What Did You Think The Job Was ?

I conducted an interview yesterday for a potential Sales Representative at our call center.  The gentleman inteviewed well and so I took him to shadow (sit with) one of our strong sales reps so he could observe the systems we use, the flow of calls, and see the work environment (cubicles, phones, etc.) that would likely soon be his day-to-day work world.

Fifteen minutes later, one of my peers (who is known for being a prankster) comes to my desk in a bit of a panic and says "I'm about to walk your candidate out."  I asked why and he stated "I'm not sure but he just took his headset off in the middle of the call and then told the shadow rep 'I can't do this.  I need to leave.' so she came and got me."

As it turns out, this man had worked in an insurance call center before for 5 years.  He did not like that job or environment and just didn't want to do it again.  I respect the decision and his willingness to recognize it and act on it so abruptly ... but ... how did he not know that's what we were hiring for?


Song Of The Day:
I have conducted interviews for Progressive for well over a decade now, but I still feel a little down when the candidate isn't a good match for our company and culture.  In honor of this job-searching soul, here is "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2.  I hope you find it soon ... but maybe don't waste your time interviewing if it is similar to job you previously did and disliked.

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Have I Created A Monster ?

Tonight, during her birthay party sleepover, I overheard my oldest daughter Brooklyn say the following to her peers:  "Okay.  So you all need to remember if you're the last person coming upstairs you need to make sure you turn off all the lights.  Because I just went downstairs and every light was on.  The movie room.  The bedroom.  In the hallway.  That's not okay guys so remember that, okay?!"

She then went on to make sure all of her friends said okay and they went on playing.

Oh boy!

While I am proud of her commitment to not wasting energy, etc. I think I may need to talk to her about timing of sharing that message.  Not the best at a birthday party!  :)


Song Of The Day:
I have actually already posted a comment on Facebook about the "stats" for tonight's party, but as a reminder ... myself and Spencer (9 months old) are the only males in this house right now.  In honor of all that estrogen, I revert back to "Women III" which is one of my favorite OMD songs.  The lyrics don't apply, but there are just so many females here ... driving me crazy!

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How'd That Work Out For You Bro ?

The not-very-talkative guy who provided me with the fastest-in-the-world "How To" instructions on how to use the sod cutter I rented today asked me this blog post title when I returned the equipment this evening.

I guess he realized after I was gone that his explanation left me completely confused.

I figured it out myself, mostly through trial and error but also by piecing together the instructions he gave me while he pushed and pulled various levers and buttons.  From memory and using my super sleuthing skills I was able to engage the sod cutting blade at the right times, while maneuvering the drive chain for the wheels at the proper speed.  It is probably a miracle (thanks angels in heaven) that nothing was severed or destroyed.

Shout out to Brooklyn and Ben for their help in moving the dead and newly cut sod to the pile in the front easement.  I am not looking forward to loading that pile into a trailer or big trash bin, but it will be much easier from there than the middle of the yard.


Song Of The Day:
There have been many versions of the song "Grazing In The Grass" but I like this original version from The Friends Of Distinction.  I also like their group name.

Try to imagine this conversation about an upcoming party ...
          Random Nosy Friend:  So who's coming to this little shindig?
                    Me:  Um just Friends of Distinction
          Random Nosy Friend:  Does that group include me?
                    Me:  Nope.

:)

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The SPL Was The MC For A COH ?

First, some definitions:
 - SPL = Senior Patrol Leader ... this is a position held by the youth leader in a Boy Scout Patrol.
 - MC = Master of Ceremonies ... this is the person who leads an activity or event.
 - COH = Court Of Honor ... this is a regular meeting held in Scouting, where boys receive merit badges and/or advancements in rank.

Josh Jr (SPL) handing his brother Ben his merit badge
for Citizenship in the Nation

So now on to my bragging about my oldest son.  I have rarely done this in my blog, but I am very proud of my son and want him to know it (outside of my telling him this multiple times).

Using just a hand-written outline of an agenda, he kept things moving by efficiently covering all items and actually finishing on time (one hour).  He coordinated the flag ceremony (albeit just moments before the meeting began) and properly introduced others when turning time over to them for various segments of the agenda.  He was very respectful in the way he handed out merit badges to his fellow scouts (this was just asked of him on the spot, but it seemed like he had already prepared for it).

L-R ... Bro VanDenBerghe (Scoutmaster)
Josh Case Jr (Senior Patrol Leader)
Karen Case (Mom)

Josh Jr, I know you have said how nervous you felt, but you did great!  I mean it when I say you are the only one who could tell you were nervous.  I have seen many young men struggle with speaking and leading in public, but none impressed me as much as you did this night.  Well done!


Song Of The Day:
The song "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real is about a man's relationship with his children, his wife, and his God.  I have chosen it because my son is leading others (including myself) when he acts appropriately and fulfills his assignments with such aplomb.  Thank you son!

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Do Your Shoes Come Untied Often?

Even when I exclude the times when my youngest kids, Myra and Spencer, untie them because they think it is fun, I seem to have suffered from an inordinate amount of untied shoelaces.

It hasn't mattered which shoes I am wearing or what activity I am involved in.  They just come loose at least once during the day.

So as a problem solver, I decided to start double-knotting them.  This immediately resolved the issue of the shoes coming untied, but it created a different problem: it takes too long to remove my shoes when I actually want them off.  I prefer to be able to take my shoes off quickly, especially lately when I am switching shoes in order to work in the yard.  (Side note: I feel like Mister Rogers EVERY time I sit down with the specific intent of simply changing my shoes).

So now ... I'm tying them differently.

A few years ago, this man saw me tying one of my kids' shoes and he felt it necessary to come over and critique my shoelace tying process.  His intent was to help me teach my kids how to get their laces to lay properly on the shoes.  Apparently, the ends of the laces are supposed to rest on your shoes in a parallel direction to the loops you have tied.  Who knew?  And at that moment, who cares?!  I'm not a shoe model or anything so why does it matter?

As it turns out, tying the laces in more of a proper square knot actually keeps laces from randomly becoming untied.  Instead of having the bunny go around the front of the hole before going in, I now make the bunny go behind the hole and then head on home.  This makes a truer square knot and since I have adopted this process I only tie my shoes once per day.  The problem of untied shoes is also neatly resolved.

If you need a visual of this, just ask me sometime.  I have now become that old man who awkwardly feels the need to share his "wisdom" with the uneducated shoelace users of the world.  Mock away.  I don't care.  My laces are not coming undone ... and they look great!


Song Of The Day:
What better song for this feet related post than "Pies Descalzos" by Shakira.  Most folks know her from singles such as Hips Don't Lie or Whenever, Wherever, but I heard her first on a mix tape from my buddy Craig, who was serving his mission in Brazil.  This was the song on that tape which I loved the most, even if I had no idea what it was about.  Turns out, the title means "Bare Feet" and the lyrics to the song are almost as good as the tune itself.

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Just Another "Day Off" ?

What a Monday!

Sometimes a day off can be relaxing and give you a chance to recharge for the days or weeks to come.  Today was NOT one of those days.  Today was a day off that will cost me about a week to recover from.

Before

The short list of activities completed today:
 - Pick up lawn mower
 - Finish load of laundry (permanent press items)
 - Mow front and back lawn (on lowest setting)
 - Purchase and have new tires installed on my car
 - Finish load of laundry (whites)
 - Buy a sewing machine (for Karen)
 - Purchase and replace the vacuum breaker (and copper piping connecting it to the sprinkler system and house) for my sprinkler system

After

 - Finish load of laundry (jeans)
 - Take Ben to have his glasses fixed
 - Food shopping at Wal-Mart
 - Finish load of laundry (girl's clothes)
 - Remove and replace backyard downspout / drainage
 - Pick pears from the pear tree
 - Finish load of laundry (boy's clothes)
 - Complete three haircuts (both boys and my hair)
 - Help three kids with various homework assignments
 - Finish load of laundry (towels)
 - Uncover backyard sprinkler heads
 - Repurpose one sprinkler zone in the manifold area (and fixing the drainage underneath the manifold housing)
 - Write 4 "catch-up" blog posts (and post 3 previous posts to Facebook)
 - Finish load of laundry (missed items and assorted bedding)


Song Of The Day:
While listening to tunes on my MP3 player during the above activities, I heard the song "As I Lay Me Down" by Sophie B Hawkins.  That is a great tune for today because as I lay me down tonight, I will have a feeling of great satisfaction with all that was completed today ... coupled with sheer exhaustion and physical pain from all the hard work of course.

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Can I Overcome This Weak Grade ?

Below is the grade I received for my fantasy football draft.

The thing is ... this was the draft as completed by the computer-generated draft list.  I was unable to attend so the pre-programmed order of players guided my draft "choices."  This is the first time a computer has fully selected my fantasy team, which makes me wonder why we even use their suggestions in the first place.

If I trusted your analytics of player ranking and value, then why is my draft grade so low?  Shouldn't the draft grade for automated picks be better than a "C" ?  Or is that appropriate since "C" is supposed to suggest "average" ?  But then, does that mean it could be programmed to select a better lineup, but is instead dummied down to penalize people who miss the draft?

Regardless, I now begin the process of identifying which post-draft players to pick up.  I take solace in the fact that every year there are at least a handful of big point producers who were either late round pickups or claimed off waivers early in the season.  I don't care if I win the whole league, but not making the playoffs (after coming in 3rd last year) would be a big disappointment.


Song Of The Day:
I remember that the video for Dire Straits' hit song "Walk Of Life" was my first introduction to the concept of a football highlights video.  Long before ESPN and Sportscenter had theip Top Plays of the day and even longer before YouTube highlight packages, we were left to appreciate the great game of American football through compilation videos that were specially made, usually for other purposes.  I always remember this video when football season is upon us.

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