Mudgeonly Monday: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes – But Not Changes In Latitude

Herb’s Blog, Herbdate 22543 – 862

Here’s the haps:

Greetings, Salutations, Hello There, Hearty Handshakes and/or Fistbumps(according to your personal preferences), and Hi Guys!

I apologize for not getting around to your blogs in a timely manner but a lot went on this weekend. Mrs. Herb was in the E.R. with what we were sure was a gallbladder attack but turned out to be something else which was still painful, then Daughter had a Sunday School lesson about Peter walking on the water that I helped her prepare for, proofreading papers, and just a whole lot of life in general. I plan to go around and try to catch up on the back issues as much as I can.

Part of life is, as anyone who has been around the thing for any length of time can attest, change. I am changing employers. I am leaving (have left as of this post) the Big Blue Box’s Big Brother and going (have gone) back to the office supply store that is not Staples. I apologize if these references to American retailers escape you but as you know I don’t really discuss work too much other than in a generic sense even though I have talked about it here in the past. No, I’ve never worked for the Big Red Bullseye but my experiences there as a customer have always left much to be desired so I’ve never applied there, much to the dismay and chagrin of the haters of the blue.

A relatively short time ago I was sanitizing shopping carts and greeting incoming members when one of the folks I greeted turned out to be a manager from the office shop and her husband. Well, wasn’t a manager at the time but is now.

“Herb! What are you doing here‽‽”
“Wiping down carts and asking people for their membership.”
“Do you like it?”
“What’s to like or not like? I spray disinfectant on carts and hand them to people.”
“Sounds boring.”
“It is.”
“Why don’t you come back and work for me? I’m needing a logistics person and you could pick up right where you left off. I would hire you as soon as you applied.”
“Well, that’s really generous and kind but So-And-So really made things bad for me and if she’s still there I can’t see how anything would change much. She had the power. Or thought she did.”
“Didn’t you hear? She’s gone!” Actually, I had heard but never considered what it might mean. “Not only is she gone, but This One left and That One Left and the Other One is gone, too. I really need another experienced logistics person and you’re it if you want it.”
“I’ll come to talk to you tomorrow morning.”

And so, for a dollar an hour more than I had been making there before or at Big Blue, I am back. I’ve always enjoyed the logistical side, inventory control, bean-counting, troubleshooting kinds of things, and this job, which I hated leaving but was forced to, is not as straining physically, either. So, I’m going back to a job I enjoyed (I don’t really mind retail) for more money. Now, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I don’t eat Pringle’s with a fork, either.

So, it boiled down to a choice between:

Or

I’m feeling pretty good about this one. I think I was blessed and am very thankful for it.

57 Comments

  1. I like posts where people are feeling good about something. I do hope Mrs. Herb is feeling better. And now I am going to see if Pringles can actually be eaten with a fork.

  2. Wait, are you saying people in general should not eat Pringles that way, or it’s just not how YOU do it? Because, mister…

    :p

    In all seriousness, I’m happy you have people who are happy to invite you back to something you’re good at. Doesn’t sound like Club Blue saw much value in you. I hate companies that are blind like that. Then again, I have the delusion that there ought to be some kind of agency that sees what people are actually good at and get them that job. Not an employment agency. I used one that did not do that. It didn’t do anything for me at all, in fact. But it just seems like something an intelligent society would do.

    • Well, I certainly meant no offense to Eaters-Of-Pringles-With-Forks.
      I agree that such an agency would be a very intelligent idea but our society is not particularly intelligent.

    • Oops. I meant to add to my reply that Club Blue, (and the whole company) value numbers and the managing of numbers more than leadership. There may be individuals with leadership qualities but it only matters if whatever metric they are responsible for adds up. This is their Achilles Heel and the only reason Bezos has not completely demolished them is that he’s no better and is a jerk and a tyrant.

      • It amuses me that I remember when Amazon was in danger of going extinct. And then it just got into the business of…everything. And probably Amazon Prime. I can’t imagine that really benefiting everyone who gets it. Like every loyalty program, it’s just a gimmick to get more money out of the people who WON’T be frequent shoppers. And to get the people who ARE to shop more frequently, because of all the deals they get. And all the money they spend specifically because of them…

  3. Congratulations! I am glad “So and So” left so you could return to a position you truly enjoyed. It is sad to have work that you love doing but you cannot do it because of a co-worker situation. I retired early (partly) for that reason. Now my only co-worker is my husband. He makes my work (and play) doable. 💞😉

    • Thanks so much. Matt asked as well. I emailed him and let him know you guys have been asking about him. He’s healthy and in good spirits but I think between his new appointment at work and living life in the real world his writing maybe be on the backburner. I don’t know.

  4. Sorry to hear that. Wish Mrs. Herb will get well soon and wish the ailment is not serious. So happy to hear that you are going back to a job you enjoys. Wonderful news. Wish you and your family the best. You deserve the best.

  5. I am praying for Mrs. Herb, you and the entire family. You sure have made changes since my last visit but overall glad things are okay considering… Have a great day/night and get some rest.

  6. I am late (as usual) but give my (delayed) best to Mrs. Herb for a quick recovery. And there are few things better than going to a job you don’t hate. A low bar, but it’s far from nothing. 🙂

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