And the award goes to....

At this time of the year when all the flashy award shows are being broadcast from LA, I'm reminded of a few superlatives that I encounter during the course of my day....oh, crap...I almost forgot to mention, in case you might miss the innuendo..... this is going to be a rant with a capital "R" capital "A" capital "N" and capital "T"

Continue at your own risk...you've been forewarned.

There is a very specific reason that I've chosen to be absent from this blog...I have not been very good company lately and did not want to spread the "love" too much among family and friends. The old saying "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" is one I highly recommend, and I feel a very reasonable standard to live by...sometimes. There are occasions, however, when even I can't hold my tongue...I bet you are not even a little bit surprised by that statement!?!?

As a few of you already know, I am still deeply involved in this big "project" at work, which keeps my mind numbed for 8 hours at a stretch. I am never more happy than when lunch time rolls around and we are let out of the "box" (for lack of a better term) for a brief reprieve before returning to complete our shift after feasting on whatever libations have been set before us. Yes, I've been responsible for feeding my crew lunch on most days, gotta keep the troops happy :) In addition to the cases of water I can be found schlepping to our remote location, others have provided all manner of snacks to include pretzels and chocolate, which I use a strange combination thereof to get myself through the last hour of my day. I wonder if an ever expanding waistline would qualify as a worker's comp issue??? Think I could charge the company on my expense report when I buy the next size of pants??? What....these are valid questions...or maybe not :(

So, we are coming to the end of the 4th week of operation "Boxed In" and yes, I did just make up that title...can't tell you much more because then I'd be out of a job for sure....hmmmm not such a bad idea....wow...I'm really spiraling down the old rabbit hole today. I am frequently asked several questions by my fellow worker bees (the folks that have been "volunteered" by their supervisors to assist our group with this project)...here are just a few:

How long will all of this take?
How many of the **** are there?
What are you going to do with the **** when we are done here?
Why are we ***** all of these?
How long has this been going on?
Are the **** still ***** ?

Please understand these are all very valid questions, and I do my best to answer them to a certain point and with a fair bit of vagueness (is that even a word???), because quite frankly, some of them, I am not in any way, shape of form, in a position to answer at this time.

As much as I would love to be a bit more specific, I'm unable to say much more and I have no idea when I will finally be able to say adieu to this lovely little cement building and return to my comfy little cubicle full time. I do know, I'll be there for a full 8 hours tomorrow and have been allowed a reprieve for Monday because I was the lucky recipient of a Summons for jury duty...how sweet is that...I could get picked to sit on a jury....WOO HOO I know I'm excited. I don't see enough legal mumbo jumbo during my own daily 9-5 each day, so let's just add more on top of the toppling work pile I already wade through.

I digress...I was making a comparison between the awards doled out for best actor, supporting actor and film each year...to the silliest, most unique and least difficult question I am asked each day. Today, not unlike many days of the week, I was asked what I like to refer to as the SQOTD, better known as the Stupidest Question of The Day....and the award goes to....yeah, well I'm not actually going to tell you who asked it...I'm walking a fine line here folks....but I will say....this "someone" is higher up on the food chain than me, and has a habit of also sharing these silly questions with other staff members, not just me!!!!

The reality is, I am not just one of the many worker bees, I'm also in charge of staffing this project and updating the constantly changing schedule of every person who has assisted us during the last month. Filling those daily time slots has caused my knees to scab over, bleed and scab once again, as I beg my co-workers each week to provide us with much needed hours at our off-site location. I thank them all repeatedly and profusely for every single minute they contribute to the effort.

Interestingly enough, how ironic is our timing...this week happens to be yearly incentive award week, when annual salary increases and bonuses are disclosed to employees. Of course, these are completely confidential, and again, I could be dismissed for discussing any details. I will say, my history of compensation from this company has always been a favorable one, although like everything else in this economy, it moves at a snails pace.

So on a day like today, when the foolish questions are flying around at the speed of light, I'm still not sure if I wouldn't be better suited to spend my senior years on a nice quiet island in the Caribbean, with a couple of fishing lessons under my belt, a 500 pound bag of rice and a manageable pup tent pitched under the stars.

I would be remiss if I did not state for clarification purposes, that on most days I am very pleased to be working for a Fortune 500 company that itself has been awarded accolades year after year for many superlatives in the industry. This company, together with 15,000 employees all working together towards a common goal, also continues to contribute to a national solution for protecting the environment for future generations.

Oh, did I forget to mention that today is my 6 year anniversary with the company....not sure if I have over stayed my welcome....or not....and the award for holding on to one's sanity goes to....