Today Was Like Christmas for Drew!

Drew came into the office today and was greeted with an item I bet he thought he would never see....an actual computer!  If you remember, Drew was hired and was never provided the materials most salespeople would find helpful to perform their daily tasks - phone, computer, desk.  During his tenure at The Nuthouse, Drew has been sharing a phone, desk and computer with Rachel.  I know, I know, we are proud of our efficiency here here!

This morning,set up on the opposite side of Rachel's desk was a real desktop computer - it looked like it was from the late '90s, but it was a computer none the less.  Drew will now be able to send an email at the same time that Rachel does - wow, technology is a wonderful thing!  I think Drew was liking not having his own office equipment.  If the truth be told, Drew seems to have "ants in his pants" at times and might have a bit of trouble focusing.  This lack of equipment has worked to his advantage bu not being tethered to a desk.

Now, don't get ahead of yourself.  Drew still does not have a telephone, but fortunately he has been using his own cell phone.  It would be foolish to have another phone line added to this building with our move coming up in a few short weeks (I know, I cannot believe The Boss didn't have a phone installed too).

In a perfect world, it is my hope that everyone has a phone, computer, desk and chair once we arrive at the Hobbes Street location - hey, a guy can dream...

On another note - I know everyone has been watching the coronavirus coverage that is wall to wall on every television station.  Rest assured, The Boss has been watching too!  Today as we were leaving for the day he said that tomorrow we would be having an important staff meeting on the coronavirus.  I foresee a bunch of good information and no panic at all coming out of that meeting (yes, I am being sarcastic)!  Good times, good times!

Field Trip To Hobbes Street

Today we used our lunch hour to go over to the Hobbes Street property.  None of us knew why we were required to go to the new building and no explanations were provided.  Deep down we all knew the real reason for the trip; The Boss wanted to show us the work he had done over the weekend.  If you remember, last weekend was paint-a-palooza!

So, we loaded into the company vehicle and Drew took his own truck because he said he had an errand he had to run when we were done.  Right Drew - we all knew the truth; it was so he could escape if our trip took too long. Well played Drew, well played!  You are smarter than you look, grasshopper!  As we drove down the pot holed, dirt road, I asked when the road paving was scheduled to be done (I figured once it warmed up).  The Boss quickly commented that we would not be paving the road - we didn't want people to know we are back here. ???? What?

As we all lumbered up the walkway, I noticed spots of the blue paint on the ground.  Wasn't this paint supposed to be on the walls inside the building...how the hell did paint get out here?  Well, my questions were quickly answered as we walked through the door.  It looked like a bomb had gone off.  Drop cloths were still dropped everywhere and covered in paint, the large brush and roller was leaning against the wall and a can of paint was opened, half full with a dried film on top.  As I took a quick survey around at the walls two of the four in the large room did not look like they had even been painted. Why, you may ask...because there was no paint on the ceilings above these walls and they didn't look quite as "fresh" as the other two.  I asked if the job was finished and he assured me it was....and remarked, didn't it look great! Yup, it looked like a troop of monkeys had some paining fun!

We all nodded our heads in agreement.  Alex and Wayne then quietly collected the debris (drop cloths, paint and supplies) and wrapped them in a clean drop cloth.  They were then loaded into the company vehicle, brought back to our offices and disposed of in the dumpster.  This was our trip to Hobbes Street today; we did nothing else while we were there today!

Remember - move in and operational by April 1.

Random Work Comments Overheard

Considering it is a Monday and the first day back to work after Daylight Saving time, the day wasn't that bad.  Sometimes I find it interesting to be a fly on the wall here in the Nuthouse and listen to the comments and questions that come from the people who reside here.

- Drew is thinking of putting in a pool.  He knows The Boss has a pool and asked who his installer was and if he was happy with the final product.  The Boss gave Drew the company name and couldn't say enough nice things about them and their work.  One hour later he told Drew his pool liner has a wrinkle and two different realtors have told him that the wrinkle has greatly diminished the value of his home. It must be quite a wrinkle!

-  The Boss provided reports to everyone (at different times of the day) about his painting project at the Hobbes Street property.  Some people he told he worked all weekend and others (specifically Drew) he told he painted the whole thing in two hours.  He really wants to impress Drew!

-  Adam wasn't in the office today, he has a cold and thought it best to stay home.  The Boss is now actively looking for his face mask from when I was sick.  Maybe he should just bring his heavy duty respirator from his painting project.

-  Mike and Wayne spent two hours today discussing the good works of the lord.  At the same time, they spoke poorly about members of their congregation.  Yup, that's why I love religion; do as I say, not as I do!

-  Alex just continues to do what needs to be done to get the materials out the door in a timely manner.  He keeps to himself and does what he is supposed to do.  Refreshing!

-  I think Rachel may have a crush on Drew; she seems to be acting quite "giddy" around him lately.  Stay tuned for updates...

-  I continue to fight bronchitis and my medicine is almost gone.  I still have the cough, but am still successfully convincing The Boss that it is allergies.

The Boss has told us we are going to the Hobbes Street property tomorrow - field trip!  I'm not sure the reasoning for this, but I cannot wait to see how it looks after the weekend paint job.

Perfect quote for today - Don't tell people your plans show them your results

Welcome to My Sunday Thoughts...

Isn't this how everyone spends their Sunday evenings?  Add Daylight Saving time on top of it - it's going to be an even fresher hell!

The Countdown To Paint Town Is On!

We are a mere 24 hours away from paint-a-palooza!  How do I know this you ask - well The Boss is making it quite apparent that he will be doing "manly" painting work this very weekend.

The day started with The Boss arriving a bit later than usual and when he came through the door, I knew immediately, it was going to be one of those days.  There were so many items in his hands and arms that he could barely see over them to walk.  What was he carrying into our offices this fine morning?  You guessed it, painting supplies!  Yup, he was wasting his time bringing a crap-load of supplies into a building he wasn't going to be paining.  You are correct, a normal person would have brought these supplies to the location where the work was going to be performed (Hobbes Street), but you know us well enough to know he is not NORMAL.

He then proceeds to literally drop the supplies into the middle of the floor, which is the main walkway of the office.  I have learned to ignore outbursts such as these (this place is training me well for if I ever have a child).  As he goes back out the door, I take a quick look at the contents of this pile and begin to laugh out loud.

The pile consists of the following:

A Large Number of Drop Cloths (plastic and fabric)
One Paint Brush - Extra, Extra Large (it is the largest paintbrush I have ever seen.  Will it even fit in a paint can?)
One Roller -Very Thick & Furry (it doesn't really look like the right type of roller for the application)
One Industrial Type Gas Mask with Large Bright Red Side Filters
One Yellow Plastic Industrial Chemical Looking (Hazmat?) Suit
One Gallon of Paint (unsure if this is the paint he already purchased or one new gallon)

I swear, the gas mask and Hazmat suit looked like props taken from the TV show Breaking Bad.  I thought maybe in addition to painting this weekend, he was going to also cook up some blue meth (now that would be a way to increase sales numbers for the month)!

He returned to the office and dropped more drop cloths and a paint extension stick.  He then said nothing and walked away, leaving the pile of crap to sit there .......ALL FRICKEN DAY!  Everyone had to walk around this display to get to the warehouse, the copier, to even leave the building.  WTF!

As the day went on, he made small references to the pile and all the work he was going to be doing over the weekend.  Maybe he was looking for volunteers to help - who knows!   I am proud to say, not one individual in the office said a single word.  These people are making me smile.  They are learning, you do not engage with a belligerent, whining child - you just ignore him!

Everyone (except The Boss), walked around the large pile and out the door at 5 PM!  Happy weekend Nutties!

Put On Your Hard Hat - The Boss Is Doing Some Renovations

Welcome to the Nutty, HGTV version of "Flip or Flop" Wednesday!

Today The Boss has a bee in his bonnet about the Hobbs Street property.  (If I were a betting guy, I wouldn't think our scheduled move would enter into his mind until at least March 27th).  He wants to paint, rehab, etc. prior to move in.  This is actually a smart plan - it much easier to do these things prior to moving all of our crap in.  Kudos to The Boss for thinking ahead! (maybe that logic bug venom is still working)

He then proudly announces that he will be performing all of these tasks himself.  This is where the warning flags go up and I start to get concerned.  As I have alluded to in the past, The Boss is not really the 'fix it' type of guy, but he is determined.  He has gotten paint chips from the store and will now poll all of the employees as to what color we should paint the front room, two connecting offices and two restrooms (they are currently baby blue).  Without even seeing the chips, I mention a neutral, business-like color such as cream, off white or even a light beige would look great and even make the spaces look larger.  Surprise!  He didn't even pick up chips representing ANY neutral shades.  He has chips of more versions of light blue, a much darker blue, a dark brown and even a kelly green!  Could this man is color blind?  That would explain a lot - remember, he believes that color blind people do not have a sense of smell. That would help explain why he isn't affected by the noxious gasses emitting from his hind quarter!  It all makes sense now!!!

Rachel agrees with my comment on neutral colors and Mike and Drew just tell him to paint it whatever color he wants - they don't care and it doesn't matter.  So, after three and a half hours of The Boss walking around, taping chips to wall and endless discussion (no, I am not exaggerating!), he leaves to purchase the paint (hallelujah). No, he hasn't actually decided on a color; he says he will make a final decision once he gets there (oh, this is getting more interesting by the second).

When he returns from his jaunt, he is holding two gallons of paint in hand (yup, two gallons!  I guess his math skills were not in peak operating form when he did the coverage calculations).  What is the final color, you ask?  He has brought back the exact same color that is currently on the walls.  Way to think outside the box and we'll never get that three hours back!

I wonder what he is going to do first - paint or the "rehab" he keeps bringing up (no, I have no idea what he is planning to rehab).  My guess, this is bizzaro world, so you always paint first, then rip things apart .  We here at the Nuthouse wouldn't do it any other way!

Boo, Hoo, Hoo - They Are Bacckk!

As they say, all good things must come to an end.  This statement was never so true as yesterday when everyone returned the office from their trip to Vegas.  We had the full house of Nutties in attendance and by the lunchtime, it was as if they were never gone.  Memories.....

As they had mentioned on the phone, the show went well and everyone was pleased with the visitors the exhibit space brought in.  We have a crap load of  leads looking for additional information on our products and services and many of those leads have jobs in the near future.  So, I guess I know where much of my time will be spent.  Just call me mail bitch!

The Boss wasted no time in picking up right where he left off before he left for Vegas - multiple trips to the warehouse, many times per day.  He has collected all of the orders to 'help put them in a manageable order of priority.'  I really think it annoys him that so much product went out the door without him around to "direct" it.  He now will grasp tightly on what is currently in progress to show how integral he is to the completion of work orders. Most managers would be happy and proud that their team can work so well independent of supervision - not this nut!  God, how do/did they survive without his guidance?

The Boss also was quick to tell some stories of the trip - many of which, of course, put him in a favorable light.  Here is just a quick rundown... He spoke and convinced the head of a Fortune 500 company that they should purchase from us (Drew says that was not true and didn't happen), he spoke to the most people in one day (Rachel rolled her eyes) and  he also won playing black jack every night, but one (Drew shook his head emphatically no to that story too).  Well, everyone is back and now we just have to wait for the crate to come back - it should  be here by the end of the week.

Just a couple of points to end the past two days.  Every since I was sick (and The Boss thought I had coronavirus), I have been coughing - it just won't go away.  I finally got tired of it and went to the doctor.  Guess who has bronchitis....this guy!  Only three prescriptions needed to help get myself back on track.   Don't worry, The Boss already inquired about the coughing - I have told him it is allergies.

Mike spoke to me today (remember, I am "dead" to him because he thinks I worship the devil), I have to say, it surprised me and took me a couple of seconds to respond to him.  Maybe he forgot I am Lucifer, Jr.  We will have to see if this was a mistake or if he is coming over to the DARK SIDE!

Until next time ...