The saga continues

I've got a lot of random, unrelated things to post about so I imagine this blog will kind of be all over the place. First let me begin with the saga at work. Our meeting last week was indeed about the time sheet. Basically "the boss man" said that we need to be at our desks all day ready to work when the work comes in. He acknowledged that it is a crappy situation sitting around all day and said that if it doesn't work for us we should look for another assignment with the temp co. I thought that was pretty fair -- considering that they're still paying us to do nothing 50% of the time. Then, things went pretty much back to normal. People hang around more (instead of going to their cars) but still come in at 9:30 and put down 8:30; leave at 3:50 and write down 4:30. One girl is a real estate agent on the side -- she comes in most days about 9:30, leaves from 11 to 2, and comes back in from 2 to 4:30 and puts down that she was in from 8:30 to 4:30.
Well, I had had enough and went and talked to "the boss man" (Kevin) this morning at 8:25 when nobody was in and just explained the situation to him. He said he would try to keep on top of it. About halfway through the day I thought nothing would be done but he talked to some other temps (I think those that wrote down 8:30 but came in after) and now the time sheet is on his desk. Hopefully, it will stay there and the problem will be solved. However things end up, I feel good because I've done what I could.

Last Friday was Chantrea's birthday. She's now 1. We celebrated on Sunday. Here are a few pictures -- before, during, and after.
It's amazing how fast a kid can go from having no idea what cake is to attacking it. It was so much fun watching her make such a mess.

As I'm sure you can see I'm having trouble getting these pictures to line up and I'm frustrated so I'm saying screw it and they're staying how they are.

And the after:



I feel like a dork for admitting this but with all this spare time at work (and at home for that matter) lately I've been trying to learn new things -- to challenge myself. I've been doing some reading but I'm not a big reader so the geography bug in me has come alive. I'm going to brag for a second here. I can name all 43 US presidents in order. Also, I can name the capitals to all 192 countries in the world. I can place most of them (the countries)on the map (everything except the small islands). I can name all 50 state capitals. I'm working on the state nicknames. I'd like to start learning the flags for each of the states and countries. I don't know why but I find it really fun.

Kristen went and applied for a job with Red Lobster today because her job at Bill Bateman's Bistro sucks. Get this: the other day she had a table leave without paying. Can you believe that? Well, there are a lot of reasons that it sucks but she got an offer from Red Lobster and will most likely take it and I'm happy about that because I want her to be happy.

So, I'm anxiously awaiting what Shawn has to say about the whole TO situation but I just want to put in my two cents and say that I'm glad that they finally woke up and canned his sorry @$$. My take is that they somehow thought that things would be different for him in Philly. Maybe they just thought that it was a losing team that made him what he was or maybe they just thought he needed a little more discipline. I look at it like a woman who marries a man knowing what he's like but thinking that he'll somehow change for her. Never happens. TO will always be the same old cocky, self-centered, loud-mouthed punk. He's the Dennis Rodman of the NFL and I think that he'll end up like Dennis Rodman. Undoubtedly, he'll get picked up next season (some other team thinking like the Eagles did that he'll change) but he won't be around too much longer because people will (like they did with Rodman) decide he's too much hassle.

Can you believe that we had weather in the 70's over the weekend? It's still pretty dang warm. Saturday we were raking leaves in short sleaves and I was sweating like crazy. Hello, it's NOVEMBER!!

Seems like there was something else I wanted to say but can't think of it now so I'll leave this ugly mess as it stands.

And without further ado . . .

U2 Vertigo Tour: Pittsburgh, PA: October 22, 2005

Some things in life improve with age and I would submit that a U2 concert is one of them. With over two decades under their belt and an average age of over 40 years U2 still knows how to bring down the house -- perhaps better now than ever before. Mind you, this is not a band putting on a "greatest hits" or "reunion" tour but a band that is putting out new material that they (and their fans) believe in. U2 has asserted that they believe this is some of their best material. Granted, what band wouldn't say something like this but U2 does more than just saying it -- the play it like they mean it.

The October 22 Pittsburgh concert was over two hours in length and the band played an extensive 23 song setlist including seven (of the 11) songs from their latest release, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb." They played many well-known favorites along with some older, lesser-known fan-favorites (the kind of songs that only hard-core fans can sing along with). It was a perfect mix for seasoned fans and new-comers alike.

The show opened with an electrifying performance of City of Blinding Lights followed by Vertigo. The band continued relentlessly through Elevation, I Will Follow, and The Electric Co. before letting up (slightly) with I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. After Beautiful Day they slowed things up a bit with Miracle Drug and Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own -- a beautifully emotional performance dedicated to Bono's deceased father, Bob Hewson, for whom, and about whom, the song was written. He prefaced the song by talking about his father -- the working class Dublin man who loved the opera and would sit and listen to the opera on the radio in the living room and conduct with the knitting needles. At the close of the song Bono broke into a few opera refrains while waving his arms in the air (conducting motions). It was quite touching.
The band returned with three political heavy hitters -- Love and Peace or Else, Sunday Bloody Sunday, and Bullet the Blue Sky. Of course, what is a U2 concert without some politics? Bono talked about the One campaign to help eliminate disease and poverty in developing nations. Also, during what I call the "political segment" Bono talked about how we (the religions of the world) need to learn to co-exist. He wore a headband with the logo below -- the crescent moon of Islam, the star of David, and the cross of Christianity.

Bono is a performer in the truest sense of the word. One does not go to a U2 concer to see him sing. One goes to see him perform. He has a special way (don't ask me how) of connecting with an audience. It's what makes seeing U2 live so special: It's not a concert, it's an experience. Somehow the band can take a crowd of 50,000 and make it feel like 2,000. In the earlier years he was more active on the stage with raw energy but I tend to think that his energy today is equally potent, just more focused. I honestly don't know these guys can get up and play for nearly two solid hours night in and night out. I was exhausted by the end of the show and I was just in the crowd for one show!!

Another of the evening's highlights was Miss Sarajevo, a song which (recorded) features Luciano Pavarotti singing two solos in Italian. At the concert Bono announced that unfortunately Pavarotti wasn't able to attend but was celebrating his (Pavarotti's) birthday. Bono sang the opera parts himself (in Italian) quite beautifully. It was amazing, especially considering that he sounded a bit hoarse during the first few numbers but by this point seemed to be singing with ease.

A couple of interesting moments of the performance: 1. While out on the end of the ellipse (the b-stage) doing an acoustic number with The Edge Bono received a request from a fan to sign an autograph. He said, "I think this is a U2 first -- signing an autograph during a concert." He smiled, signed the pad, and then handed it over to a smiling Edge who signed it and returned it. 2. During the second encore Bono invited a fan up to play with the band. Apparently he had been holding up a sign that indicated he wanted to play Party Girl with the band. As the individual was making his way up Bono turned to the band and said, "We've got live one Edge." The man from the crowd, Alan, didn't seem nervous at all and really started to jam. It was certainly a night he'll never forget.

I was pleasantly surprised by a few songs in the setlist. For example, I was afraid that a song like Elevation might end up being relegated to the Elevation tour never again to see the light of day in a concert. It was wonderful to hear it again. It is one of those songs that brings down the house at a U2 concert. Miss Sarajevo was a surprise. The Electric Co. was amazing. It's a song that a lot of people who don't know old school U2 stuff aren't familiar with. It sounded great.

The band closed with another older hit, 40 -- based on the fortieth Psalm (first three verses). I was ecstatic! This was a song that closed so many of their earlier concerts but I never figured I would hear it live. The song ends with a repeated chorus maintained by the audience. The band continued to play as they left one at a time -- Bono, Adam, The Edge, and finally Larry (after a small drum solo). A perfect end to a perfect evening. Thanks again guys.

How long to sing this song . . .

The complete setlist:

City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
I Will Follow
The Electric Co.
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Beautiful Day
Miracle Drug
Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own
Love and Peace or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet the Blue Sky
Miss Sarajevo
Pride
Where the Streets Have No Name
One

The First Time
Stuck in a Moment
Party Girl
With or Without You

All Because of You
Yahweh
40

It's coming

For those of you wondering about the concert review: it is coming. I actually started it tonight and then saved it as a draft and now I can't find it on blogger and am too lazy to start again. Hopefully it just takes a while to show up and I can finish it later.

In the mean time I have an ethical question for anyone willing to answer. I am wondering not what I should do but what you would do were you in my situation. Now, let me give you the situation: At my current job (see previous posts) there are five other temps who started at the same time that I did. We are VERY loosely managed by supervisors from the company. Anyway, some of the other temps aren't coming in for a full day but are putting a full day on their time cards (surprisingly nobody seems to notice). On the one hand, I know that the company is losing a lot of money by paying these people for a full day when they're only working for a couple of hours (not that I have work to do all day but at least I'm there) but I also realize that if I say anything that all of the temps will know that it was I who said something since I'm the only one not taking advantage of this -- not so great with co-worker relations. On the other hand, it's kind of annoying to get up every morning and try hard to be on time, be the first one in, the last to leave, and doing a lot more work but getting paid the same that everyone else is. I realize that I could "join 'em" but I'm not going to. Anyway, what would you do? If you don't mind my asking.