebody at his office go concerned enough to get hold of his brother (who lived 30 miles away). The brother drove to his house, entered and found him in bed, dead.

When I caught up with his brother he told me that he had called him complaining that something he ate wasn't sitting well with him and he thought he might have food poisoning. They never did do an autopsy, but that was the assumption for cause of death, and the brother told me that was what the coroner ruled.

sancarlos wrote:

DaveInSeattle wrote:So we had a guy working at the Institute as a technician. He was a contractor for about a year, and everyone liked him, and he was in the process of getting hired full-time.

About 2 weeks ago, he went home sick, and then called in sick the next day. And then has just disappeared. His boss has tried to call, email, text with no response. He's tried calling this emergency contact...no response. And the contractor agency can't get in touch with him either.

Rumor is that he was offended by the offer he got, but who knows? Very strange...

Somebody needs to find him. I had a good friend who had a similar situation about five years ago. Called in sick a couple times, then nobody heard from him. Finally somebody at his office go concerned enough to get hold of his brother (who lived 30 miles away). The brother drove to his house, entered and found him in bed, dead.

When I caught up with his brother he told me that he had called him complaining that something he ate wasn't sitting well with him and he thought he might have food poisoning. They never did do an autopsy, but that was the assumption for cause of death, and the brother told me that was what the coroner ruled.

I've had the same situation happen several times in my current job (consulting for 10,000+ clients, I only hear about the weird stuff). Twice they found the employee dead at home, once in jail and the wife refused to answer the phone seeing it was her husband's employer.

Don't let PDX hear about that last one.

So I was out last weekend and walked past her ex (who was with what appeared to be a new girl) and he was all chuffed and jovial when he said hi to me, and I'm assuming it was because he thought I'd probably go tell her that I saw him out with a woman and score some jealousy points. Not gonna play into his hand though.

P.D.X. wrote:So I was out last weekend and walked past her ex (who was with what appeared to be a new girl) and he was all chuffed and jovial when he said hi to me, and I'm assuming it was because he thought I'd probably go tell her that I saw him out with a woman and score some jealousy points. Not gonna play into his hand though.

Good call. That's a gentlemanly act.

Chuffed is a word that doesn't mean what it seems like it should mean.

I'm trying this. I have placed a dollar on the bathroom counter.

Giff wrote:There is a new-ish girl here that has the best ass and walk I've ever seen. I love that my office is between hers and the bathroom.

We need an update, or pictures.

degenerasian wrote:I'm trying this. I have placed a dollar on the bathroom counter.

Giff wrote:There is a new-ish girl here that has the best ass and walk I've ever seen. I love that my office is between hers and the bathroom.

We need an update, or pictures.

The ass is still amazing.

All I get at work is clogged shitters and signs about not flushing paper towels. Also... floor is always wet in the stalls. I may start hitting the gas station down the street for #2's.

who flushes paper towels? We don't have paper towels in the stalls and have 3 garbage cans.

My sister. I know from the 200 Buck roto rooter call.

A_B wrote:$10 and a Lifesavers Mint.

A great unfinished saga....

Secretary got mad when she found out and took the bowl and all.

Why the fuck would the secretary care?

duff wrote:Why the fuck would the secretary care?

and she went into the men's bathroom to get it?

She's also the de facto office manager.

Brontoburglar wrote:

duff wrote:Why the fuck would the secretary care?

and she went into the men's bathroom to get it?

You tell her no.

I can't fathom why that would make someone angry.

Sounds like something our office manager would do. Considers herself the dictator of her little kingdom.

That secretary needs to get Camaro'd.

When it comes down to it, isn't networking just a socially acceptable term for ass-kissing?

Jerloma wrote:When it comes down to it, isn't networking just a socially acceptable term for ass-kissing?

Not necessarily. Getting acquainted with people who could help you out later (and/or could be helped by you) doesn't need to involve ass-kissing.

Sure, but you're still trying to put yourself in good favor with someone in exchange for possible future rewards. Even if you're not going Eddie Haskell on them, it reeks of the same kind of insincerity.

I sense you're not really comfortable having a drink with folks you don't already know...

But, seriously. Just think of it as a cocktail party where you don't know many people.

sancarlos wrote:That secretary needs to get Camaro'd.

This might be my favorite classic swamp reference.

sancarlos wrote:I sense you're not really comfortable having a drink with folks you don't already know...

But, seriously. Just think of it as a cocktail party where you don't know many people.

Both of these sound awful to me.

Agreed. I love going to a bar solo, but that's contingent on not having to speak to anyone unless I really want to.

Also, that secretary is 99.95% awesome. She thought it was tacky. She was not wrong.

What follows below is a brief series of emails between another person working on my current project and me, regarding her travel from Los Angeles to New York, edited for just the pertinent portions:

Co-worker wrote:Is there a flight that leaves LAX at 8pm or 9pm?

Your pal, DSafetyGuy wrote:Some airlines have overnight flights that leave around 9-10pm. Does that work?

Co-worker wrote:Hmmm any chance of getting a flight thats not overnight?

Your pal, DSafetyGuy wrote:LA to New York is 5+ hours in the air and 3 time zones of change.

A 4pm LA local time departure lands in NYC about 12:30am local time.

Co-worker wrote:Ok, and there’s no flights between the 7pm-8pm hour?

Your pal, DSafetyGuy wrote:Only ones where you would fly from LA to another city like San Francisco or Phoenix, change planes there, then fly to NYC and land in the morning.

Co-worker wrote:Yikes ok, I will take a 9pm flight if you have one! Thanks!

I know I've booked enough flights traveling east from the west coast to more than fill a lifetime, but it is mind-boggling that people do not understand concepts like time zones and planes not landing at 3am on a regular basis.

At most airports it's illegal to have takeoffs and landings between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. except for emergencies, etc.

"Anything that leaves LA around 7:00 PM and gets me into NYC in time for a full night's sleep?"

brian wrote:At most airports it's illegal to have takeoffs and landings between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. except for emergencies, etc.

And smaller airports have much earlier curfews. Burbank is basically shut down before 11pm because the flight path is all suburbs.

I was stunned to see JetBlue has an 11pm departure from JFK to LAX that gets in at 2:15am. I'm sure the baggage handlers are delighted for that one. Sounds like a flight that is the absolute last ditch effort to cover their asses in case something goes horribly wrong earlier in the day.

I just booked a flight that leaves at 12:50 a.m. from Ft. Lauderdale. Seemed very strange.

govmentchedda wrote:I just booked a flight that leaves at 12:50 a.m. from Ft. Lauderdale. Seemed very strange.

You'll be on a plane full of narcotics.

Most flights to Asia leaving from Vancouver take off at 2am.