Teddy's not enjoying this Arctic Weather one bit -6F
It was 12 degrees this morning when I took Teddy out & they had our steep driveway coated in salt, but it was still a sheet of ice. I started the car to warm up for my drive in to work while Teddy was cautiously making his way down the drive. By the time I got out of the car & started making my way down to join him, I saw he was just standing there mid way down the drive, holding one paw up then the other. I'm guessing he's a tender foot & the salt was burning his paws.... we've tried the doggy booties before but he hates them & won't walk while wearing them. So all I can really do is just pick him up, brush his lil paws off & carry him over to where there's no salt. I think the transition of him walking from the salt and then into snow or ice causes the chemical reaction on his lil paws and it burns him, cause his reaction is one of total dislike. But once I brush them off and then set him back down on the snow, he's fine, although he doesn't really like the snow all that much either.
Last edited by CyncySpyder; 01-07-2014 at 06:00 AM.
Well, haven't been on line much lately and here I find you changing jobs and Teddy left wondering WTF!! And salt on his paws..............WHAT!!! Just playing with ya pal.
I hope things are getting better for you. Luv to the Tedister!!!
Life is to short to work for most of your life for little more than just a pay check... right?
It would seem I'm finding myself at a crossroads & my heart and brain are in conflict with one another on how I should proceed.
Ive been contacted by one of Teddy's fans on here with an opportunity that could potentially solve most if not all of our financial circumstances for the rest of our lives. The more I research it, the better it sounds with way more benefits than just financial compensation.... truly making a difference in people's lives in helping them to succeed.
Brain says one thing, heart says another.
TBC.......
Yesterday was a very humbling day to say the least. Its ALL about perspective.....
I'm sure you've heard the saying
'I used to complain about having no shoes.. until I met a man with no feet'
Wow, do I feel like a cry-baby Never really thought of myself that way, but yesterday gave me a good reality check. I reread the post I had made about me getting bumped from my job and having a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth about training my replacement & Karma came smacking me upside the head yesterday
In my new department, they had a girl that normally works on the night crew, but she came in on day-shift to help train me, cause everything in the new department is relatively new technology and computer driven, unlike my old department where all the automation is over 40 years old, so I've got alot to learn. So in our training, we got to talking casually about work, jobs etc and of course, I had to wine a little bit about how in my eyes, I've gone from Heaven to Hell as far as departments go. I knew how good I had it, and it was good.... very good
Well, the subject turned to her and her career here and I learned a very humbling lesson in our discussion. She's a young girl in her early 20's and is a single mom. Then she explained how she's originally from Detroit, but when the recession hit, and the auto companies started to fail, she had been working at Visteon which was a subsidiary of one of the Big 3 & how she was going to loose her job entirely, but was offered a position if she agreed to transfer to another location in Oklahoma, which she agreed to and packed up her kid and they moved. After being at that plant for some time, she found out that they also were down sizing & she was once again faced with the fact that she was going to loose her job again. This was at the time when GM & Chrysler both had to file for Bankrupsty & take the Government Assistance BailOut and the Union agreed to renegotiate our contract .......
TBC........
Last edited by CyncySpyder; 01-07-2014 at 10:07 AM.
Might want to try something called Mushers Secret for Teddy to protect his paws from the salt - we use it for ours in NH all the time to protect from salt and sand. We use dog safe ice melt but the plows, etc .. Don't so this was we know they are protected.
Keeping you and Teddy in our prayers - hope he gets used to your new schedule and things settle at work for you !
Yesterday was a very humbling day to say the least. Its ALL about perspective-Continu
Originally Posted by CyncySpyder
I'm sure you've heard the saying
'I used to complain about having no shoes.. until I met a man with no feet'
Wow, do I feel like a cry-baby Never really thought of myself that way, but yesterday gave me a good reality check. I reread the post I had made about me getting bumped from my job and having a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth about training my replacement & Karma came smacking me upside the head yesterday
In my new department, they had a girl that normally works on the night crew, but she came in on day-shift to help train me, cause everything in the new department is relatively new technology and computer driven, unlike my old department where all the automation is over 40 years old, so I've got alot to learn. So in our training, we got to talking casually about work, jobs etc and of course, I had to wine a little bit about how in my eyes, I've gone from Heaven to Hell as far as departments go. I knew how good I had it, and it was good.... very good
Well, the subject turned to her and her career here and I learned a very humbling lesson in our discussion. She's a young girl in her early 20's and is a single mom. Then she explained how she's originally from Detroit, but when the recession hit, and the auto companies started to fail, she had been working at Visteon which was a subsidiary of one of the Big 3 & how she was going to loose her job entirely, but was offered a position if she agreed to transfer to another location in Oklahoma, which she agreed to and packed up her kid and they moved. After being at that plant for some time, she found out that they also were down sizing & she was once again faced with the fact that she was going to loose her job again. This was at the time when GM & Chrysler both had to file for Bankrupsty & take the Government Assistance BailOut and the UAW agreed to renegotiate our contract .......TBC........
and give many concessions to their respective companies in the hopes of avoiding their demise and all of us loosing our jobs. Ford didn't take the bailout, but since we're all represented by the same UAW, all 3 American Auto makers mirrored the new contract renegotiations including drastic hourly pay reductions, benifit reductions etc.... One of the major wins for the companies was the agreement that they could replace retiring employees or ones that chose to leave with new employees making close to half the amount of tenured employees for up to 20% of the nation wide total number of employees at all plants. So if GM had 3000 employees leave the company in a given year, they could hire new employees to replace them, and they would get limited benifits and close to half the regular hourly pay as their tenured co-workers and that would stay the same until their respective company has enough retirees leave to get them above that 20% of the nationwide work-force, then they would reach 'tenure' status and recieve the full hourly wage & benifits. I believe at GM & Chrysler, since they DID take the bail-outs, even their long term employees with 20+ years ALL had to take a drastic reduction in hourly pay, without choice, otherwise they could leave their respective compainies. Here at Ford, we were lucky & that part of the contract didn't effect us, but the 20% clause did. We have about 300 new employees here in my plant, that all fall under this pay/benifits scale.
Well, with that background of recent historical changes known, we'll get back to my story. In talking with the young lady that was training me yesterday, she explained that after she moved to Oklahoma she once again was faced with a choice, cause that plant was downsizing and she would either loose her job or have to transfer and move once again. She chose to move and ended up here at Ford and she was just thankful to still have a job. Then it hit me, since she was originally from the subsidiary, that meant she had to take the pay cut, and since she's new to us, that meant she was only getting paid at the lower 20% pay grade. She was the first person that I've met here that falls under this new pay-scheme & I'll be honest, I was floored at my realization.
I mean, here I was, making almost double what this young single mother was making, and she's having to train me, and she's moved and left her entire family behind and moved to 2 entirely different states just to keep her job & to be able to provide for her child I guess everything in life truly is all about ones perspective, and this was a sobering eye opener to say the least. I felt ashamed of myself for complaining about having to change and adjust to so much, when in reality, what I'm going thru is nothing compared to what she's gone thru.
Then upon talking with another person that was there training another new employee to the department, and him hearing me complain about getting bumped from my 'gravy' job he said, "Oh, that's nothing. You know the girl in the lab that checks your parts, well, she actually lives in Indianapolis. Think about that." My jaw dropped in disbelief, cause Indy is right at 100 miles on the Interstate, one way from the plant. Why in the hell would anyone drive a hundred miles one way to and from work every single work day was my question to him. And he explained it was cause her plant in Indy downsized and she would've either lost her job or take the transfer here & she chose to transfer, which I understood. But why not just move here then? Cause she has a 16y/o son in highschool and she didn't want to leave all her family in Indy and make her son have to switch schools when he's so close to all his friends their and close to graduating. Wow she drives 200 miles a day for this job, for her family, and here I was complaining cause my 'gravy-train' has come to the station
On a positive note, I saw my previous supervisor at the coffee pot the other day and I asked how my replacement was doing and if he wanted me to come in on my off days to help train him and he basically jumped at my offer and exclaimed any days your off and want to come in for the next 2 weeks to help train him, please come in, we need you. When I asked about the approval for OT, he said don't worry about, I'll get it covered for the next 2 weeks..... so here I sit, on my off day, back in my old department (which btw is still down) ***I swear, my ss# isn't programmed in any of the computers*** ............... but at least I'm getting a little overtime to pay for those new work boots my sore back and feet arereally needing
I just finished talking with my Union Rep & confirmed that with my seniority I could hold midnight shift in the only department in our zone that still works M-F 8 hours, so I'll put my bump in today and it should take effect for next week Only real downside is, our midnight shift starts on Sunday night at 11pm til 7am Monday morning, so it makes for an early end to the weekend, but the upside is, our weekends start on Friday at 7am Like anything in life, you take the good with the bad But I'm really learning, its all about perspective
I've been off here for a few days, got stranded in Indy during the blizzard and I'm getting caught up now. So Dave, still trying to decided to follow heart or mind? Here is how I handle those situations. First, is it illegal, immoral or unethical? A yes to any of those, then no way! Then the final test: How am I going to feel about telling my mom about it? If the answer is good or excited, then it's a GO! If not, then I probably shouldn't be doing it. I say make yourself happy - you will always land on your feet!
Just an FYI with those of you that have the Galaxy SIII on Verizon
Not sure if it effects all of us, but our cell phone from Verizon said an update was available and we updated the system and now we can upload pics directly from our phone
Not sure if it effects all of us, but our cell phone from Verizon said an update was available and we updated the system and now we can upload pics directly from our phone
It would seem the universe is intent on teaching me a lesson
As a kid growing up, one of my father's favorite sayings was, "If you're gonna cry, I'm gonna give you something to cry about." Lucky for me, mom would always step in and save me from that harsh lesson. And here I sit, 40 years later & it would seem I still haven't learned, but the universe is stepping in to teach me all about it.
Maybe this is just that 'shove' I need to get out of my comfort zone & try a new career
My buddy asked "If your that unhappy to give up almost 14 years of seniority & all the pay & benefits that go along with it, to switch careers & totally start over, not knowing if you'd like it or not & not knowing if it would make you happy or not. If it came down to it, would you give up your Spyder?"
What a conflict of emotions. After a few seconds of thought, shockingly, I answered. ......
"If it came down to it, Yes."
It does seem that your Spyder & its related expenses is the one item that has overextended your budget. It's good you may have finally realized it. It would be a difficult decision but once made & acted upon you could wake up every morning without the cloud of financial problems hanging over your head. You would no longer have to contemplate a lodger either.
our life is a learning process - you can only become wiser from learning. Sometimes you might have to attract making a painful mistake to learn something important, but after the mistake you have far greater wisdom. Wisdom cannot be bought with money - it can only be acquired through living life. With wisdom comes strength, courage, knowing, and an ever-increasing peace.
i'll bet there are only 30 or 40 MILLION people in this country that would KILL to have your job.
Don't fall victim to that "grass is greener" stuff. In these times a steady job with good benefits is well worth putting up with the pain and agony that may come with it. A snap decision (like in anything less than trying it for a year) would be sure to hurt you. JMHO
-Scotty 2011 Spyder RTS-SM5 (mine) 2000 BMW R1100RTP, motorized tricycle & 23 vintage bikes 2011 RT-622 trailer, Aspen Sentry popup camper, custom motorcycle trailer to pull behind the Spyder
My buddy asked "If your that unhappy to give up almost 14 years of seniority & all the pay & benefits that go along with it, to switch careers & totally start over, not knowing if you'd like it or not & not knowing if it would make you happy or not. If it came down to it, would you give up your Spyder?"
What a conflict of emotions. After a few seconds of thought, shockingly, I answered. ......
"If it came down to it, Yes."
But, but, but .... have you asked Teddy about this? Not enough detail from you, yet, to see what sort of decision you are really facing, nor why your buddy posed the question. However, I do hope you think this through and weigh ALL the positives and negatives -- and, you simply MUST consult with Teddy! It is, after all "Ted's Red Sled"
Best Regards and Good Luck with whatever path you take .... Ann
__________________________________________________ _ 2016 RT Limited -- "Jubilee" (as in Cherries)
Guardian Bell (gift from spyderowboy)
ISCI Dual Flag Mount – Tall Poles
Lamonster Bottle Holder and Spyder Cuff
Spyderpops Missing Belt Guard
Spyderpops Bumpskid
Spyderpops Rear Run / Brake / Turn LEDs
Spyderpops Mirror LEDs
Custom Dynamics HMT Brake
Spyderpops Keep Out The Trash (KOTT) Grills
Don't Eat Mud / mudflap
The train has come to the station, time to plot a new path forward.Cautiously optimi
There's so much I can't discuss here for fear of blurring the lines between personal & professional life even more than I already have. I do apologize for that, cause I'm well aware that a good many of you really are concerned and really do care about us and our well being, and that is greatly appreciated
With it being so cold and wet & subsequently having salt on the roads, its been a while since Teddy& I have been able to ryde. I Learned my lesson last year about salt & The Sled & am trying my best not to have those issues again this year, so we're not pushing it to ryde when its bad like in the past. Guess itsa true sign of aaddiction, cause without ryding its very easy to allow just about anything negative to get me down. To say these past couple of weeks have been challenging for us is a major understatement.
Yesterday's Ryde along with some good news from my Union Rep really helped to clear the fog that I've been dealing with lately. As of now, nothing has changed yet here at work & I'm doing my best to deal with it & wait & see. Having faith that things will get corrected & I can once again enjoy ryding to work & enjoy the ryde home even more.
Once things are known & complete, I'll fill y'all in on the details. As my rep said to me, "Give me some time & bare with me."
Now that I can upload pics from my phone, its much easier to share with y'all
Here are a couple shots I took a few months back, when it was warmer and Teddy didn't need his thick winter coat, like now. In the background is the setting sun in the west draping its warm glow on the Roebling Suspension Bridge, which is the original prototype of the much larger & world famous Brooklyn bridge in New York
Teddy's not enjoying this Arctic Weather one bit -6F
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Remembering warmer times. Don't know what it is, but I just LUV this pic
You two
Originally Posted by CyncySpyder
Never really thought of myself that way, but yesterday gave me a good reality check. I reread the post I had made about me getting bumped from my job and having a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth about training my replacement & Karma came smacking me upside the head yesterday
) ***I swear, my ss# isn't programmed in any of the computers
Like anything in life, you take the good with the bad 
But I'm really learning, its all about perspective 
It looks nice but Teddy is wishing for warmer, greener times
It finally got above freezing & even tho it was still snowing we needed Sled Therapy
It would seem the universe is intent on teaching me a lesson
it was fun while it lasted.
Don't fall victim to that "grass is greener" stuff. In these times a steady job with good benefits is well worth putting up with the pain and agony that may come with it. A snap decision (like in anything less than trying it for a year) would be sure to hurt you. JMHO
Not enough detail from you, yet, to see what sort of decision you are really facing, nor why your buddy posed the question. However, I do hope you think this through and weigh ALL the positives and negatives -- and, you simply MUST consult with Teddy!
It is, after all "Ted's Red Sled" 
The train has come to the station, time to plot a new path forward.Cautiously optimi
