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While Vargr is absolutely bouncy about having an editor consider one of his works as suitable for such a venue, wuff is even happier to have THIS particular story chosen, and in the context of such a good cause.
You see, “Spirits” is a fantasy related to the War Dogs cause, which was the chosen charity of FurFright this year. Will Sanborn did an excellent job surrounding this wuff’s story with some especially poignant lead-in and trailing information about the War Dogs, the current status of the cause, and the debt we owe them. The setting created gave the telling of wuff’s tale an impact that surprised even the author.
And Belic Bear did a wonderful reading of the work. Vargr’s grateful thanks to both of you, and to all involved.
Please, head over to http://www.anthrodreams.com/ and give the Veteran’s Day special a listen – not because this wuffy had a part in it, but because the cause of the War Dogs is one that deserves wider recognition and dissemination.
This wuffy is honored to have been able to contribute in even this small way to promoting it.
VARGR DRAGONWOLF
- Location:A hotel in MA
- Mood:
ecstatic
Vargr asked the station guys to give the beast a good look-over. As long as wuff was paying close to 3 grand, might as well make sure nothing else was teetering on the edge and ready to fall off into "dead car" zone. They did find a few things:
- hole in the exhaust. Wuff knew of that one; the exhaust note has been getting louder the last few months.
- Replace the plugs. Once again, no surprise. The beast has been misfiring occasionally, and they're original equipment. 50k miles isn't too bad for a replacement.
- Replace fuel filter. Sounds reasonable as well. Recommended by the manufacturer around 40k, so its due. And a good preventative measure.
- Brakes shoes are down to 3 mils in rear, 2 or less in front. Recommended replacement at 5 mils. Yipe! That's definitely on the "to do" list, there.
- New struts. Manufacturer recommends around 50-60K. We're a bit early, but they're running a "buy 3, get 1 free", plus a $60 rebate from Monroe that runs out end of the month.
- Wheel alignment. Needed if the struts are replaced because that throws the tires all a-kilter.
Sadly, these all make pretty good sense. Sad, because struts are another of those "not cheap in any definition of the word" items of the vehicle world.
Bottom line. That initial $2700 estimate for the rebuild just topped $4k and is heading toward 5.
The good news - the black beast will be darn near "like new" when this all gets finished, a lot safer, better mileage, and functional (working tranny).
And the station guys are really being extra nice - they're picking up the tab for the rental car for the extra 2 days it'll take to finish up the work. They're still doing "taxi service" to the rental place to turn the car in when all is done. They're cutting prices here and there - the rebate, welding to fix the exhaust ($75) vs. putting in a new system ($400+), and other 'perks'. And everything they've mentioned fits right in with symptoms wuffy had already noticed, or that matches with the owner's manual. So no thoughts of them trying to 'milk' Vargr for extra repairs.
Still... what a chunk of change!!
And there's still one more bill for the beast to come - new tires. The treads are nearly down to the wear bars in some spots, and winter-slick roads are right around the corner. There's another $400 lurking for those.
*sighs* Sometimes independent mobility is a pain in the wallet!
On a good note - just found out yesterday that work wants Author in San Jose for the first week in November. So wuff is going to do his normal "take on some leave time" to the trip, and stay across the preceding and following weekends out there to visit friends. Really looking forward to that!
- Mood:
busy
Went out to see "Zombieland" on Saturday. On the short drive up to the theater, wuff began hearing a tapping sound from under the car. The noise speeded up with the speed of the car, but revving the engine didn't change it. And it got louder when the car was "under load", like heading up hill or accelerating.
On the way back home, the sound returned about half way during the trip. So wuff pulled into a neighborhood service station (Brakes Plus) in the strip mall just down from the house.
After a short test drive with one of their mechanics aboard, we all agreed that it sounded like transmission was failing, and it was significantly louder after the brief 5 minute run. In addition, wuff could feel the tapping in the gearshift now.
So, dropped it off, got a lift home with their shuttle car, and the tech pulled the tranny pan and did an initial look.
Diagnosis - tranny go bye bye. Metal shavings, friction material, all the "nasty" symptoms of failure. Just lucky it didn't seize up during the trip.
Ka-Ching! $$ They can re-build for $2700, or put in a new one for $4000.
We're going for the re-build, but !OWWIEE! that's a hit in the wallet!
Got to say that they're being VERY nice and accommodating. They've offered the use of their shuttle if needed for local trips. And they've been very professional and responsive. So far, they've been great in the customer service area. Just hope their tranny skills are as good.
They estimate 3 days for the rebuild. Barring any unexpected problems found as they tear further into it. Should be able to pick up the beast on Friday.
Wuff will let folks know how that all turns out. In the mean time, this wuffy's going to pick up a cheap rental car so Vargr can get around to work appointments and such. Luckily, there's a place that rents for just a bit over $20 a day, unlimited mileage (Advantage rentals). Already got the reservation with them.
Guess wuff's birthday present this year is a re-built tranny. Not exactly what Vargr had on his wish list. *chuckles* Ah well, at least was able to pick up a cake on Friday before it died.
VARGR
- Mood:
hopeful
As most readers know, this wuff is a big fan of the weird and whimsical, in cooking and otherwise. Seeing that, and trying to wrap his imagination around it, wuff had to give it a try.
It tasted surprisingly (amazingly, considering the ingredients) good!
Of course, Vargr being what he is, the wuff had to add his own touches to the recipe.
So, here's the wuff's take on a simple but VERY tasty "raid the refrigerator" style of cooking. Make it for the kids, and they'll talk about it all day at school, (*giggles* and adults will talk about it at work!).
"Stoner Dogs - Vargr version"
Start up a cup (or more) of minute rice while the dogs are cooking: (1/2C Water, 2tsp butter, dash salt, dash pepper, dash parsley, bring to full boil, add 1/2 C "Instant" rice, stir ONCE, remove from heat and cover immediately, let set for 5 minutes, fluff with a fork before serving.)
While the rice is boiling/steaming, make the 'dogs':
Slice up a couple 'dogs' into 1/4 in thick disks.
- These can be hot dogs, smoky links, cheddar stuffed wurst, etc. What ever you have will work.
Put a little pat of butter in a skillet and fry the sliced 'dogs' over high heat until nice toasty brown and black bits are seen on the surfaces.
- Vargr has electric burners, not gas, so roasting the dogs over the flame wasn't an option here; if you try something like that, electric smokes and spits something awful next time you put a pan on it.
Put equal amounts Grape Jelly and Yellow Mustard into the skillet.
- For 1 dog, was about 2 tablespoons, each.
Lower heat to medium high. Stir it up until the jelly melts and combines with the mustard, the sliced 'dogs' are well coated, and the sauce thickens a little (about 5 minutes).
- Option, add a shake or two of Sriracha hot chili sauce or Tabasco (wuff prefers the Sriracha; less vinegar 'spike' to the flavor with it) to kick a little fire into the sauce.
Plate the rice, pour the 'dogs' and sauce over it, and (it gets weirder), crumble up some potato chips and sprinkle a layer over the top for salty crunch to the dish.
Devour!
Vargr thought this might end up too sweet, but the mustard combines with the jelly to make a surprisingly savory and flavorful sauce. The crushed chips add a delightful crunch and a salty highlight that is an excellent foil for the meat and sauce. The rice adds a nice neutral base and some body, to make the dish more filling. You can skip it and go for just the dogs if you like.
With a few more spices (perhaps some cumin, black pepper, garlic, or paprika; maybe some onion powder) this mustard/jelly sauce would make a GREAT slather for pork BBQ and ribs.
Be sure, more experiments will follow!
Bon Appetite!
VARGR
- Location:Wuff's Den
- Mood:
artistic - Music:Day Oh (Ekkosangen)
The mega-mondo burgers we had there put all thoughts of a heavy meal out of both our heads for the rest of the day. Nearly 2/3 pound of beef, all the 'fixins' and a huge pile of fresh cut fries will do that to ya.
So instead, wuff did the meal today after getting out of work a little early (just prior to 4):
A choice ribeye steak, inch and a half thick, foot print roughly the size of a football, sprinkled with Canadian Steak seasoning and then attacked with a jacquard tenderizer to drive the spices deep into the meat, smoked over low heat for about 15 minutes in the chest smoker to impart some wonderful hickory and Jack Daniels wood smoke, then finished on a crackling hot grill and gently caressed with some garlic butter after plating on oven-heated stoneware.
Along side a medley of yellow summer squash, young zucchini, garden fresh green beans, and orange bell pepper all sliced into long spears and sauteed in extra virgin olive oil with a touch of butter, fresh herbs, and a bit of lemon.
And for dessert, fresh strawberries, black berries, raspberries, and blue berries artfully arranged and nestled in a bed of honey sweetened vanilla yogurt atop a soft springy round of sponge cake.
YUM!
One full and happy wuffy and roommate.
And Happy Fathers Day (belated as it may be) to all those out there! *hugs*
VARGR
- Mood:
accomplished
But the flight from Colorado Springs to Denver was delayed nearly 2 hours for fog. And the flight to Orlando was at the far side of the concourse (almost a mile). And, amazingly, it left the gate AHEAD of time!
Gate was in sight at 12:35. Departure time supposed to be 12:42. But the gate was already dark, the signs off, no agent, and the doors closed. Wuff and around 7 other folks stood at the window looking at the plane sitting out on the ramp, doing nothing out there. But they "left the gate on time".
So, we all wandered back to the ONE customer service agent serving the entire airline. The line went through the zig zag and all the way down the concourse for 4 gates! Ridiculous!
Called the company travel agent, and found that because of the weather and missed connections, every other flight to Orlando was already booked except the one 55 minutes from then, on another airline, in another concourse. But wuff had to speak to a gate agent to transfer the tickets (couldn't be done by a travel agent but had to be done through united only). Of course, the wait was at least 45 minutes for the ONE agent, so that wasn't going to happen.
So, ended up on the 'reserve' flight from United at 7 PM this evening. Flight lands at 00:30 in Orlando, FL time. Then wuff (hopefully) picks up luggage and catches the shuttle to the off-site rental car. And after that, a 90 minute drive across FL to the business city (Melbourne).
Hopefully, if wuff doesn't end up in a ditch in the middle of the swampland, Vargr will hit the hotel around 3 AM, to grab 3-4 hours sleep before rising at 7AM to get to the plant. Once at the developer's place, wuff can look forward to 8 hours of dry, long, highly technical document review. Oh yeah - THAT is going to work well. *snickers*
So, Vargr is stocked up on NoDoz and 5-hour energy drink (thanks for the idea, Johnny!). And hopefully that'll get the wuff across the state of FL on the tollway and to the hotel without giving him the caffeine "crazies" or ending up in a ditch somewhere.
Wish wuffy luck! *grins* Catch you all later!
Nighty nite!
- Location:Denver Airport
- Mood:
frustrated - Music:Airport paging system
Work and their travel schedules are starting to get a burr in this wuffy's fur. This trip, like EVERY other, is getting changed at the last moment. First wuff gets notice that the meetings are going to run into Saturday work. Then, the day before the plane leaves, they update the schedule to finish up by noon Friday.
So the original plans, hotels, plane tickets, rental car, etc., were all set up to fly tomorrow and return on Sunday, to accommodate the possible Saturday work time. Now it's time to call the agent up and have everything end a day earlier.
Of course the airlines will love this - they charge $150 change fee, plus the difference in ticket prices. A really nice bonus for them. And the company travel agent loves it too, because they charge a $23 service fee for every alteration on a trip.
Wuff doesn't like it near so much. Vargr has always tried to keep contract costs and fees down, so the customers get more "bang" from the bucks they put on program. It's very frustrating to work to get good rates by early ordering, hunting down discounts on rooms, etc., only to throw away nearly $200 because someone couldn't figure out how to use a calendar. Grrr!
Oh the other paw, wuff is wondering if Author is slipping into 'dangerous' geekiness levels. He officially is packing more computer gear than clothing for this trip! *chuckles* He's got 2 "business shirts" and a pair of slacks, 2 "Casual" shirts. The required socks and such, and toiletries.
And he has his personal laptop with the games, internet chat, etc., programs in his backpack. And the company laptop with all the business apps, timekeeping, VPN, and reference documents in the briefcase (which is packed inside the suitcase using the clothing to pad it).
The two laptops with their cases & packs weigh more and take up more space than all the clothing, etc., for the 3-day trip. Vargr thinks he should be packing more wuffy-treats instead! *grins*
- Location:Wuff's Den
- Mood: bouncy
After the show, wuff and roomie went out to check out new 5.1 speakers for the new Alienware gaming machine (christened "Klatu"). No joy there.
So, in a fit of thwarted shopping, wuff headed for Whole Foods and decided to do supper from the inspiration (and ingredients) gathered there.
Wuff ended up going "Exotic" and "Meatless". Results were declared "Officially Yummy" by all partakers!
The menu:
- Starting salad of baby spinach and micro-greens, with sweet "grape" tomatoes, walnut oil and raspberry-balsamic vinegar dressing. Topped with thin-sliced red Bosc pears and shavings of 3-year "razor sharp" vintage Tillamook Cheddar cheese.
- Followed by a small bowl of chilled Yogurt & Pear soup with a touch of cilantro.
- Main course:
-- Spinach Cakes with mozzarella and ricotta cheese, and red and green bell peppers, fried in butter and olive oil until the outside was slightly crisp and interior warm, gooey, and melted-cheesy.
-- Fresh Fiddlehead ferns, boiled in seasoned (garlic, Mrs. Dash and salt) water, the slightly sauteed and served with a "spritz" of butter, fresh ground pepper, and a pinch of kosher salt.
-- Broiled Porcini mushrooms stuffed with Parmesan cheese and pesto.
-- Slices of red Bosc pears sauteed in honey, butter, aged balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of all spice.
-- "Springtime" cous cous, with asparagus tips, yellow squash, zucchini, fresh spring garlic, and a citrus vinaigrette.
Wuff "wimped out" on dessert - it was a Suzy Q and a glass of nice, cold milk.
Vargr is carefully NOT looking at the grocery bill for this meal. Whole Foods has some fantastic goodies there, but they have never been known for the most "frugal" prices. However, the price buys quality goods, so there's something to be said for that.
In any case, wuffy is stuffed, happy, and left with the memories of a lovely and rather unusual meal. Nothing wrong with being in that state! *grins*
By 10AM, Denver was reporting 1-2 inches of wet, heavy snow per hour. The Springs was catching fitful winds and increasing clouds, but still had broken sunshine. Shoppers were hitting the supermarkets in hordes, and Vargr was one of them. The populace here flocks to stock up on groceries with every severe weather warning, and this wuff normally tries to avoid the mad rush.
But this time, wuffy was low or out of a few key essentials for his "Snow Cooking", and had to pick stuff up.
So wuffy braved the press of semi-crazed shopped, grabbing potatoes, parsley, parsnips, bacon, and other goodies. With purchases in paw, Vargr exited the store at just around noon, to find a very different scene than when he'd entered:
Big, thick, wet flakes, coming down in buckets. Still no wind behind it, but the car radio warned of that to come all during the drive home. Safe inside his den, wuff began puttering around the stove, starting another kitchen experiment - this time the "Snow Cooking" variety.
What is "Snow Cooking"? It's a habit, now nearly a tradition, for wuff to cook up something comforting, hearty, warming, and usually a bit indulgent when the weather turns strong and blustery outside. Since the summer storms are normally too short-lived to get much kitchen work put together, this normally happens during the longer fall, winter, and early spring snow events; hence, "Snow Cooking".
In a short time, there was a pot of delicious, bubbling, thick liquid under Vargr's muzzle; wuff sniffed, tasted, and pronounced it "YUM!". With that successful "Kitchen Experiment", wuff offers another new recipe:
- Vargr's Roasted Potato (and parsnip) Soup, with buttermilk, cream, caramelized onions and bacon.
( Recipe follows behind the cut! )
- Location:Wuff's Den
- Mood: accomplished
- Music:The Blanks - Underdog Theme
Rather than simply making another set of resolutions to lose weight, clean house, be more active, etc., this year, Vargr though he’d try something a bit different. So wuff gives you Vargr’s
Affirmations of the New Year:
In the New Year, I will strive not to waste a single precious moment of my life in Jealousy, Hatred, Despair, or Selfishness. I will recognize that these are seeds sown, and I must eventually reap their harvest. I will endeavor to plant only good seeds this year.
In the New Year, I will not succumb to useless anger. I understand that I can not eliminate anger from my life, for there are things that outrage and incite me. However, I will not allow my anger to become nothing more than a noisy outburst of frustration; that is merely whining with a passion. Instead, I will use my anger as motivation – if some situation moves me to anger, then I will do something about it.
In the New Year, I will not allow my fears or uncertainty to stop me from beginning a task, project, or change in my life. I will not delay while I dither and “what if” and hesitate until I have talked myself out of beginning or the opportunity has passed me by. I will make a start. And if I fail to reach my goal, I will delight that I have at least made progress toward it, rather than stagnating in indecision.
In the New Year, I will cease from trying to measure my happiness through comparison with others. I will first find happiness within myself, for my own reasons, of my own purpose. And I will share of this internal happiness like a wellspring to others, rather than relying on theirs to fill me.
In the New Year, I will ever remember the immortal words; “Shared Joy is Doubled, and Shared Pain is Halved.” And I will seek to benefit as many as I may though my sharing of their times of both hurt and happiness.
In the New Year, I will not turn aside from those tasks needfully done, no matter how unpleasant they may be. Of Home, Job, and Self, I will accept my responsibilities and act upon them to the greatest of my abilities. I will give more than expected, and with a smile present it. I will not allow diversions to interfere with what I know must be accomplished, but I will also hold back enough time for play, to replenish the spirit and refresh the soul.
In the New Year, I will endeavor always to find the positive of every situation. I will gain strength through adversity and patience through delay. I will search for the silver lining of each cloud, the rainbow within each rainstorm, the stars of the darkest night. I will recall that there is Balance in all things, if we but seek it. And I shall trust that He sets us no trials that are beyond our strength.
In the New Year, I will try to treat every stranger as a friend I have not yet made. And I shall undertake to value each friend and offer all the love and joy and thankfulness each such blessing deserves.
In these ways, may the New Year find me a better person, and may I use this to better the lives and world that surrounds me.
To all Vargr’s friends and acquaintances, may the promise of the New Year fill you with hope, and may 2009 be full of love and friendship, happiness, health, and success.
VARGR
- Location:wuff's den
- Mood: content
- Music:Fox Amoore - Flying without wings
To all of those who still read this all-to-frequently absent wuffy’s journal, thank you for staying. Please forgive if Vargr gets a bit sentimental at this time of year, but you know this dragonwuff is a big softy at heart.
So often, with the hype and the constant blaring of advertisements, we lose sight of the real reason for the Christmas celebration. It lies buried beneath the jingles and slogans and crazed “black Friday” shopping madness.
We grow so tired of the commercialism, the constant barrage of “sales sales sales” and “buy buy buy”, that we begin to reject the holiday itself as just another excuse for companies try to save their commercial bottom lines on the backs of holiday consumers.
We despair that the present we gave wasn’t good enough, wasn’t bright or flashy enough, was less expensive than those we might have received, wasn’t new, or hip, or trendy enough. That it won’t be appreciated for those reasons.
We forget that this holiday is not about the present, it’s about the gift!
There’s an important difference, though even the dictionary uses the two somewhat interchangeably. The present is the object, the token; the gift… that is the giving!
The gift doesn’t come wrapped in fancy paper and shiny bows. It isn’t bought from the most expensive boutique or the trendiest toy stores. Unlike a present, gifts are not measured in dollars or glitz or size.
The gift is an offering of consideration and kindness. It is an articulation of friendship, companionship, togetherness, and love. Sometimes it is an expression of thanks, a grateful assertion that the one being gifted has touched the giver in some way throughout the year. Always it is a demonstration of joy and happiness.
To those of us of Christian faith, the gift is also a reminder of the Gift we were given in this season so long ago; the ultimate expression of love and redemption. In giving, we connect once again with that great Gift, and pass along His love with our own.
Perhaps, in the hurly burly of the commercialization, the daily pressures, and the latest economic forecasts tied to the shopping trends, we need to pause a moment, reflect, and then reach out with the heart and give the gifts the season was truly meant for. Gift a stranger with a friendly smile. Gift a harried mother with a squalling child a place in check-out line before you. Gift a frustrated driver a spot to merge in front of you. Gift a neighbor a hand carrying the groceries inside, or a plate of warm baked cookies on cold December night. Gift a friend with a joyous email, or a family member with an unexpected loving phone call. Gift of your kindness, your patience, your consideration, and your love. These are the kind of gifts you can give, not only now, but throughout the whole year. These are the gifts that make the world a better place for all. Perhaps Christmas is just the spark needed to start?
For all those still watching this silly old wuff, May the Gift of the peace and love of this season be yours now and throughout the New Year.
Merry Christmas!
With love,
VARGR
- Location:wuff's den
- Music:Baby it's cold outside
Vargr did his “votin’ thing” today. Despite predictions of record lines and delays, it was relatively painless, though the wait was certainly longer than the last presidential election. Got to the location about 5 after doors opening (open 0700), and there was already a significant line out the door and down the sidewalk of the school.
Luckily, things were moving smoothly if not too rapidly, and wuff found himself before the touch-screen system roughly an hour later. After a brief (and mostly unnecessary) instruction from the volunteer on how to operate the device, Vargr waded through 29 pages full of selections for presidential candidates, local offices, senate (state and federal) candidates, retention of judges, and city, county, and state issues. This was the longest string of ballot items in Colorado history.
Luckily, wuff had done his homework and had his “cheat sheet” of measures and answers already available, or it would have taken far longer than the five minutes Vargr needed to go through the list. Some of those measures were written in “obsucuration politic-confusium”, a little-known dialect only used by lawyers and politicians, largely unreadable by the masses. Trying to read those for the first time at the poling place would have slower things down to a crawl. We had 1 electronic machine and about 10 booths for paper ballots; if folks hadn’t come prepared, the situation would have been impossible.
It was fascinating to see all the other dozens of candidates on the Presidential section. Some of the parties were amusing (“Boston Tea”), while others were a bit frightening (“Socialism and Liberation” & “Socialist Workers”). Though these other parties have gotten little to no press time, this wuff was surprised at the number of them which still garnered enough support to make it to the ballot.
One item that caught wuffy’s attention: Vargr’s precinct is in a nearby elementary school, and school continued in session while one room was used to conduct the voting. When wuff got in line, the children had yet to begin arriving for classes. However, by the time Vargr was finished voting, it was nearly 8AM and many of the children were present.
A lot of them had gotten into the voting line, pretending that they were going to go vote with the adults. That brought a bit of a smile – kids are certainly more socially aware these days. Vargr knew of voting at that age, but when wuff was such a “way-preteen” pup, voting was more something adults worried about and puppies had other things on their mind.
However, when every one of the kids suddenly began chanting “OBAMA! OBAMA!” wuff’s smile quickly turned to a frown. NOT because they were expressing an opinion that differed from wuff’s, but because of the totality of the view.
Not one kid contradicted their classmates, jokingly or otherwise! Not one spoke up for any other those other candidates, or even the other primary party. The complete and utter unity of thought spoke NOT of informed and discussed opinion, but mindless indoctrination of children at a very young and formative level. Indoctrination which had to have come from the institution wuffy was exiting – the public school.
His civic duty done, wuff headed off to work, but the image and sounds of the hoards of youngsters outside of that school, chanting in unison, lingered in wuff’s mind long after. Like the baaing of a flock of sheep. Wuff has to wonder, who exactly is the shepherd here? And where is he leading this future generation? For it’s obvious that this “flock” is already well under his control.
- Location:Developer's Plant
- Mood:
thoughtful
( Much Typing Behind The Cut )It's putting a bit of a crimp in Wuff's other activities though. Journals and stories and such are in much shorter supply. Still, have managed to find some fun inspiration through chats with friends, and have been putting together a rather nice (if wuff says so himself) furry action-adventure story with a friendly kitsune (Wasd). It's going slower than wuff would like, but any progress at this point is good.
Wasd has given permission to release it publically, and wuff will probably have chapters of it up on FurRag and Furaffinity in a short time. Wuff also provided another con book submission for FurFright, and now that the con is over and wuff needn't have any qualms about spoiling the possible surprise for con-goers, he'll be posting that up as well.
'Till then, stay happy and stay furry! And remember, Aging is mandatory - Growing up is optional!
"We grow not old, so long as we continue to chase our dreams!" V. Dragonwolf.
- Location:Garden of the Gods developer's plant
- Mood: bouncy
( Verbosity behind the cut )
- Mood: bouncy
As those who have read this wuff's journals know, that major contract Author has been working to win for the last two years was finally awarded earlier this -- to a competing company. As a result, Author's future with his current company was definitely "on the bubble". Author has been employed almost exclusively to service the predecessor of this contract, and the continuation of it has now been given to another firm.
Then came an unexpected and completely unannounced firing of two of the office workers at Author's local office; the Site Manager and the Office Manager. This leaves only Author's boss to hold down all 3 positions of Project Manager plus those other two.
Considering that the two folks fired were right in the middle of some major support for new contracts and teaming arrangements, it seemed obvious that Author (who wasn't involved in potential new income) would be even more vulnerability to unannounced termination. Author thought it best that he immediately start beating the bushes for alternative work locations.
Thankfully, Author was successful! The winner wanted to hire him, but they had underbid the contract so severely in order to secure the win, that they were asking for significant cuts in vacation, benefits, and no raise to come to the new office. They have a decent chance of long-term employment, as the new contract they just won was slated for 5 years performance if they did well. But it was still a tough consideration.
Then came another offer from a firm in LA: they needed to have "Feet on the ground" in Colorado to support business and provide oversight to developers in the local area. This firm offered a MAJOR salary increase, benefits as good or better than the prior job, and equal vacation time. They also have a very good job future, having just won a 5 year contract for sustainment, and already being in the middle of another acquisition support contract with multiple years yet to go. They also had an advantage of working out of the same building as Author's current job (on the same floor, even). And they're supporting the same programs, systems, developers, etc, that Author is supporting today. Only they're doing it from the development and depot point of view instead of the owner/user one.
Author accepted the offer.
So, this Friday, Author says farewell to a firm he has supported for over 8 years. Have been some VERY good times here, and definitely the best bosses and co-workers he has ever associated with. Better still, Author has made a measurable difference in the quality and reliability of many mission systems fielded for USAF, some of which are currently in use in the 'sandbox' to the East. Needless to say, leaving this firm is a very bittersweet moment.
Then, come Monday, Author moves across the hall and starts work for the new firm. Author has stopped by to say "hi" there already. Definitely going to be a 'different' work environment! Folks were friendly, but in a mostly vague and disinterested sort of way. The attitude was mostly, "Good. Nice to see you. Go away." Certainly nothing that would qualify as "enthusiasm". Likely because Author isn't really "working for them" - he's working for bosses in LA and just sitting in the local office to do it.
Author will DEFINITELY be exploring the possibility of working from home! The folks in LA have already indicated this is an option. The local office will likely support it, as they mentioned there isn't any place for Author to sit here and they're in the midst of trying to come up with more seating arrangements. Author is already doing a bit of sketching to transform the 'extra bedroom' at home into a home office. A bit of up front investment seems appropriate at this point.
The new job also puts wind beneath wuff's wings once again! Yup, Vargr will be a travelin' wuffy as Author heads out to various factories and developers to attend status and development meetings and the like. At the moment, it looks like Melbourne FL, Tampa FL, San Jose CA, Albuquerque NM, and Los Angeles CA are among potential destinations. In keeping with that, Author has starting putting together his "travel support" options (hey, Author IS in Logistics after all - it's what he does!)
One thing Author already did was to host his own website at "StartLogic.com". Unlimited bandwidth. Unlimited storage. FTP area. Unlimited email addresses. Free domain activation (through TuCows). All for base price of $4.95 a month for their "prologic" service. Plus, can host multiple domains off of it, as well as unlimited sub-domains.
Figured it was a very good deal, and should be a great place to FTP-drop files and reference data Author might need on the road, as well as having specific Email for business purposes (in addition to his new company's email account too). Also considering adding a "links" page so Author can get to his all his useful websites, no matter that computer he might be setting at when moving around or traveling.
For that price, this wuff might just start his own page there as well. The 'Site builder" supplied is limited to building a single website with limited pages (at least a dozen, but not sure upper limit). But that doesn't mean a fur can't build a page with any number of site developer programs and FTP it into the host. If wuff DOES set up a site for Vargr, perhaps there are other furs who'd want a sub-domain to 'play about' with their own site? Would be something like (yourname)@vrghr.com . Will have to explore that as well.
In any case, Author is definitely living in "interesting times" at the moment. Hopefully things will settle down a little soon, and he'll be back in the groove once again.
- Mood: busy
A little background is necessary to set this up:
As wuff's "Loyal Readers" are aware, Vargr's author and his co-workers are struggling on the job front even since our company lost the major contract we've been working on trying to win for the last 2 years. As a result, tensions have been running high and building here at work. We have been getting some tentative offers, but none of us are very happy with the prospects. However, with time running out, it's beginning to look a bit like "better this than nothing" for some of us.
In a measure to try to keep our sanity, the three of us on the "primary team" have been taking lunches together to do some "venting", going over prospects, providing mutual support, etc. Today, we elected to do take-out Chinese for one of our favorite local neighborhood shops.
One of the three of us doesn't really handle this sort of stress well. She's definitely "on edge" and prickly as a sea urchin at the moment. We've been chiding her gently that people are crossing to the other side of the halls here when they see here coming, for fear she's going to reach out and slap something off of them. She's definitely been radiating "Danger, Will Robinson! Do Not Touch" vibes for a while now, and it has gotten much more noticeable lately.
As we were enjoying our meal, she opened her Fortune Cookie and suddenly began giggling. Her fortune?
"Pay attention to your non-verbal cues, and try turning it down."
Needless to say, we all began laughing when we finally convinced her to read it out loud to us.
As we were continuing to chat, Wuff's boss began confiding in us that things were really getting to him. Between the non-response from our Corporate HQ, and the unexpected (especially after they had promised that NO layoffs were being planned) and un-announced revelation that our office manager and admin assistance would both be laid off this Monday.
"I just feel like draining my savings and 401K, putting all the money in a secret account and tying it to a credit card, and just walking off into the country!" He declared.
"Like going 'walk-about'?" Wuff's co-worker asked.
"Yes! And when the money runs out, just laying down under a bridge somewhere and letting them find me when someone stumbles over my body." He amplified.
Then his cell phone rang. As the two of us listened to his side of the conversation we realized something bad was up - especially when the words "Emergency Room" emerged from his mouth.
Long story short; his father-in-law (his wife's parents are living with them) was "playing with power tools" in the shed out back of their house, and had just managed to cut off the end of his thumb. "There goes dinner and the movies with my wife!" Boss proclaimed (an event he has been eagerly looking forward to as "unwinding and decompressing time" for the entire week. His wife, too, has been looking forward to this, as her chronic illness has taken a turn for the worse recently, and she was anticipating a nice distraction from the pain, and a "just the two of us; no parents, no work, no nothing!" time together away from all the stress they have been going through.
Finishing up his lunch, he cracked open his Fortune Cookie, read it, and started laughing. He couldn't get the words out, so he handed it to wuff's co-worker, who read;
"It's over your head now. Time to get some professional help."
The laughter that resulted was hearty, but edged with a little unease this time. These were hitting WAY too close for comfort!
Author looked suspiciously at his own cookie, still sealed in its plastic "untouched by human hands" wrapper. "I'm not sure if I ought to open that!" he declared. "I don't know if I want to read what it as in store for me!"
Lots of good-natured encouragement resulted, rife with comments like "Don't be a wimp!", etc.
Laughing along, Author gave in and tore open the crackly plastic, broke open the cookie, and read...
And went pale. "Okay. I'm officially afraid now." Author declared, and handed the tiny strip of paper to his co-worker (who had assumed the role of unofficial public reader).
She broke out laughing, but it was more of a "ha ha, this is TOO STRANGE" than a "Ha ha, this is funny!" laugh. Getting the slightly hysterical laugher under control, she read:
"As long as you don't sign up for anything new, you'll do fine."
Wuffy carefully and cautiously collected the three surprisingly potent white paper strips. They are bundled together now, safely paper clipped and nestled in Author's small "key pocket" within his pants pocket. These are going somewhere special...
... Right after they make a brief stop at the convenience store across the street. Wuff has 3 sets of Lotto numbers to play...
VARGR
- Mood:
shocked
Outside of losing our bid for the new contract, there isn't a lot more to report on the details there. This was an announcment by the Gov, but not the actual "award" of the contract. That means that details on the ratings and other information hasn't been provided to the competitors. That is expected to occur in the next few days as the official "out brief" occurs.
Things are still being sorted out among the winning and losing contractors. It doesn't appear that any of the losers are leaning toward filing a protest at this point, but that could certainly change following the out brief. The winning is scrabbling like mad to come up to speed so they can assume duties on contract start.
However, the winner didn't have any incumbency on their team, so they're forced to go looking at the people working on the losing teams to see if they can hire across and gain experience and skill that way. Unfortunately for the winner, they "low balled" the price to such an extent that they are not able to offer current salaries in many cases, and have lower benefits and vacation packages as well. This is making their job of gathering skilled and experienced personnel all the more difficult.
To compound that problem, many of the losing companies are large enough to have options for retaining their people by moving them to other contracts within the company. Faced with potential loss of income and benefit, not to mention longevity status, a lot of folks are likely to consider staying put even if it means going to a new position that isn't as satisfying as the one they're currently in.
Our company has also informed us they are looking at providing a garaunteed position for 1 year to us, to keep us in place so we can rebuild the work for this office through other contracts and oppertunities. This is both a good and bad option, since we essentially remain on high paced "proposal mode" for the next year (including unpaid overtime and weekend work). And if we do find work, we'll be serving two jobs; the direct labor we found and the continuing "business development" effort. And, of course, if we don't find work, we're gone in a year.
In addition, we have gotten offers from other companies, both full team and individual. Plus, a contract that has been on hold since before Thanksgiving, suddenly got released by the contract office. It's short term, but has enough work to keep everyone fully active (direct labor) for at least the next 2 months - which puts us over the start of this new contract, should we elect to move to that winning team. At least that means none of us is in danger of being released from our current company before the start of the new contract (if we choose to move to that company), but it also means that, if we stay on-site long enough to finish this just-released work, we won't be able to be in place on the winner's contract to start work when they need us. That could definitely affect our chances of being picked up there.
Finally, the winner has a definite problem; since they have no incumbency and since this work requires unusual clearance and certification processes, they are going to be VERY hard pressed to get all the new bodies transferred to the new clearences (even if those bodies already have active clearances from their old positions). The processes just aren't very efficient, even for currently cleared people. And if they DON'T capture folks who are already cleared and performing this work, getting someone cleared who doesn't have a clearance takes between 8 and 18 months. That is a LONG time for a person to sit on their hands, unable to work a contract yet still drawing pay. Especially bad for a small business (that the Gov forced to bid) without the large capital funds pool a bigger business could tap.
Bottom line - things are, if anything, even more chaotic now. But at least the prospect of involuntary layoffs are just about non-existent thanks to the unexpected release of that short-term contract. We really don't think anyone will be in a position to sort out options and make an informed decision on what way to go until at least next week, or even the week beyond that.
Now the snicker -
While at the local gas and corner store yesterday, wuff saw these huge, bluse, gaudy, "first grader" pens on display next to the cashier. Boldly displayed on the cardboard display case was "Message Writing Pen". Smaller sub-text claimed you "can now use these pens to write messages". And the back of the individual packs said something to the effect of "write messages like never before". No other explanation of why or what facilities these monsters have that makes them especially suited for message writing.
Now, wuff's big ol' paws aren't especially suited to grabbing those little writing implements most humans like, and a big ol' honkin' pen like this might help a dragonwuff out. But, come on! Is using a pen to write messages really THAT big an invention? Vargr thought people had been doing that for, I don't know, at least a year or two now. *grins*
Wuff's going to have to get Author to bring his cell phone along, next trip to that store, so he can snap a couple shots of this new and exiting innovation of the information age!! Just think, it doesn't even need an internet connection to transfer information!!
VARGR
The winner was a surprise small business called "Shafer". Initial analysis is, they likely won by under-bidding the rest of the competition.
As a result of this award, Wuff and his Author will be released from his current company. Estimates are within 2 to 5 weeks, depending on last minute details for some other proposal work Author is currently helping out on.
Initial contact with Shafer indicates they bid 2 positions to do the job currently performed by our 3+ person team. We're not sure which 2 of our current team they are interested in. Based on the probability of their low price bid, it is extremely unlikely that they will be offering the same salary or benefits of the current company. However, only time will tell if this is correct.
More info to follow, as our team gets the "official outbrief" of their bid. We will not be given much data about the winner, but the Gov does "critque" your input, which provides significant insight to what they were looking for and why they went with another choice.
*sighs* Wuff has to congratulate Shafer's "capture lead"; he used to work for our company and he definitely pulled off an "upset victory" here. But it still feels a lot like a kick in the groin at the moment.
VARGR
- Location:Home
Will be nice to finally get an end to the wondering, one way or another. Wuff just wishes they would have announced today, as originally advertised. Rumor has it we may be one of the two top finalists, but wuffy isn't sure just how much faith to put in that info.
Wuffy will keep his friend updated on the results, soon as Author gets word.
- Location:work
- Music:none
We’ve had some notable successes, adding 2 decent contracts to our folder and bringing on a couple new employees with the special skills to handle them. We’ve also missed a few nice opportunities as well, but that’s par for the course with a place that ‘lives by the contract’.
However, our “big” contract, the one that keeps the majority of our local force employed, has been in competition for over a year now. Author has put in hoards of overtime and weekends in the last year, trying with the rest of the writing team to get everything perfect for a winning solicitation. This is literally the “make or break” contract for our local shop; if we lose it we’ll only have 3 people employed here. The company will close the building down, fold up shop, and those folks will work out of the contractor’s facilities or from home. The rest of us will be out on the streets looking for work.
Now that you have the background recap – here’s the key: The government will announce the winner of this big contract on 14 Apr.
Win, lose, or draw, next week is going to be Eventful with a capital “E”.
Needless to say, though Author and his furry avatar have tried to ‘soldier on’ while this was occurring, it hasn’t always been easy. Author has tried to put his worries aside – after all, it’s all out of his hands now and there is nothing more he can do, so fretting over a decision he can’t control is simply a waste of time. That’s what his head says, anyway. But as the clock winds down to the “D-Day”, it has gotten harder and harder to do that.
Wuff has seen the changes in his author building up in subtle ways. For one thing, Author has found it harder and harder to slip into that mind-state that lets him breath life into his avatar and other characters. The growing doubt and worry keeps pulling him out of character and back to the “real world”. He’s gotten less productive, too, in both home and business life; sitting and doing “what if” scenarios instead of focusing on immediate matters at hand.
Wuff has found himself becoming a bit ghostly and transparent as the growing anticipation and stress play havoc in his Author’s mind.
In the long run, both Wuffy and Author know they have reasonable courses of action, no matter how this decision comes down. Several of the competing teams have contacted Author and his co-workers, and some other businesses outside of the “clans of competitors” for this contract have also expressed interest in Author’s services should he suddenly find himself “un-attached”. These potential “safety nets” certainly go a long way to reducing the fear of a major crash if our team loses, but they don’t help a lot in reducing the “fear of the fall” between losing that contract and “hitting the net”.
Guess the bottom line is – Vargr hasn’t been “here” much, and the stories, posts, replies, etc., wuff participates so happily in have suffered as a result. This includes IM chats, on-line RPG posts by others of wuff’s characters, story creation, etc. Wuff and his Author want to apologize for that! Hopefully, Author should be able to get back into the old spirit of things and Vargr will be solid and bouncy and silly as ever once this all winds up. Might get worse before it gets better though.
Warm fluffy wuffy huggles to all!
- Location:Work
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